Person:Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria (1)

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Ivan Asen I, also known as Asen I or John Asen I (; died in 1196) was emperor (or tsar) of Bulgaria from 1187 or 1188 to 1196 as the co-ruler with his elder brother, Peter II. He was the son of a wealthy shepherd from the mountains of the Byzantine theme (district) of Paristrion. Although contemporaneous chronicles describe Asen I and his brothers as Vlachs, most probably Bulgarians, Vlachs and Cumans were among their ancestors.

Asen and Peter (who was still known as Theodor at that time) went to see the Byzantine emperor, Isaac II Angelos, in Thrace in 1185, to demand an estate in the Balkan Mountains. After the Emperor had refused them, the brothers persuaded their compatriots to rise up against the Byzantine Empire. Peter was crowned emperor before the end of the year. After Isaac II defeated them in early 1186, Asen and Peter fled over the Danube, but they returned in the autumn, accompanied by Cuman reinforcements. They captured Paristrion and began pillaging the nearby Byzantine territories.

Asen became his brother's co-ruler in 1187 or 1188. Peter made a peace with the Byzantines, but Asen continued the fight. They divided their realm, with Asen receiving Tarnovo and its region. Asen made a series of raids against Byzantine territories and expanded his rule over the lands along the Struma River in the early 1190s. A boyar (aristocrat), Ivanko, stabbed him to death in 1196.

1. ↑ Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.