Early Ruling Families in the Balkans

Part 7. The Tsars of the first Bulgarian Empire in Preslava

This family is descended from Krum, Khan of the Bulgars, who d.ca 814; he had issue:

1a) Omortag-Khan, became a Christian, d.ca 831

1b) Enravota, the first martyr of the Bulgarian Church, d.849

2b) Malamir, Khan 831/6

3b) Swiniza, who [probably] had a son:

1c) Presijan, Khan 836/52; he was [probably] father of:

1d) Boris I, Khan of the Bulgars from 852; he established the capital at Preslava; he d.as a monk 907; m.Marija N

1e) Vladimir; he was Prince of Bulgaria 889-893, after his father abdicated; he tried to re-establish paganism; Boris returned and arranged Vladimir's downfall, and Boris resumed his reign

2e) Gavriil, d.young

3e) Simeon "the Great", Tsar and Autocrat of the Bulgarians, b.ca 865, d.Preslava 927; m.1^st NN; m.2^nd a sister of George Sursuwul

1f) Michael; he contended for the throne, but his brother held onto it; it is not known whether Michael was incompetent, or whether this occurred because his brother’s relatives (Michael was the only son of the 1^st m.) were powerful boyars

2f) Tsar Peter I, d.969; m.at Constaninople 927 Maria=Irene (d.ca 963) dau.of Christophoros Lakapenos, and granddau. of Emperor Romanos of Byzantium

1g) Tsar Boris II, d.984/6

2g) Roman, spent most of his life as a hostage and/or prisoner of the Byzantines and Russians, d.997/8

3f) Bojan, described as a master of the black arts

4e) Jakob, d.young

5e) Eupraxia, a nun

6e) Anna, who may have m. King Swatopulk of Moravia

2a) Dukum Khan 814/5

3a) Dizewg Khan 815/6

4a) Tsok

Part 8.The Tsars of the first Bulgarian Empire, in Ochrida

This family started with two men who are believed to have been brothers and somehow related to the family in Part 7:

1a) Samuel, who became Tsar of the Bulgarians 997, and moved the capital to Ochrida; he conquered Diocleia, Trebinje and Zahumlje, and made Bosnia and Raska (Serbia) vassals of Bulgaria; he d.at Prilep 1014; m.ca 970 Agathe, dau. Of Joannes Chryselios, Lord of Durazzo

1b) Gavriil Radomir, Tsar 1014/5, b.ca 970; m.1st ca 973 a dau.of Pr Geza of Hungary, who was later repudiated; m.2d 988 Irene (murdered 1015)

1c) Peter Deljan, proclaimed himself Tsar 1040; b.988, d.in Byzantine imprisonment ca 1041

2c) a dau., m.before 1015 Stefan Dobroslaw, Knez of Diocleia

2b) Miroslawa; m.ca 998 Asot Taronites

3b) a dau. [parentage uncertain] m.Vazul, Duke between the March and Gran (d.1037)

2a) Aaron, ruler of western Bulgaria, murdered 987/8

1b) Iwan Wladislaw, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1015-8, k.a.Durazzo 1018, after which Bulgaria became a Byzantine province; m.Marija N

1c) Fruschin; in 1029 he was blinded and banished to a monastery

2c) Alusian; he m.an Armenian lady

1d) Basileios Alusianos

2d) Samoel Alusianos; m.N Delassene, sister of the Empress Eudoxia

3d) Anna, d.ca 1065; m.Romanos IV Diogenes, Emperor of Byzantium 1071 (d.1072)

3c) Aaron, Duke of Vaspurakan, of Edessa and of Macedonia

1d) Theodoros Aaron, strategos of Taron, k.a.against the Turks 1055/6

2d) Radomir, a Byzantine official

4c) Trajan

1d) Maria; m.before 1063 Andronicos Dukas, co-emperor of Byzantium (d.1077)

5c) Radomir

6c) Ekaterina; m.before 1057 Isaakios Komnenos, Emperor of Byzaqntium (d.1061)

7c) a dau., m.before 1026 Romanos Kurkuas

Part 9.The Tsars of the Second Bulgarian Empire, of the Aseniden House, and their relatives

This family apparently descends from a Wallachian boyar, who had issue a follows:

1a) Iwan Asen I; he and his brother Peter rebelled against the Byzantines and he became Prince of northern Bulgaria ca 1187; he was murdered by his cousin Iwanko-Alexios in 1196

1b) Iwan Asen II, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1218-41, b.ca 1190, d.1241; m.1^st Anna N; m.2^nd 1221 Maria, heiress of Belgrade and Branicevo (b.ca 1204, d.1237) dau.of King Andrew II of Hungary; m.3^rd 1237/8 Irene Angelina, dau.of Emperor Theodoros of Epirus

[by 1^st m.]:

1c) Marija; m.ca 1225 Manuel Dukas, Despot of Thessaloniki

2c) Beloslava; m.ca 1233 King Stefan Vladislav of Serbia

[by 2^nd m.]:

3c) Elena, b.ca 1224. d.ca 1254; m.1235 Emperor Thodoros II Laskaris of Nicaea (d.1258)

4c) Tamara, b.after 1220

5c) Koloman, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1241-6; b.ca 1232, d.1246

[by 3^rd m.]:

6c) Miachael II Asen, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1246-57; b.ca 1238, murdered by Kalojan1257; m.1255 a dau.of Rostislaw, Gr Pr of Kiev

7c) Teodora=Anna; m.Sebastokrator Pjotr

8c) Marija; m.Iwan Milo, a boyar, who contended for the throne in 1258

1d) Iwan Asen III Mytzes, Tsar 1279-80, fled from Iwailo to the Tatars and then to Constantinople, d.ca 1302; m.1278 Irene Palaiologina, dau.of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII; their children took the surname Asan

1e) Michael Asanes, a military leader in Macedonia for the Byzantines, then supported Serbia

2e) Andronikos Asanes, Despot of Morea, Stattholder of Thrace, d.after 1355; m.a dau.of Michael Dukas Glabas Tarchaneitos

1f) Manuel Komnenos Raul Asanes, Stattholder of Bizye, Thrace; m.ca 1321 Anna, dau.of Theodoros Synadenos

1g) Joannes Asanes

2g) Andronikos Asanes, a military leader in Thrace

2f) Joannes Assanes, Stattholder of Constantinople; m.ca 1347 a dau.of Alexios Apokaukos

1g) Anna Asanina; m.Joannes Kontosephanos

3f) Irene; m.before 1320 Emperor Joannes IV Kantakuzenos of Byazantium (d.1383)

4f) Helene Asanina, d.young

3e) Isaakios Asanes, a mercantile leader in Constantinople, d.ca 1351; m.1^st before 1320 Theodora (dsp), dau.of the Tatar Khan Abaga; m.2^nd NN

1f) Andronikos Asanes

2f) Michael Asanes, Stattholder in Morea, d.there before 1383

3f) Irene Asanina; m.1346/51 Georgios Philanthropenos, archon of Lemnos

4f) Andreas Asanes, Stattholder in Morea

4e) Konstantinos Asanes

1f) Michael Asanes, Stattholder on Lesbos, d.ca 1355; m.before 1330 Irene, dau.of Joannes Synadenos

5e) Manuel Asanes

6e) Theodora Asanina, may have m.Manuel Tagaris

7e) Maria Asanina; m.Roger de Flor, a Catalonian leader

8e) Anna Asanina, engaged to Michael Dukas Angelos, of Neopatrai

2d) Keramarija, m.Georgi Terter, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1280-92

2b) Alexander, d.ca 1241; m.a dau.of King Stephen Prvovencani of Serbia

1c) Kalojan= Koloman, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1257, d.1258; m.a dau.of Rostislaw, Gr Pr of Kiev

2a) Peter, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1196, murdered 1197

3a) Kalojan, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1197-1207, b.ca 1170, murdered 1207; m.a Kuman princess

1b) Bithleem

2b) Marija, d.after 1216; m.1209 Henry of Flanders, Emperor of Constantinople (d.1216)

4a) a dau., m.a boyar

1b) Alexii Slaw, Voivode of Melnik, d.after 1229; m.1st Constantinople 1208 an illegitimate dau.of Henry of Flanders, Emperor of Constantinople; m.2d after 1218 a dau.of Theodoros Petraliphas

5a) a dau., m.the boyar Strez

1b) Boril Strez, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1207-18, when he was overthrown and blinded; m. a Kuman princess

2b) Dobormir Strez, sovereign Prince of the lands between the Struma and Vardar, d.1208/11; m.1st 1199 a dau.of Manuel Kamytzes Komnenodukas; m.3d 1201/2 Theodora, dau.of Isaakios Komnenos

Part 10.More Tsars of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

One Tich, a boyar of Skopje, m.a dau.of Stefan Nemanja of Serbia, and they had a son:

1a) Konstantin Tich Asen, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1257-77, murdered during his struggle with Iwailo 1277; m.1^st NN; m.2^nd 1258 Irene (d.ca 1269) dau.of Emperor Theodoros II Laskaris of Nicaea by Helene Asanina; m.3^rd 1269 Maria, dau.of Joannes Kantakuzenos; (Maria later married her husband's conqueror, Iwailo Kordukubas, who was Tsar 1278-9, and was murdered in exile with the Tatars 1280)

1b) [by 3^rd m.] Michael Asen, a contender for the throne, b.1270/1, murdered 1300/1

2b) [by 1^st or 2^nd m.]a dau., m.ca 1284 Smilec, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1292-8

1c) Teodora, d.1322; m.ca 1293 King Stefan Uros III Decanski of Serbia

2c) a dau., m.Eltimir,a leading official and supporter of his brother, George Terter (below)

George Terter, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1280-1292, d.after 1304; he m. Keramarija, dau.of Iwan (see Part 9), but by her had no issue; by his other wife, Marija N, he had issue:

1a) Todor Swetoslaw, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1299-1321, d.1321; m.1st Jefrosina, dau.of Mankus, a merchant; m.2d 1320 Theodora, dau.of Byzantine Emperor Michael IX

2a) Anna, d.after1 304; m.1st 1284 King Stefan Uros II of Serbia, who repudiated her 1294; m.2d 1301 Demetrios Dukas Kutrules Angelos (d.after 1304)

3a) a dau., who m.1285 Chaka Khan, who ruled briefly as Tsar in 1298

Part 11.The Tsars of Bulgaria of the House of Schischman

One Schischman, a boyar, declared himself indepent from Bulgaria and established the principality of Vidin, a city on the Danube; he had issue:

1a) Michael III Schischman, Despot of Vidin, Tsar of the Bulgarians 1323-30, d.1330; m.1^st NN; m.2^nd ca 1300 (repudiated 1324) Ana, dau.of King Stefan Uros II of Serbia; m.3d after Aug 1324 Theodora Palaiologina, dau.of Byzantine Emperor Michael IX

1b) Iwan Stefan Schischman, Tsar 1330-1; thereafter he lived in Naples, d.there ca 1373; m.an illegitimate dau.of Philip of Naples, Pr of Tarento

2b) Schischman, d.in Dubrovnik

3b) Michael, Pr of Vidin

2a) Belaur

3a) Kereza Petriza; m.Despot Srazimir

1b) Iwan Alexander Asen, Tsar 1330-71; m.1^st ca 1320 (repudiated 1340) Teodora Bassaraba, dau.of Voivode Bassaraba of Wallachia; m.2^nd ca 1345 a Jewish woman named Sarah, who changed her name to Teodora

[by 1^st m.]:

1c) Michael Asen, co-tsar in Adrianople, b.1321, k.a.against the Turks ca 1354; m.Adrianople 1336 Irene Palaiologina, dau.of Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III

1d) Alexios Asanes

1e) Irene; m.Paolo di Bernardo, a patrician of Venice

2c) Iwan Srazimir, Pr of Vidin 1360-96, d.after 15 Sep 1396; m.before 1369 Ana Slava Bassaraba, dau.of Nicolae Alexandru, Pr of Wallachia

1d) Konstantin, d.Belgrade 1422

2d) Dorothea, d.ca 1390; m.King Stefan Trvtko I of Bosnia

3c) Iwan Asen, k.a.against the Turks 1354

[by 2^nd m.]:

4c) Iwan Schischman, Tsar 1371-93, d.imprisoned at Phillipoli 1395; m.1st Maria N; m.2d Dragana, dau.of Knez Lazar of Serbia

1d) Alexander, a Moslem, Stattholder in Asia Minor and Smyrna, k.a.1418

2d) Frutschin=Vladislav, a Hungarian diplomat in Albania

3d) Keraza

5c) Iwan Asen

6c) Tamara; m.1375 Sultan Murad I; note: usually, when the sources say a Christian lady married a Turkish sultan, it really means that the lady was taken into his harem as a concubine

7c) Keratza; m.ca 1365 Emperor Andronikos IV Palaiolog of Byzantium (d.1385)

8c) Desislawa; m.Pr Konstantin of Welbuschd (d.1394)

2b) Iwan Komnenos Asen, d.ca 1363; m.1^st NN; m.2^nd ca 1355 Anna, dau.of Andronikos Palaiolog

1c) Kominia, d.1395/6; m.1372 Balsa Balsic, Lord of Zeta (d.1385)

3b) Elena, d.1374; m.1332 King Stefan Dusan of Serbia (d.1355)