Ivan Dragushin () was a Bulgarian nobleman, son of despot

Aldimir Aldimir () or EltimirWhile Aldimir is mentioned in Medieval Greek sources solely as Ἐλτιμηρῆς, ''Eltimiris'', his original name ''Aldimir'' has been established thanks to the discovery of his son Ivan Dragushin's epitaph.Андреев ...

from the

Terter dynasty The House of Terter (), also Terterids or Terterovtsi (Тертеровци), was a Bulgarian noble and royal house of Cuman origin,István Vásáry (2005) ''Cumans and Tatars'', Cambridge University Press, p. 2 a branch of the Cuman noble dynas ...

of the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1422. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

. Ivanʻs mother was

Marina Smilets Marina Smilets (, before 1292 – 7 April 1355) was the eldest daughter of tsar Smilets of Bulgaria and his Byzantine wife, tentatively called Smiltsena Palaiologina. Family The date and the place of Marina's birth are unknown, but she was born be ...

, the daughter of tsar

Smilets Smilets () reigned as tsar of Bulgaria from 1292 to 1298. Life Although Smilets is credited with being descended "from the noblest family of the Bulgarians", his antecedents are completely unknown. Judging by the landholdings of Smilets’ brother ...

of Bulgaria, whilst Ivan's father was

, a younger brother of Tsar George I Terter. Aldimir was an influential local ruler as the despot of Kran. Marinaʻs sister was

Teodora of Bulgaria, Queen of Serbia Theodora of Bulgaria ( Bulgarian and ) was a Bulgarian princess and Queen consort of Serbia, the first wife of Stefan Dečanski. Teodora was the second daughter of Tsar Smilets of Bulgaria and Smiltsena Palaiologina. Teodora is best remembered as a ...

, the first wife of

Stefan Uroš III Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

Dečanski. Aldimir may have been murdered around 1305, as no activity of his is mentioned in later sources. His widow Marina and his son Ivan Dragushin managed to escape to

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

, where Marina's sister, Theodora, was married to the prince Stefan Dečanski. Having become a Serbian subject, Ivan Dragushin was installed by his first cousin King

Stephen Dušan Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the firs ...

as a local ruler in the region of

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

. Donor's portraits of Marina and Ivan Dragushin exist in the Pološko Monastery near

Kavadarci Kavadarci ( ) is a town in the Tikveš region of North Macedonia. In the heart of North Macedonia's wine country, it is home to the largest winery in Southeast Europe, named after the Tikveš plain. The town of Kavadarci is the seat of Kavadarc ...

, where Ivan Dragushin was buried before 1340. It is known Ivan and his wife Anna had a son, who is depicted with Marina in the church.

Sources

{{Reflist 13th-century Bulgarian people 14th-century Bulgarian people Medieval Bulgarian nobility Terter dynasty