Baldwin's Tower at Tsarevets, Where an Emperor Became a Prisoner
Baldwin's Tower is a restored medieval-style tower in the south-east of the Tsarevets fortress in Veliko Tarnovo. It is named after Baldwin I, the crusader emperor of Constantinople, who was captured by the Bulgarians at the Battle of Adrianople and, according to tradition, held and died here. It guards the old Frankish quarter side of the hill and the Yantra gorge below.
The first emperor of the Latin Empire was captured in battle in 1205 and never went home. Tradition says he spent his last days in this tower.
The history of Baldwin's Tower
The tower stands on Tsarevets hill, the main stronghold of the Second Bulgarian Empire between 1185 and 1393, which housed the royal and patriarchal palaces. The south-eastern fighting tower guarded the most vulnerable point of the fortress, the Frenkhisar Gate and the access to water from the Yantra River. Its name comes from Baldwin of Flanders, whose story begins far to the south.
In 1204 the armies of the Fourth Crusade, diverted from their goal of Jerusalem, captured and sacked Constantinople. A Latin Empire was set up in place of the Byzantine one, and Count Baldwin of Flanders, one of the crusade's leaders, was elected emperor in May 1204. Soon the new rulers laid claim to Bulgarian lands, and Tsar Kaloyan turned instead to the Greek rebels of Thrace. In spring 1205 Adrianople revolted, and Baldwin marched north to besiege it.
On 14 April 1205 Kaloyan's Bulgarians, Cumans and Vlachs ambushed the Latin army near Adrianople. Cuman light horsemen lured the knights into pursuit, and the heavy cavalry, caught among wolf pits and surrounded, was largely destroyed. Baldwin was taken prisoner and brought to Veliko Tarnovo, where he was imprisoned in a tower of the Tsarevets fortress.
His fate is not precisely known. It is certain that he died in captivity, and Kaloyan told Pope Innocent III so, but the circumstances are unclear and several legends grew up. The most famous says he was condemned after trying to seduce Kaloyan's wife, and a Byzantine historian claimed his skull was made into a cup, though no evidence has been found. His brother Henry took over the regency, and reliable news of his death reached Constantinople only in July 1206. One Bulgarian account even holds that he simply vanished without trace.
The medieval tower itself survived until it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1913. Earlier, in 1848, masters from Dryanovo had built a domed room on its surviving lower parts to serve as a gunpowder store. The present tower was restored in the 1930s by the architect and archaeologist Alexander Rashenov, modelled on a preserved medieval tower in the Cherven fortress near Ruse. In 2013 Bulgarian National Television reported that visitors removing stones from its walls and floors had left it in need of repair, a reminder to leave the stonework untouched.
Curious facts about Baldwin's Tower
- The tower is named after the first emperor of the Latin Empire, who was also Count of Flanders as Baldwin IX.
- Baldwin was captured after the Battle of Adrianople on 14 April 1205, a battle won by an ambush in which Cuman horsemen lured the knights into wolf pits.
- A Byzantine historian wrote that Kaloyan had Baldwin's skull made into a drinking cup, but no evidence has been found to confirm it.
- Among the legends is that Baldwin was condemned after trying to seduce Kaloyan's wife; the sources call all such stories unproven.
- The modern tower copies a medieval tower in the Cherven fortress near Ruse, since no exact plan of the original survived.
- In 1848 builders from Dryanovo added a domed room on top of the old lower walls to use as a gunpowder store.
Tours near Baldwin's Tower
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Baldwin's Tower: what to expect
- The tower is in the south-eastern part of the Tsarevets fortress and is visited as part of a walk through the fortress.
- It overlooks the Frankish quarter and the Frenkhisar Gate area, with the Yantra River in the gorge below.
- The wider fortress has a throne hall site, the patriarchal complex on the hilltop and the Execution Rock above the river.
- Visitors have damaged the tower by taking stones from it, so please leave the walls and floors as they are.
- Check the current opening hours and access conditions before you go. Holy Forty Martyrs Church lies right beside it, and Trapezitsa is about 1 km away.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Baldwin's Tower is
Photos of Baldwin's Tower
Questions
What is Baldwin's Tower?
Baldwin's Tower is a restored medieval tower in the south-east of the Tsarevets fortress in Veliko Tarnovo. It is named after Baldwin I, the Latin emperor of Constantinople.
Why is it called Baldwin's Tower?
Baldwin I was captured by Tsar Kaloyan at the Battle of Adrianople in 1205 and imprisoned in a tower at Tsarevets. Tradition identifies this tower as the place where he was held.
Did Baldwin really die in the tower?
It is known that he died in captivity, but the exact circumstances are unknown. Several legends exist and none is confirmed.
Is the tower original?
No. The medieval tower was destroyed by an earthquake in 1913, and the present one was restored in the 1930s after the model of a tower at Cherven.
Where is Baldwin's Tower in Veliko Tarnovo?
It is in the south-eastern part of the Tsarevets fortress, above the Yantra River, near the Frenkhisar Gate.
What else is worth seeing near Baldwin's Tower?
Holy Forty Martyrs Church is next to it, Trapezitsa and the Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki are about 1 km away, and Transfiguration Monastery about 5 km.
Also nearby
Holy Forty Martyrs Church
Veliko Tarnovo · royal church of 1230 with tsars' tombs and columns
450 m away
Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo · church linked to the 1185 uprising
850 m away
Trapezitsa
Veliko Tarnovo · church ruins on the capital's second citadel
1.5 km away
Transfiguration Monastery
Veliko Tarnovo · fresco-rich monastery in the Yantra gorge
5.5 km away