Conference on the Second Bulgarian Tsardom held in Veliko Tarnovo

The conference’s organizers

The press release

From October 24 to 26, 2025 the Faculty of History at St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo hosted the international conference “The Second Bulgarian Tsardom and its role in the historical development of medieval South Eastern Europe: the Balkans and the Lower Danube River Basin in 12^th–15^thcenturies”. The scientific forum was organized with the financial support of the Bulgarian National Scientific Research Fund (contract n° КП-06-МНФ/30) in partnership with the University of Bucharest and Balkan History Association. It brought together more than fifty scholars from Bulgaria and Europe, presenting the latest research on an interdisciplinary scale.

The conference opening took place on October 24, 2025 at 10 a.m. in the ceremonial hall of St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo. The plenary session was chaired by the emblematic Bulgarian historians Prof. Plamen Pavlov and Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov. The scientific programme also included the famous Bulgarian archaeologist Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, as well as other well-known and established scientists – Prof. Alexander Nikolov and Assoc. Prof. Angel Nikolov from Sofia University, Prof. Dimo ​​Cheshmedzhiev from Plovdiv University, Prof. Aleksandar Uzelac from Belgrade (Serbia), Prof. Attila Bárány from Debrecen (Hungary), Prof. Sorin Paliga from Bucharest (Romania), Assoc. Prof. Kiril Marinov from Lodz (Poland), Dr. Mihai Dragnea (Balkan History Association and the University of South-Eastern Norway), Prof. Nikolay Kanev and Prof. Ivelin Ivanov from the University of Veliko Tarnovo.

Divided into thematic panels, the scientific conference discussed topical issues from the history of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom and provided an opportunity for scientific debate on the following questions: 1. Sources and Historiography; 2. The beginning of the Second Bulgarian Tsardom and the Asenid uprising; 3. The relations of the Second Bulgarian Tsardom with the Vlachs; 4. The Second Bulgarian Kingdom’s political place in the history of Medieval Europe; 4. The place of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom in the Lower Danube region; 5. Ideology of power; 5. War and military history; 6. Religion and spirituality; 6. Culture, art and everyday life.

Photo: The conference hall (source: conference’s organizers)

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About Author

Vladimir Mitev

Vladimir Mitev is a Bulgarian Romanian-speaking journalist. He has interacted with many Bulgarian and Romanian media outlets, including Bulgarian National Radio, Mediapool, all major Bulgarian television stations, Darik Radio, and more (Bulgaria); Radio Romania, The Liberal Community 1848, all the major Romanian television stations; DoR; Libertatea; PressHub; and others (Romania); The Analysis, Acorn Radio (USA); Open Democracy (UK); voxEurop (France); the Observatory for the Balkans and the Caucasus; The Other News (Italy); The Institute for Central Europe (Poland); Argument (Czechia); Merce (Hungary); Bilten (Croatia); and Agora (the Republic of Moldova).
He promotes the idea of non-hegemonic, mutually empowering interactions in Central and Southeastern Europe that could contribute to the formation of a dynamic regional identity and connect citizens to the global community.

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