Sofia

Byzantine Empire + Crusade of Ashes and Blood

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Appearance

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Economy

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History

Roman Occupation

Sofia was originally a Thracian settlement called Serdica, named after the Celtic tribe of the Serdi that had populated it. For a short period during the 4th century B.C.E., the city was possessed by Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great.

Around 29 B.C.E., Sofia was conquered by the Romans and renamed Ulpia Serdica. It became a municipium, or centre of an administrative region, during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117 C.E.).

The city expanded, as turrets, protective walls, public baths, administrative and cult buildings, a civic basilica and a large amphitheatre called Bouleutherion, were built. When Emperor Diocletian divided the province of Dacia into Dacia Ripensis (on the banks of the Danube) and Dacia Mediterranea, Serdica became the capital of Dacia Mediterranea.

The city subsequently expanded for a century and a half, which caused Constantine the Great to call it "my Rome". In 343 A.D. , the Council of Sardica was held in the city, in a church located where the current 6th century Church of Saint Sofia was later built.

Serdica was of moderate size, but magnificent as an urban concept of planning and architecture, with abundant amusements and an active social life. It flourished during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, when it was surrounded with great fortress walls whose remnants can still be seen today.

The city was destroyed by the Huns in 447 C.E., but was rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Justinian and renamed Triaditsa. Although also often destroyed by the Slavs, the town remained under Byzantine dominion until 809 C.E.

The Middle Ages

Sofia first became part of the First Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Khan Krum in 809 C.E. Afterwards, it was known by the Bulgarian name Sredets and grew into an important fortress and administrative center.

After a number of unsuccessful sieges, the city fell again to the Byzantine Empire in 1018 C.E. In 1128 C.E., Sredets suffered a Magyar raid as part of the Byzantine Empire, but in 1191 C.E. it was once again incorporated into the restored Bulgarian Empire at the time of Tsar Ivan Asen I after the Vlach-Bulgarian Rebellion.

From the 12th to the 14th century, Sofia was a thriving center of trade and crafts. It was renamed Sofia (meaning "wisdom" in Greek) in 1376 C.E. after the Church of St Sophia. However, it was called both "Sofia" and "Sredets" until the 16th century, when the new name gradually replaced the old one.

During the whole of the Middle Ages, Sofia remained known for its gold-smithing, particularly aided by the wealth of mineral resources in the neighboring mountains. This is evidenced by the number of gold treasures excavated from the period and even from Antiquity.

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Population

• Likely Population, 1100 A.D. ????

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Citizens of Sofia

Clergy

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Source

http://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/frankish-names.php

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Festivities

• Twelfth Night (January) -- Religious festival and feasts celebrating the visit of the Wise Men, or Magi, following the birth of Jesus.
• St Valentine's Day (February) -- The Medieval festival celebrating love - singing, dancing and pairing games.
• Carnival (Late February - Early March) --
• Easter (March) -- Easter celebrated by the Mystery plays depicting the crucifixion.

Lent (40 days)

Ash Wednesday (start of Lent)

Holy Week (last week of Lent before Easter)

Good Friday (end of Lent)

Easter Sunday

• All Fool's Day (April) -- The Jesters, or Lords of Misrule, took charge for the day and caused mayhem with jokes and jests!
• May Day (May) -- May Day was a spring festival celebrating May Day when a Queen of the May was chosen and villagers danced around the maypole.
• Midsummer Eve (June) -- Midsummer Eve, the Mummers entertained at the 'Festival of Fire' reliving legends such as St George and the Dragon. Bones were often burned leading to the term 'bonfire'. The summer Solstice was June 23rd.
• St. Swithin's Day (July) -- St. Swithin's Day falls on 15th July. Legend says that during the bones of St Swithin were moved and after the ceremony it began to rain and continued to do so for forty days.
• Lammas Day (August) -- Lammas Day was celebrated on August 2nd. The ' loaf-mass ' day, the festival of the first wheat harvest of the year. Houses were sometimes decorated with garlands and there were candle lit processions.
• Michaelmas (September) -- The 29th September was when Michaelmas celebrated the life of St Michael and the traditional food on Michaelmas was goose or chicken.
• St Crispin's Day (October) -- October 25th celebrating St Crispin's Day. Revels and bonfires and people acted as 'King Crispin' .
• All Souls Day (November) -- The Day of the Dead - All Souls Day or All Hallow's Day ( Halloween ) when revels were held and bonfires were lit.
• Christmas (December) -- December 25 is celebrated as the birthday of Christ.

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Inns

Source

https://donjon.bin.sh/fantasy/inn/

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Monuments

Amphitheaters

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Catacombs of Jerusalem

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Cemeteries

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Columns

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Private Residences

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Vampires of the City

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Crucesignatis (Crusaders)

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Memoria pro Mortuis (Remembrances for the Dead)

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Wraiths of medieval Sofia

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Storytelling Medieval Sofia

Mood of Medieval Sofia:

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Stories of medieval Sofia

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What Might Have Been

• Sofia-Grad -- 21st Century Bulgarian Capital

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