BULGARIA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1. TSARS OF THE FIRST BULGARIAN EMPIRE
A. ORIGINS, KHANS of the BULGARS 802-852, PRINCES and TSARS of the BULGARIANS 802-971
B. PRINCES of the BULGARIANS 852-[969], TSARS of the BULGARIANS from 913-971
BORIS I 852-889, 892-893, VLADIMIR 889-892
PETER I 927-969, BORIS II 969-971
C. TSARS of the BULGARIANS 997-1018 and 1040-1041, KOMETOPULOI
SAMUIL 997-1014, GAVRIIL RADOMIR 1014-1015, PETER DELJAN 1040-1041
Chapter 2. TSARS OF THE SECOND BULGARIAN EMPIRE
A. TSARS of the BULGARIANS 1186-1258, family of ASEN
PETER 1186-1190, 1196-1197, KALOJAN I 1197-1207, BORIL 1207-1218
IVAN ASEN I 1190-1196, KOLOMAN II 1257-1258
IVAN ASEN II 1218-1241, KOLOMAN I 1241-1246, MIHAIL II ASEN 1246-1257
B. RIVAL TSARS of the BULGARIANS 1258-1322
IVAN 1258-1263, IVAN ASEN III 1278-1279
GEORGI I 1280-1292, ČAKA 1299-1300, TODOR SVETOSLAV 1300-1321, GEORGI II 1321-1323
C. TSARS OF BULGARIA 1323-1393, family of ŠIŠMAN
MIHAIL III 1323-1330, IVAN STEFAN 1330-1331
IVAN ALEXANDER ASEN 1330-1371, IVAN ŠIŠMAN 1371-1393
The state of Bulgaria is recorded as independent in three distinct periods, although the existence of an earlier Bulgarian state is suggested by Paulus Diaconus recording that "Iustinianus" captured and murdered the usurpers "Leonem quoque et Tiberium" with the help of "Terobelli Bulgarum regis"[1]. Krum established himself as khan of the Bulgars in [802] and was the ancestor of the family which established the first Bulgarian empire. His activities are recorded in Byzantine and Frankish sources, although as will be seen below the sources which confirm the family relationships between the early khans have not been identified. The history of the early khanate is a constant struggle for power in the region between Bulgaria and Byzantium. Symeon I forced his own coronation as emperor (tsar) in 913 after reaching the walls of Constantinople when he invaded Byzantium. Recognition of the title was confirmed by Byzantium in 927 in favour of Tsar Symeon's son Peter. Bulgaria was conquered by Sviatoslav Grand Prince of Kiev in 967, Tsar Peter being forced to abdicate. The Kievan forces were defeated in 971 by the Byzantines, who then annexed Bulgaria and imprisoned the last male descendants of the Bulgarian imperial family. The annexation did not extend to Macedonia in the west, where the four Kometopuloi brothers established themselves as rulers. Samuil Kometopulos was crowned tsar of Bulgaria in 997, the first Bulgarian empire surviving until 1018. Few of the family relationships of the Kometopulos family have been confirmed from primary sources.
The second Bulgarian empire was established in 1186 after a rebellion against Byzantine rule led by the brothers Ivan Asen and Peter. Tsar Kalojan was crowned king of Bulgaria with a papal crown in 1204. Members of the Asen family ruled Bulgaria until 1257, but their influence was considerably weakened with the accession of the minors Koloman and Mihail II Asen after the death of their Tsar Ivan Asen II in 1241. After Tsar Koloman II was deposed and killed in 1258, a series of rival candidates ruled in different parts of the country. Stability was restored by Tsar Todor Svetoslav after he deposed Tsar Chaka, but a power vacuum was left when his infant son died in 1322 soon after succeeding his father. Mihail Šišman, ruler of Vidin, was elected tsar in the following year and united Bulgaria once more. The second empire lasted until 1393 when Bulgaria was annexed by the Ottoman Turks, the occupation lasting until 1879 when Bulgaria's third period of independence started.
1. KRUM (-13 Apr 814). A Bulgarian chieftain from Pannonia, although nothing is known of his activities there or when he arrived in Bulgaria[2]. He established himself as KRUM Khan of the Bulgars by 802. After defeating the Avars in 805, he united Pannonia to eastern Bulgaria. He pursued a vigorous war against Byzantium, attacking Sardika [Sofija] in 809 and killing 6,000 Roman troops[3]. After a crushing defeat by the invading Byzantine army which sacked Pliska, the Bulgarian capital, Krum fled to the mountains where he was able to encircle the pursuing invaders and kill Emperor Nikephoros 26 Jul 811. He displayed the emperor's head on a pole for several days and then had it made into a drinking cup[4]. Pressing his advantage, he invaded Byzantium, sacked Adrianople and reached the walls of Constantinople[5]. According to the Royal Frankish Annals, he was "gravely wounded [in this attack] and forced to save himself by flight and return to his homeland in disgrace"[6]. He was planning a new attack on Constantinople when he suffered a stroke and died[7]. Apart from his military achievements, he is remembered for promulgating the first law code of the Bulgarian state, although the text has not survived. m ---. The name of Krum's wife is not known.
Khan Krum had four known children, although the source which establishes their parentage has not been identified:
a) DUKUM (-815). He succeeded his father in 814 as DUKUM Khan of the Bulgars.
b) DIZEWG (-816). He succeeded his brother in 815 as DIZEWG Khan of the Bulgars. He became a Christian, was blinded and murdered.
c) TSOK (-before 817). A Christian.
d) OMURTAG (-831). He succeeded his brother in 816 as OMURTAG Khan of the Bulgars.
- see below.
2. sister . She is recorded as the sister of Khan Krum[8]. m KONSTANTINOS Patzikos, son of --- (-813 or after). He fled Byzantium for the Bulgars, married the sister of Khan Khan Krum and had one son by her. He was present at the siege of Constantinople in 813, but was captured when accompanying Krum to negotiate with the Emperor[9].
OMURTAG, son of KRUM Khan of the Bulgars & his wife --- (-831). He succeeded his brother in 816 as OMURTAG Khan of the Bulgars. He negotiated a thirty year peace with Byzantium in 816, even helping Emperor Mikhael II to crush the rebellion of Thomas the Slav and lift the latter's siege of Constantinople in spring 823[10]. He switched his military attention away from Byzantium towards expanding his territory to the north-west. He pressed well into Pannonia, expelling the local Slav chiefs and installing Bulgar governors in 827. The Gesta Francorum records that "rex Bulgaronum Omortag" exchanged ambassadors with Emperor Louis I in 824, 825 and 826[11]. He persecuted Christians whom he saw as a threat to the traditional Bulgar way of life.
m ---. The name of Omurtag's wife is not known.
Khan Omurtag had three known children, although the source which establishes their parentage has not been identified:
1. ENRAVOTA (-murdered 849). He converted to Christianity, and was executed when he refused to give up his religion.
2. MALAMIR. He succeeded his father in 831 as MALAMIR Khan of the Bulgars, maybe ruling until 836. He marched against Byzantium, taking several fortresses in Thrace and then marched against Philippi.
3. SWINIZA [Zvinica or Svenica]. m ---. The name of Swiniza's wife is not known.
Khan Swiniza had four possible children:
a) [PRESIAN (-852 or after) Presian was the son of Svenica according to Theophylact of Ohrid, Fine referring to the arguments in favour of Presian being the same person as Malamir, maybe Bulgarian and Slav versions of the same name[12]. He succeeded in 836 as PRESIAN Khan of the Bulgars, to 852. Some time between 839 and 850, the Bulgarians invaded Serbia, whose expansion was starting to pose a threat to the stability of Bulgaria's western frontier. After the peace treaty with Byzantium expired in 846, the Bulgars invaded Macedonia along the Struma river. m ---. The name of Presian's wife is not known.]
b) [BORIS ([815/20]-2 May 907). Boris was the son of Presian according to Constantine Porphyrogenitus, but the son of Swiniza according to Theophylact of Ohrid[13]. He succeeded in 852 as BORIS I Khan of the Bulgars.]
c) [GAVRIIL.]
d) [DOKSE.]
i) TUDOR Tschernorisez.
e) [sister . Sister of Boris I Khan of the Bulgars, she was captured by the Byzantines, lived at the imperial court, and was converted to Christianity. She was exchanged for the monk Theodoros Koupharas, and tried to convert her brother to Christianity after returning to Bulgaria[14].]
BORIS, son of [SWINIZA Khan of the Bulgars & his wife ---] ([815/20]-2 May 907). Boris was the son of Presian according to Constantine Porphyrogenitus, but the son of Swiniza according to Theophylact of Ohrid[15]. His birth date range is estimated from his oldest son being recorded as a military leader in [853/54], but bearing in mind Boris's own date of death. If this range is correct, it is more likely that he was the son of Swiniza than Preslan. He succeeded in 852 as BORIS I Khan of the Bulgars. A conflict with Byzantium early in his reign was settled by a peace treaty signed in [853]. He was baptised as MIKHAEL in Constantinople in 864, Emperor Mikhael III acting as his godfather[16]. He savagely repressed a rebellion by Bulgarian boyars against the Christianisation of the Bulgaria. Rebuffing Byzantine moves to appoint a Greek patriarch for Bulgaria, who would report to Constantinople, Boris turned to Pope Nicholas I in Rome to organise his new church[17]. The Pope rejected both Boris's proposed candidates for archbishop. Boris turned back to Constantinople, the new Patriarch Ignatius agreeing to grant the Bulgarian church certain privileges. He abdicated in 889, and became a monk at Tiča (near Preslav). He resumed power in 893 to lead a coup against his son Vladimir. Boris convened a council at Preslav which recognised Vladimir's deposition, released Boris's second surviving son Symeon from his monastic vows and proclaimed him the new ruler. The council also decreed that Preslav should replace Pliska as the Bulgarian capital[18]. Boris returned to his monastery[19].
[m firstly ---. Considering the estimated birth date range of Khan Boris's oldest son Vladimir, it is unlikely that he was born from the same marriage as his son Symeon, although no other proof has been found of this supposed first marriage.]
m [secondly] ---. She was baptised with the name MARIA.
Khan Boris I & his [first] wife had [one] child, although the source which establishes his parentage has not been identified:
1. VLADIMIR ([835/45]-after 893). He led an invasion of Serbia in [853/54], but was defeated and captured by the Serbs who forced an alliance with Bulgaria[20]. Considering the estimated birth date range of his father, Vladimir could have been no more than a young adolescent at the time. If the date is correct, Vladimir must have been considerably older than his brother Symeon (assuming that the latter's estimated birth date as shown below is correct), maybe born from an earlier marriage of his father. He succeeded in 889 on the abdication of his father as VLADIMIR Knjas/Prince of Bulgaria. He tried to re-establish paganism, many churches being defaced or destroyed[21]. He was deposed by his father in 893, imprisoned and blinded.
Khan Boris I & his [second] wife had [five], although the source which establishes their parentage has not been identified:
2. GAVRIIL (-young).
3. son ([865]-Preslava 27 May 927). He was sent to Constantinople in [879] where he became a novice, taking the name SYMEON, his previous name being unknown. His birth date is estimated on the supposition that he was a young adolescent at the time. He returned to Bulgaria in [888] and became a monk at Tiča. He was released from his monastic vows by the council convened by his father at Preslav and proclaimed in 893 as SYMEON I "the Great" Knjas/Prince of Bulgaria.
- see below.
4. JAKOB (-young).
5. EUPRAXIA. Nun.
6. ANNA. Her possible marriage is shown in Europäische Stammtafeln[22]. The source on which the speculation is based has not been identified. m [SVATOPULK [Zwentibold] King of Moravia, son of --- (-894).]
SYMEON, son of BORIS Khan of the Bulgars & his wife [Maria ---] ([865]-Preslava 27 May 927). He was sent to Constantinople [879] where he became a novice monk, taking the name SYMEON, his previous name being unknown. His birth date is estimated on the supposition that he was a young adolescent at the time. He returned to Bulgaria in [888] and became a monk at Tiča[23]. He was released from his monastic vows by the council convened by his father at Preslav[24] and proclaimed in 893 as SYMEON I "the Great" Prince [Knjas] of Bulgaria. Following unsuccessful protests against the removal of the Bulgarian market from Constantinople to Thessaloniki, Prince Symeon invaded Byzantium in 894[25]. The Magyars, having agreed an alliance with Byzantium, attacked Bulgaria's northern frontier and defeated Symeon at Mundraga[26]. Faced with a counter-invasion in the south by the Byzantine general Nikephoros Phokas, as well as a blockade of the Danube by the Byzantine fleet, Symeon was forced to negotiate for peace. At the same time he secretly allied himself with the Pechenegs for a joint attack on the Magyars, subsequently renewing his attack on Byzantium and winning the battle of Bulgarophygon in 896. Under the peace agreed in 897, Byzantium paid tribute to Bulgaria, all commercial restrictions were abolished and the Bulgarian market was returned to Constantinople[27]. In 897, Prince Symeon established a regime of protection over Serbia in return for recognising Peter Gojniković as Knez of Serbia[28]. Taking advantage of the Arab sack of Thessaloniki 31 Jul 904, Symeon moved southwards and negotiated with Byzantium to acquire new territory as far as Nea Philadelphia [Nareš] and part of Thrace, as well as Byzantine recognition of Bulgaria's possession of Macedonia[29]. After Emperor Alexander refused in 913 to pay the annual tribute agreed under the peace of 896, Prince Symeon invaded Byzantium and arrived at Constantinople in Aug 913. After demanding the imperial crown, Symeon was obliged to compromise faced with the impenetrability of the city's defences, but was crowned Tsar and Autocrat of the Bulgarians at Constantinople in 913 by Patriarch Nikolaos and at the same time betrothed his daughter to the young Emperor Konstantinos VII[30]. This coronation was considered an affront in Constantinople. It triggered the fall of the Patriarch, and his replacement as regent by Empress Zoe, who cancelled the betrothal. Symeon invaded Byzantium once more. He conquered Adrianople in Sep 914, defeated the Byzantine fleet at Achelaos on the Black Sea coast 20 Aug 917, and the Byzantine army at Katasyrtai near Constantinople in early 918, moving on to capture most of Greece north of Corinth. Provoked by the coronation of Romanos Lekapenos, the new regent of Byzantium, as co-emperor in 920, Tsar Symeon invaded Byzantium yet again. Faced with a new Byzantine/Croatian alliance, Symeon also invaded Croatia but suffered a crushing defeat in 926. He died while preparing to set out for Constantinople once more.
m firstly ---. The name of Khan Symeon's first wife is not known.
m secondly ---, sister of GEORGE Sursuvul, a prominent Bulgarian boyar. Regent during the minority of her son Peter in 927.
Tsar Symeon I had one son by his first marriage, although the source which establishes his parentage has not been identified:
1. MIKHAEL (-931). A monk. He was presumably excluded from the succession in 927[31]. He left his monastery and rebelled against his half-brother in 930. He seized a fortress in the Struma region where he was recognised as Tsar, but died soon afterwards[32].
Tsar Symeon I had [six or more] children by his second marriage:
2. daughter (before 913-). The betrothal of this unnamed daughter, at the same time as her father's coronation as Tsar, is referred to by Fine[33]. Empress Zoe later cancelled the betrothal. It is assumed that the daughter would have been little more than a child at the time, considering the birth date of her betrothed. It is therefore more likely that she was born from her father's second marriage. Betrothed (913, broken 913) to KONSTANTINOS VII Emperor of Byzantium, son of LEON VI Emperor of Byzantium & his fourth wife Zoe Karbonopsina (905-9 Nov 959). This betrothal was arranged as part of the negotiated settlement with Prince Symeon after he invaded Byzantium, but was annulled by Empress Zoe after she seized the regency[34].
3. PETER (after [912]-29/30 Jan 969). "Baianum [et]…Petrum" are named as the two sons of Simeon by Liutprand[35]. His birth date is estimated on the basis of his having been 15 years old at the most when he succeeded as Tsar in 927, as a regent was appointed. He succeeded his father in 927 as PETER I Tsar of the Bulgarians, with his maternal uncle George Sursuval acting as a regent.
- see below.
4. IVAN. He rebelled against his brother in 928, was imprisoned, forced to become a monk, and then left for Constantinople where he renounced his vows and married[36]. m ---, from Armenia. The name of Ivan's wife is not known.
5. BAJAN [Beniamin]. "Baianum [et]…Petrum" are named as the two sons of Simeon by Liutprand, who specifies that the former studied magic and "possessed the power to transform himself suddently into a wolf or other strange animal"[37], although it is possible that "Baianum" may refer to one of the other known sons of Simeon, possibly Ivan, as this is the only reference which has been found to a son of this name.
6. daughters.
PETER, son of SYMEON I Tsar of the Bulgarians & his second wife --- [Sursuvul] (after [912]-29/30 Jan 969). "Baianum [et]…Petrum" are named as the two sons of Simeon by Liutprand[38]. His birth date is estimated on the basis of his having been 15 years old at the most when he succeeded as Tsar in 927, as a regent was appointed. He succeeded his father in 927 as PETER I Tsar of the Bulgarians, with his maternal uncle George Sursuval acting as a regent[39]. He renewed the war with Byzantium after his accession, raiding Thrace, but in Sep/Oct 927 he made peace, under which Byzantium confirmed recognition of Bulgaria's borders established by the 897 and 904 treaties and Peter's own title of Tsar. The treaty was sealed by Peter's marriage to the emperor's granddaughter[40]. Although the monasteries flourished in Bulgaria under Tsar Peter, the ascetic Bogomilian sect, which rejected ecclesiastical rites and other traditional Christian beliefs, also gained popularity[41]. In 965, Emperor Nikephoros Phokas refused to pay the annual tribute to Bulgaria, claiming that the payment was voided by the death of Tsar Peter's Byzantine wife. Emperor Nikephoros attacked Bulgarian border fortresses, then summoned Sviatoslav Grand Prince of Kiev to attack Bulgaria. The Grand Prince exceeded the terms of his mission by conquering Bulgaria in 967 and establishing a base at Pereiaslavets on the Danube delta[42]. Tsar Peter appears to have suffered a stroke after this defeat, abdicated and retired to a monastery where he died soon after[43].
m (Constantinople 8 Oct 927) MARIA Lekapene, daughter of co-Emperor CHRISTOPHOROS Lekapenos & his wife Sophia --- (([920/25]-before 15 Mar 963). Liutprand records the wife of Tsar Peter as the (unnamed) daughter of Christophoros, the marriage taking place just after the Tsar's accession after which she adopted the name IRINA[44]. Considering the chronology of the birth dates of her father and paternal grandfather, it is likely that Maria can have been no more than an infant at the time of her marriage in 927. The marriage was arranged to seal the peace agreed between her future husband and Byzantium[45].
Tsar Peter I & his wife had two children, although the primary source which establishes their parentage has not been identified:
1. BORIS ([940/45]-[984/86]). The birth date ranges of Boris and his brother Roman are estimated from the likely birth date range of their mother. He was a hostage in Constantinople in 963/66. He nominally succeeded on his father's abdication, although the country's independence was still threatened by the presence of Sviatoslav Grand Prince of Kiev. He returned to Bulgaria, where he was proclaimed BORIS II Tsar of the Bulgarians at Preslav in [968][46]. Tsar Boris retook Perejaslavec briefly, but Grand Prince Sviatoslav defeated the Bulgarians in a major battle and recaptured the town, although he appears to have allowed Boris to continue to rule although in a dependent capacity[47]. Fearing that Grand Prince Sviatoslav would turn his attention to Byzantium, Emperor Ioannes Tzimisces marched into Bulgaria, fighting Sviatoslav at Arcadiopolis[48]. The emperor pushed further into Bulgaria in 971, captured Preslav and defeated the Grand Prince's forces at Silistria, before negotiating Sviatoslav's withdrawal[49]. Emperor Ioannes at first recognised Boris II as Prince of Bulgaria, but proceeded to annex the country converting it into a theme of the empire, abolished the Bulgarian patriarchy and took Boris back to Constantinople as a prisoner[50] where he became a Byzantine magister and patrikios. During this period, western Bulgaria (Macedonia) remained untouched by these events, and witnessed the uprising of the Kometopulos brothers after the death of Emperor Ioannes in 976[51]. Boris left Byzantium some time after this Macedonian uprising. The exact timing appears unknown. If the supposed date range of Boris's death in [984/86] is correct, Boris's departure could hardly have been a reaction to the Macedonian uprising of 976. Fine points out that it is not known whether he escaped or was released by the Byzantines in the hope of triggering civil war in Bulgaria[52]. He was killed by Bulgarian border guards in [984/86], supposedly in error[53]. m (after 963) ---. The name of Tsar Boris's wife is not known. The date of this marriage is estimated on the assumption that it took place when he was no longer a hostage in Constantinople, hostages being traditionally unmarried at the time.
Tsar Boris II & his wife had two children:
a) son (before 971-).
b) son (before 971-).
2. ROMAN ([940/45]-Constantinople [997/98]). The birth date ranges of Boris and his brother Roman are estimated from the likely birth date range of their mother. He was a hostage in Constantinople in 963/66, and a prisoner in a Kievan jail in Preslava in 969/71. After Byzantium annexed Bulgaria in 971, Roman was imprisoned in Constantinople until [984/86], which seems to have been the time he was made a eunuch. He succeeded in escaping with his brother (see above concerning the timing of this escape). He appears to have arrived successfully in Bulgaria, succeeding his brother in [984/86] as titular Tsar of the Bulgarians. It is not clear whether Roman fulfilled any actual role in the government of Bulgaria or whether the four Kometopulos brothers were the only effective rulers in the country at the time[54]. Whatever the situation, at some point he appears to have returned to Constantinople where he became a Byzantine patrikios praepositos.
NIKOLA Kumet, son of --- ([905]-[976]). Of Armenian origin, from the province of Derĵan on the Euphrates, he came to Bulgaria with Byzantine troops. He was Byzantium's provincial governor of Macedonia.
m RIPSIMIA [Hripsime], daughter of ASHOT II Bagratuni King of Armenia & his wife Marie of Kachum (after 917-).
Nikola Kumet & Ripsimia had five children:
1. AARON Kometopulos ([935/40]-murdered Ramatanitze 14 Jun [987/88]). His birth date range is estimated on the basis of the likely birth date of his mother. In 976, he and his three brothers started an uprising in Macedonia, the western part of Bulgarian territory which had remained untouched by the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria[55]. Ruler of western Bulgaria, jointly with his brother Samuil. He was murdered by his brother Samuil. m ---. The name of Aaron's wife is not known.
Aaron Kometopulos had at least two sons:
a) IVAN VLADISLAV ([960]-killed in battle Durazzo Feb 1018). He murdered his cousin Gavriil Radomir, succeeding him in 1015 as IVAN VLADISLAV Tsar of the Bulgarians.
- see below.
b) son[s] (-murdered [987/88]). Killed with his [their] father by Samuil.
2. MOISEI Kometopulos (-killed in battle Serrhai [986]). He and his three brothers started an uprising in Macedonia in 976. He was killed fighting the Byzantines.
3. DAVID Kometopulos. He and his three brothers started an uprising in Macedonia in 976. David was defeated and killed by Vlachs.
4. SAMUIL Kometopulos (-Prilep 6 Oct 1014). He and his three brothers started an uprising in Macedonia in 976. With his brother Aaron, he ruled in western Bulgaria. After murdering Aaron, he ruled alone from [987]. He conquered Thessaly in 986, defeated a Byzantine army at Sardika [Sofija] and reconquered the territory of the original Bulgarian state as well as the region of Thessaloniki, after which he conquered Durazzo in [996][56]. In 997, he conquered Duklja, Trebinje and Zahumlje, and made Bosnia and Raška [Serbia] vassals of Bulgaria. He was crowned SAMUIL Tsar of the Bulgarians in 997, with his capital at Prespa. He moved his capital to Ochrida, where he restored the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian[57]. In [1000/1001], Byzantium under Emperor Basileios II started a counter-offensive against Bulgaria, and recaptured Sardika (1001), Macedonia, Thessaly, Vidin and Skoplje (1004), and Durazzo (1005), the last following the betrayal by Samuil's son-in-law. Samuil's army was crushed in Jul 1014 at Clidion, near Strymon, although Tsar Samuil escaped to Prilep where he died soon after[58]. m ([970]) AGATHA Chryselie, daughter of IOANNES Chryselios Lord of Durazzo & his wife ---.
Tsar Samuil & his wife had five children:
a) GAVRIIL RADOMIR ([970]-murdered Autumn 1015). He succeeded his father in 1014 as GAVRIIL RADOMIR Tsar of Bulgaria. He was murdered by his cousin Ivan Vladislaw. m firstly ([973], repudiated 988) --- of Hungary, daughter of GEZA Prince of Hungary & his first wife Sarolt of Transylvania. m secondly (988) IRINA --- (-murdered Autumn 1015). She was a slave at Larissa in 986.
Tsar Gavriil Radomir had one possible child by his first marriage:
i) [PETER DELJAN ([987/88]-[Thessaloniki 1041]). He claimed to be the grandson of Tsar Samuil but, according to Michael Psellus[59], there seems to have been doubt about the matter. A slave in Byzantium, he escaped and assumed leadership of the Bulgarian rebellion against Byzantine rule in 1040[60], and was crowned PETER DELJAN Tsar of Bulgaria in Beograd 1040. His forces pushed southwards to capture Niš and Skopje. He joined forces with a second rebellion in Durazzo led by Tihomir, who was murdered in Skopje maybe through Deljan's planning. He then captured Prespa and parts of northern Greece[61]. His [supposed] second cousin Alusian joined the rebellion, was given troops to attack Thessaloniki but failed in the enterprise which created divisions between the two men. Alusian's troops captured and blinded Deljan, enabling Alusian to assume leadership of the whole movement which quickly collapsed[62] after he defected to Byzantium.]
Tsar Gavriil Radomir had six children by his second marriage:
ii) son. Blinded 1015.
iii) three other sons.
iv) daughter. m (before 1015) ---.
v) daughter. m (before 1015) STEFAN DOBROSLAV [Vojislav] of Duklja, son of [DRAGOMIR Knez of Duklja and part Trebinje & his wife --- of Serbia] ([before 1000]-[1043], bur Prapratna). He succeeded as DOBROSLAV I Knez of Duklja some time after 1018, with his base at Prapratna.
b) MIROSLAVA. Her existence and marriage are testified by Skylitzes[63]. Superior of the convent of Elena in [1016]. m ([998]) AŠOT Taronites, son of ---. Installed by his father-in-law as Governor of Durazzo. He betrayed the city to Byzantium in 1005, he and his wife leaving for Constantinople[64] where he became magistros.
c) two daughters. At Kastoria 1018.
d) [daughter. The date of her marriage is estimated from the estimated birth date of the couple's eldest son. The primary source on which this marriage is based has not been identified. The Gesta Hungarorum reports claims that the three brothers Levente, András and Béla were "ex duce Wazul progenitos ex quadam virgine de genere Tatun [Tátony]" rather than legitimate[65]. m (before [1012]) VÁSZOLY [Vazúl] Prince of Hungary, Duke between March and Gran, son of MIHÁLY of Hungary Duke between March and Gran & his wife Adelajda of Poland (-early 1037).]
Tsar Samuil had one illegitimate son:
e) son. At Kastoria 1018.
5. daughter. Her name is not known. m THEODOROS Chryselios, archon of Durazzo, son of [IOANNES Chryselios Lord of Durazzo & his wife ---]. If his parentage is correct, Theodoros was the brother of Agatha Chryselie who married Samuil, later Tsar of the Bulgarians, see above.
IVAN VLADISLAV, son of AARON Kometopulos & his wife --- ([960]-killed in battle Durazzo Feb 1018). He murdered his cousin Tsar Gavriil Radomir, succeeding him in 1015 as IVAN VLADISLAV Tsar of the Bulgarians. He reconquered Duklja in 1016 after murdering Knez Ivan Vladimir[66]. He was killed by the Byzantines during an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Durazzo, after which Emperor Basileios II made his solemn entry to Ochrida where he received homage from the remaining members of the family of the Tsar and annexed Bulgaria, which was divided into three themes[67].
m MARIJA ---. She took Kastoria in 1018. She settled in Constantinople where she adopted the name ZOE and became patrikia in 1019. She was banished to Thrace by Emperor Romanos III.
Tsar Ivan Vladislav & his wife had 12 children:
1. FRUŽIN. He led the resistance against the Byzantines, but surrendered in 1019 and settled in Constantinople. He became a Byzantine patrikios, strategos of the theme of Bukellarion. He was blinded and banished to a monastery in [1029/31].
2. ALUSIAN (-after 1068). He settled in Constantinople and became a Byzantine patrikios in 1019, strategos of Theodosiopolis in Anatolia. He joined the rebellion of his [supposed] first cousin Peter Deljan in 1040 and was given troops to attack Thessaloniki, but failed in the enterprise which created discord between the two men. Alusian's troops captured and blinded Deljan, enabling Alusian to assume leadership of the whole movement. After an unsuccessful battle with Byzantine troops, he negotiated an amnesty for himself, left the rebellion leaderless and returned to Constantinople in 1041[68]. In Armenia 1068. m (1019 or after) ---, an Armenian. The name of Alusian's wife is not known. The marriage presumably took place after Alusian settled in Constantinople.
Alusian & his wife had four known children:
a) BASILEIOS Alusianos. Magistros. He was appointed dux of Edessa 1065/71.
b) SAMOEL Alusianos. Bestarches, proedros, dux. m --- Dalassene, daughter of KONSTANTINOS Dalassenos, Byzantine general.
i) [KONSTANTINOS Alusianos. Bestiarches.]
c) [ANNA] Alusiane ([1030][69]-before 1065). The date for her marriage is estimated from the couple's son Konstantinos Diogenes leaving two known children when he was killed in battle in 1074. m ([1045/50]) as his first wife, ROMANOS Diogenes, son of --- Diogenes & his wife --- Argyre (-Prote Monastery Summer 1072). Magistros, bestiarches, dux of Triaditza [Sofija]. He succeeded in 1068 as ROMANOS IV Emperor of Byzantium.
d) [DAVID Alusianos.]
3. AARON (-after 1059). He settled in Constantinople and became a Byzantine patrikios in 1019. Magistros 1041, bestes [1047]. Dux of Vaspurakan [1049]. Dux of Ani in the theme of Iberia [1049/50]-after 1054. Dux of Edessa before 1057. Proedros 1057/58. Dux of Mesopotamia 1059. m ---. The name of Aaron's wife is not known.
Aaron & his wife had two known children:
a) THEODOROS Aaron (-killed in battle [1055/56]). Strategos of Taron. He was killed fighting the Turks.
b) RHODOMEROS [Radomir] Aaron. Magistros, bestiarches, strategos, proedros, dux. 1091/97.
Aaron had one illegitimate son:
c) son.
i) --- Aaron. He and his brother plotted against Alexios I Emperor of Byzantium in 1107.
ii) THEODOROS Aaron. He and his brother plotted against Alexios I Emperor of Byzantium in 1107.
4. TRAJAN [Troianos]. m ---, descendant of the families of Konstostephanos, Abalates and Phokas.
Trajan & his wife had one known daughter:
a) MARIA Troiane (-[1089/1118]). The Alexeiad records that "the daughter-in-law of the Cćsar Ioannes…protovestiaria" was imprisoned "in the nunnery of Petrion near the Sidera" when the Komnenoi plot against Emperor Nikephoros Botaneiates was discovered, referring to her as "kinswoman" of Anna Dalassena and, in a later passage, stating that she "was of Bulgarian descent"[70]. The primary source on which her parentage is based has not been identified. Protobestiaria. She became a nun as Xene. m (before 1063) ANDRONIKOS Dukas, protobestiarios, son of IOANNES Dukas & his wife Eirene Pegonitissa (-14 Oct 1077). Co-Emperor of Byzantium 1067-1070.
5. RADOMIR.
6. son. At Kastoria 1018.
7. EKATERINA (-convent of Myrelaion). She brought a substantial dowry to her husband[71]. She became a nun, as Helena at the convent of Myrelaion. m ISAAKIOS Komnenos, son of MANUEL Erotikos Komnenos & his second wife --- ([1007]-Studion monastery 1061). Domestikos 1042-[1054/57]. He was declared ISAAKIOS I Emperor of Byzantium on the plain of Gunaria in Paphlagonia 8 Jun 1057, crowned at Constantinople 1 Sep 1057. He abdicated 25 Dec 1059 due to illness. He became a monk at the monastery of Studion.
8. daughter. 1018. m (before 1026) ROMANOS Kurkuas.
9. four other daughters. At Kastoria 1018.
---. From the area of Trnovo, maybe a Vlach[72].
1. IVAN ASEN (-murdered 1196). After attempting unsuccessfully with his brother Teodor to obtain land in the Haemus mountains from Emperor Isaakios II, they rebelled against Byzantine rule in 1185, with Bulgar, Vlach and Kuman support. They captured fortresses near Trnovo, before moving into Thrace[73]. His brother Peter was crowned Tsar by the newly appointed archbishop of Trnovo, maybe jointly with Ivan Asen. By early 1190, he succeeded as IVAN ASEN I "Stari/the Old" or "Belgun/the Bulgar" Tsar of the Bulgarians after his brother Peter had relinquished control[74].
- see below.
2. TEODOR (-murdered 1197). After attempting unsuccessfully with his brother Teodor to obtain land in the Haemus mountains from Emperor Isaakios II, they rebelled against Byzantine rule in 1185, with Bulgar, Vlach and Kuman support. Teodor adopted the name PETER, in honour of Peter I Tsar of the Bulgarians, and was proclaimed PETER Tsar of the Bulgarians in 1186. After the 1186 rebellion of Alexios Branas, who had been sent to suppress the Bulgarian revolt, Emperor Isaakios led his army personally against the Bulgarian rebels and drove them across the Danube. Further campaigns followed in Sep 1187 and 1188, but the emperor was forced to recognise Bulgarian independence under a peace treaty signed in 1188[75]. Tsar Peter retained Trnovo as his capital and unilaterally appointed the bishop of Trnovo as archbishop, although the appointment was not recognised by Byzantium. He was crowned Tsar by the newly appointed archbishop Basil, maybe jointly with his brother Ivan Asen. By early 1190, Peter had relinquished control to his brother, although he continued to rule as a colleague in Preslav[76]. After Ivanko murdered his brother in 1196, Tsar Peter besieged Trnovo which had been captured by Ivanko, and resumed his rule after the latter escaped to Constantinople. He was allegedly murdered by a relative[77].
3. daughter. m ---, boyar.
a) ALEXII SLAV (-after 1230). "Esclas" is described as "cousin germain" of "Burille" by Henri de Valenciennes[78]. It is assumed that he was the son of a sister of the brothers Ivan Asen, Peter and Kalojan as no reference is made to a fourth brother. Voivode of Melnik. He opposed the succession of his first cousin Boril in 1207, seceding and establishing his own state in the Rhodope mountains[79]. He allied himself with Henri Latin Emperor of Constantinople after the latter defeated Tsar Boril at Philippopulos in 1208, sealed by his marriage to the emperor's illegitimate daughter, and was awarded the title despot[80]. After the death of his first wife, Alexii sought an alliance with Theodoros Komnenos Dukas Angelos Lord of Epirus, which was sealed by his second marriage to the niece of the latter's wife[81]. His principality was finally absorbed by Ivan Asen II Tsar of Bulgaria, who went on the offensive after defeating Emperor Theodoros Angelos Lord of Epirus at Klokotnica, in Apr 1230[82]. m firstly (Constantinople 1208) --- de Flandre, illegitimate daughter of HENRI de Flandre Latin Emperor of Constantinople & his mistress --- (-1213 or before[83]). m secondly (1216) --- Petraliphaina, daughter of [THEODOROS] Petraliphas & his wife ---.
4. KALOJAN ([1170]-Thessaloniki 8 Oct 1207). "Johannice" is described as uncle of "Burille" by Henri de Valenciennes[84]. He was sent as a hostage to Constantinople in 1188 as part of the arrangements for the peace treaty recognising Bulgarian independence[85]. He was awarded the title patrikios in Byzantium. Co-Regent of Bulgaria 1196. He succeeded in 1197 as KALOJAN I Tsar of the Bulgarians, and was crowned by the Archbishop of Trnovo. He agreed peace with Byzantium [1201/02][86], and was again created patrikios in Byzantium. Tsar Kalojan annexed the region of Niš from Serbia in 1203, and Beograd, Braničevo and Vidin from Hungary in [1204]. Pope Innocent III supported him by ordering Imre King of Hungary not to counter-attack, Kalojan having promised to recognise papal suzerainty in return for a papal crown[87]. He also took advantage of the chaos caused by the taking of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 to assume control of Byzantine territory in Macedonia and Thrace[88]. He was crowned King of all Bulgarians and Wallachians by the Papal legate 7 Nov 1204, at the same time as the archbishop of Trnovo was consecrated primate[89]. The crusaders rejected Tsar Kalojan's proposed alliance and division of territory in Thrace. Kalojan in revenge launched further attacks on Thrace in Feb 1205, and captured Adrianople. He defeated Baudouin I Latin Emperor of Constantinople 14 Apr 1205, and took him back to Bulgaria as a prisoner where he died in jail[90]. Tsar Kalojan continued campaigning in Thrace, captured Serres in Jun 1205 and sent many captives back to Bulgaria. He died while laying siege to Thessaloniki after the death of Bonifazio di Monferrato King of Thessaloniki, possibly murdered[91]. Gardner says "report attributed the act to the device of his wife and the hand of a Kuman warrior"[92]. m as her first husband, ---, a Kuman princess. She married secondly ([1207/08]) her first husband's nephew, Boril (-after 1218), who succeeded as Tsar.
Tsar Kalojan I & his wife had two children:
a) MARIJA (-after 1216). Her marriage was arranged to seal the alliance between her stepfather Tsar Bulgaria and her future husband[93]. m (1213) as his second wife, HENRI I Latin Emperor of Constantinople, son of BAUDOUIN VIII Count of Flanders, BAUDOUIN V Comte de Hainaut & his wife Marguerite I Ctss of Flanders ([1176]-murdered 11 Jul 1216).
b) BITHLEEM. Sent to Rome in 1204.
5. daughter. m STREZ, voyvode.
a) BORIL (-1218 or after). "Burille" is described as "cousin germain" of "Esclas [Alexei]" by Henri de Valenciennes[94]. It is assumed that he was the son of a sister of the brothers Ivan Asen, Peter and Kalojan as no reference is made to a fourth brother. He succeeded his uncle in 1207 as BORIL Tsar of the Bulgarians, passing over the rightful candidate, his first cousin Ivan Asen, and married his predecessor's widow to consolidate his authority. He was faced with continual rebellions, in particular those led by his cousin Alexii Slav and his [supposed] brother Strez. Many outlying territories in Bulgaria split away from the central authority of Trnovo. After invading Thrace, he was defeated by a Latin army at Philippopolis in 1208[95]. He allied himself with Henri Latin Emperor of Constantinople in 1213, sealed by the emperor's marriage to Tsar Boril's step-daughter[96]. He was deposed in 1218 by his cousin Ivan Asen and blinded. m [firstly] ([1207/08], maybe repudiated[97]) as her second husband, --- Kuman princess, widow of KALOJAN I Tsar of the Bulgarians, daughter of --- Khan of the Kumans. m [secondly] ([1213]) --- de Courtenay, daughter of PIERRE II Seigneur de Courtenay [later PIERRE I Latin Emperor of Constantinople] & his wife Yolande de Flandre Marquise de Namur. This daughter of Pierre is mentioned by Fine, which says her marriage was arranged by her uncle Henri Emperor of Constantinople to seal his alliance with Tsar Boril[98]. She is not referred to in Kerrebrouck[99] or Europäische Stammtafeln[100].
b) [STREZ (-1214). According to Fine[101], he was a nephew of Tsar Kalojan, either the brother or first cousin of Tsar Boril, but not the same individual as Dobromir Hrs [Chrysos], who was also referred to as "Dobromir Strez" (the Slav version of his Greek name), and who had also previously held Prosek. He opposed the succession of his [supposed] brother Boril in 1207, was expelled and fled to the Serbian court from where, supported by Stefan Grand Župan of Serbia, he invaded Bulgaria and established himself in the fortress of Prosek. He established his own state between the Struma and Vardar rivers, and expanded westwards across Macedonia as far as Bitola. He allied himself with Tsar Boril, who appears to have awarded him the title sébastokrator. Their joint armies were defeated by Mikhael of Epirus at Pelagonia [Bitola] in early summer 1211[102]. Strez died while on campaign in Serbia, allied with Henri Latin Emperor of Constantinople and Tsar Boril, maybe murdered[103]. After his death, it seems that his territories were shared between Epirus and Thessaloniki[104].
cousin of IVAN ASEN I Tsar of the Bulgarians. The precise relationship is not known.
1. IVANKO, son of --- (-murdered 1200). His affair with Tsar Ivan Asen I's sister-in-law was discovered by Ivan Asen, whom Ivanko murdered in 1196. He thereupon took control of Trnovo, to which Tsar Peter laid siege. Ivanko succeeded in sending to Constantinople for help, but the Byzantine army mutinied in the Balkan Mountains. Ivanko escaped to Constantinople, where he was offered the emperor's granddaughter as a bride[105]. He adopted the name ALEXIOS on his marriage, and became a Byzantine military leader. Prince in Central Thrace in early 1199. He revolted against Emperor Alexios III, and defeated the Byzantine troops sent to attack him. He was murdered after agreeing a meeting with the emperor[106]. m ([1196/97]) as her first husband, THEODORA Angelina Komnene, daughter of ISAAKIOS Komnenos, sébastokrator & his wife Anna Komnena Angelina. She was a hostage in Constantinople in [1197/99]. She married secondly ([1201/02]), as his third wife, Dobromir Hrs [Chrysos/Strez] Lord of Prosek (-murdered [1209/11]). A Vlach fighting for Bulgaria, he occupied the fortress of Prosek overlooking the Vardar river in 1197. He repudiated his second wife, who was the daughter of Konstantinos Kamytzes & his wife Maria Angelina (paternal aunt of Emperor Alexios III) in return for being offered the granddaughter of Emperor Alexios III as his new bride[107]. Sébastokrator.
IVAN ASEN, son of --- (-murdered 1196). After attempting unsuccessfully with his brother Teodor to obtain land in the Haemus mountains from Isaakios II Emperor of Byzantium, they rebelled against Byzantine rule in 1185, with Bulgar, Vlach and Kuman support. They captured fortresses near Trnovo, before moving into Thrace. His brother Peter was crowned Tsar by the newly appointed archbishop of Trnovo, maybe jointly with Ivan Asen. By early 1190, he succeeded as IVAN ASEN I "Stari/the Old" or "Belgun/the Bulgar" Tsar of the Bulgarians after his brother Peter had relinquished control. In retaliation for Bulgarian raids on Philippopolis, Sardika [Sofija] and Adrianople, Emperor Isaakios attacked Bulgaria but was heavily defeated in [1194] near Arcadiopolis[108]. Tsar Ivan Asen I was murdered by his cousin Ivanko, whom the Tsar had discovered having an affair with his wife's sister[109].
m firstly ---.
m secondly ELENA "nova carica". She was captured by Emperor Isaakios II during the latter's 1188 campaign against the Bulgarian rebels, but released under the 1188 peace treaty which recognised Bulgarian independence[110]. She became a nun as EVGENIJA.
Tsar Ivan Asen I had two children, but by which marriage is not known:
1. IVAN ASEN ([1190]-Jun 1241). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Alsanus rex Bulgarie frater Alexandri" specifying that both were "nepotes…Burilli"[111]. He was passed over on the death of his uncle Tsar Kalojan in 1207, when his first cousin Boril succeeded as Tsar. He was smuggled out of the country first to the Kumans, later to Galicia. He was recalled in 1218 to lead a rebellion against Tsar Boril, marched on Trnovo and was declared IVAN ASEN II Tsar of the Bulgarians.
- see below.
2. ALEXANDER (-before 1241). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Alsanus rex Bulgarie frater Alexandri" specifying that both were "nepotes…Burilli"[112]. Sébastokrator. m --- of Serbia, daughter of STEFAN "Prvovenčani/the First-Crowned" King [Kralj] of Serbia & his first wife Evdokia Angelina Komnene of Byzantium (before [1201/02][113]-).
a) KOLOMAN (-murdered 1258). He succeeded his cousin Tsar Mihail II Asen in 1257 as KOLOMAN II Tsar of the Bulgarians, forcibly marrying his predecessor's widow. Faced with strong opposition from the outset, he was forced to flee from Trnovo, and was captured and killed. On his death, his father-in-law invaded Bulgaria from neighbouring Mačva, ostensibly to protect the interests of his daughter, whom he received back at Trnovo. He retreated to Vidin where he assumed the title Tsar of Bulgaria, and was recognised as such by Hungary[114]. m ([1257]) as her second husband, IELISAVETA Rostislavna of Galich, widow of MIHAIL II ASEN Tsar of the Bulgarians, daughter of ROSTISLAV Mikhailovich ex-Grand Prince of Kiev, ex-Prince of Galich, Ban of Mačva & his wife Anna of Hungary ([after 1243]-[1296/98]). Tsarina Ielisaveta may have married thirdly[115] (May 1260) Moys de Dáró, Judge of the Kumans, Palatine of Hungary, Gespan of Sopron, son of --- (-end 1280). According to another table in Europäische Stammtafeln[116], the wife of Moys de Dáró was Erszebet of Hungary, daughter of András of Hungary Prince of Galich & his wife Ielena Mstislavna of Galich.
IVAN ASEN, son of IVAN ASEN I Tsar of the Bulgarians & his [first/second] wife --- ([1190]-Jun 1241). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Alsanus rex Bulgarie frater Alexandri" specifying that both were "nepotes…Burilli"[117]. He was passed over on the death of his uncle Tsar Kalojan in 1207, when his first cousin Boril succeeded as Tsar. He was smuggled out of the country first to the Kumans, later to Galicia[118]. He was recalled in 1218 to lead a rebellion against Tsar Boril, marched on Trnovo and was declared IVAN ASEN II Tsar of the Bulgarians. After his accession, he quickly consolidated his control over his territories and built up his army, reviving Bulgaria's strength as a Balkan power[119]. He unsuccessfully proposed the marriage of his daughter Elena to Baudouin II Latin Emperor of Constantinople in 1228[120]. Theodoros Angelos Lord of Epirus, who had crowned himself emperor in 1225, marched on Constantinople in 1230 but changed course and attacked Bulgaria. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines records that "Alsanus rex Bulgarie" captured and blinded "ducem Durachis Theodorum"[121] at Klokotnica, near Philippopolis, in Apr 1230[122]. Ivan Asen then went on the offensive, conquering most of Macedonia and Albania[123]. When Ivan Asen learnt of Jean de Brienne's arrival in Constantinople in 1231 as regent for Emperor Baudouin II, he opened negotiations with Nikaia for a joint attack on the city, his alliance later being confirmed by the marriage of his daughter Elena to the heir to the Nikaian throne[124]. András II King of Hungary attacked north-west Bulgaria in 1232, recapturing Beograd and Braničevo which he had been forced to cede as part of the dowry of his daughter when she became Tsar Ivan Asen's second wife[125]. In return for recognising the Nikaian patriarch's title of 'Ecumenical Patriarch'[126], the latter granted autonomy to the Bulgarian church in 1235[127]. Tsar Ivan Asen and his Nikaian allies laid siege to Constantinople in 1236, but the city was saved by a quarrel between the two allies[128]. Relations with Hungary improved at the end of his reign, possibly because of the threat posed to both states by the Mongols[129].
m firstly (repudiated before Jan 1221) ANNA ---. The origin of Ivan Asen's first wife is not known. She was banished to Asia Minor after her repudiation.
m secondly (Jan 1221) MARIA of Hungary, daughter of ANDRÁS II King of Hungary & his first wife Gertrud von Andechs-Merano (early 1204-Trnovo 1237). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines refers to the first wife of "Alsannus rex" as "soror Bele regis Hungarie et…sancta Elizabeth" but does not name her[130]. Her father was forced to agree this marriage to effect his release from Bulgaria where he was captured on returning from Crusade in late 1218. Her dowry included the cities of Beograd and Braničevo[131]. She converted to Roman Catholicism. She died of plague[132].
m thirdly ([1237/38]) EIRENE Komnene Angelina, daughter of ex-Emperor THEODOROS I Komnenos Dukas Angelos Lord of Epirus & his wife Maria Dukaina Komnene Petraliphaina ([before 1220][133]-after 1241). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines refers to the second wife of "Alsannus rex" as "filia Theodori ceci" but does not name her[134]. Tsar Ivan Asen II had defeated her father at Klokotnica, near Philippopolis, in Apr 1230, blinded him and kept him prisoner in Bulgaria for seven years[135]. It appears that he was released in 1237 after he gave Tsar Ivan Asen permission to marry his daughter. Tsarina Irina was probably exiled from Bulgaria soon after the accession in 1241 of her stepson, who was living with her brother in Thessaloniki[136]. She became a nun as XENIA.
Tsar Ivan Asen II & his first wife had two children:
1. MARIJA (before 1221-after 1237). This marriage was arranged as part of the alliance with the Bulgarians agreed by her future husband's brother Emperor Theodoros[137]. m ([1225], repudiated 1237) as his second wife, MANUEL Angelos Dukas Komnenos [Epirus], despot, son of IOANNES KONSTANTINOS Dukas Angelos, sebastokrator & Zoe [Dukaina Makrodukaina] (-[1241]). After the capture of his brother Theodoros by the Bulgarians at Klokotnica in Apr 1230, Manuel succeeded as regent of the kingdom of Thessaloniki, under the control of his father-in-law[138]. He assumed the imperial title[139]. His brother deposed Manuel after being released from Bulgaria in 1237, and installed his own son in his place.
2. BELISAVA (before 1221-). m ([1233]) STEFAN VLADISLAV King of Serbia, son of STEFAN "Prvovenčani/the First-Crowned" King [Kralj] of Serbia & his second wife --- or his third wife Anna Dandolo (-11 Nov after 1267 [1269]). He was deposed in 1243 in favour of his younger half-brother Stefan Uroš, maybe because of his close ties with Bulgaria through his marriage, although he remained on good relations with his successor and was still referred to as king in some official documents[140].
Tsar Ivan Asen II & his second wife had five children:
3. ELENA ([1224]-before 1254). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines refers to the daughter of "Alsannus rex" & his wife "soror Bele regis Hungarie" as the wife of "Caloiohannes Vastachii filius" but does not name her[141]. Her father proposed her betrothal to Baudouin II Latin Emperor of Constantinople in 1228, but fearing Tsar Ivan Asen's ambitions, the Latins rejected the offer[142]. Her marriage was agreed to confirm the alliance between her father and the Nikaian emperor, who were planning a joint attack on Constantinople[143]. m (Lampsaka early 1235) THEODOROS Dukas Laskaris of Nikaia, son of IOANNES III Emperor of Nikaia & his first wife Eirene Dukaina Komnene Laskarina (-1258). He was crowned as co-emperor in [1241] by his father. He succeeded his father in 1254 as THEODOROS II Emperor of Nikaia.
4. TAMARA (after 1220-).
5. son. This son is referred to by Fine who does not specify whether he was Ivan Asen's son by his first or second marriage but says that he died of plague[144].
6. KOLOMAN ([1232]-Aug 1246). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Colmannum" as the son of "Alsannus rex" & his wife "soror Bele regis Hungarie"[145]. He succeeded in 1241 as KOLOMAN I Tsar of the Bulgarians, under a regency, the joint regents quarrelling among themselves[146]. Ioannes III Emperor of Nikaia took advantage of Bulgarian weakness during the minority of Tsar Koloman to conquer major parts of Thrace, the Rhodopes and Macedonia[147]. Presumably this was also the time when Mongol suzerainty over Bulgaria was established.
7. son (b and d Autumn 1237).
Tsar Ivan Asen II & his third wife had three children:
8. MIHAIL ASEN ([1238]-murdered 1257). He succeeded his half-brother in 1246 as MIHAIL II ASEN Tsar of the Bulgarians. Taking advantage of the death of Ioannes III Emperor of Nikaia in 1254, Bulgaria reconquered Macedonia, although it was again lost to Nikaia by 1256[148]. Bulgaria entered an alliance with Hungary in 1255, confirmed by Tsar Mihail's marriage to the granddaughter of Bela IV King of Hungary[149]. Tsar Mihail II was murdered and replaced on the throne by his cousin Kalojan. m ([1255]) as her first husband, IELISAVETA Rostislavna of Galich, daughter of ROSTISLAV Mikhailovich ex-Grand Prince of Kiev, ex-Prince of Galich, Ban of Mačva & his wife Anna of Hungary ([after 1243]-[1296/98]). Her first husband's cousin and successor, Tsar Koloman II, forced her to marry him as her second husband[150]. Tsarina Ielisaveta may have married thirdly (May 1260) Moys de Dáró, Judge of the Kumans, Palatine of Hungary, Gespan of Sopron, son of --- (-end 1280), although according to another table in Europäische Stammtafeln[151], the wife of Moys de Dáró was Erszebet of Hungary, daughter of András of Hungary Prince of Galich & his wife Ielena Mstislavna of Galich. .
9. MARIJA. m IVAN Mico [Mytzes], boyar (-after 1262). He was proclaimed Tsar of the Bulgarians in 1258 after the overthrow of Tsar Koloman II. He probably never conquered Trnovo but simply created his own principality[152]. Following the Byzantine invasion of 1263, he surrendered Mesembria in return for land in Asia Minor.
10. TEODORA [Anna]. m PJOTR. Sébastokrator. Probably chief regent for Tsar Mihail II Asen after 1246[153]. 1253.
After the death of Tsar Koloman II in 1258, there was a series of rival claimants to the throne:
ROSTISLAV Mikhailovich ex-Prince of Galich, son of MIKHAIL Vsevolodich Grand Prince of Kiev & his wife Maria Romanovna of Galich ([1225]-1263). After the Mongol invasion, he sought refuge with Béla IV King of Hungary, married the king's daughter, and was appointed Ban of Mačva. He mediated the peace between Bulgaria and the empire of Nikaia in 1256[154]. On the death of his son-in-law Koloman II Tsar of Bulgaria in 1258, Rostislav invaded Bulgaria from neighbouring Mačva, ostensibly to protect the interests of his daughter, who was handed to him at Trnovo. He retreated to Vidin where he assumed the title ROSTISLAV Tsar of the Bulgarians, and was recognised as such by Hungary[155]. His forces were temporarily expelled from Vidin province by his rival Konstantin Tih, during Rostislav's temporary absence helping his father-in-law in his war with Bohemia, but he was restored by Hungarian troops which expelled Konstantin from the area in 1261[156]. On his death, his lands were divided between his sons, Mikhail taking his part of Bosnia and Bela taking Mačva.
- see RUSSIA.
IVAN Mico [Mytzes], boyar, son of --- (-after 1262). He was proclaimed IVAN Tsar of the Bulgarians in 1258 after the overthrow of Tsar Koloman II, but probably never obtained Trnovo simply creating his own principality, centred on the Black Sea port of Mesembria in south-east Bulgaria[157]. Following the Byzantine invasion of 1263, he capitulated to Emperor Michael VIII in 1263, surrendering Mesembria in return for land in Asia Minor.
m MARIJA Asenina of Bulgaria, daughter of IVAN ASEN II Tsar of Bulgaria & his third wife Eirene Komnene Angelina of Epirus.
Tsar Ivan & his wife had two children:
1. IVAN ASEN (-before 1302). He was installed in 1278 Emperor Michael VIII, who was concerned with the deteriorating stability in Bulgaria, as IVAN ASEN III Mytzes Tsar of the Bulgarians. With a Byzantine army he besieged Trnovo in Autumn 1278. The city opened the gates to him in Feb 1279, during Ivajlo's absence fighting the Tatars, and he was recognised as Tsar[158]. His forces pursued Ivajlo and besieged him in the fortress of Silistria. To increase his power base, Ivan Asen married his sister to a leading Trnovo boyar[159]. He was expelled in 1280 by Ivajlo, and fled to the Tatars and then to Constantinople. He was awarded the title despot in Byzantium 1284, his descendants rising to prominence in the Byzantine empire.
- ASANES.
2. [KERAMARIJA]. m ([1279], repudiated 1284) as his second wife, GEORGI Terter, son of --- (-1304). A leading Trnovo boyar, he repudiated his first wife to accept the offer of marriage to Tsar Ivan Asen III's sister, but took his first wife back in 1284[160]. He succeeded in 1280-1292 as GEORGI I Tsar of the Bulgarians.
TICH [Toichos], boyar in Skopje, son of ---.
m --- of Serbia, daughter of STEFAN NEMANJA Grand Župan of Serbia & his wife Ana ---.
Boyar Tich & his wife had one known son:
1. KONSTANTIN Tih (-killed in battle Autumn 1277). One of the boyars in Trnovo, he was elected in 1258 as KONSTANTIN Tih Tsar of the Bulgarians by his fellow boyars. He was based in Trnovo. In order to boost his claim, he married as his second wife the granddaughter of Tsar Ivan Asen II. He took advantage of his rival Rostislav's temporary absence from Vidin (he was helping his father-in-law Béla IV King of Hungary in his war against Bohemia) to recapture Vidin province. However, the Hungarians counter-attacked and forced his withdrawal[161]. He fell from his horse in 1264 and was paralysed from the waist down. His personal leadership of his armies became difficult and his power declined[162]. His third marriage with the niece of Emperor Michael VIII was arranged to confirm a new alliance with Byzantium, under which he was promised Mesembria and Anchialos, although the Byzantines later reneged on the arrangement[163]. He fell under the influence of his ambitious second wife who assumed greater control due to her husband's physical incapacity. He was killed while trying to suppress the rebellion of Ivajlo, who had also proclaimed himself Tsar[164]. m firstly (repudiated [1257/58]) ---. The name of the first wife of Konstantin Tih is not known. m secondly (early 1258) EIRENE Laskarina, daughter of THEODOROS II Emperor of Nikaia & his wife Elena Asenina of Bulgaria (-[1269]). Tsar Konstantin arranged this marriage with the granddaughter of Tsar Ivan Asen II to boost his claim to the Bulgarian throne. After the coup engineered by Mikhail Palaiologos against her brother Emperor Ioannes, Eirene urged her husband to attack the territories which Palaiologos controlled[165]. m thirdly (1269) as her second husband, MARIA Palaiologina Kantakuzene, widow of ALEXIOS Philes, daughter of IOANNES Kantakuzenos & Eirene Palaiologina (-after 1279). Her marriage was arranged to confirm Byzantium's new alliance with Bulgaria, under which her uncle promised to return Mesembria and Anchialos, although the Byzantines later reneged on the arrangement[166]. With the decline in her husband's effective leadership following his incapacity, she assumed an increasing role in governing Bulgaria. On behalf of her husband, she negotiated an arrangement with his rival Jakov Svetoslav. She adopted him as their second son in 1273 but had poisoned him in [1275/77][167]. She continued to rule in Trnovo after her husband was killed in battle, but after Ivajlo besieged Trnovo she opened the city gates to him in late spring 1278 and married him as her third husband[168]. After Trnovo opened its gates to Byzantine troops in Feb 1279, she was sent to Emperor Mikhael VIII who imprisoned her in Adrianople[169].
Tsar Konstantin & his [first/second] wife had one child:
a) daughter (-1292 or after). She died or was repudiated in 1292. m ([1284]) as his first wife, SMILEC, ruler in western Sredna Gora (-1298). He succeeded in 1292 as SMILEC Tsar of the Bulgarians, after Georgi Terter fled to Byzantium, possibly installed by Nogai Khan of the Tartars.
Tsar Konstantin & his third wife had one child:
b) MIHAIL ASEN ([1270/71]-murdered [1300/01]). He was crowned as co-Tsar of the Bulgarians by his father in 1273[170]. In a Byzantine prison 1279. Byzantium unsuccessfully attempted to install him as Tsar in 1298[171]. m ---. The name of his wife is not known.
1. JAKOV SVETOSLAV, son of --- (-murdered [1275/77]). Of Russian origin, he was created despot in Bulgaria in 1261 (although by which rival Tsar is not known) and granted land south of Vidin province. He was granted Vidin under a treaty agreed with Hungary, which had invaded to drive Byzantine forces from Jakov's lands in 1263. From the time of a second Hungarian invasion in 1266, he was referred to in Hungarian documents as JAKOV SVETOSLAV Tsar of the Bulgarians[172]. He was able to assert his independence from Hungary after the accession of the minor King László IV in 1272, and negotiated a settlement with his rival Tsar Konstantin Tih, who adopted him as his second son in 1273. He was poisoned by Maria, third wife of Konstantin Tih[173]. m ([1273]) as her second husband, THEODORA Laskarina, widow of MATHIEU de Mons Baron of Veligosti, daughter of THEODOROS II Emperor of Nicaea & his wife Elena Asanina of Bulgaria (-after 1273).
IVAJLO, son of --- (-murdered 1280). A pig farmer, he led local resistance to Tatar raids in the mid-1270s. As his reputation grew, the territory from which he gathered support widened[174]. He proclaimed himself IVAJLO Tsar of the Bulgarians, and in 1277 defeated the troops sent by Konstantin Tih to repress his rebellion, Tsar Konstantin being killed in the battle. Ivajlo besieged Trnovo, and in late Spring 1278 Tsarica Maria opened the gates of the city to him, recognised him as Tsar and married him as her third husband[175]. His followers became alienated by his assimilation into the establishment[176]. He left Trnovo to combat the Tatars in late 1278, the city opening its gates in Feb 1279 to Byzantine forces and Ivan Asen III who was recognised as Tsar. Ivajlo's wife was sent to Emperor Michael VIII, who imprisoned her in Adrianople[177]. Pursued by the Byzantine forces of Tsar Ivan Asen III, Ivajlo occupied the fortress of Silistria but succeeded in defeating Ivan Asen III in Jun and Aug 1279. He was murdered by Tatar supporters of Nogaj[178].
m (1278) as her third husband, MARIA Palaiologina Kantakuzene, widow firstly of ALEXIOS Philes and secondly of KONSTANTIN Tih Tsar of the Bulgarians, daughter of IOANNES Kantakuzenos & Eirene Palaiologina (-after 1279). She continued to rule in Trnovo after her second husband was killed in battle, but after Ivajlo besieged Trnovo she opened the city gates to him in late spring 1278 and married him as her second husband[179]. After Trnovo opened its gates to Byzantine troops in Feb 1279, she was sent to Emperor Mikhael VIII who imprisoned her in Adrianople[180].
Tsar Ivajlo & his wife had one child:
1. daughter ([1279/80]-).
1. GEORGI Terter, son of --- (-1304). A leading Trnovo boyar, he repudiated his first wife to accept the offer of marriage to Tsar Ivan Asen III's sister[181]. After Tsar Ivan Asen III fled Trnovo in late 1279, he was installed as GEORGI Terter Tsar of the Bulgarians. He was recognised as Tsar by Emperor Andronikos II in 1284, received the title Despot, and accepted the repudiation of his second wife and the return of his first wife[182]. Subject to frequent raids by the Tatars led by Nogai, his territory was soon reduced to the eastern part of Bulgaria. He finally accepted Tartar suzerainty in 1285, confirmed by sending his son to Nogai as a hostage and by his daughter's marriage to Nogai's son[183]. Under increased pressure from Tatar raids, he fled to Byzantium in 1292, being replaced as Tsar by Smilec[184]. He was imprisoned in Byzantium until 1298. He was banished from Byzantium in 1304. m firstly (repudiated [1279], reaccepted 1284) MARIA ---. The origin of the first wife of Georgi Terter is not known. She was sent with her son to Nikaia after her repudiation[185]. m secondly ([1279], repudiated 1284) [KERAMARIJA] of Bulgaria, daughter of IVAN Mico Tsar of the Bulgarians & his wife Marija Asenina of Bulgaria.
Georgi Terter & his first wife had three children:
a) TODOR SVETOSLAV (-1321). He was sent to Nikaia with his mother after she was repudiated by his father in [1279][186]. His father sent Todor as a hostage to Nogai Khan of the Tartars in 1285 when he accepted Tatar suzerainty over Bulgaria[187]. Returning with his brother-in-law Chaka after Nogai's defeat in 1299, Todor Svetoslav supported Chaka's installation as Tsar but deposed him shortly afterwards and succeeded in 1300 as TODOR SVETOSLAV Tsar of the Bulgarians. He was able to extend his rule over southern Bessarabia as far as Akkerman on the River Dnestr, territories formerly held by Nogai Khan and which were presumably transferred to Tsar Todor Svetoslav by Tokhta Khan who had united the Tatar Khanate after defeating Nogai[188]. Tsar Todor Svetoslav defeated a Byzantine army in 1304, probably recovering Mesembria and Anchialos at this time or in the following year, but in 1307 he made peace with Byzantium which then recognised his conquests[189]. m firstly JEFROSINA, daughter and heiress of MANKUS, a merchant in Constantinople & his wife ---. m secondly (1320) as her first husband, THEODORA Palaiologina, daughter of co-Emperor MIKHAEL IX & his wife Rita [Maria] of Armenia (-after 1330). She married secondly (after Aug 1324) Mihail III Šišman Tsar of the Bulgarians. After the death of her second husband in 1330, Tsarina Theodora fled to Constantinople[190]. She became a nun as THEODOSIA.
Tsar Todor Svetoslav & his first wife had one child:
i) GEORGI Terter (-end 1322). He succeeded in 1321 as GEORGI II Tsar of the Bulgarians, but died soon after, leaving a power vacuum which was eventually filled by the election in Jun 1323 of Mihail Šišman Lord of Vidin as Tsar[191].
b) ANA ([1270/75]-after 1304). Her birth date range is estimated from the estimated birth dates of her two children by her first marriage. m firstly (Autumn 1284, repudiated 1294) as his second wife, STEFAN UROŠ II MILUTIN King of Serbia, son of STEFAN UROŠ I "Veliki/the Great" or "Arapavi/the Holy" King of Serbia & his wife Jelena --- ([1253]-Castle Nerodimlja, Amselfeld 29 Oct 1321, bur Sardika [Sofija]). m secondly (1301) MIKHAEL [Demetrios] Dukas Komnenos Angelos 'Kutrules' despot, son of MIKHAEL [Konstantinos] Komnenos Dukas Angelos Lord of Epirus, despot & his wife Theodora Dukaina Petraliphaina Basilissa (-1304 or after).
c) daughter. Her marriage was arranged when her father accepted Tatar suzerainty in 1285[192]. m (1285) CHAKA Khan, son of NOGAI Khan of the Tartars & his [wife/concubine] --- (-murdered 1300). After his father's defeat and death, he fled to Bulgaria. With the help of his brother-in-law Todor Svetoslav, he installed himself as ČAKA Tsar of the Bulgarians in 1299 after expelling the widow of Tsar Smilec[193]. He was deposed in 1300 by his brother-in-law, strangled and his decapitated head sent to Tokhta Khan in Crimea.
2. ELTIMIR (-after 1305). He established a secessionist principality in the region between Sliven and Kopsis[194]. He fled from Bulgaria at the same time as his brother in 1292[195]. Appointed despot by Tsar Smilec 1292. He was a military leader for his brother in 1298/99. Exarchos of Krounos before 1304. He was granted the fortresses of Jambol and Lardaia by his nephew Tsar Todor Svetoslav, he defected to the Byzantines after the attack led by co-Emperor Michael IX on Bulgaria in 1305[196]. m --- of Bulgaria, daughter of SMILEC Tsar of the Bulgarians & his first wife --- of Bulgaria.
1. SMILEC (-1298). Ruler in western Sredna Gora in [1284], jointly with his brothers, the territory's independence was apparently supported by Byzantium[197]. He succeeded in 1292 as SMILEC Tsar of the Bulgarians, after Tsar Georgi Terter fled to Byzantium, possibly installed by Nogai Khan of the Tartars. He appears to have maintained good relations with both the Tatars and Byzantines during his reign[198]. m firstly ([1284]) --- of Bulgaria, daughter of KONSTANTIN Tih Tsar of the Bulgarians & [his first wife --- or his second wife Eirene Laskarina]. Died or repudiated 1292. m secondly (1292) --- Palaiologina, daughter of KONSTANTINOS Angelos Komnenos Dukas Palaiologos, sébastokrator & his wife Eirene Komnene Laskarina Branaina. She attempted to maintain power in the name of her infant son in 1298 after the death of her husband. She offered to marry Milutin King of Serbia in return for his support[199]. She was expelled by Chaka the Tatar, who installed himself as Tsar in 1299. She eventually returned to Constantinople[200].
Tsar Smilec & his first wife had three children:
a) IOANNES (-8 Aug [before 1286]). He became a monk as JOASAPH.
b) TEODORA (-Oct 1322). Her marriage took place when her future husband was a hostage with the Tatars (with whom her father had close ties), where he was sent in [1293] as a gesture of appeasement to forestall an attack on Serbia and where he remained until 1299. Fine suggests that it took place in late 1298[201]. m ([24 Aug 1293/1298]) as his first wife, STEFAN UROŠ of Serbia, illegitimate son of STEFAN UROŠ II MILUTIN King of Serbia & his mistress --- ([1276]-murdered 11 Nov 1331, bur Visoki Dečani monastery). He succeeded in 1323 as STEFAN UROŠ III "Dečanski" King of Serbia, deposed in 1331.
c) daughter. m ELTIMIR, brother of GEORGI I Terter Tsar of the Bulgarians.
Tsar Smilec & his second wife had one child:
d) IOANNES (-before 1330). He was expelled from Trnovo with his mother in 1299. In Constantinople, he adopted the name "Ioannes Komnenos Dukas Angelos Branas Palaeologos". He became a monk[202].
2. RADOSLAV. Ruler in western Sredna Gora in [1284], jointly with his brothers. He fled to Constantinople in 1295. Sebastokrator. He was imprisoned and blinded in [1298/99] and sent to Thessaloniki. m ---. The name of Radoslav's wife is not known. She was sent to Thessaloniki with her husband in 1299.
3. VOJSIL. Ruler in western Sredna Gora [1284], jointly with his brothers. He fled to Constantinople in 1295. He fought against the Catalan Grand Company in 1305. He commanded one unit of the Byzantine army led by co-Emperor Michael IX which invaded Bulgaria in 1305[203]. Despot of Bulgaria 1323/28. Prince in the upper Tundcha valley near Kopsis.
ŠIŠMAN, son of --- (-1313). A boyar. He established the principality of Vidin and declared himself independent from Bulgaria, under Tatar suzerainty. He attacked Serbia in 1292, possibly in revenge for Dragutin's capture of Braničevo[204]. In retaliation, Milutin King of Serbia captured Vidin, forcing Šišman to flee to his Tatar overlords, although he soon returned after peace was negotiated, the agreement for which included Šišman's second marriage to the daughter of a powerful Serbian noble[205].
m firstly ---. The name of the first wife of Šišman is not known.
m secondly ([1292]) ---, daughter of DRAGOŠ Serbian Knez & his wife ---.
Šišman & his first wife had two children:
1. MIHAIL ŠIŠMAN ([1275/80]-killed in battle Velbužd [Kjustendil] 28 Jul 1330). He succeeded his father in 1313 as Lord of Vidin, being referred to in a Venetian source in the same year as "Despot of Bulgaria, Lord of Vidin", which suggests that he had established good relations with Todor Svetoslav Tsar of the Bulgarians who was the only Tsar who could have awarded him the title despot. He also seems to have maintained good relations with his Serbian overlord, King Stefan Uroš II Milutin, whose daughter he married. In the confusion which followed the death of his father-in-law in 1321, Mihail Šišman took advantage of Serbia's weakness to establish closer relations with Trnovo where he took an active part in councils[206]. A power vacuum followed the death in late 1322 of the infant Tsar Georgi II Terter, until Mihail Šišman was elected at Trnovo in Jun 1323 as MIHAIL III Tsar of the Bulgarians, unifying the two parts of Bulgaria into a single state again. Tsar Mihail III immediately went to war against Byzantium and reconquered territory to the south. Under the 1324 peace agreement, he repudiated his second wife to marry his predecessor's widow, the granddaughter of Emperor Andronikos II[207]. In May 1327, the future Emperor Andronikos III allied himself with Tsar Mihail who agreed to provide support against the old Emperor Andronikos II[208]. After the accession of Emperor Andronikos III in 1328, Bulgaria invaded northern Thrace but the Byzantine/Bulgarian alliance was reaffirmed in Oct 1328[209]. War broke out between Bulgaria and Serbia in 1330. Although Byzantium agreed to send troops for a joint attack on Serbia, they failed to arrive and Tsar Mihail was defeated at Velbužd, fled, fell from his horse and was killed[210]. m firstly ---. The name of the first wife of Mihail Šišman is not known. m secondly (after 1308, repudiated 1324) ANA [Neda] of Serbia, daughter of STEFAN UROŠ II MILUTIN King of Serbia & his third wife Erszebet of Hungary (-after 1346). She was imprisoned by her husband after her repudiation[211]. She was restored as regent for her son [Aug/Sep] 1330, on the insistence of her brother Stefan Uroš III "Dečanski" King of Serbia, but fled to Serbia after her son was deposed in 1331. m thirdly (after Aug 1324) as her second husband, THEODORA Palaiologina, widow of TODOR SVETOSLAV Tsar of the Bulgarians, daughter of co-Emperor MIKHAEL IX & his wife Rita [Maria] of Armenia. She fled to Constantinople after the death of her husband[212]. She became a nun as THEODOSIA.
Tsar Mihail Šišman & his second wife had three children:
a) IVAN STEFAN ŠIŠMAN (after 1308-killed in battle Slobozia, Romania 1373). Appointed co-ruler with his father in 1323, he was deprived of his rights and imprisoned in 1324 at the time of his father's agreement with Byzantium[213]. In the negotiations which followed his father's defeat and death at Velbužd in 1330, the Serbian king demanded the immediate restoration to power of his sister, and the succession of Ivan[214]. He was installed in Trnovo by Serbian troops in [Aug/Sep] 1330 as IVAN STEFAN Tsar of the Bulgarians, under the regency of his mother. Byzantium invaded Bulgaria to avenge Tsar Ivan Stefan's stepmother, the sister of Emperor Andronikos III, and recaptured the Black Sea towns of Mesembria and Anchialos. Tsar Ivan Stefan was deposed in 1331 by a group of Trnovo boyars, and replaced by his first cousin Ivan Alexander[215]. He exiled himself with his mother in Naples, where he was known as LODOVICO. He fled to Constantinople with Ioannes Kantakuzenos in 1342. m ([1332/42]) AGNESE di Tarento, illegitimate daughter of PHILIPPE of Sicily Principe di Tarento, titular Emperor of Constantinople [Anjou-Capet] & his mistress ---.
b) ŠIŠMAN (-in Dubrovnik).
c) MIHAIL. Lord of Vidin, Despot[216].
2. KEREZA Petriza, Despotica. She became a nun as Theofana. m STRACIMIR, Despot.
- see below.
Šišman had another child, possibly by his second marriage:
3. BELAUR (-after 1331). He became governor of Vidin, with the title Despot, after his half-brother was elected Tsar at Trnovo in 1323[217]. He led the Bulgarian delegation which sought to negotiate with Stefan Uroš III Dečanski after the latter defeated Tsar Mihail III at Velbužd in 1330[218]. He opposed the deposition of Tsar Ivan Stefan, but was defeated by an army of Tatar mercenaries hired by the new Tsar, fled from Bulgaria and died in exile[219].
STRACIMIR, son of ---. Despot.
m KEREZA Petriza, Despotica, daughter of ŠIŠMAN Lord of Vidin & his first wife ---. She became a nun as THEOFANA.
1. IVAN ALEXANDER Asen Srazimirović (-17 Feb 1371). Despot of Lowetch and Kran. He succeeded in 1331 as IVAN ALEXANDER ASEN Tsar of the Bulgarians, after his first cousin was deposed.
- see below.
2. JELENA (-7 Nov 1374). Her marriage was arranged as part of the peace agreement between her brother and her future husband in [1331/32][220]. Citizen of Venice 1350. Regent of Serbia 1355-56. On her husband's death, she inherited Serbia's Greek lands between the lower Vardar and the Mesta as well as the Chalcidic peninsula, basing her court at Serres[221]. She became a nun as JELISAVETA in [1359/60], but continued to play an active political role in Serbia. m (19 Apr 1332) STEFAN DUŠAN King of Serbia, son of STEFAN UROŠ III "Dečanski" King of Serbia & his first wife Teodora of Bulgaria ([1308]-20 Dec 1355). He was crowned Tsar of Serbia and Greece in 1346.
3. IVAN Komnenos Asen (-before 12 May 1363). He was awarded the title despot by his brother-in-law Stefan Dušan Tsar of Serbia, and installed as governor in central Albania, including Valona, Kanina and Berat in [1349]. He rejected Serbian suzerainty from 1358[222]. He maintained close ties with Venice to secure his position, becoming a citizen of Venice in 1353. He died of the plague. [m firstly ---.] ---. Nothing is known about Ivan's possible first wife. m [secondly] (before 1355) as her second husband, ANNA Palaiologina Angelina, widow of IOANNES Komnenos Angelos Orsini despot of Epirus, daughter of ANDRONIKOS Palaiologos Angelos [Epirus] protobestiarios & his wife --- Kokalatissa. Regent of Epirus 1335/39 and 1341/42. She was imprisoned in Constantinople 1342/49.
Ivan had one possible child by his first marriage:
a) [ALEXANDER (-[killed in battle Maritza 26 Sep 1371]). He succeeded his [supposed] father in 1363 as Lord of Valona and Kanina. Citizen of Ragusa 1368.]
Ivan & his second wife had one child:
b) KOMINIA (-[5 Oct 1395/Sep 1396]). She succeeded her husband as Lady of Valona, Kanina, Berat and Himara. Regent 1385/95. Vassal of Venice 1389/90 for the islands of Sasene and Torre di Pirgo. m (1372) BALŠA Balšić, son of BALŠA Lord of Skadar & his wife --- (-killed in battle near Berat 18 Sep 1385). He obtained Valona, Berat, Himara and Kanina as dowry on his marriage[223]. He succeeded as Lord of Zeta, in the territories of his older brother Djuradj, on the latter's death in 1379. He captured Durazzo from Karlo Thopia in 1385, calling himself Duke of Durazzo in Apr 1385[224]. He was killed fighting the Turks.
IVAN ALEXANDER Asen Srazimirović, son of STRACIMIR despot & his wife Kereza Petriza of Vidin (-17 Feb 1371). Despot of Lowetch and Kran. He succeeded in 1331 as IVAN ALEXANDER ASEN Tsar of the Bulgarians, after his first cousin was deposed. He made peace with Stefan Dušan King of Serbia [1331/32], sealed by the marriage of his sister to the Serbian king[225]. His central authority from Trnovo was weakened by his older son's autonomy at Vidin and by the secession of Balik at Karbona [Balčik] in the region now called Dobrudja in north-eastern Bulgaria. Byzantium captured Anchialos in a war with Bulgaria in 1364, and Mesembria and Sozopolis in 1366, in reprisal for Tsar Ivan Alexander having detained Emperor Ioannes V in Bulgaria on his return from a visit to Hungary[226].
m firstly ([1320], repudiated 1340) TEODORA Bassaraba, daughter of IOAN [Ivanco] Bassarab "cel Mare/the Great" Voivode of Wallachia & his wife Ana --- (-after 1340). She became a nun as THEOFANA.
m secondly ([1345]) SARAH, a Jewish woman (-after 1367). She was baptised as TEODORA.
Tsar Ivan Alexander Asen & his first wife had three children:
1. MIHAIL ASEN (1321-killed in battle [1354]). Joint-Tsar of the Bulgarians in Adrianople in 1336. He was killed fighting the Turks. m (Adrianople 1336) EIRENE [Maria] Palaiologina, daughter of Emperor ANDRONIKOS III & his second wife Jeanne [Anna] de Savoie (1327-[Constantinople] after 1356). She was sent back to Constantinople in 1356.
a) ALEXIOS Asanes. In Serrhai 1365/75. In Byzantine service from [1371].
i) EIRENE Asanina. m PAOLO di Bernardo, a patrician of Venice (-before 18 Apr 1395).
ii) [ISAAKIOS Asanes (-after 1429). He was brought up at the Byzantine court. Defensor 1400. Eparchos of Constantinople. Ambassador to the Turks 1420.]
b) [ANDREAS Asanes (-before 1415). Senator and Governor in Lemnos 1405.]
i) MANUEL Palaiologos Asanopulos. In Constantinople 1416.
ii) sons.
2. IVAN STRACIMIR (-after 15 Sep 1396). Joint-Tsar of the Bulgarians from 1355 to 1360. His father disinherited him in favour of his son by his second marriage and granted Vidin to Ivan Stracimir in compensation[227]. The Hungarians captured Vidin 2 Jun 1365, along with Ivan Stracimir and his family, and established a Hungarian banate with a Hungarian appointed Ban. Ivan Stracimir recovered Vidin in 1370, as the vassal of Hungary, Lajos King of Hungary retaining his two daughters at the Hungarian court. He assumed the title Tsar of Vidin, removed Vidin's church from the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Trnovo to that of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and coined his own money[228]. On his father's death in 1371, he attempted to conquer Bulgaria, briefly capturing Sofija[229]. In 1388, he submitted to Ottoman suzerainty after the Ottoman army arrived at Vidin's borders after conquering parts of Bulgaria[230]. Sultan Bayezid I annexed Vidin after the battle of Nikopolis in Sep 1396 at which Ivan Stracimir had supported the army of Zsigmond King of Hungary[231]. Ivan Stracimir died in a Turkish prison. m (before 1369) ANA [Slava] Bassarab, daughter of NICOLAE ALEXANDRU Voyvode of Wallachia & his second wife Clara de Doboca (before 1345-).
a) DOROTEJA (-before Aug 1390). Lajos King of Hungary retained her and her sister at the Hungarian court after her father was restored in Vidin in 1370, later arranging her marriage[232]. m ([1376/84]) STJEPAN TVRTKO I King [Kralj] of Bosnia and Serbia, son of VLADISLAV Kotromanić Knez [of Bosnia] & his wife Jelena Subić ([1338]-10 Mar 1391).
b) daughter (-young).
c) KONSTANTIN (-Belgrade 16 Sep 1422).
3. IVAN ASEN (-killed in battle Sredec 1354). Joint Tsar [1337]. He was killed fighting the Turks.
Tsar Ivan Alexander Asen & his second wife had four children:
4. KERATAMAS [Tamara]. m ([1371/76]) as his fourth wife, Sultan MURAD I, son of Sultan ORKHAN & his second wife Nilüfer (-murdered Kosovo 15 Jun 1389).
5. KERATZA [Mara Kyratza] ([1348]-[1390]). She became a nun as MATHISSA. m (betrothed 17 Aug 1355, [1365]) ANDRONIKOS Palaiologos, son of Emperor IOANNES V & his wife Helene Kantakuzene ([1348]-Selymbria 28 Jun 1385). He succeeded in 1376 as Emperor ANDRONIKOS IV. He was deposed in 1379.
6. DESISLAVA. m KONSTANTIN Prince of Welbuschd, Walachea (-killed in battle 1394).
7. IVAN ŠIŠMAN (-murdered in prison Philippopolis 1395). His father declared him Joint Tsar in 1360, disinheriting his older half-brother[233]. He succeeded his father in 1371 as IVAN ŠIŠMAN Tsar of the Bulgarians. He became a vassal of the Ottomans in 1376, some time after agreeing his sister's marriage to Sultan Murad I[234]. The Ottomans captured Sofija in 1385. He tried to assert his independence from Ottoman overlordship in 1388, but merely provoked the capture of Preslav, Šumen and Silistria. Learning of Tsar Ivan Šišman's secret negotiations with Zsigmond King of Hungary for a joint attack on the Ottomans, the latter launched a major offensive into Bulgaria, captured Trnovo 17 Jul 1393 after a three month siege, and annexed the country[235]. m firstly MARIA, daughter of DESISLAV. m secondly [DRAGANA], daughter of LAZAR Hrebljanović Knez of Serbia & his wife Milica ---.
Tsar Ivan Šišman & his [first/second] wife had three children:
a) ALEXANDER (-killed in battle). He converted to Islam, and became Governor in Asia Minor, later in Smyrna.
b) FRUTSCHIN [Vladislav]. Hungarian diplomat in Albania 1435. He had property in Temešvar.
c) KERAZA.
Tsar Ivan Šišman had one possible illegitimate son.
d) [ IOSEPH (-Florence 10 Jun 1439, bur Florence Santa Maria Novella). Metropolitan of Ephesus before 1416. He was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople as IOSEPH II in 1416.]
8. IVAN ASEN.
[1] Pauli Historia Langobardorum VI.31, MGH SS rer Lang I, p. 175.
[2] Fine (1991), p. 94.
[3] Theoph AM 6301.
[4] Theoph AM 6303, and Zon XV 15. 10-13, 15, and 18-19.
[5] Scriptor Incertus de Leone Armenio, 342-6.
[6] RFA 813, p. 97.
[7] Scriptor Incertus, 346-8.
[8] Scriptor Incertus 343.
[9] Scriptor Incertus 343-4.
[10] Theoph Cont II, 17-18, pp. 64-6, and Zon XV 23, 17-20.
[11] Gesta quorundam regum Francorum 824, 825 and 826, MGH SS I, pp. 358-9.
[12] Theophylact of Ohrid ([1090]-1109), cited in Fine (1991), p. 108.
[13] Fine (1991), p. 112, citing Constantine VI Porphyrogenitus De administrando imperio, and Theophylact of Ohrid.
[14] Theoph Cont IV 14, pp. 162-3, Pseudo-Symeon 664, and Zon XVI 2.4-11.
[15] Fine (1991), p. 112, citing Constantine VI Porphyrogenitus De administrando imperio, and Theophylact of Ohrid.
[16] Leo Gramm 238, Georg Mon Cont 824, and Pseudo Symeon 665.
[17] Liber Pontificalis, 107, 68-75.
[18] Fine (1991), p. 130.
[19] Fine (1991), p. 131.
[20] Fine (1991), p. 141.
[21] Fine (1991), p. 130.
[22] ES II 167.
[23] Fine (1991), p. 132.
[24] Fine (1991), p. 130.
[25] Fine (1991), p. 137.
[26] Kosztolnyik, p. 24.
[27] Fine (1991), p. 139.
[28] Fine (1991), p. 141.
[29] Fine (1991), p. 140.
[30] Fine (1991), pp. 142-48.
[31] Fine (1991), p. 160.
[32] Fine (1991), p. 162.
[33] Fine (1991), pp. 142-48.
[34] Fine (1991), p. 148.
[35] Liudprandi Antapodosis III.29, MGH SS III, p. 309.
[36] Fine (1991), p. 162.
[37] Liudprandi Antapodosis III.29, MGH SS III, p. 309.
[38] Liudprandi Antapodosis III.29, MGH SS III, p. 309.
[39] Fine (1991), p. 160.
[40] Fine (1991), p. 161.
[41] The sect's beliefs are discussed fully in Fine (1991), pp. 172-78, where the author casts doubt on traditional views of the importance of this movement.
[42] Franklin & Shepard (1998), pp. 143, 146-47. It is not clear whether Pereiaslavets was the same place as Preslav, the Bulgarian capital, as Franklin & Shepherd appear to assume, or different, which appears to be the basis on which Fine (1991), p. 182-83, writes.
[43] Fine (1991), p. 181.
[44] Liudprandi Antapodosis III.38, MGH SS III, pp. 310-1.
[45] Fine (1991), p. 161.
[46] Fine (1991), pp. 182-83.
[47] Fine (1991), pp. 184-85.
[48] According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, Sviatoslav won this battle, but according to Byzantine sources it was a Byzantine victory, see Fine (1991), p. 186.
[49] Fine (1991), pp. 186-87.
[50] Fine (1991), pp. 187-88.
[51] See below, Part B.
[52] Fine (1991), p. 189.
[53] Fine (1991), p. 189.
[54] Fine (1991), pp. 189-90.
[55] Fine (1991), p. 189.
[56] Fine (1991), pp. 192-93.
[57] Fine (1991), p. 196.
[58] Fine (1991), pp. 195, 197-98.
[59] Michael Psellus, Chronographia (1966), pp. 109, footnote 1, and 110.
[60] Psellus, p. 109, footnote 1.
[61] Fine (1991), pp. 203-05.
[62] Fine (1991), pp. 205-06.
[63] Fine (1991), p. 194.
[64] Fine (1991), p. 195.
[65] Simonis de Kéza Gesta Hungarorum 55, p. 125.
[66] Fine (1991), p. 198.
[67] Fine (1991), pp. 199-200.
[68] Fine (1991), pp. 205-06.
[69] This assumed birth date is based on the assumed date of Anna Alusiane's marriage, see below.
[70] Alexeiad, Book 2, pp. 85 and 87.
[71] Sturdza, p. 271.
[72] Fine (1994), pp. 10 and 13.
[73] Fine (1994), p. 13.
[74] Fine (1994), p. 16.
[75] Fine (1994), p. 15.
[76] Fine (1994), p. 16.
[77] Fine (1994), p. 29.
[78] Henri de Valenciennes, 2, p. 118.
[79] Fine (1994), pp. 93-4.
[80] Fine (1994), p. 94, and Henri de Valenciennes, 17 and 21, pp. 127 and 129, the latter specifying that the marriage took place in Constantinople.
[81] Fine (1994), p. 102.
[82] Fine (1994), p. 125.
[83] Fine (1994), p. 102.
[84] Henri de Valenciennes, 2, p. 118.
[85] Fine (1994), p. 15.
[86] Fine (1994), p. 32.
[87] Fine (1994), pp. 48 and 55.
[88] Fine (1994), p. 55.
[89] Fine (1994), p. 56.
[90] Fine (1994), pp. 81-2.
[91] Fine (1994), pp. 87 and 91.
[92] Gardner, p. 79.
[93] Fine (1994), p. 101.
[94] Henri de Valenciennes, 2, p. 118.
[95] Fine (1994), p. 92.
[96] Fine (1994), p. 101.
[97] Fine (1994), p. 101.
[98] Fine (1994), p. 101.
[99] Kerrebrouck, pp. 458-61.
[100] ES II 17.
[101] Fine (1994), p. 94.
[102] Fine (1994), pp. 93-9.
[103] Fine (1994), p. 103.
[104] Fine (1994), p. 106.
[105] Fine (1994), p. 28-9.
[106] Fine (1994), pp. 30-1.
[107] Fine (1994), p. 32.
[108] Fine (1994), p. 27.
[109] Fine (1994), p. 28.
[110] Fine (1994), p. 15.
[111] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1230, MGH SS XXIII, p. 927.
[112] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1230, MGH SS XXIII, p. 927.
[113] The date when her father repudiated her mother.
[114] Fine (1994), p. 171.
[115] ES II 131.
[116] ES II 155.
[117] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1230, MGH SS XXIII, p. 927.
[118] Fine (1994), p. 91.
[119] Fine (1994), p. 122.
[120] Fine (1994), p. 123.
[121] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1230, MGH SS XXIII, p. 927.
[122] Fine (1994), p. 124.
[123] Fine (1994), p. 125.
[124] Fine (1994), pp. 126 and 129.
[125] Fine (1994), p. 129.
[126] The patriarch's need for recognition resulted from the irregular election of the first Nikaian patriarch in 1208 by an ecclesiastical council appointed in Nikaia, rather than by a properly constituted council in Constantinople, the latter being impossible after the fall of the Byzantine empire and the establishment in its place of the Latin Empire of Constantinople.
[127] Fine (1994), p. 130.
[128] Fine (1994), p. 130.
[129] Fine (1994), p. 133.
[130] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1240, MGH SS XXIII, p. 950.
[131] Fine (1994), p. 129.
[132] Fine (1994), p. 131.
[133] This is probably the latest possible date for her birth as Eirene gave birth to her first child in 1238.
[134] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1240, MGH SS XXIII, p. 950.
[135] Fine (1994), pp. 124-5.
[136] Fine (1994), p. 156, citing Lazarov, I. 'Upravlenieto na Mihail II Asen I Irina Komnina (1246-1256)', Vekove, 1984, no. 2: 12-19, which discredits the evidence indicating that Eirene was a regent for her son Mihail II Asen from 1246.
[137] Gardner, p. 141.
[138] Fine (1994), p. 126.
[139] Fine (1994), p. 128.
[140] Fine (1994), p. 137.
[141] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1240, MGH SS XXIII, p. 950.
[142] Fine (1994), p. 123.
[143] Fine (1994), pp. 126 and 129.
[144] Fine (1994), p. 131.
[145] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1240, MGH SS XXIII, p. 950.
[146] Fine (1994), p. 154.
[147] Fine (1994), p. 135.
[148] Fine (1994), p. 159.
[149] Fine (1994), p. 159.
[150] Fine (1994), p. 171.
[151] ES II 155.
[152] Fine (1994), p. 172.
[153] Fine (1994), p. 156.
[154] Fine (1994), p. 159.
[155] Fine (1994), p. 171.
[156] Fine (1994), p. 174.
[157] Fine (1994), p. 172.
[158] Fine (1994), p. 197.
[159] Fine (1994), p. 198.
[160] Fine (1994), p. 198.
[161] Fine (1994), p. 174.
[162] Fine (1994), p. 180.
[163] Fine (1994), p. 180.
[164] Fine (1994), p. 196.
[165] Gardner, p. 245, citing Pachymeres ii 26.
[166] Fine (1994), p. 180.
[167] Fine (1994), p. 182.
[168] Fine (1994), p. 196.
[169] Fine (1994), p. 197.
[170] Fine (1994), p. 182.
[171] Fine (1994), p. 229.
[172] Fine (1994), p. 177.
[173] Fine (1994), pp. 181-2.
[174] Fine (1994), p. 195.
[175] Fine (1994), p. 196.
[176] Fine (1994), p. 197.
[177] Fine (1994), p. 197.
[178] Fine (1994), p. 198.
[179] Fine (1994), p. 196.
[180] Fine (1994), p. 197.
[181] Fine (1994), p. 198.
[182] Fine (1994), p. 199.
[183] Fine (1994), p. 225.
[184] Fine (1994), p. 226.
[185] Fine (1994), p. 198.
[186] Fine (1994), p. 198.
[187] Fine (1994), p. 225.
[188] Fine (1994), p. 228.
[189] Fine (1994), pp. 229-30.
[190] Fine (1994), p. 272.
[191] Fine (1994), p. 269.
[192] Fine (1994), p. 225.
[193] Fine (1994), p. 227.
[194] Fine (1994), p. 225.
[195] Fine (1994), p. 226.
[196] Fine (1994), p. 230.
[197] Fine (1994), p. 225.
[198] Fine (1994), p. 226.
[199] Fine (1994), p. 226.
[200] Fine (1994), p. 227.
[201] Fine (1994), p. 227.
[202] Fine (1994), p. 227.
[203] Fine (1994), p. 230.
[204] Fine (1994), p. 220.
[205] Fine (1994), p. 221.
[206] Fine (1994), pp. 268-9.
[207] Fine (1994), pp. 269-70.
[208] Nicol (1992), p. 167.
[209] Nicol (1972), pp. 173-4, and Fine (1994), p. 271.
[210] Fine (1994), p. 271.
[211] Fine (1994), p. 270.
[212] Fine (1994), p. 272.
[213] Fine (1994), p. 270.
[214] Fine (1994), p. 272.
[215] Fine (1994), p. 273.
[216] Fine (1994), p. 273.
[217] Fine (1994), p. 269.
[218] Fine (1994), p. 272.
[219] Fine (1994), p. 273.
[220] Fine (1994), p. 274.
[221] Fine (1994), p. 364.
[222] Fine (1994), p. 357.
[223] Fine (1994), p. 383.
[224] Fine (1994), p. 390.
[225] Fine (1994), p. 274.
[226] Fine (1994), p. 368.
[227] Fine (1994), p. 366.
[228] Fine (1994), p. 367.
[229] Fine (1994), p. 368.
[230] Fine (1994), p. 408.
[231] Fine (1994), pp. 424-5.
[232] Fine (1994), p. 367.
[233] Fine (1994), p. 366.
[234] Fine (1994), p. 407.
[235] Fine (1994), pp. 422-3.