Tsar Mitso Asen

Mitso Asen, tsar of the Second Bulgarian Empire, ruled in 1256–1257 and nominally until around 1263.

His name is written on coins as “Мичѣ” (Michě), but according to the latest research by the numismatist Konstantin Dochev, it is “Мичъ” (Michŭ), probably a shortened form of Milchan. According to the historian Ivan Yordanov, the name later acquired the vocative form Micho, rendered in Greek sources as Μίτσής, or Mitso, the form accepted in Bulgarian historiography.

Mitso Asen was a son-in-law of Tsar Ivan Asen II, having married his daughter Maria Asenina. This entitled him to participate in the regencies of the underage Kaliman I Asen and, later, Michael II Asen.

In 1256, Michael II Asen was killed while hunting, and the throne was briefly occupied by Kaliman II Asen. After Kaliman II’s death, power passed briefly to Mitso Asen. He confronted Rostislav Mikhailovich, the father of the widowed tsaritsa, and successfully repelled his attack.

However, Mitso soon lost the support of the boyars and feudal lords because of his inability to govern. They broke away and declared their domains independent, leading to civil war.

Constantine Tikh Asen appealed to the peasantry, promising to improve their material circumstances by increasing taxes on ordinary people. This move undermined the foundations of Mitso Asen’s throne.

Warned of a conspiracy against him, Mitso withdrew to Mesembria, where he continued to retain the title of tsar and mint his own coins. Despite his efforts, he lost control of much of eastern Bulgaria, and the civil war continued until 1263.

Mitso Asen attempted to surrender to Michael VIII Palaiologos, offering him Mesembria in return for political asylum and an estate near Troy.

His marriage to Maria Asenina produced a son, Ivan Asen III, who became tsar of Bulgaria in 1279–1280, and a daughter, Kira-Maria Asenina, who married the Bulgarian tsar George I Terter.