So today reading I found this "In the Late Middle Ages the Kingdom of Hungary, or to be precise, the union of the Hungarian-Croatian states that had existed since 1102, was one of Europe’s important powers. It was a middle power whose rulers boasted nine royal titles by the last third of the thirteenth century, or as their impressively long Latin-language titles claimed: “Dei gratia Hungariae, Dalmatiae, Croatiae, Ramae, Serviae, Galitiae, Lodomeriae, Cumaniae, Bulgariaeque rex etc. …”, that is, “By the grace of God, King of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama [i.e. Bosnia], Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania, and Bulgaria, etc.”"
This is list of all titles of Habsburg rulers in 16th and 17th century:
that is in English
With quick search I was able to find that first person where we see with this title is Sigismund of Luxembourg - but problem is that I was not able to find how did he get that claim? He is nowhere listed as king of Bulgaria but in title. As he lived from 1368 to 1437, and we know that Bulgarian Kingdom stoped existing in 1422 with Constantine II. it's safe to think he obviously had some claims for Bulgarian Kingdom but I cant find source of his legitimation - for now I cant see any connection from marriage or family? Also I could be wrong and he is not the first Habsburg to use that tittle? So question is:
For second question - Cumania. First I have this from wikipedia, "Cumania diocese became part of the superior archbishopric of Esztergom, determining King Béla IV of Hungary to add "Rex Cumaniae" (King of Cumania) to his titles in 1228, and later to grant asylum to the Cumans in face of the Mongol invasion."So my question is:
And last question for both Cumania and Bulgaria:
Please delete this comment if it does not meet the academic standard of this subreddit.
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1st question: Bulgaria / Warning: Full of speculations
Really sorry, but can you cite an example of the imperial document from 16/17th century that actually employed this title?
Just a quick glance at some imperial documents across the net, but none of them (Charles V in 1541, Leopold I in 1666, Josef I in 1707 seems to employ the full title you cited above.
I'd suggest that if Sigismund of Luxembourg had really the title as a king of Bulgaria, it could be from his spouse, Mary of Hungary and her father (i.e. his father-in-law) King Louis the Great of Anjou, as he inherited the title of king of Hungary from them.
Louis seemed to have a interest in expanding his dominion also over a part of Bulgaria, and one of his predecessors, Stephen V of Hungary (r. 1239-72) once called himself with this title after his temporal rule in Vidin (1266), according to [Berend et al. 2013: 442].
2nd question: Cumania
N. Berend summarizes this region just as 'the eastern neighbour of Hungary' [Berend et al., loc.cit.], and also, 'the land inhabited by the Cumans [in the beginning of the 13th century] (was a) (the area that later became Moldavia and Wallachia)' [Ibid., p. 441.]. She also notes that the 13th century monarchs of Hungary llike Andrew II and Stephen V often assumes the title of the territory that they are currently aiming at expanding his their dominion, like 'King of Galicia and Londomeria (Andrew II' or 'King of Bulgaria (Stephen V, see above).' So, I just wonder whether this kind of connection with the territorial ambition of individual Hungarian rulers could also be applied to the relationship between Bela IV and 'King of Cumania'.
As for your 3rd question, I honestly had no idea (see 1st question also), sorry.
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Reference:
Berend, Nora, Przemyslaw Urbanczyk & Przemysław Wiszewsk, Central Europe in the High Middle Ages: Bohemia, Hungary and Poland, c. 900-c. 1300, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2013.
Cumania, in context of medieval Hungary, meant the lands beyond (i.e. to the south of) the Carpathians, the same land where Wallachia and Moldavia were established in the 14^(th) century. During the reign of King Andrew II of Hungary (1205-1235), his older son Béla (who would inherit him as King Béla IV) became Duke of Transylvania (in 1226). One of Cuman princes subjected himself to Béla, converted to Christianity and agreed to pay annual tribute and the tithe in 1227. In 1232 south-western parts of Cumania were put under authority of a Hungarian governor (ban), who set up his residence in Turnu Severin. In 1233 Duke Béla adopted the title of king of Cumania. As Béla became Hungarian king as well, the title of king of Cumania became a part of Hungarian royal title.
The title of king of Bulgaria was taken by the son of King Béla IV (1235-1270), Stephen (who would inherit him as King Stephen V). Stephen became duke of Transylvania in 1257. As a part of his efforts to further Hungarian rule in the east, he answered the call of Despot Jacob Svetoslav (~1210-1277), who ruled western parts of Bulgaria, de-facto independently. Despot Jacob Svetoslav's lands were attacked by the Byzantine Empire in 1263, and Emperor Constantine Tikh of Bulgaria was unable to help him. Therefore, he asked for Hungarian help, and Hungarian troops defended him and moreover took counteroffensive in Byzantine lands. As he submitted to Duke Stephen of Transylvania, he was awarded with Hungarian province of Vidin (present-day northwestern Bulgaria), while keeping his old lands in Bulgarian Empire. At that moment, Duke Stephen took title of king of Bulgaria. Following the war between King Béla IV and King Stephen, Despot Jacob Svetoslav defected to Emperor Constantine Tikh, but King Stephen subjugated him in 1266. When King Stephen became Hungarian king as well, the title of king of Bulgaria became a part of Hungarian royal title.
It seems to me that Cumania and Bulgaria were dropped when the Austrian Empire was created (1804), but the reasons are not known to me.
