Бил ли е татаринът Чака български цар?
Was the Tartar Chaka a Tsar of Bulgaria?

Summary/Abstract: For over a century now, Bulgarian medievalists have agreed that the Tartar Chaka was crowned emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria. They have reached this conclusion mostly on the basis of what the Byzantine historian, George Pachymeres, wrote about the events in neighboring Bulgaria. However, a careful reading of Pachymeres shows that he tended to give in to speculations concerning the outcome of events in Bulgaria rather, than present a truthful account of what actually happened in that country. As could be seen from the contemporary Arab and Persian sources, Chaka's political ambitions seemed to have been far greater than occupying the throne of Bulgaria. Being a descendent, of Genghis Khan, he strove to seize the political power in the ulus of his father, Nogaj, and thus become sole ruler of the Golden Horde. Contemporary numismatic evidence too shows that Chaka did, over a brief period of time, take over the supreme power in the Golden Horde. At the same time, Chaka's brother-in-law, Svetoslav Terter, who had been formally crowned his father's co-emperor in 1284, managed to place the events in Tirnovo under his control and to neutralize his dangerous Tartar rival, Chaka. More than that, Svetoslav Terter succeeded in putting an end to the Tartar interference with the internal affairs, as well with the international policy of Bulgaria.

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