Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
| Ivan Alexander Иван Александър |
|
|---|---|
| Tsar of Bulgaria | |
Portrait of the tsar from the medieval manuscript, Tetraevangelia of Ivan Alexander
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| Reign | 1331 – 17 February 1371 |
| Predecessor | Ivan Stefan |
| Successor |
Ivan Šišman of Bulgaria Ivan Sracimir of Bulgaria |
| Died | 17 February 1371 |
| Spouse |
Theodora of Wallachia Sarah (Theodora) |
| Issue | see below |
| Dynasty | Sratsimir |
| Father | Sratsimir |
| Mother | Keratsa Petritsa |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Ivan Alexander (Bulgarian: Иван Александър, transliterated Ivan Aleksandǎr; pronounced [iˈvan alɛkˈsandər]; original spelling: ІѠАНЪ АЛЄѮАНдРЪ), also sometimes Anglicized as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, during the Second Bulgarian Empire. The date of his birth is unknown. He died on 17 February 1371. The long reign of Ivan Alexander is considered a transitional period in Bulgarian medieval history. Ivan Alexander began his rule by dealing with internal problems and external threats from Bulgaria's neighbours, the Byzantine Empire and Serbia, as well as leading his empire into a period of economic recovery and cultural and religious renaissance.
However, the emperor was later unable to cope with the mounting incursions of Ottoman forces, Hungarian invasions from the northwest and the Black Death. In an ill-fated attempt to combat these problems, he divided the country between his two sons, thus forcing it to face the imminent Ottoman conquest weakened and divided.
Ivan Alexander was the son of the despotēs Sracimir of Kran by Petrica, a sister of Michael Asen III of Bulgaria. Therefore, Ivan Alexander was a nephew of Michael Asen III. Paternally, Ivan Alexander descended from the Asen dynasty. By 1330 Ivan Alexander was himself a despotēs and governed the city of Lovech. Together with his father and his father-in-law Basarab of Wallachia, Ivan Alexander fought in the Battle of Velbazhd against the Serbs at modern-day Kyustendil in 1330, in which Bulgaria suffered defeat. The defeat, combined with the worsening relations with the Byzantine Empire, precipitated an internal crisis, which was exacerbated by an invasion of the Byzantines. A coup d'état drove Ivan Stefan out of the capital Tarnovo in 1331, and the conspirators placed Ivan Alexander on the throne.
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