The Asen dynasty (Bulgarian: Асеневци, Asenevtsi) ruled a medieval Bulgarian state, called in modern historiography the Second Bulgarian Empire, between 1187 and 1280.
The Asen dynasty and the Second Bulgarian Empire rose as the leaders of a rebellion against the Byzantine Empire at the turn of the year 1185/1186 caused by the increase in the Imperial taxes.
Early rulers from the Asen dynasty (particularly Kaloyan) referred to themselves as "Emperors of Bulgarians and Vlachs". Later rulers, especially the successful Ivan Asen II, styled themselves "Tsars (Emperors) of Bulgarians and Greeks".
Some members of the Asen family entered Byzantine service in the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries.The name also occurs as a family name in modern Greek, and could go back to the same name.
Contents |
| Ivan Asen I (Asen) | 1187 - 1196 |
| Teodor I Peter IV | 1186 - 1197 |
| Kaloyan (Ioanitsa) | 1197 - 1207 |
| Boril (Boril Kaliman) | 1207 - 1218 |
| Ivan Asen II | 1218 - 1241 |
| Kaliman I Asen | 1241 - 1246 |
| Michael II Asen | 1246 - 1256 |
| Kaliman II Asen | 1256 |
| Mitso Asen | 1256 - 1257 |
| Constantine Asen (Konstantin Tih) | 1257 - 1277 |
| Ivan Asen III | 1279 - 1280 |
The origins of the dynasty, especially the ethnic background of the three Asen brothers (Teodor I Peter IV, Ivan Asen I and Kaloyan) are still a source of much controversy, debated between historians. There are three main hypothesis regarding their origins:[1]
In their own administrative documents and correspondence, the three rulers viewed themselves as descendants and successors of the Bulgarian Tsars Samuil, Peter I and Simeon I, and the state they founded as a continuation of the First Bulgarian Empire. However, this could be just a way to proclaim their legitimacy for the throne of the Empire.
In a correspondence, of 1199, the Pope talks about the "Roman descent" of Kaloyan. However, considering the actual text says "Nos autem audito quod de nobili urbis Romae prosapia progenitores tui originem traxerint" ("We heard that your forefathers come from a noble family from the city of Rome"), it's usually dismissed as simply a hidden compliment of the Pope to Kaloyan.
Pope Innocent III in his letter to the Bulgarian King John (Calojoannes) in 1204 addressed him “King of Bulgarians and Vlachs (Bulgarorum and Blacorum rex) ; in answering the Pope, John calls himself “imperator omnium Bulgarorum et Blachorum” but signs himself “imperator Bulgariae Calojoannes” the archbishop of Trnovo calls himself “totius Bulgariae et Blaciae Primas"
It has also been speculated a Hungarian origin (and therefore "Roman Catholic"), but there's no evidence to support that claim.
The name of the dynasty comes from one of the brothers, namely Asen I. The etymology is most likely of Cuman Turkic origin, derived from "esen" which meant "safe, sound, healthy" and the Belgun nickname seems to be derived from Turkic "bilgün", which meant "wise".
Alternatively, the name could also be of Pecheneg origin, since that language was rather similar to Cuman, however this hypothesis is less likely. Another version is that Asen cames from the name of Ashina clan of protobulgarian rivals of Dulo rulers. There is possible link between the Bulgarian name Assen and the Arabic name Hassan. There is evidence that the name Assen has a Turkic origin coming from the Proto-Bulgarian's or Cuman's Turkic origin. Therefore both the Arabic name Hassan that is very popular in the Turkic speaking nations, sometimes written as Assan and the Bulgarian name Assen can be of similar or even the same origin. See Hassan (given name)
The etymology could also be an Indo-European one. There was an older attested Latin name Asinarius.