Kaliman Asen II (), or commonly, but less accurately Koloman Asen II, ruled as

tsar of Bulgaria The monarchs of Bulgaria ruled Bulgaria during the medieval First Bulgarian Empire, First ( 681–1018) and Second Bulgarian Empire, Second (1185–1422) Bulgarian empires, as well as during the modern Principality of Bulgaria, Principality (1879 ...

for a short time in 1256. The year of his birth is unknown. Kaliman Asen II was the son of ''

sebastokrator ''Sebastokrator'' (, ; ; ), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence (Bulgarian Empire, Serbian Empire). The word is a compound ...

'' Alexander, who was the younger brother of

Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria Ivan Asen II, also known as John Asen II (, ; 1190s – May/June 1241), was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He was still a child when his father Ivan Asen I one of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empire was killed in 1196. H ...

. Kaliman Asen II's mother is unknown, and attempts to identify her as a Serbian princess are based on the erroneous identification of Kaliman Asen II with the ''sebastokrator''

Kaloyan Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ivan I, Ioannitsa or Johannitsa (; 1170 – October 1207), the Roman Slayer, was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Theodor and Asen, who led the anti-Byzantine upr ...

, who was still alive in 1258/59. In 1256 Kaliman Asen murdered his first cousin Michael Asen I during a hunting party in the environs of the capital

Tărnovo Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Velik ...

and usurped the throne. In the process he married Michael Asen I's widow, the unnamed daughter of Rostislav Mihailovich, but he was unable to maintain himself on the throne. Rostislav advanced on Tărnovo from Belgrade, and Kaliman Asen II fled the capital. Rostislav returned home with his daughter and claiming the title of emperor of Bulgaria, while a brother-in-law of Michael Asen I, Mitso Asen took the throne. In the meantime, Kaliman Asen II had been murdered after being abandoned by most of his supporters.

References

* John V. A. Fine Jr., ''The Late Medieval Balkans'', Ann Arbor, 1987.

External links

Detailed list of Bulgarian rulers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaliman 02 Of Bulgaria 1256 deaths 13th-century Bulgarian tsars Murdered Bulgarian monarchs Asen dynasty Year of birth unknown