The Second Bulgarian Empire was a
medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 (or
1422). A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the
peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually
being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th
century. It was succeeded by the Principality and later Kingdom of
Bulgaria in 1878.
Up until 1256, the Second Bulgarian Empire was the dominant power
in the Balkans. The Byzantines were defeated in several major
battles, and in 1205 the newly-established Latin Empire was crushed
in the battle of Adrianople by Emperor Kaloyan. His nephew, Ivan
Asen II (1218–1241), defeated the Despotate of Epiros and
made Bulgaria a regional power once again. However, in the late
13th century the Empire declined under the constant invasions of
Tatars, Byzantines, Hungarians, Serbs, and internal instability and
revolts.
Despite the strong Byzantine influence, the Bulgarian artists and
architects managed to create their own distinct style. Literature
and art flourished in the 14th century and a large part of the
Bulgarian population was literate.