| Mitso Asen | |
|---|---|
 Coin attributed to Mitso Asen | |
| Tsar of Bulgaria | |
| Reign | 1256–1257 |
| Predecessor | Kaliman Asen II |
| Successor | Constantine Tikh Asen |
| Died | Before 1277/78 |
| Spouse | Maria orAnna/Theodora |
| Issue | Ivan Asen III Maria |
Mitso Asen (Bulgarian:Мицо Асен,Mico Asen), not Micho Asen (Мичо Асен,Mičo Asen),[1] in Greek, Μύτζης,Mytzēs, was thetsar of Bulgaria from 1256 until 1257.
Mitso Asen ascended the throne by virtue of his marriage to a daughter ofIvan Asen II of Bulgaria byIrene Komnene of Epirus.[2] The name of his wife is nowhere specified; she has been traditionally identified asMaria,[3] but was perhaps more likelyAnna/Theodora.[4] The dates of his birth and death are unknown, and his antecedents are unclear, but neither his name (which is found in official contexts and is not the diminutive of "Michael"), nor his career described in the Byzantine sources allow an identification withMichael, the son of theRus' prince andHungarianBanRostislav Mikhailovich, nor any other member of the house ofChernigov. It is likely that, like his successor Constantine, the son of Tikh, Mitso Asen adopted the nameAsen after his accession to the throne.[5]
He proclaimed himself emperor of Bulgaria after the murder of his wife's cousin,Kaliman Asen II, in 1256. Although he might have acquired some support in the capitalTarnovo and possibly inPreslav, he was faced by the hostility of much of the provincial nobility.[6] Indeed, it is unclear to what extent he was able to assert and maintain his control over the capital.[7] Following an obscure unsuccessful campaign againstTheodore II Lascaris of theEmpire of Nicaea, Mitso lost control even over the commoners.[8]
When the nobility proclaimedConstantine Asen I emperor instead, Mitso Asen and his family fled the capital in 1257 and attempted to resist from Preslav and then Mesembria (nowNesebar). In exchange for asylum and lands, he turned over Mesembria and its environs to EmperorMichael VIII Palaiologos in 1261[9] or 1263[10] and sought refuge in Nicaea. He was given lands in theTroad, where he remained with his family, becoming the ancestor of the Byzantine branch of the Asenid dynasty. The date of his death is unknown, but it is likely that he was no longer alive in 1277/1278, when his sonIvan Asen III was put forward as a claimant to the Bulgarian throne by theByzantine Emperor Michael VIII.[11]
The ample coinage attributed to Mitso Asen in earlier literature has been reassigned to his brother-in-law and predecessorMichael Asen I by Tenčo Popov.[12]
By his marriage to Maria or Anna/Theodora of Bulgaria, Mitso had two known children:
| Preceded by | Tsar of Bulgaria 1256–1257 | Succeeded by |