Ivan I Asen

• Preferred Name: Ivan I Asen^[1]
  
• Alternate Name: Ivan Asen I Bulgaria
  
• Alternate Name: Ivan Asen I Tsar Of Bulgaria
  
• Gender: M
  
• FSID: KHXB-RZ3
  
• Death: ABT 1196 in Veliko Turnov, Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria, Bulgaria at LATI: N2.8167 LONG: E7.75
  
• Birth: ABT 1163 in Of Veliko Turnov,Veliko Turnovo,Bulgaria at LATI: N2.8167 LONG: E7.75
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: King Of Bulgaria
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Asen I, King of Bulgaria was the son of unknown (?)2 He married Elena (?), daughter of Jupan Stefan Nemania. He died in 1196.1
  He succeeded as the King Asen I of Bulgaria in 1187.1
  Child of Asen I, King of Bulgaria
  unknown (?)+3
  Children of Asen I, King of Bulgaria and Elena (?)
  Ivan Asen II, King of Bulgaria+1 d. 1241
  Alexander (?)2
  
  Иван Асен I
  Imperador da Bulgaria 1189 e 1196
  
  See More:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Asen_I_of_Bulgaria
  
  === Victorious against the Byzantine army a ===
  Victorious against the Byzantine army at Lardeya , Beroe and Philippoupolis . Liberates Beograad and Branichevo . Killed in 1196 by Bolyar Ivanko .

• m. ABT 1188 in Of Veliko Turnov, Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria

1. Viola Wencislawa of Opole, b. ABT 1190 in Of Tirnovo, Burgas, Bulgaria     d. 7 SEP 1251 in Opole, Opole, Poland

1. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Ioann I Czar Of Bulgaria Asen -
   Author: Ancestral File (TM), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998
   Note: Early life[edit] The career of Asen and his brother, Theodor, suggests that they were descended from a prominent family,[note 1] according to historian Alicia Simpson.[1] Historian Alexandru Madgearu says, their father was most probably a wealthy man who owned herds in the Balkan Mountains.[2] The date of Asen's birth is unknown.[3] The Synodikon of Tzar Boril calls him "Ioan Asen Belgun".[3][4] One of the Lives of Ivan of Rila confirms that Ivan (or Ioan) was his baptismal name.[3] The other two names are of Turkic origin: Asen came from a Turkic word meaning "sound, safe, healthy", Belgun from a word for "wise".[5] The ethnic background of Asen and his brothers is still a source of controversy among historians.[6] Chronicles written in the late 12th and early 13th centuries unanimously described them as Vlachs.[7] Their close relationship with the Cumans and the Turkic etymology of Asan's names imply that they were of Cuman or Pecheneg stock.[8][9] The multiethnic character of their homeland, the Byzantine theme (or district) of Paristrion, makes it probable that Vlachs, Bulgarians and Cumans were among their ancestors, according to a scholarly theory.[10] Robert of Clari, the author of a chronicle about the early history of the Latin Empire of Constantinople,[11] stated that Asen (whom Clari confused with his younger brother, Kaloyan) had been "once a sergeant of the emperor, having charge of one of the emperor's horse farms",[12] adding that Asen was obliged to send sixty to one hundred horses to the imperial army at the emperor's order.[13][14] Clari's report may only show that Asen was not a landowner, but a pastoralist, according to Simpson.[13] In the autumn of 1185, the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos encamped at Kypsela in Thrace (now İpsala in Turkey) during his campaign against the Normans of Sicily, who had invaded the Byzantine Empire.[15][16] Theodor and Asen came to the camp to meet with the emperor.[17] The Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates accuses them of having only come to give grounds for their uprising.[1] Clari says, Asen, as the manager of an imperial horse farm, was to come to the imperial court "once a year".[12][18] Theodor and Asen requested a grant from the emperor, but its nature is uncertain.[1][19] The words of Choniates, who recorded the events, suggest that they applied for a pronoia (revenues of an imperial estate).[1][19] On the other hand, a pronoia of little value was seldom granted personally by the monarch, implying that the brothers demanded something more, such as the governorship of a district,[17] or the administration of a semi-independent territory, according to modern scholarly theories.[20] The emperor rebuffed the brothers' request, but they dared to argue against his decision.[1][21] Asen (whom Choniates characterized as the "more insolent and savage of the two" was especially impertinent), for which he was "struck across the face and rebuked for impudence"[22] at the command of Isaac II's uncle, John Doukas.[17][21] However, they were not captured and could freely leave the emperor's camp.[17] Uprising[edit] Main article: Uprising of Asen and Peter Beginnings[edit] The Byzantine themes (or districts) of Bulgaria and Paristrion A special tax, levied to finance the emperor's marriage to Margaret of Hungary had brought the Bulgarian and Vlach population to the edge of an uprising already before the public humiliation of Asen and his brother at the imperial camp.[17][23] In spite of the general discontent, the brothers were initially unable to stir up a rebellion, because their compatriots did not believe that they had any chance against the imperial troops.[24] Theodor and Asen took advantage of the sack of Thessaloniki by the Normans, during which icons of Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the patron saint of the town, were taken to Bulgaria.[25] They built a "house of prayer"[26] and summoned Bulgarian and Vlach shamans to the site.[21][25] The brothers instructed these "demoniacs", as Choniates mentioned them, to declare before the mob that God "had consented to their freedom" and Saint Demetrius would "come over to them" from Thessaloniki "to be their helper and assistant"[26] against the Byzantines.[27][28] Theodor was crowned and assumed the name Peter, thus adopting the name of a 10th-century tzar (or emperor) of Bulgaria.[29][30] Both the coronation and Theodor's new name evidence, the brothers wanted to demonstrate from the beginning that they established a state which was the political successor of the First Bulgarian Empire.[31] They laid siege to Preslav, the old capital of the Bulgarian Empire, but they could not capture it.[29][32] During the first months of 1186, the brothers made plundering raids against Thrace, seizing captives and cattle.[28][32] Isaac II led a counter-offensive against the rebels in person, but they resisted the invaders at "inaccessible places"[33] in the mountains.[28] It was only the solar eclipse of 21 April 1186 which enabled the imperial troops to mount an unexpected attack and defeat the rioters.[28] Peter and Asen fled from their homeland and crossed the Lower Danube, searching military assistance from the Cumans.[28] Isaac II thought that his victory was decisive and returned to Constantinople without securing the defense of Paristrion.[34] However, Peter and Asen made an alliance with some Cuman chieftains who assisted them to return to the Byzantine Empire in the autumn.[34][31][35] Choniates wrote controversial reports about the negotiations between the brothers and the Cumans.[31] In a formal speech, he attributed the alliance to Peter's efforts; in his chronicle, he emphasized Asen's role.[31] Shortly after their return, the brothers took control of Paristrion and started to launch plundering expedition against Thrace.[36] Asen's military tactics—the application of sudden raids and quick withdrawals—prevented the imperial troops from making successful counter-attacks.[37] Choniates underlined, the brothers were not any more content to seize "Mysia" (or Paristrion), but they decided to "unite the political power of Mysia and Bulgaria into one empire as of old",[38] referring to their attempt to restore the First Bulgarian Empire.[34] Co-ruler[edit] Second Bulgarian Empire from 1185 to 1196, according to a Bulgarian historical atlas. The theory that Bulgaria included Oltenia and Muntenia, as it is presented in the map, is not universally accepted by historians.[39] Seals bearing the inscription Ivan "basileus" or "tsar" of the Bulgarians were found in Constantinople and other places.[40] According to George Akropolites, "Asen ruled over the Bulgarian race as emperor for nine years" before he died in 1196,[41] suggesting that Asen became his brother's co-ruler in 1187 or 1188.[42][43] The Byzantines launched a series unsuccessful campaigns against the rebellious Bulgarians and Vlachs, but they could not prevent Peter and Asen to secure their rule in Paristrion.[44] Isaac II personally led his troops against the brothers' realm and laid siege to Lovech in the spring of 1188.[45] Although he could not occupy the fortress, the Byzantines captured Asen's wife, Helen, and his younger brother, Kaloyan.[46][47] Kaloyan was held as a hostage in Constantinople for years.[46] Death[edit] A boyar Ivanko stabbed Asen in 1196, but the motivation behind Ivanko's act is uncertain.[67] Choniates, who narrated the events, recorded two versions.[67] According to one account, the captive Isaac Komnenos persuaded Ivanko to kill the tsar, promising to give his daughter to marriage to him.[70] The second version claims, Ivanko had "clandestine sexual relations with the sister of Asen's wife",[71] but their affair was revealed to Asen.[68][72] Asen decided to have his sister-in-law executed for the illicit love affair which insulted his family, but his wife persuaded him to punish Ivanko instead of her sister.[72] Asen ordered Ivanko to come to his tent in late night, but Ivanko was informed about the tsar's decision and came with a sword hiden under his garments.[72][68] Ivanko killed Asen during the meeting.[72] Choniates stated, Ivanko wanted to rule "more justly and equitably" than Asan who had "governed everything by the sword".[73][74] Stephenson concludes, Choniates' words show that Asen had introduced a "reign of terror", intimidating his subjects with the assistance of Cuman mercenaries.[74] On the other hand, Vásáry says, Ivanko was encouraged by Byzantines to kill Asen.[75] Ivanko tried to attempted to assume control in Tarnovo with Byzantine support, but Peter forced him to flee to the Byzantine Empire.[75] Peter charged Kaloyan with the government of Asen's realm.[75] Family[edit] Asen fathered at least two sons, Ivan Asen and Alexander.[76] Ivan Asen, who was born around 1193, became the emperor of Bulgaria in 1218.[76] His younger brother, Alexander, bore the title sebastokrator during Ivan Asen II's reign.[77]
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2737222797