Dobrotitsa

Who is Dobrotitsa?

Dobrotitsa was a Bulgarian noble, ruler of the de facto independent Principality of Karvuna and the Kaliakra fortress from 1354 to 1379–1386.

Dobrotitsa's ethnic origin is disputed, in consequence he is considered by some a Bulgarian noble kindred of the Terter dynasty, to others a Vlach, and to others a Christianized Turk. Venetian sources from the late 14th century refer to Dobrotitsa as a "despot of Bulgarians" and to his realm as "parts of Zagore subordinate to Dobrotitsa".

In 1346, Dobrotitsa and his brother Theodore were sent along with 1,000 soldiers by the Dobrujan ruler Balik to help the Byzantine empress Anna of Savoy in the civil war against John VI Kantakouzenos, but were defeated. The following year, after the death of Balik, he became the ruler of Dobruja. In 1348 Dobrotitsa took over the fortress of Midia and by 1356 managed to seize Kozyak and Emona from the Byzantines.

In 1366 Emperor Ivan Alexander refused to give conduct to the Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos who was returning home from Hungary. In order to force the Bulgarians to do this, a relative of John V, Count Amadeus VI of Savoy, then leading his own the Savoyard crusade, attacked the Bulgarian coastal towns. In the fall of the same year Amadeo's navy captured Anhialo, Nessebar, Emona and on 25 October he besieged the strong fortress Varna, where he was repulsed. As a result Ivan Alexander gave the Byzantines safe conduct across Bulgaria and they kept the conquered towns. In 1369 he and Vladislav I of Wallachia helped Emperor Ivan Alexander to defeat the Hungarians and retake Vidin. Out of gratitude, the Emperor gave Dobrotitsa Emona and Kozyak. Later he built a navy in Varna which was engaged in actions as far as Trebizond. The Genoese manuscripts write that his navy was very strong albeit rather small and achieved successes against the Ottomans and Genoese. He was succeeded by his son Juanchus/Ivanko in 1386.