Ana-Neda

For other uses, see Anna of Serbia (disambiguation).

Ana-Neda (Bulgarian Анна-Неда and Serbian Cyrillic: Ана-Неда^[a]; fl. 1323–1324) was the Empress consort of Bulgaria briefly in 1323–1324 as the spouse of "Despot of Vidin" Michael Asen III "Šišman" who was elected as Emperor of Bulgaria in 1323.^[1][2] Later, she acted, for a short period of time, as regent for her son.^[3] She was the daughter of Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin and Princess Elizabeth Arpad, ^[4][5] daughter of King Stephen V of Hungary and Elizabeth the Kuman, a daughter of Köten. From the marriage with Michael Asen III, Anna had at least four sons, one of whom was Ivan Stephen of Bulgaria, later briefly the Emperor of Bulgaria (1330–1331).^[5]

Ana-Neda
Empress consort of Bulgaria
Tenure	1323–1324
Died	after 1357 Dečani monastery?
Spouse	Michael Asen III "Šišman"
Issue	Ivan Stephen of Bulgaria Michael Šišman Lodovico
Royal family	Nemanjić
Father	Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia
Mother	Elizabeth Arpad

Life

Ana was the daughter of Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin and his third wife, Elizabeth of Hungary.^[4][1] She was therefore possibly born sometime before 1284, when her father appears to have divorced Elizabeth to marry Anna of Bulgaria.^[6]

Her marriage with Michael Asen III produced:

• Michael, despotes (in Vidin?), probably the eldest son, died before 1330^[7]
• Ivan Stephen of Bulgaria, emperor of Bulgaria in 1330–1331, died between 1339 and 1357^[8][5]
• Šišman, potential pretender to the Bulgarian throne at Constantinople in 1341^[9]
• Lodovico, pretender to the Bulgarian throne in the Kingdom of Naples, died after 1363, probably distinct from any of the above^[10]

In 1324, in order to cement an alliance with the Byzantine Empire against the Serbians, Michael Asen III divorced the Serbian Ana Neda in order to marry Theodora of Byzantium.^[11][12] Anna Neda and her children were sent out of Tǎrnovo into the countryside, and imprisoned.^[12]

In 1330, Michael Asen III fought the Serbian army, led by Ana's brother Stefan Uroš III, and was killed in the Battle of Velbazhd.^[12] Afterwards, the victorious Serbs entered Bulgaria, and convinced Bulgaria to place Ana's son Ivan Stephen on the throne.^[13][14][15] During Ivan Stephen's one-year reign, Ana seems to have acted as co-ruler and held significant power.^[5][3][14]

In 1331 Ivan Stephen was deposed by the Bulgarian boyars, and replaced by his father's Bulgarian nephew, Ivan Alexander.^[16] Ana, Ivan Stephen, and Lodovico fled to Serbia, while Šišman fled to the Mongol "Golden Horde."^[17] The new Bulgarian emperor, Ivan Alexander, allied with Ana's nephew, the new Serbian king Stefan Dušan (who married Ivan Alexander's sister Helena), and demanded the extradition of Ana and her children from Serbia. They sought refuge in Dubrovnik, where they are found already in 1332.^[18] As indicated in Neapolitan documents, Ana sought and received the support of her Neapolitan cousins, King Robert and Queen Joanna I. In 1340, Ana was said to be about to depart for Italy, where her son Lodovico had received royal favor since 1338 and married Maria of Taranto, the illegitimate half-sister of the future King Louis I of Naples in 1342.^[19] Nevertheless, Ana is found at Dubrovnik between 1343 and 1346.^[20] At some point before 1357/1362, Ana had converted to Catholic Christianity like at least two of her sons (probably Ivan Stephen and certainly Lodovico), as reported by King Louis I of Naples to Pope Innocent VI.^[21] The date of her death is unknown.

At the end of her life, Ana may have taken monastic vows and received the name Jelena. She was buried in the Dečani monastery.^[22][23] She was consecrated in the Serbian Orthodox Church as Venerable (prepodobna) "St. Jelena of Dečani" (Света Јелена Дечанска), her feast day is on June 3 (May 21, Julian calendar).

Annotations

Name: Recent Bulgarian historians call her Ana-Neda (with a dash). It has been argued that she was born Neda, and upon the marriage to Michael, becoming a queen, she received the titular name Ana.^[24] However, it appears that Ana took the name Domenica as a convert to Catholic Christianity, and that this was subsequently translated as Neda (from "недеља" nedelja) in Serbian, which means "Sunday," the Day of the Lord (Dominus).^[25]

References

1. Georgieva, Sashka (2017). "Bulgarian-Serbian Marital Diplomacy from the End of 13th to the Beginning of 14th Century". Историјски часопис (66): 85–127. doi:10.34298/IC1766085G. ISSN 0350-0802.
2. Georgieva, Sashka (2018). "THE FIRST BULGARIAN-WALLACIAN DIPLOMATIC MARRIAGE". Études Balkaniques (2): 250–266. ISSN 0324-1645.
3. Vinulović, Ljubica (2021). "The Painted Program of the Matejče Monastery and the Ktetorship of Empress Jelena Nemanjić Asen as the Path to the Salvation of the Soul". Bulgaria Mediaevalis. 12 (1): 141–164. ISSN 1314-2941.
4. Bojković, Gordan (2021). "The Marriage of Tsar Uroš". Bulgaria Mediaevalis. 12 (1): 223–227. ISSN 1314-2941.
5. Mladjov, Ian S. R. (2011). "The Bulgarian prince and would-be emperor Lodovico". Bulgaria Mediaevalis. 2 (1): 603–618. ISSN 1314-2941.
6. Mladjov 2011: 613.
7. Popov 2020: 124-129; Nikolov-Zikov 2021: 132, 171-181 considers Michael a son of Michael Asen III by his second wife, Theodora Palaiologina.
8. Mladjov 2011: 609.
9. Mladjov 2011: 607.
10. Božilov 1985: 148-149; Mladjov 2011: 609-613.
11. Rawson, Andrew (2015-12-10). A Clash of Thrones: The Power-crazed Medieval Kings, Popes and Emperors of Europe. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-6678-8.
12. Palairet, Michael (2016-02-08). Macedonia: A Voyage through History (Vol. 1, From Ancient Times to the Ottoman Invasions). Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4438-8843-1.
13. Mladjov 2011: 603-604
14. Georgieva, Sashka (2010). "Female Politicians in the Second Bulgarian Tsardom". Bulgaria Mediaevalis. 1 (1): 113–136. ISSN 1314-2941.
15. T︠S︡vetkov, Plamen (1993). A History of the Balkans: A Regional Overview from a Bulgarian Perspective. EM Text. ISBN 978-0-7734-1956-8.
16. Todorov, Nikolaĭ; Melnishki, Li︠u︡ben; Dinev, Li︠u︡bomir (1968). Bulgaria; Historical and Geographical Outline. Sofia P.
17. Mladjov 2011: 604.
18. Mladjov 2011: 604.
19. Mladjov 2011: 604, 609, 612.
20. Mladjov 2011: 604.
21. Mladjov 2011: 610-612.
22. Byzantium in Eastern European Visual Culture in the Late Middle Ages. BRILL. 2020-08-03. ISBN 978-90-04-42137-0.
23. Janićijević, Jovan (1998). The Cultural Treasury of Serbia. IDEA. ISBN 978-86-7547-039-7.
24. Mandić 1981: "Именима Ана—Неда зову је и новији бугарски историчари. Заиста је Милутиновој кћери могло бити крштено име Неда, а кад се удала за Михаила, тамо је, као владарка, добила титуларно име Ана."
25. Božilov and Gjuzelev 2006: 576; Mladjov 2011: 614-615, additionally noting the absence of actual attestations of the double name "Ana Neda."

• Božilov, Ivan, Familijata na Asenevci (1186–1460), Sofia, 1985.
• Božilov, Ivan, and Vasil Gjuzelev, Istorija na srednovekovna Bǎlgarija VII-XIV vek, Sofia, 2006.
• Nikolov-Zikov, Petăr, Domăt na Šišman, Sofia, 2021.
• Popov, Tenčo, Studii vǎrhu bǎlgarskoto srednovekovno monetosečene s izvodi za istorijata, Sofia, 2020.

Further reading

• Fine, John Van Antwerp (1994), The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest, University of Michigan Press, ISBN 978-0-472-08260-5
• Mladjov, Ian, "The Bulgarian Prince and would-be Emperor Lodovico," Bulgaria Mediaevalis 2 (2011) 603-618.
• Gjuzelev Vassil (2013). "Imperatrix Bulgariae Anna-Neda (1277-c.1346)". Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta. 50 (2): 617–627. doi:10.2298/ZRVI1350617G.

Ana-Neda Nemanjić dynasty Born:  ? Died:  ?
Royal titles
Preceded by Theodora Palaiologina	Empress consort of Bulgaria 1323–1324	Succeeded by Theodora Palaiologina