Ivan Alexander ruled as
Emperor (
Tsar) of
Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, during the
Second Bulgarian Empire. The date of his birth is unknown. He died on
February 17,
1371. The long reign of Ivan Alexander is considered a transitional period in Bulgarian medieval history. Ivan Alexander began his rule by dealing with internal problems and external threats from Bulgaria's neighbours, the
Byzantine Empire and
Serbia, as well as leading his empire into a period of economic recovery and cultural and religious renaissance. However, the emperor was later unable to cope with the mounting incursions of
Ottoman forces,
Hungarian invasions from the northwest and the
Black Death. In an ill-fated attempt to combat these problems, he divided the country between his two sons, thus forcing it to face the imminent Ottoman conquest weakened and divided. (
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