258 chapter four
the tsar lost a great deal of prestige and support as a result, and in 1277
was forced to surrender the throne to the people’s hero, Ivaylo, who had
successfully confronted several tartar raids. the Byzantines moved against
the new ruler in 1279, bringing with them their pretender candidate Ivan
asen III, and together with a tartar contingent they besieged the capital
at tarnovo, whence Ivaylo fled to Silistra. rebellious boyars then deposed
the Byzantine/tartar candidate and in 1280 elected as their tsar George
terter, of cuman lineage. By this time Noghai held all the most important
strings in Bulgaria’s internal politics, conclusively shown by the fact that
both Ivaylo and Ivan asen simultaneously appealed for his help: the for-
mer was killed, and the latter allowed to leave for constantinople.463
Noghai performed one last service for his brother-in-law the emperor
just before Michael VIII died: In 1282, he sent troops to support palaiolo-
gos against the sebastocrator John I Doukas of thessaly.464
the growing power of the Mongol entity on the Danube was also
reflected in the shifting balance of power between Sarai and Isaccea in
the 1290s, marking a decisive break in its Balkan policy. the Bulgarian
empire was the first power to feel this change, with tartar pressure on
tarnovo becoming much more intense than it had been in earlier years.465
George terter, installed as tsar by the boyars in 1280, was forced to send
his son theodore Svetoslav as a hostage to Noghai’s court, and one of his
daughters for the harem of the khan’s son chaka.466
there is no sound documentary explanation for terter’s disgrace and
the enthronement of Smilets in 1292, but these events occurred in the
context of Noghai’s growing power in the Balkans, especially in the North-
West of the peninsula.467
this intervention in Bulgarian affairs was Noghai’s last show of force in
external affairs. after his death, toqta was forced to change Golden horde
policy in South-east europe radically, and this included policy regarding
the Straits.
463 pachymeres/Bekker, I, pp. 446–449; cf. Nikov, Otnosheniya, p. 13, ostrogorsky,
Geschichte, p. 382, Veselovsky, Khan, p. 41, Brătianu, Vicina, p. 233.
464 pachymeres/Bekker, I, p. 524, FHDR, III, pp. 446–447, Nikov, Otnosheniya, p. 14.
465 on this aspect, cf. Nikov, Otnosheniya, p. 16.
466 pachymeres/Bekker, I, pp. 446–449; cf. pljakov, “relations,” pp. 285–286, pavlov,
“B”lgariya,” p. 25.
467 cf. ibid., and papacostea, Românii, p. 168.