Kira Maria Asenina of Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
Kira Maria Asenina was a Bulgaria
n princess
and empress consort (tsarina), second wife of George I of Bulgaria
.
Kira Maria was the daughter of tsar
Mitso Asen of Bulgaria
and his wife Maria
. The dates and the places of her birth and death are unknown.
Through her mother, Kira Maria was a granddaughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria
and Irene Komnene of Epirus
. She was the sister of Ivan Asen III, who seized power as emperor of Bulgaria
in 1280 with Byzantine support.
Kira Maria married the Bulgaro-Cuman nobleman George Terter
. The marriage was arranged by her brother in order to strengthen his position by allying himself with George Terter
. The latter divorced his first wife Maria, who was sent together with their son Theodore Svetoslav
as a hostage to the Byzantine Empire
. George Terter
was accordingly made a despotēs, the highest rank in the Byzantino-Bulgarian court hierarchy. As his wife Kira Maria was granted the title of despina.
Ivan Asen III failed to assert himself throughout the country and he secretly fled Tarnovo in 1280 and escaped to the Byzantine Empire
, while George Terter
seized power as emperor and Kira Maria was proclaimed as the new empress consort (tsarina) of Bulgaria
.
However, Kira Maria was very unpopular in Tarnovo, because she was related to the Byzantine protege Ivan Asen III. Her marriage to George I Terter
proved controversial as his first wife was still alive. According to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
George's
firs marriage was valid and Kira Maria was his uncanonical wife. Patriarch
Yoakim of Bulgaria threatened to excommunicate the couple and insist that he would not relent until George I Terter put away Kira Maria. George I Terter re-opened negotiations with the Byzantine Empire
and sought the return of his first wife. This was eventually accomplished by treaty, and Maria and Kira Maria exchanged places as empress and hostage.
, wife of king Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia
, was the daughter of Kira Maria and George I of Bulgaria
.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
and empress consort (tsarina), second wife of George I of Bulgaria
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century...
.
Kira Maria was the daughter of tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Mitso Asen of Bulgaria
Mitso Asen of Bulgaria
-Reign:Mitso Asen ascended the throne by virtue of his marriage to Maria, a daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria by Irene Komnene of Epirus. The dates of his birth and death are unknown...
and his wife Maria
Maria Asenina of Bulgaria
Maria Asenina of Bulgaria was a Bulgarian princess and empress consort. She was the consort of Emperor Mitso Asen of Bulgaria.She was the daughter of Emperor Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and Empress Irene Komnene of Epirus. Through her mother, she was a granddaughter of Theodore of Epirus...
. The dates and the places of her birth and death are unknown.
Through her mother, Kira Maria was a granddaughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria
Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria
-Early rule:He was a son of Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria and Elena . Elena, who survived until after 1235, 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 various descendants...
and Irene Komnene of Epirus
Irene Komnene of Epirus
Irene Komnene Doukaina or Eirene Komnene Doukaina was a Greek princess and the third wife of tsar Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria. She was the mother of tsar Michael Asen I of Bulgaria....
. She was the sister of Ivan Asen III, who seized power as emperor of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
in 1280 with Byzantine support.
Kira Maria married the Bulgaro-Cuman nobleman George Terter
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century...
. The marriage was arranged by her brother in order to strengthen his position by allying himself with George Terter
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century...
. The latter divorced his first wife Maria, who was sent together with their son Theodore Svetoslav
Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria
Theodore Svetoslav ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. The date of his birth is unknown. He was a wise and capable ruler who brought stability and relative prosperity to the Bulgarian Empire after two decades of constant Mongol intervention in the internal issues of the Empire...
as a hostage to the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. George Terter
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century...
was accordingly made a despotēs, the highest rank in the Byzantino-Bulgarian court hierarchy. As his wife Kira Maria was granted the title of despina.
Ivan Asen III failed to assert himself throughout the country and he secretly fled Tarnovo in 1280 and escaped to the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, while George Terter
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century...
seized power as emperor and Kira Maria was proclaimed as the new empress consort (tsarina) of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
However, Kira Maria was very unpopular in Tarnovo, because she was related to the Byzantine protege Ivan Asen III. Her marriage to George I Terter
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century...
proved controversial as his first wife was still alive. According to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
George's
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century...
firs marriage was valid and Kira Maria was his uncanonical wife. Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
Yoakim of Bulgaria threatened to excommunicate the couple and insist that he would not relent until George I Terter put away Kira Maria. George I Terter re-opened negotiations with the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and sought the return of his first wife. This was eventually accomplished by treaty, and Maria and Kira Maria exchanged places as empress and hostage.
Children
According Georgius Pachymeres Anna Terter of BulgariaAnna Terter of Bulgaria
Anna Terter was a Bulgarian princess and Queen consort of Serbia . She was the third wife of King Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia....
, wife of king Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia
Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia
Stefan Uroš II Milutin was a king of Serbia , and member of the House of Nemanjić.-Early:...
, was the daughter of Kira Maria and George I of Bulgaria
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century...
.