Bulgaria: Medieval Bulgarian Rulers Series Continues with Latest Coin in Tribute to Tsar Ivan Asen II

The Bulgarian National Bank has issued (17th September) the fifth entry in a series of coins entitled "Medieval Bulgarian Rulers," which has been issued intermittently since 2011. The latest coin features the Bulgarian ruler Ivan Asen II (circa. 1193-1241) who became emperor of the Bulgarian lands in 1218 and ruled until his own death in 1241.

The medieval history of Bulgaria begins with the loss of eastern flanks of territory belonging to the Byzantine Empire to an invading Bulgar force, who were themselves Turkic semi-nomadic warrior tribes in the late 7th century. The Bulgars then founded the first unified Bulgarian state in 681 A.D., which dominated most of the Balkans and significantly influenced Slavic cultures, including the development of the Cyrillic script. The First Bulgarian Empire lasted until the early 11th century when Byzantine emperor Basil II (reigned 976-1025) conquered and dismantled it.

It would not be until 1185, nearly 190 years after the defeat of the last ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, that a second empire was established after the successful revolt which saw the ascent of the Asen dynasty and its first ruler Ivan Asen I in 1187. The Second Bulgarian Empire is said to have reached its apex in terms of power, influence, and territory under the son of Ivan Asen I, who ascended the throne in 1218 as Ivan Asen II. After numerous exhausting wars and feudal strife, the Second Bulgarian Empire disintegrated in 1396 with its territories eventually being brought under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries.

Ivan Asen II was still a child when his father Czar Ivan Asen I (d. 1196), who was one of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empire, was killed in 1196. Ivan Asen I was succeeded by his younger brother Kaloyan (circa....