Kira Maria Asenina of Bulgaria

Kira Maria
Empress consort of Bulgaria
Tenure 12801283
Predecessor Irene Palaiologina
Successor Maria
Born Unknown
Died Unknown
Byzantine Empire
Spouse George I of Bulgaria
Issue Ana Terter?
House House of Asen
House of Terter
Father Mitso Asen of Bulgaria
Mother Maria Asenina of Bulgaria

Kira Maria Asenina (Bulgarian: Кира-Мария Асенина) was a Bulgarian princess and empress consort (tsarina), second wife of George I of Bulgaria. She 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.

History

Through her mother, Kira Maria was a granddaughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and Irene Komnene of Epirus. She was also the sister of tsar Ivan Asen III, who seized the Bulgarian throne in 1280 with Byzantine support.

She married the Bulgaro-Cuman nobleman George Terter in a marriage arranged by her brother in order to strengthen his position. George divorced his first wife, Maria, and sent her and their son, Theodore Svetoslav, as hostages to the Byzantine Empire. He was accordingly made a despotēs, the highest rank in the Byzantino-Bulgarian court hierarchy, and Kira Maria was granted the title of despoina.

Ivan Asen III failed to assert himself throughout the country and he secretly fled Tarnovo in 1280 and escaped to the Byzantine Empire. George Terter seized the throne and Kira Maria was proclaimed the new tsarina.

However, she was very unpopular in Tarnovo, because of her deposed brother. Her marriage also proved to be controversial as Maria Terter was still alive in Constantinople. According to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church George's first marriage was still valid and Kira Maria was his uncanonical wife. Patriarch Yoakim of Bulgaria threatened to excommunicate the couple and insisted that he would not relent until George I Terter put away Kira Maria. The tsar re-opened negotiations with the Byzantine Empire and sought the return of Maria, what he eventually accomplished in a treaty in which Maria and Kira Maria exchanged places as empress and hostage.

Children

According to Georgius Pachymeres Ana Terter, wife of Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin, was the daughter of Kira Maria and George Terter.[1]

Ancestors

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tsar Mitso Asen of Bulgaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kira Maria Asenina
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tsar Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tsar Ivan Asen II Bulgaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Elena-Evgenia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Princess Maria Asenina of Bulgaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Despot Theodore Komnenos of Epirus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Princess Irene Komnene of Bulgaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Maria Petraliphaina
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sources

References

  1. Georgius Pachymeres. Relationes Historicas. Edidit, notisque instruxit Albertus Failler. Gallice vertit Vitalianus Laurent. (CFHB XXIV/2). Paris, 1999
Kira Maria Asenina of Bulgaria
Born: ? Died: ?
Royal titles
Preceded by
Irene Palaiologina of the Byzantine Empire
Empress consort of Bulgaria
1280–1283
Succeeded by
Maria
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