Marina Smilets of Bulgaria

Marina Smilets
Despina of Kran
Marina Smilets of Bulgaria - a fresco in the church of Kavadarci, Republic of Macedonia.
Born	before 1292 Bulgaria
Died	7 April 1355 Serbian Empire
Burial	Skopie
Spouse	Aldimir
Issue	Ivan Dragushin
House	Smilets, Palaiologos, Terterids
Father	Smilets of Bulgaria
Mother	Smiltsena Palaiologina

Marina Smilets (Bulgarian: Марина Смилец) (before 1292 – 7 April 1355) was the eldest daughter of tsar Smilets of Bulgaria and his Byzantine wife, tentatively called Smiltsena Palaiologina.

The date and the place of Marina's birth are unknown, but she was born before her father's ascension on the Bulgarian throne in 1292, maybe in his official residence in Kran. Her mother was the daughter of sebastocrator Constantine Palaiologos and niece of Michael VIII Palaiologos. In the histories she was called just Smiltsena (Bulgarian: Смилцена; the wife of Smilets), without a name being given. Marina was the elder sister of tsar Ivan II of Bulgaria and Theodora, queen-consort of Serbia. Marina Smilets was maternal aunt of King - and later, Emperor - Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia.

Tsar Smilets died in 1298 and Ivan II of Bulgaria succeeded him as emperor in Tarnovo. The new tsar was a child, and the government was in the hands of the widowed empress Smiltsena. Marina's mother apparently defeated Smilets' brothers Radoslav and Voysil, who sought refuge in the Byzantine Empire and entered into Byzantine service. To meet this threat and the invasion of the Mongol prince Chaka, Smiltsena sought an alliance with Aldimir (Eltimir), the brother of the former ruler George Terter I. Aldimir was accordingly married to Marina and, if this had not happened earlier, was given the title of despotēs and invested with an extensive landholding around Kran. As his wife, Marina was granted the title of despina of Kran.