Belaur

Article summary

Belaur ( ) (died 1336) was a Bulgarian noble and despot of Vidin and brother of the Bulgarian Emperor Michael Shishman (1323–1330). The son of Shishman of Vidin, he was among the most elaborate Balkan diplomats of his time. Plamen Pavlov interprets Belaur's name as stemming from the Hungarian personal name Béla and the title ur ("prince"). It may also come from Balaur, a mythical dragon in Vlach/ Romanian culture, the dragon was supposedly also revered in Cuman culture, cf. Kipchak "uran, ewren". Vlach-Cuman cultural interactions are known through the Cuman origin of the Basarab dynasty and the Vlach identification of the Asenid dynasty, named after the founder of the dynasty, Bilgun Asen, who carries a Cuman name and title. He participated in the campaign of Michael Shishman against the Serbs in the unfortunate battle of Velbazhd. He was in command of the reserve together with the despot of Lovech Ivan Alexander and did not participate in the battle. However his troops were enough to prevent a Serbian invasion and he led the Bulgarian delegation which negotiated with the Serbian King Stefan Decanski. Belaur actively supported his nephew Ivan Stefan, son of Michael Shishman from his first wife Anna Neda to succeed the Bulgarian crown and was the prime adviser of the new Emperor.…

Key claims

1. date of death: 1336 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of death is "1336". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1280437958