Everything about Ivan Asen I Of Bulgaria totally explained
Ivan Asen I (also
Ioan Asen I,
Ioan Asan, in English
John Asen I) ruled as emperor (
tsar) of
Bulgaria 1189-
1196. The year of his birth is unknown.
Life
In
1185, the brothers
Theodore (Todor) and Ivan Asen appeared before the Byzantine Emperor
Isaac II Angelos at Kypsela to request a
pronoia. Their request was turned down, and when Ivan Asen dared to argue against the emperor's decision, he was slapped across the face . Irate, the brothers returned home and, taking advantage of the discontent at the heavy taxation levied by Isaac II to finance his wars against
William II of Sicily and his marriage to
Margaret of Hungary, raised a revolt against Byzantine rule in late
1185.
Although Ivan Asen played the more active part in the operations against the Byzantines, his older brother Theodore was proclaimed Emperor of the Bulgarians under the name Peter IV (Petăr IV). An early assault on the old capital
Preslav failed, and the probable center of the revolt,
Tărnovo, became the capital of the
Second Bulgarian Empire. During
1185 and
1186 the Bulgarians took over most of
Moesia and raided across the
Balkan mountains into
Thrace.
In the summer of
1186 Isaac II Angelos marched with a large army against the Bulgarians, and penetrated into Moesia. While Peter IV showed himself ready to negotiate with the Byzantine emperor, Ivan Asen fled across the
Danube and raised a strong force of
Cumans, with whom he returned to relieve his brother. Isaac II had already left for
Constantinople, contenting himself with Peter IV's promises for obedience. With his new force, Ivan Asen proceeded to raid Thrace again, skillfully avoiding pitched battles against superior Byzantine armies.
A new expedition led by Isaac II proceeded to Sredec (
Sofia) in
1186, but it didn't impact the territories under the control of the restored Bulgarian state. The Byzantine Emperor attacked again in
1187, this time threatening Tărnovo and besieging
Loveč for three months without success. During the course of the siege the Byzantines captured the wife of Ivan Asen, who was exchanged for Ivan Asen's younger brother
Kaloyan (Kalojan) as a hostage at the conclusion of a truce. But neither side had intentions to keep the peace. When the
Third Crusade led by
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor was advancing towards Constantinople, representatives of Peter IV and Ivan Asen approached him with offers of military assistance against the latently hostile Isaac II Angelos at
Niš and again at
Adrianople.
After the passing of the Third Crusade, Isaac II Angelos decided to deal with the Bulgarians decisively. The expedition was planned on a grand scale and reached Tărnovo before besieging it for a protracted period. By this time Peter IV had crowned Ivan Asen I as co-emperor in
1189 and, without abdicating, retired to Preslav. In charge of the defense of the Tărnovo, Ivan Asen I incited the Byzantine emperor to hastily retreat by spreading rumors of the arrival of a great Cuman army to the relief of the besieged city. The retreating Byzantine army was ambushed by Ivan Asen I in the Balkan passes and Isaac II barely escaped with his life in
1190.
Success now definitely swung in favor of the Bulgarians, who captured the areas of Sredec (Sofia) and Niš in
1191, of
Belgrade in
1195, of
Melnik and
Prosek in
1196, while raiding parties reached as far south as
Serres. During his return from the southwest, Ivan Asen I was murdered by
Ivanko, one of his military commanders, who was threatened with punishment for an affair with the sister of Ivan Asen I's wife. The murderer attempted to assume control in Tărnovo and negotiated with
Constantinople, to which he soon afterwards fled.
For other events of Ivan Asen I's reign, and for a short note on the ethnic and political character of the Second Bulgarian Empire, see under
Peter IV.
Family
Ivan Asen I was married first to a certain Moria, buried at Červen, and then to Elena (religious name Evgenija), whose antecedents are unknown. She is sometimes alleged to be a daughter of
Stefan Nemanja of
Serbia, but this relationship is questionable and would have caused various canonical impediments to marriages between their descendants. By his marriage to Elena, Ivan Asen I'd at least two sons:
- Ivan Asen II, emperor of Bulgaria 1218-1241
- Alexander (Aleksandăr), sebastokratōr, who died after 1232; Alexander had a son named Kaliman Asen II, emperor of Bulgaria in 1256
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