Shishman | |
|---|---|
| Despot of Vidin | |
| Reign | 1270s/1280s — before 1308/1313 |
| Successor | Michael Shishman |
| Born | 13th century |
| Died | before 1308 or 1313 |
| Noble family | Shishman dynasty |
| Spouse(s) | daughter of Anna–Theodora daughter of Serbian Grand Prince Dragoš |
| Issue | Michael Shishman Belaur Keratsa Petritsa |
Shishman (Bulgarian: Шишман; fl. 1270s/1280s — before 1308/1313) was a Bulgarian nobleman (boyar) who ruled a semi-independent realm based out of the Danubian fortress of Vidin in the late 13th and early 14th century. Shishman, who was bestowed the title of "despot" by Bulgarian emperor George Terter I, was a Cuman, and may have been established as lord of Vidin as early as the 1270s.
In 1291, he came under Golden Horde ("Tatar") suzerainty and in 1292 he was in charge of an unsuccessful campaign against neighbouring Serbia. Even though the Serbs captured Vidin in their counter-offensive, perhaps thanks to Tatar influence Shishman was placed once more as the ruler of the region, this time as a Serbian vassal. However, he continued to rule his lands largely independently. As his son and successor as despot of Vidin Michael Shishman acceded to the Bulgarian throne in 1323, Shishman was the progenitor of the last medieval Bulgarian royal dynasty, the Shishman dynasty.