Anna of Wallachia
Encyclopedia
Anna of Wallachia or Anna Basarab was a Wallachian princess and empress consort of Bulgaria in Vidin
, second wife of emperor Ivan Sratsimir
.
She was the daughter of Nicholas Alexander of Wallachia and his Catholic
wife Clara. She had a younger sister, Anka, married to the Serbian king Stephen Uroš V. Her father's sister was Theodora
, the first wife of emperor Ivan Alexander
(r. 1331–1371) and mother of Ivan Sratsimir. She married Ivan Sratsimir in 1356–1357. The marriage was a reaction to Ivan Alexander's divorce with Theodora and aimed at weaking the positions of the new empress, Sarah-Theodora
. It is not known whether Theodora had any role for the arrangement of the wedding between her son and her niece or whether it was on her innitiative.
The marriage produced three children – a son and two daughters:
Between 1365 and 1369 Vidin was occupied by the Kingdom of Hungary and the ruling family was held captive in Humnik, Croatia, where they were forced to convert to Catholicism
. They were later released but Anna's daughters remained in Hungary. One of them died young but Dorothea married the Ban
, and later King, of Bosnia Tvrtko I
.
Anna is also known that she ordered the Vidin Psalter of 1359–1360. The empress was born Catholic and it is unknown whether he became an Eastern Orthodox in Bulgaria but the book she ordered contains only hagiographies of Orthodox saints, which is a hint that he most likely converted to Orthodoxy.
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, second wife of emperor Ivan Sratsimir
Ivan Sratsimir of Bulgaria
Ivan Sratsimir or Ivan Stratsimir was emperor of Bulgaria in Vidin from 1356 to 1396. He was born in 1324 or 1325, and he died in or after 1397. Despite being the eldest surviving son of Ivan Alexander, Ivan Sratsimir was disinherited in favour of his half-brother Ivan Shishman and proclaimed...
.
She was the daughter of Nicholas Alexander of Wallachia and his Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
wife Clara. She had a younger sister, Anka, married to the Serbian king Stephen Uroš V. Her father's sister was Theodora
Theodora of Wallachia
Theodora of Wallachia was the daughter of Basarab I of Wallachia and Lady Margareta. She married Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria as his first wife. This marriage produced four children — Michael Asen, Ivan Sratsimir, Ivan Asen and Vasilisa. In 1345 Tsar Ivan Alexander divorced Tsaritsa Theodora and...
, the first wife of emperor Ivan Alexander
Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
Ivan Alexander , also known as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor 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...
(r. 1331–1371) and mother of Ivan Sratsimir. She married Ivan Sratsimir in 1356–1357. The marriage was a reaction to Ivan Alexander's divorce with Theodora and aimed at weaking the positions of the new empress, Sarah-Theodora
Sarah-Theodora
Sarah, Theodora or Sarah-Theodora is the name that the second wife of Tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria is known under nowadays. There are some Greek and French sources claiming her to be a daughter of a Venetian banker. Sources agree that she was Jewish, having lived with her family in the Jewish...
. It is not known whether Theodora had any role for the arrangement of the wedding between her son and her niece or whether it was on her innitiative.
The marriage produced three children – a son and two daughters:
- Constantine IIConstantine II of BulgariaConstantine II , ruled as emperor of Bulgaria in Vidin from 1397 to 1422. He was born in the early 1370s, and died in exile at the Serbian court on 17 September 1422...
, who claimed his father's title Emperor of Bulgaria after the fall of Vidin - DorotheaDorothea of BulgariaDorothea of Bulgaria was the first Queen of Bosnia.-Early life:She was the daughter of Emperor Ivan Sratsimir of Bulgaria and his wife Anna of Wallachia....
, who became queen of Bosnia - An unknown daughter
Between 1365 and 1369 Vidin was occupied by the Kingdom of Hungary and the ruling family was held captive in Humnik, Croatia, where they were forced to convert to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. They were later released but Anna's daughters remained in Hungary. One of them died young but Dorothea married the Ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
, and later King, of Bosnia Tvrtko I
Tvrtko I of Bosnia
Stjepan Tvrtko I was a ruler of medieval Bosnia. He ruled in 1353–1366 and again in 1367–1377 as Ban and in 1377–1391 as the first Bosnian King....
.
Anna is also known that she ordered the Vidin Psalter of 1359–1360. The empress was born Catholic and it is unknown whether he became an Eastern Orthodox in Bulgaria but the book she ordered contains only hagiographies of Orthodox saints, which is a hint that he most likely converted to Orthodoxy.
Sources
- Божилов, Иван. Фамилията на Асеневџи (1186–1460), София, 1985