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{{Short description|Emperor of Bulgaria from 1246 to 1256/1257}}
{{Infobox monarch
| title =
| image = [[File:Michael-Asen-Kastoria.jpg|250px]]
| caption = Portrait, 14th century
| succession = [[Emperor of Bulgaria]]
| reign = 1246–1256/1257
| coronation =
| predecessor = [[Kaliman I of Bulgaria|Kaliman Asen I]]
| successor = [[Kaliman Asen II]]
| spouse = Anna of Macsó
| issue =
| royal house = [[Asen dynasty]]
| father = [[Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria]]
| mother = [[Irene Komnene Doukaina]]
| birth_date = {{circa}} 1239
| birth_place =
| death_date = December 1256/January 1257
| death_place =
| buried =
|}}

'''Michael II Asen''' ({{langx|bg|Михаил II Асен}}; {{circa}} 1239 – December 1256/January 1257){{Cref2|a}} was emperor ([[tsar]]) of [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]] from 1246 to 1256 or 1257. He was the son of [[Ivan Asen II]] and [[Irene Komnene Doukaina]]. He succeeded his half-brother, [[Kaliman I Asen]]. His mother or other relative must have ruled Bulgaria during his [[Minor (law)|minority]].

[[John III Doukas Vatatzes]], [[Emperor of Nicaea]], and [[Michael II Komnenos Doukas|Michael II of Epirus]] invaded Bulgaria shortly after Michael's ascension. Vatatzes captured the Bulgarian fortresses along the river [[Vardar]]; Michael of Epirus took possession of western Macedonia. In alliance with the [[Republic of Ragusa]], Michael II Asen broke into Serbia in 1254, but he could not occupy Serbian territories. After Vatatzes died, he reconquered most territories lost to Nicea, but Vatatzes's son and successor, [[Theodore II Laskaris]], launched a successful counter-offensive, forcing Michael to sign a peace treaty. Shortly after the treaty, discontented ''[[boyar|boyars]]'' (noblemen) murdered Michael.

== Early life ==

[[File:Asenvgrad Ivan Asen II.JPG|thumb|right|alt=A bearded man wearing a crown and holding a long sword in his right arm right above his shoulder|A monument to Michael's father, [[Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria]]]]

Michael was the son of [[Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria]] and [[Irene Komnene Doukaina]].{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=236}} He was most probably born in 1239.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=236}} His father, who died in the first half of 1241, was succeeded by Michael's seven-year-old half-brother, [[Kaliman I of Bulgaria|Kaliman]].{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|pp=225, 229}} Kaliman died unexpectedly (possibly of poisoning, according to contemporaneous rumors) in August or September 1246.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=236}}{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=156}}

== Reign ==

=== Territorial losses ===

Michael, who was only seven or eight, succeeded his half-brother.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=236}} According to a scholarly theory, Michael's mother ruled Bulgaria during his minority, but she stayed in [[Thessaloniki]] just three months after his coronation.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=236}}{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=156}} According to another theory, his brother-in-law, ''[[Sebastokrator|Sevastokrator]]'' [[Peter (sevastokrator)|Peter]], assumed the regency for the minor tsar.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=236}}{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=156}}

[[John III Doukas Vatatzes]], [[Emperor of Nicaea]], invaded Bulgaria soon after Kaliman's death.{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=156}}{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=728}} He captured [[Serres]] and seized [[Melnik, Bulgaria|Melnik]] with the support of the local inhabitants.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=237}} He soon invaded the valley of the river [[Vardar]], and occupied all fortresses in the region.{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=156}}{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=237}} [[Michael II Komnenos Doukas]], ruler of [[Despotate of Epirus|Epirus]], also broke into Bulgaria and occupied western Macedonia.{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=156}} The Bulgarians acknowledged Vatatzes's conquest in a peace treaty in late 1246 or in early 1247.{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=157}}{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=238}} The treaty also prescribed them to support Vatatzes against the [[Latin Empire of Constantinople]].{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=157}}{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=238}}

=== New wars ===

[[Béla IV of Hungary]] granted the [[Banate of Severin]] to the [[Knights Hospitaller]] on 2 June 1247.{{sfn|Vásáry|2005|p=146}} The charter of grant listed Bulgaria among the countries against which the Hospitallers were to provide military assistance, evidencing Béla's plan to attack Bulgaria.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|pp=238–239}} Despite the tense relationship between Hungary and Bulgaria, Bulgarian troops assisted Vatatzes to invade the Thracian territories of the Latin Empire in August 1247.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=238}}

[[William of Rubruck]], who visited the [[Mongol Empire]] between 1253 and 1255, listed Michael's realms ("Blakia{{mdash}}Assan's territory{{mdash}}and Little Bulgaria")<ref>''The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck'' (1.5.), p. 66.</ref> among the countries paying tribute to the Mongols.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|pp=233–234}} Michael concluded an alliance with the [[Republic of Ragusa]] (now [[Dubrovnik]] in Croatia) against [[Stefan Uroš I]], [[King of Serbia]], in 1254.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=239}} The treaty shows that ''Sevastokrator'' Peter ruled a large territory in Bulgaria almost independently of Michael.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=245}} After [[Radoslav, Lord of Hum|Radoslav of Hum]] joined the coalition, Michael launched a campaign against Serbia, reaching as far as [[Bijelo Polje]].{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=239}}{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=201}} According to a scholarly theory, a Hungarian attack against Bulgaria forced Michael to hastily return from Serbia.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=239}}

Vatatzes died on 4 November 1254.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=240}} Taking advantage of the absence of significant Nicene forces, Michael broke into Macedonia and reconquered the lands lost to Vatatzes in 1246 or 1247.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=240}}{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=730}} The Byzantine historian, [[George Akropolites]], recorded that the Bulgarian-speaking local inhabitants supported Michael's invasion because they wanted to shake off the "yoke of those who spoke another language".<ref>George Akropolites: ''The History'' (ch. 54.), p. 283.</ref>{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=240}}{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=159}} To secure a peaceful relationship with Hungary, Michael married Anna of Macsó, who was the daughter of Béla IV's daughter, [[Anna of Hungary, Duchess of Macsó|Anna]], and her husband, [[Rostislav Mikhailovich]].{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=240}} A man and a woman depicted on an icon in the St Michael Church in [[Kastoria]] was wrongly associated with Michael and his wife (or mother).{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|pp=240–241}}

=== Last years ===

Vatatzes's son and successor, [[Theodore II Laskaris]], launched a counter-invasion in early 1255.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=241}} When referring to the new war between Nicea and Bulgaria, Rubruck described Michael as "a mere lad whose power has been eroded"<ref>''The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck'' (Epilogue 2.), p. 277.</ref> by the Mongols.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=241}} Michael could not resist the invasion and the Nicene troops captured [[Stara Zagora]].{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=242}} It was only the harsh weather that prevented Theodore's army from continuing the invasion.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=242}} The Nicene troops resumed their attack in the spring and occupied most fortresses in the [[Rhodope Mountains]].{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=242}} A rebellion at [[Melnik, Bulgaria|Melnik]] forced Theodore to march towards the town, but he managed to defeat the rioters before returning to Asia Minor for the winter.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=242}}

Michael broke into the European territory of the Empire of Nicea in the spring of 1256.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=242}} He pillaged Thrace near Constantinople, but the Nicene army defeated his Cuman troops.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=243}} He asked his father-in-law to mediate a reconciliation between Bulgaria and Nicea in June.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=243}} Theodore agreed to sign a peace treaty only after Michael acknowledged the loss of the lands that he had claimed for Bulgaria.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=243}} The treaty determined the upper course of the river [[Maritsa]] as the border between the two countries.{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=159}} The peace treaty outraged many boyars (noblemen) who decided to replace Michael with his cousin, [[Kaliman Asen II of Bulgaria|Kaliman Asen]].{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=243}}{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=170}} Kaliman and his allies attacked the Tsar who died from his wounds in late 1256 or early 1257.{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|p=243}}{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=170}}

{{Quote|Now the ruler of the Bulgarians, Michael, ... a man who nurtured a great hatred against [Theodore II Laskaris] and against the ''[[Rhomaioi|Romans]]'', was mortally wounded by his first cousin Kaliman, with the knowledge of certain inhabitants of [Tarnovo], when [Michael] was staying somewhere outside this town; he died immediately.|[[George Akropolites]]: ''The History''<ref>George Akropolites: ''The History'' (ch. 73.), p. 334.</ref>}}

== Ancestors ==

{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|title=Ancestors of Michael II Asen of Bulgaria{{sfn|Madgearu|2016|pp=81, 112, 221, 236}}{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=252}}{{sfn|Treadgold|1997|p=660}}
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Michael II Asen of Bulgaria'''

|2= 2. [[Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria]]
|3= 3. [[Irene Komnene Doukaina]]

|4= 4. [[Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria]]
|5= 5. [[Elena-Evgenia, wife of Ivan Asen I|Elena-Evgenia]]
|6= 6. [[Theodore Komnenos Doukas]]
|7= 7. [[Maria Petraliphaina]]

|8=
|9=
|10=
|11=
|12= 12. [[John Doukas (sebastokrator)|John Angelos Doukas]]
|13= 13. Zoe Doukaina (?)
|14=
|15=

|16=
|17=
|18=
|19=
|20=
|21=
|22=
|23=
|24= 24. [[Constantine Angelos]]
|25= 25. [[Theodora Komnene (daughter of Alexios I)|Theodora Komnene]]
|26=
|27=
|28=
|29=
|30=
|31=
}}

== Notes ==
{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha}}
{{Cnote2|a|He is known in Bulgarian historiography as ''Michael II Asen''<ref name="Petkov2008">{{cite book|author=Kiril Petkov|title=The Voices of Medieval Bulgaria, Seventh-Fifteenth Century: The Records of a Bygone Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjPEtxSOuYgC&pg=PA532|date=31 August 2008|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-16831-2|pages=532–}}</ref> (Михаил II Асен).<ref name="Зафиров2007">{{cite book|author=Димитър Зафиров|title=История на българите|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HDQn3tJkyUcC&pg=PA164|year=2007|publisher=TRUD Publishers|isbn=978-954-528-752-7|pages=164–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Vasil Gi͡uzelev|title=Srednovekovna Bŭlgarii︠a︡ v svetlinata na novi izvori|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9s0JAQAAIAAJ|year=1981|publisher=Nar. prosveta|page=165}}</ref> }}
{{Cnote2 End}}

== References ==
{{reflist|3}}

== Sources ==

=== Primary sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* George Akropolites: ''The History'' (Translated with and Introduction and Commentary by Ruth Macrides) (2007). Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-921067-1}}.
* ''The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck: His journey to the court of the Great Khan Möngke, 1253–1255'' (Translated by Peter Jackson, Introduction, notes, and appendices by Peter Jackson and David Morgan) (2009). The Hakluyt Society. {{ISBN|978-0-87220-981-7}}.
{{Refend}}

=== Secondary sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Fine |first=John V. A. |authorlink=John Van Antwerp Fine Jr. |year=1994 |title=The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest |publisher=The University of Michigan Press |isbn=0-472-08260-4 }}
* {{cite book |last=Madgearu |first=Alexandru |year=2016 |title=The Asanids: The Political and Military History of the Second Bulgarian Empire, 1185–1280 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-9-004-32501-2 }}
* {{cite book |last=Nicol |first=Donald M. |authorlink=Donald Nicol |year=1984 |title=The Despotate of Epiros, 1267–1479: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-13089-9 }}
* {{cite book |last=Treadgold |first=Warren |authorlink=Warren Treadgold |year=1997 |title=A History of the Byzantine State and Society |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn= 0-8047-2630-2 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Vásáry |first=István |year=2005 |title=Cumans and Tatars: Oriental Military in the Pre-Ottoman Balkans, 1185–1365 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-83756-1 }}
{{Refend}}

{{commons category|Michael Asen II of Bulgaria}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Asen dynasty]]||''c.'' 1239||1256/1257}}
{{S-reg|}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Kaliman I of Bulgaria|Kaliman Asen I]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Emperor of Bulgaria]]|years=1246–1256/57}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Kaliman II of Bulgaria|Kaliman Asen II]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Bulgarian monarchs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michael Asen 01 Of Bulgaria}}
[[Category:13th-century births]]
[[Category:1250s deaths]]
[[Category:13th-century Bulgarian tsars]]
[[Category:Murdered Bulgarian monarchs]]
[[Category:Medieval child monarchs]]
[[Category:Asen dynasty]]
[[Category:Bulgarian people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars]]
[[Category:Sons of emperors]]

Michael II Asen - Revision history

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