Innovations in Late Medieval Bulgarian Weapons and Equipment of a Western Characte

Abstract

The object of the study are the western trends that entered Bulgarian armaments and equipment in the period
XIII-XIV centuries. We will try to trace their way to the Balkans and how they penetrated into Bulgaria. This work sets
itself the goal of overcoming the ossified idea of the Bulgarian warrior, who until the end of the Second Bulgarian State
wore only a chainmail and a conical helmet, and the author will present different types of finds that show the Bulgarian
military work in a completely different light. For Western Europe, the period XIII-XIV c. was extremely dynamic as a
result of the Crusades and the change of warfare on the continent. After it was clearly seen that the feudal system was
not suitable for long offensive military campaigns, mercenary armies began to be used massively, which contributed to
the improvement of the equipment of the infantry and turning it into an equal opponent of the heavy cavalry. The
Balkans in this period opened up due to the Crusades and in the next few centuries were again an active battlefield where
different types of weapons were used. This leads to new military markets for equipment and armaments. Mercenaries
began to come from the West to serve the Latin states, Byzantium, Serbia and possibly Bulgaria. After looking at the
western development of military affairs, we will also pay attention to the routes of the European "iron" to the Balkans
and Bulgaria. For the creation of this work, in addition to archaeological monuments, we will also use frescoes from
churches and monasteries from the 13th and 14th centuries, some stylized drawings from the medieval scriptoria in
Macedonia, as well as from the Four Gospels of Tsar Ivan Alexander. Medieval authors used contemporary trends in
clothing and weaponry to depict saints or scenes from the Bible. The last twenty years have been extremely fruitful for
Bulgarian archeology in terms of armaments and equipment. Unfortunately, there are still no comprehensive
monographs focused only on the protective clothing and armaments of the Second Bulgarian Empire.