Beloslava of Bulgaria

Beloslava Белослава
Queen consort of Serbia
Tenure	1234–1243
Spouse	Stefan Vladislav
Father	Ivan Asen II
Mother	Anna

Beloslava(Bulgarian:Белослава) was a Bulgarian princess andQueen consortof Serbiaas wife ofStefan Vladislav.

History

Beloslava was daughter of tsarIvan Asen IIand his first wifeAnna(religious name Anisia), mentioned in theSynodik of the Bulgarian Church.The couple had another daughter —Maria,who marriedManuel of Epirus.It is possible that Beloslava and her sister Maria were illegitimate children of Ivan Asen because his firstmarriagewith Anna was not recognized by theBulgarian Orthodox Church.But there was no dоubt about the noble birth of his daughters, so both were married to men of high aristocratic status.

After thebattle of Klokotnitsa,Bulgaria became the leading political power on theBalkansand Beloslava was married to Serbian prince Stefan Vladislav. The marriage was arranged by his uncleRastko Nemanjićin order to secure good relations between theKingdom of Serbiaand theBulgarian Empire.

In 1234 a Bulgarian-aidedcoup d'étatin Serbia toppled kingStefan Radoslav,ason-in-lawandprotégéof thedespotesTheodore of Epirus,and replaced him with Stefan Vladislav, who was his brother. So Beloslava become the new queen of Serbia.

Vladislav's seal

Bulgarian political influence in Serbia ended after the death of tsar Ivan Asen II during the invasions ofTatarsinWestern Europe.In 1243, Stefan Vladislav was overthrown by his younger half-brother,Stefan Uroš I,and Beloslava fled toRagusa.The new Serbian king insisted that she should be kept under strict control and, in response, received an oath, in writing, stating that Beloslava would not be allowed to return to Serbia.

Soon, the conflict between Stefan Vladislav and Stefan Uroš I was solved. After negotiations Vladislav renounced the crown and Uroš allowed him to ruleZetaas governor while keeping the title ofking.Soon after, Beloslava returned and joined him maintaining also the title ofqueen.

Family

Beloslava and Stefan Vladislav had three children:

• Stefan
• Desa—župan
• Daughter, name unknown, who married a Balkan nobleman inCroatia

Sources

• Pavlov, Plamen (2006).Търновските царици[Queens of Tarnovo] (in Bulgarian). Veliko Tarnovo: ДАР-РХ.