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| Anna of Wallachia | |
|---|---|
| Empress consort of Bulgaria | |
| Tenure | 1356/1357 – ? |
| Predecessor | unknown |
| Successor | Elizabeth of Bosnia |
| Born | Wallachia |
| Spouse | Ivan Sratsimir |
| Issue | Dorothea Constantine II Unknown daughter |
| Dynasty | Basarab |
| Father | Nicholas Alexander of Wallachia |
| Mother | Clara Dobokai |
Anna of Wallachia orAnna Basarab (Bulgarian:Анна Басараб) was a Wallachian princess andEmpress consort of Bulgaria inVidin, second wife of EmperorIvan Sratsimir.[1]
She was the daughter ofNicholas Alexander of Wallachia and hisCatholic second wife, the HungarianClara Dobokai. Her younger sister, Anka, married the Serbian kingStephen Uroš V. Her father's sister wasTheodora, the first wife of EmperorIvan Alexander (r. 1331–1371) and mother of Ivan Sratsimir - thus, Ivan and Anna were first cousins.[2]
She married Ivan Sratsimir in 1356–1357.[3][4] The marriage was a reaction to Ivan Alexander's divorce from Theodora and was aimed at weakening the position of the new empress,Sarah-Theodora. It is not known whether Theodora had any role in the arrangement of the wedding between her son and her niece or whether it was done on her initiative.
Between 1365 and 1369,Vidin was occupied by theKingdom of Hungary. The ruling family was held captive in the castle of Humnik (inBosiljevo,Croatia), where they were forced to convert toCatholicism. They were later released but Anna's daughters remained in Hungary. One of them died at a young age but Dorothea married theBan (and later King) of BosniaTvrtko I.
Anna is also known to have ordered the Vidin Psalter of 1359–1360.[1] The empress was raised a Catholic. It is unknown whether she becameEastern Orthodox in Bulgaria but the book she ordered contains onlyhagiographies of Orthodox saints, which is a hint that she most likely converted to Orthodoxy.
The marriage produced three children – a son and two daughters:
