Bulgarian queen Maria

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Hi to everyone!

I’ve been missing for
a while, actually very long while… Now I would try to return to this forum..

Well I know that most
of you don’t know anything about Bulgaria, may be only its capital and some bad
things from the news but this is another theme! I would like to represent you
some of the queens of Bulgaria, not because they did great things, but because  in every one medieval society on the
foreground were men. Some of the Bulgarian queens stayed in our history and
they deserve their story to be told. The Bulgarians queens became in foreground
when the things didn’t go well. May be because so called  order” was destroyed and central power was
weak and the boyars didn’t care enough 
who is ruling..
 True or wrong the first I want to represent is Maria.
Her full name is Maria Palaiologos Kantakouzene Asen. Maria is byzantine,
daughter of noble John Kantakouzene and Irina Palaiologos /sister of emperor
Michael Palaiologos/ The last name ”Asen” she received from her husband tsar
Constantine Tih Asen.  Thus  Constantine wanted to show his belonging with
the house of Asen- a great dynasty of Bulgaria, who made the Second Bulgarian
Empire a major power in Europe. The initiative for wedding between her and
Constantine was her uncle’s – the emperor Michael. Thus he wanted to parry
bulgarian aspiration toward empire. As a dowery was promised important trade
centers on Black sea Messembria /Nesebar/ 
and Anhilano /Pomorie/. Maria arrived to Tarnovgrad at the beginning of
1269 and soon was crowned  Soon the problems started – Michael
Paliologos refused to fulfill his promises to went back the strongholds on the
Black see, which Bulgaria lost 1256. This behavior of the emperor caused strong
discontent at the Tarnovo’s palace and undermined tsar Constantine authority.
Maria realizing that her uncle’s actions compromised her in the palace openly
push on Constantine to started a war against Byzantine empire. The following
war didn’t bring any success to the country, but only exhausted it. Meantime
Michael has succeed to attracted on his side tatarian leader Nogay.
""Thus Byzantines having an ally on Bulgarian back made Bulgarians more
”agreeable” and the peace was restored. On 1257 during a hunt
tsar Constantine fell from his horse and broke his leg. It’s seemes to be very
bad because the tsar became very sick and by using this the queen took the rule of
the country.First she had to cope with boyar’s opposition. One of its leaders
was Jakov Svestoslav -  earl /despot/ of
southern Bulgarian strongholds. Jakov’s aspirations to the throne were obvious
for  Maria. She tried to kill him as
sending him an assassin/not prove only supposition/, but the assassin was
revealed. After fell in this attempt she had to step back a front of the
Jakov’s desires. Around 1275 on public ceremony the queen adopted Jakov as son
thus making him next of the throne. The same night Jakov died poisoned in his
palace. Similar destiny followed and other of the opposition – most of them
poisoned. After destroying opposition inside the country the queen entered in
the international politics. On 1268 her mother Irirna /Eulogia/ entered in the
orthodox party in Constantinople. Following her mother Maria stayed devoted to
orthodox tradition and stayed opposite to the unia between Constantinople and
Rome. On 1276 Maria sent a mission to Jerusalem and Egypt.  Bulgarians managed to attracted on their side
the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who anathemize the Lion unia and promised to
influence the Patriarch of Alexandria and Antochia to do the same. Thus the
queen brought the hate of her uncle 
Michael Palaiologos On this mission Bulgaria had proposed alliance to
Egyptian sultan from Kuman origin Bayrbars /do not know the right spell./.
Meantime in the country the things took dramatic change- the financial reform
fail, tatar invasions become more frequent as result a civil war started. Its
leader was Ivailo with nickname Lahana. Ivailo managed to push off tatars north
of Bulgaria and  Byzantines south of
Stara Planina. On a battle near capital tsar Constine Tih Asen was killed and
soon Ivaylo lay siege to Tanovgrad. At the beginning the defenders of
Tarnovgrad led by Maria stubbornly refused to open the gates, but when
understood that Michaell launched a new campaign  against Bulgaria, Maria sent delegates to
Ivaylo with proposal for marriage and unifications of the forces which the last
one accepted. The wedding and coronation were at spring 1278. The answer of
Byzantine was quick – of the end of same year a huge army entered in Bulgaria
from south and big tatar army from north. Ivaylo went against tatars and
Byzantines left to Maria. Unfortunately
Ilavylo lost the first battle against tatars and was sieged in town of
Silistra. The defense of the capital once again is led by Maria and the defense
is successful until the news that Ivaylo is dead did not spread . Using this
the long repressed boyar opposition revolted and Maria was arrested. On the
next morning Maria was sent to byzantine and a new tsar was proclaimed – Ivan
Asen III. From Tarnovgrad the hateful nephew went to Andrianopole, then to
Constantinople. Soon the ex-queen entered in political party of her mother
which at 1283 took superiority and the unia with Rome was cut off. The last
mention of Maria is during 1293 when a “”False Ivaylo”” came to Constantinople
and Maria was called to recognized him. It is interesting that at 15 century a
byzantine diplomat signed himself as a Lahana Palaiologos, showing his
connections with Ivaylo and Maria..