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52-425: It also features the remnants of the fortified walls, water-main, baths and residence of Despot Dobrotitsa in the short-lived Despotate of Dobruja 's medieval capital. The Bolata Cove with a small sheltered beach lies just north at the mouth of a picturesque canyon, also part of the nature reserve. The following names have been used for the headland and the fortress throughout their history: The name "Kaliakra"

104-549: A fortified nucleus against the oncoming barbarian tribes and was one of the 15 cities in the province of Scythia. In 513, a battle ensued between Kaliakra and the Byzantine emperor Anastasius I. The settlement and fortress developed in the following centuries, but according to some researchers in the 7th century a decline occurred because the Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians showed no interest in settling this place. In 10th century sources,

156-543: A great supporter for the Eastern Orthodox Church . Mircea the Elder is the first in the region to deal with slaves giving 300 gypsy dwellings to a monastery in 1388. While organizing the country and its institutions, Mircea also formed a system of lasting alliances which enabled him to defend the independence of the country. Through the intermediary of Petru Mușat , the prince of Moldavia , he concluded

208-526: A major storm along with his whole fleet. Kaliakra Glacier on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands , Antarctica is named after Kaliakra. Despot (court title) Despot or despotes ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : δεσπότης , translit.   despótēs , lit.  "lord, master") was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted

260-569: A noble title, but bore the titles of their husbands. Thus the spouse of a despot, the despotess ( despotissa ), had the right to bear the same insignia as he. Among the women of the court, the despotesses likewise took the first place after the empress. The use of the title spread also to the other countries of the Balkans. The Latin Empire used it to honour the Doge of Venice Enrico Dandolo and

312-534: A rich decoration in pearls. In detail, the insignia were: The despot also had the right to sign his letters with an ink of a dark red colour (the emperor's was bright red). Mircea the Elder Mircea the Elder ( Romanian : Mircea cel Bătrân , pronounced [ˈmirtʃe̯a tʃel bəˈtrɨn] ; c. 1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in 1418. He

364-584: A treaty of alliance with Władysław II Jagiełło , king of Poland in 1389. The treaty was renewed in 1404 and 1410. He maintained close relations with Sigismund of Luxembourg , the king of Hungary, relying on their common interest in the struggle against Ottoman expansion. His interventions in support of the Bulgarians south of the Danube who were fighting against the Turks brought him into conflict with

416-528: Is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. The semantic shift undergone by the term is mirrored by " tyrant ", an ancient Greek word that originally bore no negative connotation, and the Latin " dictator ", a constitutionally sanctioned office of the Roman Republic . In colloquial Modern Greek , the word is often used to refer to a bishop . In English, the feminine form of

468-544: Is of Byzantine Greek origin. It is a combination of "καλός" ("beautiful") and "άκρα" ("headland" or "edge" or "extremity") and is traditionally translated as "Beautiful Headland". Kaliakra was the site of the naval Battle of Cape Kaliakra on 11 August 1791, part of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) . The first modern lighthouse on Kaliakra was built in 1866 by the Compagnie des Phares de l’Empire Ottoman;

520-536: The Caesar another appellatory epithet, eutychestatos ( εὐτυχέστατος , 'most fortunate') or paneutychestatos ( πανευτυχέστατος , 'most fortunate of all'). During the last centuries of Byzantium's existence, the title was awarded to the younger sons of emperors (the eldest sons were usually crowned as co-emperors, with the title of basileus ) as well as to the emperor's sons-in-law ( gambroi ). The title entailed extensive honours and privileges, including

572-571: The Battle of Rovine , which featured a forested and swampy terrain, thus preventing the Ottomans from properly spreading their army; Mircea finally won the fierce battle and threw the Ottomans out of the country. This famous battle was later epically described by the poet Mihai Eminescu in his Third Epistle . However, Mircea had to retreat to Hungary, while the Turks installed Vlad Uzurpatorul on

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624-539: The Black Sea rather than face the prospect of being captured by the Ottomans . An obelisk dedicated to this legend is placed at the entrance to the cape, called The Gate of the 40 Maidens . Another legend tells the story of Saint Nicholas , the patron of seamen, who was running away from the Ottomans when God made the earth under him longer and longer so he could escape, and the cape was formed this way. The saint

676-897: The Hungarian Kingdom and Poland, which were aiming at controlling the mouths of the Danube, but also those of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans . During the reign of Mircea the Elder, Wallachia controlled the largest area in its history, gaining Dobruja in 1388, the Banate of Severin in 1388/9 and Podunavia (which is suspected to be the Timok Valley , or the name of the Danube river valley in Slavonic as stated in Mircea's letter "both sides of Danube" ). In addition, he

728-469: The Ottoman Empire and enabled Musa to ascend that throne (for a brief reign). It was at this time that the prince reached the height of his power. Towards the end of his reign, Mircea signed a treaty with the Ottomans ; in return for a tribute of 3,000 gold pieces per year, the Ottomans desisted from making Wallachia a province ("pashalik"). The "bravest and ablest of the Christian princes", as he

780-541: The Palaiologoi , as well as the Latin Emperors who claimed their succession and imitated their styles, continued to use the term despotes in its more generic sense of 'lord' in their personal seals and in imperial coinage. In a similar manner, the holders of the two immediately junior titles of sebastokrator and Caesar could be addressed as despota ( δεσπότα ). The despot shared with

832-534: The Serbian Empire it was widely awarded among the various Serbian magnates, with Jovan Oliver being the first holder, and it was held by lesser principalities as well, including the self-proclaimed Albanian despots of Arta . In the 15th century, the Venetian governors of Corfu were also styled as despots. As the title of despot was conferred by the emperor and usually implied a degree of submission by

884-642: The heir-apparent of the Byzantine emperor . From Byzantium it spread throughout the late medieval Balkans and was also granted in the states under Byzantine cultural influence, such as the Latin Empire , the Second Bulgarian Empire , the Serbian Empire and its successor states ( Bulgarian and Serbian : деспот , romanized :  despót ), and the Empire of Trebizond . With

936-614: The "καλός" – beautiful / good and "τσέρκι" – a hoop, given the three walls of the Kaliakra fortress. The Bulgarian Navy of the First World War included a mine-clearing boat named "Kalatserka". The heyday of Kaliakra was in the second half of the 14th century when it was the capital of the principality (despotate) of Carvun under the Bulgarian rulers Balik and Dobrotitsa. The despotate covered the northeastern Bulgarian lands, and

988-488: The 12th century, the honorific was used interchangeably with the more formal title of basileus . Although it was used for high-ranking nobles from the early 12th century, the title of despot began being used as a specific court title by Manuel I Komnenos , who conferred it in 1163 to the future King Béla III of Hungary , the Emperor's son-in-law and, until the birth of Alexios II in 1169, heir-presumptive. According to

1040-412: The 4th century, a third fortification with 10 m walls, 2.90 m thick, was erected even farther from the end of the peninsula. During the archeological excavations made in the 20th century, the remains of ancient and early Christian necropolises were discovered on Kaliakra. In the 5-6th century, according to Hierocele, the fortress (now known as Accra Castellium or simply Accra-cape) gained the importance of

1092-538: The Byzantine world, these were chiefly the Despotate of Epirus and the Despotate of the Morea . The close association of title and territory began already from the late 13th century and became widespread from the mid-14th century, as a steady succession of despots began to rule over the same territory. Nevertheless, the term "despotate" is technically inaccurate: the title of despot, like every other Byzantine dignity,

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1144-829: The Middle Ages and one of the great rulers of his era, and starting in the 19th century Romanian historiography has also referred to him as Mircea the Great ( Mircea cel Mare ). Mircea was the son of voivode Radu I of Wallachia and his wife, Doamna Calinichia , thus being a descendant of the House of Basarab . He was the father of Michael I of Wallachia , Radu II of Wallachia , Alexander I Aldea and Vlad II Dracul , and grandfather of Mircea II , Vlad Țepeș (Dracula) , Vlad Călugărul and Radu cel Frumos , all of whom became rulers of Wallachia. Mircea II and Vlad Țepeș were both able military commanders (Vlad Țepeș became one of

1196-546: The Ottoman Empire. In 1394, Bayezid I crossed the Danube river, leading 40,000 men, an impressive force at the time. Mircea had only about 10,000 men so he could not survive an open fight. He chose to fight what would now be called a guerrilla war , by starving the opposing army and using small, localized attacks and retreats (a typical form of asymmetric warfare ). On October 10, 1394, the two armies finally clashed at

1248-506: The area is variously listed as Tetrasida, Tetrasiada, Tetrisias, Trisa, Tirisa, or Tirista. The earliest dated Western European map that mentions the modern name Kaliakra is that of the Italian Petrus Vesconta, from 1318. In other Italian maps and 14th-century writings, the peninsula is also described as Capo Calacria or Calacria. The German armored bearer Hans Schiltberger describes the peninsula as Kalacerca, derived from

1300-550: The awardee, the Palaiologan emperors tried long to persuade the Emperors of Trebizond , who also claimed the Byzantine imperial title, to accept the title of despot instead. Only John II of Trebizond and his son Alexios II , however, accepted the title, and even they continued to use the usual imperial title of basileus in their own domains. With the death of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI on May 29, 1453,

1352-528: The contemporary Byzantine historian John Kinnamos , the title of despot was analogous to Béla's Hungarian title of urum , or heir-apparent. From this time and until the end of the Byzantine Empire, the title of despot became the highest Byzantine dignity, which placed its holders "immediately after the emperor" ( Rodolphe Guilland ). Nevertheless, the Byzantine emperors from the Komnenoi to

1404-403: The control of large estates – the domains of Michael VIII's brother John Palaiologos for instance included the islands of Lesbos and Rhodes – to finance their extensive households. Like the junior titles of sebastokrator and Caesar however, the title of despot was strictly a courtly dignity, and was not tied to any military or administrative functions or powers. Women could not hold

1456-404: The country but also in neighboring countries. He gave the merchants of Poland and Lithuania trade privileges and renewed those his predecessors had given to the people of Brașov . As a result, Mircea was able to afford increasing his military power. He fortified the Danube citadels and strengthened "the great army" made up of townspeople and of free and dependent peasants. He also proved to be

1508-456: The country. The defeat of Sultan Beyazid I by Timur Lenk (Tamerlane) at Ankara in the summer of 1402 opened a period of anarchy in the Ottoman Empire and Mircea took advantage of it to organize together with the Hungarian king a campaign against the Turks. In 1404 Mircea was thus able to impose his rule on Dobruja again. Moreover, Mircea took part in the struggles for the throne of

1560-608: The creation of a despot became irregular. The title was granted by Pope Paul II to Andreas Palaiologos , heir to the Byzantine throne in 1465, and by the king of Hungary to the heirs of the Serbian Despotate . From the mid-14th century on, various territories were given to imperial princes with the rank of despot to rule as semi-autonomous appanages , some of which have become widely known in historiography as "despotates" (sing. δεσποτάτον , despotaton , in Greek); in

1612-629: The first of the native rulers to begin building a navy. Dobrotica's galleys participated in successful combat operations in the Black Sea. In 1393 - 1394 the Carvun principality became one of the last Bulgarian possessions to fall under Ottoman rule. In 1402, the Vlach voivode Mircea Stari took over the lands around Kaliakra, but later that year the area was again occupied by the Ottoman troops. In 1444,

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1664-460: The house"), is also commonly used. The original Greek term δεσπότης ( despotes ) meant simply 'lord' and was synonymous with κύριος ( kyrios ). As the Greek equivalent to the Latin dominus , despotes was initially used as a form of address indicating respect. As such it was applied to any person of rank, but in a more specific sense to God (e.g. Revelation 6:10), bishops and

1716-620: The knights of the Polish and Hungarian King Vladislav III Varnenczyk were stopped near Cape Kaliakra in their campaign against the Ottoman Empire. In the old Turkish lawmen, Kaliakra is mentioned as a port with a Kilagra or Celigra Burun customs. On July 31, 1791, the largest naval battle in the Black Sea began off the coast of Kaliakra during the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792. The Russian squadron, led by Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, repeatedly defeated Hussein Pasha's superior Turkish armada, and helped end

1768-584: The land of Ungrovlahia [Wallachia] and the parts above the mountains, duke of the Tartar parts and of Amlaș and Făgăraș , and the ruler of the Banat of Severin, and on both sides throughout Podunavia, even to the great sea and ruler of Dârstor 's fortress." Mircea strengthened the power of the state and organized the different high offices, promoted economic development, increased the state's revenue, and minted silver money that enjoyed wide circulation not only inside

1820-566: The largest area in its history: from the Southern Carpathians in the north to the Danube in the south, and from today's Iron Gates on the Danube in the west to the Black Sea in the east. Also Mircea's titles show his lands: "I, in Christ God, the faithful and charitable God and the loving and self-sacrificing Christ, Io Mircea, the great ruler and lord of God's mercy and the gift of God, ruling and reigning over all

1872-638: The local ruler of the Rhodope region, Alexius Slav . After ca. 1219 it was regularly borne (it is not clear whether the title was awarded by the Emperor or usurped) by the Venetian podestàs in Constantinople, as the Venetian support became crucial to the Empire's survival. In 1279/80, it was introduced in Bulgaria to placate the powerful magnate (and later Tsar) George Terter in 1279/80. During

1924-414: The most famous leaders in history, and is commonly believed to be the inspiration for the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker ). His daughter Arina married the Ottoman prince Musa Çelebi in 1403. Mircea's reign is often considered to have brought stability to Wallachia. Found in a volatile region of the world, this principality's borders constantly shifted, but during Mircea's rule, Wallachia controlled

1976-534: The patriarchs, and primarily the Roman and Byzantine Emperors . Occasionally it was used in formal settings, for example on coins (since Leo III the Isaurian ) or formal documents. During the 8th and 9th centuries, co-emperors appear on coinage with the address despotes , but this was still a mark of respect rather than an official title. Senior emperors were also occasionally addressed as despotes . Before

2028-410: The political fragmentation of the period, the term gave rise to several principalities termed "despotates" which were ruled either as independent states or as appanages by princes bearing the title of despot; most notably the Despotate of Epirus , the Despotate of the Morea , the Despotate of Dobruja and the Serbian Despotate . In modern usage, the word has taken a different meaning: " despotism "

2080-449: The present one, a 10-metre (33 ft) cylindrical stone masonry tower with lantern and gallery, was erected in 1901, with focal plane height of 68 metres (223 ft) and a white flash (every 5 seconds); it also has a radio navigation emitter and a foghorn . Near Kaliakra, there is a large mediumwave broadcasting facility , which never went into service as planned. As of 2009, several wind power facilities are under development in

2132-511: The throne of Wallachia. In 1396, Mircea participated in an anti-Ottoman crusade started by Hungary 's monarch. The crusade ended with the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Nicopolis on September 25. In the next year, 1397, Mircea, having defeated Vlad the Usurper with help from the Voivode of Transylvania , Stibor, stopped another Ottoman expedition that crossed the Danube , and in 1400 he defeated yet another expedition of Turks crossing

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2184-483: The title is despotess (from ‹See Tfd› Greek: δεσπότισσα , translit.   despótissa ; Bulgarian: деспотица , romanized:  despotítsa ; Serbian: деспотица /[despotica] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |links= ( help ) ), which denoted the spouse of a despot, but the transliterated traditional female equivalent of despotes , despoina ( ‹See Tfd› Greek: δέσποινα , translit.   déspoina , lit.  "lady of

2236-513: The vicinity. The area now has three championship golf courses designed by the legendary golfers Gary Player and Ian Woosnam . The earliest naval settlement dates back to the 4th century BC, when the area was inhabited by the Thracian tribe of Tiris and who gave the area its original name of Tirisis. The ancient geographer Strabo , describing Kaliakra, stated that the capital of King Lisimachus, one of Alexander's generals and ruler of Thrace ,

2288-488: The war. A plaque with a bas-relief of the Russian Admiral was erected on the headland's tip. On August 10, 2006, the 215th anniversary of this victory, a monument to him was erected. The monument is a figure in full height and is located on a hill, where it is visible from the sea. Probably the most popular legend about the place is one about 40 Bulgarian girls, who preferred to tie their hair together and jump into

2340-521: Was also granted the fiefdoms of Amlaș ( Omlás ) and Făgăraș ( Fugurash ) in Transylvania . The byname "elder" was given to him after his death in order to distinguish him from his grandson Mircea II ("Mircea the Younger"), although some historians believe the epithet was given to him as a sign of respect by later generations. He is considered the most important Wallachian ruler during

2392-415: Was described as "the ruler of Acarnania , the despot John" rather than "the despot of Acarnania" by the emperor-historian John VI Kantakouzenos ( r.  1347–1354 ). According to the mid-14th-century Book of Offices of Pseudo-Kodinos and the descriptions given by the historian George Pachymeres , the despot's insignia in the Byzantine court were characterised by the colours purple and white, and

2444-542: Was described by German historian Leunclavius , ruled Wallachia for 32 years. Mircea was a ktetor , building among other monuments, the Cozia Monastery near Călimănești in ca. 1390. He had churches built after Serbian architectural styles , after the models of the Lazarica Church , Veluće , Naupara , and Kalenić monastery . Mircea was played by Sergiu Nicolaescu in the 1989 film Mircea , which

2496-495: Was detached from the central government. Dobrotica is also called Dobrudzha, which is the Turkish pronunciation of its name. Written records speak of a powerful, medieval town where the ruler cut his own coins and turned the fortress into a church center. Today there are remains of the fortress walls on the tip of the headlands; some of the water supply, baths and the residence of the prince are still preserved. Kaliakra's despots were

2548-402: Was eventually captured and a chapel was built in 1993, symbolizing his grave. A dervish monastery is also said to have existed on the same place during Ottoman rule , which is thought to have preserved the relics of Muslim Bektashi saint Sarı Saltık . A third legend is about Lysimachus , a successor of Alexander the Great , who seized the royal treasure and escaped to Kaliakra, dying in

2600-518: Was located here. According to rumor, he hid in the caves near the peninsula his innumerable treasure, reputedly captured on the campaigns against Persia. In the Hellenistic era, a second fortress wall was built inland, and in Roman times the Thracian fortress was expanded. In the years 341–342, round towers were completed, and there was already a city built up around the fortress. In the second half of

2652-422: Was not hereditary nor intrinsic to a specific territory. Even in the so-called "despotates", a son of a despot might succeed to his father's territory but could not and would not hold the title unless it was conferred anew by the emperor. In normal Byzantine usage, a clear distinction was drawn between the personal dignity of despot and any other offices or attributes of its holder. Thus for instance John II Orsini

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2704-417: Was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia , after whose death he inherited the throne. After the death of his step-brother Dan I, Mircea takes over the throne in 1386, as Wallachia , on one side, was going through a process of economic, administrative, religious development, but also of strengthening the army, and on the other side it was confronted with the expansion tendencies of

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