Maria the Conqueror: What if Boris I of Bulgaria only had two children (daughters)?

[NotDavidSoslan]

When I used the other forum, I originally posted this timeline there, but committed a mistake by making a king of a Christian nation who had male children be succeeded by a daughter. This is voided here, and there are other improvements and details.

Early life of Maria the Conqueror (864–889)

Maria, the tsarina (Empress) of Bulgaria between 889 and 896 and the Basilessa of the Roman Empire between 896 and 920, was officially born on 10 June 864, to Boris I of Bulgaria and his wife, also named Maria. As Bulgaria was christianized in 865, the younger Maria was a Christian all her life, and a pious one at that, in spite of her controversial behavior.

The lack of a male heir (both of Boris's children were girls) scared Boris, who nevertheless had to reluctantly accept Maria would succeed him, a decision he later regretted. In 878, Maria was sent to Constantinople to study theology, proving to be very intelligent and an excellent and dedicated student. During the decade she spent in Constantinople, she studied traditionally male subjects such as philosophy and rethoric, as well as Greek, and was subject to misogyny by the Byzantines, causing her to develop what Tzvetan Todorov described as an inferiority complex towards men and desire to dominate them in all ways possible. Some historians believe she had her first relationship when in Constantinople, with a Byzantine noble, but this is not arrested by any contemporary source; medieval Christianity was highly repressive and it would likely exclude her from power, making her father ruler until his death.

In 888, Maria returned to Bulgaria, where she settled at the Preslav Monastery and translated important religious works from Greek to Bulgarian. When his father, tired of ruling Bulgaria for 30 years, retired to a monastery, Maria became Kynaz at the age of 25. She was described as an extraordinarily beautiful and intelligent woman, but continued to face major opposition for her ambition and gender; the latter led to Maria being seen as illegitimate, and she put down three coup attempts between 889 and 891.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

(Since the nobility and 1/3 of the commoners hated Maria, it should have actually lasted for two years)

The first two years of Maria's reign saw a reduction of tribute in peasants, the construction of gravel roads, and the creation of a Bulgarian fleet secretly meant to invade Constantinople.

One year after seizing the throne, Maria was pressured by the nobility, which initially opposed her, into marrying a Bulgarian nobleman named Ivan, who proved to be a brave warrior and became responsible for all of her military achievements. However, Maria, who had an inferiority complex towards men, shocked her medieval Christian society by having several affairs, sometimes simultaneously, especially when Ivan was in a military campaign.

Opposition to the rule of a promiscuous and ambitious woman remained widespread in 891, and at some point that year, several leading nobles visited the former Kynaz at his monastery, asking him to lead a military rebellion against his daughter. After learning about her behavior, Boris agreed and went to the countryside to gather warriors.

However, he proved to be a better administrator than a military commander, suffering another military defeat at the hands of Ivan and his hosts. He was eventually captured alive by the Bulgarian forces, and imprisoned at the monastery he had left. Maria's inappropriate behavior continued, and Bulgarian nobles continued to dissent against her until she conquered Constantinople in 896.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

After the Magyars settled in Pannonia in 895, Maria began planning a military expedition to subjugate them, after and if Constantinople was conquered.

It was launched in 897, but the Magyars under Árpád, being a nomadic warrior society living in the mountainous Carpathians, managed to defeat the Bulgar-Roman legions led by one of Maria's generals. The Bulgarians were not used to mountain warfare, and with their opponents being effectively a warrior society, it was impossible for Maria to conquer them.

Árpád had a strong dislike of Maria, allegedly describing her as "the greatest whore in the world". The defeat proved shocking for her, and historians consider it to be one of reasons she repented for her adultery and lust to the Patriarch in Constantinople.

Bulgar-Roman relations with West Francia were little better either, with most alternative history aficionados believing there would be war between the two countries if Maria lived for a little longer. They improved somewhat after her death in 920, but the two empires never reconciled due to the problem of two emperors.

The enmity between Hungary and Bulgaria-Rome continued throughout the 10th century CE, as shown by the numerous Magyar raids against the Balkans. It took Basileus Peter II, a brilliant military commander, for the threat to fully cease (in 987, not 897).

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

Even with the victory against Bulgaria-Rome decades earlier, the Abbasid Empire continued to experience decline and fragmentation, leading to a quick defeat.

In the peace treaty, Armenia also made small territorial gains around Lake Van.

In 924, Peter I of Bulgaria-Rome married Helena Lekapene, a member of the former Eastern Roman imperial family, thus connecting it to the House of Krum. The two had a happy marriage that produced five children, among them Paul I, and Helena had far less power and was way more faithful than Maria.

During the 940–943 war, Bulgaria-Rome occupied Crete and Cyprus, which escaped Muslim control until the Ottomans conquered them centuries later.

By 948, the Abbasid Caliphate was reduced to de facto control over Mesopotamia, as the war proved to be the nail in the coffin to the declining and oversized empire. The Fatimids would later fight several wars against the Bulgar-Romans, which proved to be inconclusive.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

Eleven days after Stephen VI assumed the pontificate, he faced a major challenge when Maria took over Constantinople and thus Eastern Christianity.

She had been known in the Western Christian hierarchy for her affairs and ambition for a few years, which made them view it as absolutely inappropriate for her to exercise caesaropapism, and refer to Maria as a "Bulgar harlot". She was excommunicated, and allegedly burst into laughter upon recieving the news.

Another theological difference was that Maria believed her decisions reflected the will of God and could not be disputed, while the papacy opposed this concept. There were fears she would use her religious authority to allow adultery and polyandry, but they proved unfounded.

After her death, relations between the two halves of Christianity mostly improved until the Crusades began, as Bulgaria-Rome had failed to definitely retake the Holy Land.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

Paul I was left an invalid and died in 961, leaving the throne to his 17 year-old son Peter, who eventually became Emperor Peter II "The Great".

The Abbasids won the war due to controlling two of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world (Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley), and the territorial changes were the annexation of Aleppo by the Ayubbids and the stronghold of former Carthage by the Ikshidids (it's unrealistic for them to win and not annex anything).

There would be several other wars between Bulgar-Rome and the Muslim empires in the coming centuries.

The Abbasids won the war due to controlling two of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world (Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley), and the territorial changes were the annexation of Aleppo by the Ayubbids and the stronghold of former Carthage by the Ikshidids (it's unrealistic for them to win and not annex anything).

There would be several other wars between Bulgar-Rome and the Muslim empires in the coming centuries.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

This merger produced a distinct culture in the Bulgar-Roman Empire (officially named just the Roman Empire) that greatly influenced Kievan Rus'.

After 896, nothing much changed for the inhabitants of the former Eastern Roman Empire, as Maria continued all Byzantine policies and traditions, such as caesaropapism and the protection of icons. When not pregnant from one of her lovers, she visited the markets in the city and tried to solve any problems she encountered.

The Illustrated Chronicle was a series of manuscripts written by monks between 1010 and 1030, showing the world from its creation by God to Maria's death in 920. It is considered one of the greatest achievements of the empire she founded.

Manzikert was a major defeat for Bulgar-Rome and proved to be the turning point of its fortunes, as the Sejluks emerged as a major threat to the empire. The Fourth Crusade in 1204 separated the two branches of Christianity definitely.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

Between 883 and 894, Gavrilov was married to Anna Ivanova, who is described by contemporaries of Maria as an unfaithful and neglectful wife.

Gavrilov's father, named Gavril, was one of the earliest Bulgarian converts to Eastern Christianity, and had primarily Slavic ancestry, while his mother became a nun in her old age. He belonged to a powerful family that produced several warriors and military commanders since the reign of Krum, making Gavrilov an intelligent man who spoke Bulgarian and Greek fluently, and was perfectly literate.

It is believed Maria met Gavrilov when she was exploring the countryside next to her capital and saw him hunting. The story goes, she was interested and took him to her palace after a conversation. The Bulgarian nobility who opposed Maria also had Gavrilov as one of their main targets, viewing him as a corrupt pagan.

In 994, when he was already Maria's lover, his divorce was annulled, and Anna locked in a convent, which Maria frequently did to the wives of men she was interested in.

Two years later, Gavrilov recieved a large house in the center of Constantinople, not far away from the imperial palace, as well as serfs and agricultural estates, which turned him into a major landowner. He and Maria had six children, some of whom fought in her final war against the Abbasids. Little is known about his three legitimate children.

How much influence Gavrilov had in the Bulgarian and then Bulgar-Roman government is disputed, but chronicles agree Maria kept her lovers away from politics, so it was likely marginal. Medieval sources also say she sent him hundreds of love letters, but only fragments of them remain, the rest being lost or burned by Peter I.

Maria the Conqueror herself is a legendary figure in the Balkans, being mentioned in hundreds of poems, legends and folk songs, and seen as an example of a sinful woman who repented and followed Christ.
(I cringed a bit when writing this)

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

The real historical figures Maria resembles the most are Genghis Khan, Catherine II and the Byzantine regent Maria of Antioch. She also bears a strong resemblance to the legendary Semiramis.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

Ivan was Maria's fourth or fifth cousin according to both contemporary and modern historians.

The nobles, who did not fully support Maria, required her to marry in order to have a military commander and heir to the throne. The two had seven children, and Mafia also gave birth to five known illegitimate children by her lovers, as she did not feel in love with Ivan at all, only marrying him for political considerations.

Ivan was a skillful general and military strategist who won the majority of battles he participated in. The only Marian campaign he did not participate in was the failure to conquer the Magyars in 895, and he also enjoyed hunting, having less of an intellect than Maria.

After Maria conquered Constantinople and proclaimed the Third Rome, she began a large-scale construction program of aqueducts, churches, cathedrals and roads across her realm. This, and her enforcement of preexisting Bulgarian laws protecting the poor, orphans and widows, made her popular in spite of her constant infidelities. The scholarly consensus is that Ivan was upset at Maria for her affairs and frequently argued with her at one point, but later realized he could do little about it.

During the 905–918 war, Ivan's military skills became evident again, as the Bulgar-Roman forces made significant gains in eastern Anatolia and Cilicia, and Maria thought she was winning the war. But her hopes of a rebellion among Middle Eastern Christians did not materialize, and Ivan died during the Battle of Bagarich (currently part of Iran), after being struck in his abdomen by a spear, quicky dying after saying "a Christian dies, but Christ lives on". He was buried in the same city, but after the Safavids conquered Constantinople in the 17th century, the bones identified as his were reburied in the city. Maria was devastated by his death and, according to a contemporary historian, wished she could have treated her husband better during his lifetime, with her health declining until she died in 920.

The love triangle of Ivan, Maria and Gavril, and Maria's subsequent repentance, is an important part of Bulgarian, Serbian and Croatian folklore.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

In 1003 AD, Emperor Michael I of the Bulgar-Roman Empire died without issue, according to medieval sources, after falling from a horse.


The Bulgar-Roman Empire in 1003 AD.

This marked the end of the House of Krum, which had ruled Bulgaria for centuries, and led to general Nikephoros Ouranos, who had scored several victories against Muslim armies, seizing power and proclaiming himself emperor. He married Sophia I, a daughter of former Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, with their son and successor continuing the dynasty.

In 989, Emperor Peter II inflicted a significant defeat on the Magyars, who were afterwards forced to pay tribute and convert to Christianity, thus ceasing their raids against the Balkans. He died several years later and was succeeded by Michael I, who waged several wars against the Abbasids that resulted in the emirates of Aleppo and Mosul being reannexed by Bulgaria-Rome but given considerable autonomy.

Bulgaria-Rome's treatment of Muslims depended on the emperor. Maria the Conqueror forcefully converted them during her war against the Abbasids, but her successors were more tolerant of non-Orthodox faiths, although they faced restrictions. During the 10th century, there were several revolts by the Catholic Croats, all of whom were crushed.

After the controversial Maria died in 920, friendly relations between the Bulgar-Roman Empire and Western Europe returned. Several Bulgar-Roman emperors married princesses from the HRE, and there was no military conflict between the two empires. Considerable distrust remained, which explained the Franks' refusal to aid Bulgaria-Rome against the Mongols in the 1200s.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

The battle was not a catastrophic defeat to the Seljuks, as Alp Arslan escaped unscathed and there's no evidence they suffered particularly heavy casualties. However, the battle certainly blocked them from setting Anatolia, which remained mostly Greek and Armenian for a long time.

Bulgar-Roman emperors between 1010 and 1088

• Michael II (1010–1026)
• Nikeporos II Ouranos (1026–1047)
• Andronikos I (1047–1063)
• Peter III (1063–1088)

Bulgar-Rome later joined the crusades, and was never targeted by them, although this did not prevent them from failing in the end. Caucasian Iberia remained fragmented and significantly influenced by Bulgaria-Rome for a long time.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

The Crusades are butterflied away on the Bulgaria-Rome timeline, since the Seljuks never captured the Holy Land and the Fatimids never expanded beyond what used to be Carthage.

Also, the Christian victory at Manzikert avoided the feeling Christianity was in danger.

The Ouranos dynasty ruled Bulgaria-Rome until 1179, when its emperor died in battle amd the Sejluks effectively avenged Manzikert. The Komnenos dynasty took power in the empire after this defeat.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

Maria II (c.1085–1125) was the mother of the ill-fated Emperor Alexander I, and served as Alexander's regent between 1109 and 1115. (There are two oversights in Slide 1)

She focused her regency on dealing with the Seljuk threat, but the Bulgar-Greek elite did not trust her vengeful, charismatic and ambitious personality; after Alexander was proclaimed of age, Maria II was forced to become a nun.

After the power vacuum caused by her son's death, Maria left the convent and claimed the throne, soon taking control of Constantinople, but the influential Komnenos family under Ioannis Komnenos rose up against her and claimed the throne for themselves, soon coming to control most of Anatolia. Maria's loyal generals failed to crush them in time due to Seljuk support, and after her death in 1125, she was succeeded by her other son Peter, who continued to fight the self-proclaimed emperor Ioannis and rallied most of the nobility behind him. The attempted Komnenos siege of Constantinople was repelled in 1129, but both sides failed to make gains in the few following years.

Peter V, the final Ouranos emperor, was incompetent and hedonistic; he was killed in battle against the Komnenos forces in mid-1133, allowing Ioannis to successfully claim the throne and being the Komnenoi to power in Constantinople.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

David IV took advantage of the civil war in the Bulgar-Roman Empire to unify the Georgian principalities, although Tbilisi remained in Muslim hands, with the local emirate becoming a Seljuk tributary.

During the battle of Khopa, the Georgians faced a disorganized and inexperienced force loyal to the Komnenoi, and were victorious. This temporarily ended the Bulgar-Roman threat to Georgia, as Ioannis Komnenos was more concerned with overthrowing Empress Maria II than defeating an upstart nation. The two Orthodox countries would only go to war again in the 1140s, during the reign of Emperor Paul VI.

Tbilisi would only be liberated and become Georgia's capital during the reign of David's great-granddaughter Tamar (there cannot be a post of mine about history that doesn't mention king Tamar), by whose time the Seljuk sultanate was already disintegrating. After capturing Tbilisi, Tamar claimed the title of King of Kings.

Tangentially related to the previous paragraph, the fledging Sakartvelo also fought several wars against the Bulgar-Romans, where they were less successful than against the Seljuks.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]

The Georgians failed to make major gains against the Bulgar-Romans, and Tamar eventually sealed a long-term peace treaty with them by marrying a Komneni prince.

On the other hand, they had great success in the fight against the Sejluks from 1130 onwards, gradually pushing them out on the Caucasus and inflicting several major defeats on them as their empire disintegrated. In 1195, Georgian forces captured Tbilisi, annexing its emirate and making the city their capital. Tamar was proclaimed King of Kings and Queen of Queens.

The struggle against the Muslim kingdoms continued, including under Tamar's son Giorgi IV, until the arrival of the Mongols, who also dealt a fatal blow to the Bulgar-Roman Empire, caused them to focus on this new threat.

 

[NotDavidSoslan]