Bulgarian Kings and Tsars

The Bulgars arrived in the area of modern Bulgaria around the end of 7th century. They were headed by Asparuh, who came from their land north of the Caucasus mountains (called Old Great Bulgaria, originally united by Kubrat). Asparuh was probably called the Khan, a Turkish title meaning "king, ruler".

For the next two centuries the Bulgarian Empire expanded, partly at the expense of their southern neighbour, the Byzantine Empire. The Empire had its greatest extent in the early 10th century under Simeon the Great, who in 913 adopted the title Tsar (meaning "emperor", ultimately related to Latin Caesar). After his death, however, Bulgaria's power began to decline, and by the year 1018 the country was conquered and ruled by the Byzantines.

In 1185 Petar and his brother Ivan Asen successfully revolted against the Byzantines and formed the Second Bulgarian Empire. The Asen dynasty ruled for almost a century. Eventually the second empire was conquered by the emerging Ottoman Turkish Empire in the late 14th century.

Russia defeated the Ottomans in the Russo-Turkish War in 1878, and after almost 500 years of Ottoman rule Bulgaria regained independence. A monarchy was reintroduced, but then abolished in 1946.

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category
NameYearsOther Names
Alexander I1879-1886
Alusian1041
Asparuh668-700(Asparukh, Isperih, Isperikh)
Ayyar715(Ajjar)
Batbayan665-668(Bat Bajan)
Boril1207-1218
Boris I852-889(Mihail)
Boris II969-977
Boris III1918-1943
Chaka1299-1300
Ferdinand1887-1918
Gavril Radomir1014-1015(Gabriel)
Georgi Terter I1280-1292(George)
Georgi Terter II1322-1323(George)
Ivailo1278-1279(Ivaylo)
Ivan Aleksandar1331-1371
Ivan Asen I1189-1196
Ivan Asen II1218-1241
Ivan Asen III1279-1280
Ivan II1298-1299
Ivan Shishman1371-1395
Ivan Sratsimir1356-1396
Ivan Stefan1330-1331
Ivan Vladislav1015-1018
Kaliman Asen I1241-1246
Kaliman Asen II1256
Kaloyan1197-1207(Ivan, Kalojan)
Kardam777-803
Konstantin I1257-1277(Constantine)
Konstantin II1397-1422(Constantine)
Kormesiy721-738(Kormesij)
Kormisosh753-756
Krum803-814
Kubrat632-665(Houvrat, Kurt)
Malamir831-836
Mihail Asen I1246-1256(Michael)
Mihail Asen II1277-1279(Michael)
Mihail Asen III1323-1330(Michael)
Mitso Asen1256-1257(Mico)
Omurtag814-831(Omortag)
Pagan767-768
Petar I927-969(Peter)
Petar II1040-1041(Delyan, Peter)
Petar III1072(Constantine, Peter)
Petar IV1185-1197(Peter)
Presian I836-852
Presian II1018
Roman977-997
Sabin765-766
Samuil997-1014(Samuel)
Sevar738-753
Simeon I the Great893-927(Symeon)
Simeon II1943-1946
Smilets1292-1298(Smilec)
Telerig768-777
Telets762-765(Telec)
Tervel695-721
Todor Svetoslav1300-1322(Theodore)
Toktu766-767
Umor766
Vineh756-762(Vinekh)
Vladimir889-893