Asen dynasty
Anna-Theodora
A daughter of Ivan Asen II, married (before 15 June 1253) to the sebastokrator Peter — an influential magnate who took at the Tarnovo court the place of the dowager tsaritsa Irene.
Biography
Anna-Theodora was a daughter of Tsar Ivan Asen II. Married before 15 June 1253, she was only 12–14 years old on her wedding day. This early marriage (her elder sister Tamara, aged 25–30, was still unmarried) is explained by Tsaritsa Irene's wish to strengthen her own position by surrounding herself with her confidants.
Little is known of her husband, Peter. He probably came from the highest circles of the Bulgarian boyars, and received the dignity of sevastokrator after becoming the tsar's son-in-law. The only source that mentions him — the 1253 treaty with Dubrovnik — reveals his exceptional standing: the name of "the high sevastokrator Peter" stands beside that of the tsar, and the text speaks of his men, his land and his merchants.
These details indicate that by 1253 the sevastokrator Peter had already taken the place of the queen-mother Irene and acted as regent, or "first minister," of the under-age Tsar Michael II Asen. In the turbulent events of 1256–1257, however, he took no part — he neither claimed the throne nor supported any of the pretenders.
Sources
“Може да се допусне, че [Анна-Теодора] е била омъжена за севастократор Петър.”
— Genealogy and Prosopography of the Asen Dynasty 1186–1460, p. 112