Ростислав Страшимирович – потомъкът на цар Йоан Срацимир (ок. 1352/6–1396/7)
Rostislav Strashimirovich – the descendant of Tsar Ioan Sratsimir (c. 1352/6–1396/7)

Summary/Abstract: It is traditionally accepted in Bulgarian historiography that four major Bulgarian uprisings took place against the Ottoman rule. Three of them – the First Tărnovo, Chiprovtsi and Karposh uprisings – can be described as indisputable, as they were based on numerous historical sources. This is not the case with the so-called Second Tărnovo Uprising of 1686. According to the historiography’s view, it was headed by Rostislav Strashimirovich, a descendant of the last Bulgarian tsar, Joan Sratsimir. Information about this historical event first appeared in the Russian newspaper The Northern Bee (“Severnaya pchela”) in 1847. The author of the article is the Russian Church writer Nikolai Elagin (1817–1891), who claimed to be based on a family chronicle and royal charters, owned by his closest friend Nikolai Saveliev-Rostislavich (1815–1854). He in turn introduced himself as the heir of Rostislav Strashmirovich and of the last Bulgarian royal dynasty, as well as a relative of Patriarch Joachim of Moscow (1674–1690). Under the influence of Elagin, the Second Tărnovo Uprising was introduced into scientific circulation in Bulgaria at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Although serious objections have been raised against its credibility in both Bulgarian and Russian studies, it continues to find its place in publications of a different nature, but without any scientific justification. This article looks at the current arguments against the authenticity of the uprising. Facts and arguments have been put forward that have so far remained out of the sight of Bulgarian researchers. In the context of the problem of the Second Tărnovo Uprising, the personality of Shishman III has been addressed, which has been cited by many historians as one of the leaders of the First Tărnovo Uprising (1598).

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