History of Medieval Sofia IV - XIV century

"History of medieval Sofia IV - XIV century" is a monograph dedicated to the eleventh-century-long existence of one of the most remarkable Balkan cities during the middle ages - The present day capital of Bulgaria - Sofia. It was situated along the Via Diagonalis through the Peninsula and was mentioned in the Annals from this age under the names Serdica, Sredets, Triaditza. Early Byzantine Serdica was a "Marvellous Metropolis" - the main city in the Province of Midland Dacia.

A city favoured by Emperor Constantine The Great, in which he constructed a magnificent architectural ensemble.The council of Serdica of 43 was the signature event through which Serdica left its mark on the history of the Early Christian Church. Up until the end of the VI century, Serdica was a major Byzantine city and an important episcopal centre. During the VII and VIII century, the city existed in the setting of Ubiquitous Slavic Colonisation of the entire Balkan Peninsula.

In 809, the distinguished Khan Krum incorporated Serdica into the Bulgarian Khanate and the city continued its existence as the Bulgarian city of Sredets for two centuries. The end of the X century saw the inclusion in the Orthodox calendar of the most holy image of a Bulgarian saint - St. john of Rila. The "Heavenly patron saint of the Bulgarian people", who has been directly associated with Sredets and the Sredets region ever since the middle ages. Throughout the XI - XII century, despite being one of the most important strategic fortresses in the western parts of the Byzantine empire. Serdica preserved its Bulgarian ethic image. One of the greatest Bulgarian rulers - Tsar Ivan I Asen, restored Serdica - Sredets to the Bulgarian empire in 1195, in which it was a major centre up until Bulgaria's conquest by the Ottoman Turks.