Tsar Ivan Asen V

Ivan Asen V, the second son of Tsar Ivan Alexander and co-ruler of the tsardom, was born to his second wife, Sarah-Theodora, a Jewish convert to Christianity. He may have been named after his elder brother Ivan Asen IV, who died in 1349 in the battle near Sofia against the Ottoman Turks.

According to his tombstone in the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs in Tarnovo, commissioned by Tsarina Kira-Maria, Ivan Asen V died in 1388; the Bulgarian treatise describes him as killed by the Turks. The inscription reveals that he was exposed to the danger of “falling away from the beauty of the faith”, meaning that the Turks had tempted him to abandon his Christian faith. The same inscription also mentions that the prince had a wife and two daughters, but their names are not given.

According to popular traditions, in the 1380s Ivan Asen V, also known as "Ban Yanko", successfully defended Sredets against the Turks. His role in defending the city is emphasised, although some researchers maintain that "Ban Yanko" was Ivan Asen V himself, while others believe that this title was associated with the earlier governor Ivan Asen IV. Despite "Ban Yanko's" efforts, Sredets fell under the Turkish siege in 1382, when Lala Shahin conquered the city. The tragic story tells of a ruse that led the deceived inhabitants to surrender the city.