The Wedding Celebrations of the Bulgarian Royal Family During the Reign of Tsar Ivan Alexander (1331–1371)

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the thesis of Tsar Ivan Asen II as ruler of
Thessaloniki presented in the scientific works of Georgi Balaschev, to analyze the arguments that
lead the author to reach this conclusion and to point out possible errors and weaknesses in them,
which are the reasons why they are never accepted by contemporary Bulgarian medieval studies.
Attention is paid to the complex situation on the Balkan Peninsula on the eve of the Battle of
Klokotnitsa, the rise of Theodore Comnenus's Epirus and the consequences of the defeat of it in
1230; Balaschev's researches related to the territorial gains for Bulgaria after the victory at
Klokotnitsa, compared with the works of his medievalist contemporaries and the achievements of
subsequent scholars; the historical sources on the subject and what we learn from them, supporting
or rejecting Balaschev's thesis. Finally, an answer is sought to the particularly important question
of the value of Balaschev's conclusions for our present-day historical science, why they should not
be dismissed lightly.