Tsaritsa
Theodora Palaiologina
Daughter of the Byzantine co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos. First wife of Theodore Svetoslav and later of Michael III Shishman, who set aside Anna-Neda for this marriage.
Biography
Theodora Palaiologina was a daughter of the Byzantine co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos and a sister of Emperor Andronikos III. She was first the wife of the Bulgarian tsar Theodore Svetoslav, sealing the Bulgarian-Byzantine peace.
After the death of Theodore Svetoslav, Theodora married again — to Tsar Michael III Shishman Asen, who for the sake of this prestigious Byzantine match repudiated his first wife Anna-Neda. The union tied Michael Shishman to the house of the Palaiologoi on the eve of his clash with Serbia.
In the news
- 'Rulers by the grace of God': the queens of medieval Bulgaria8 March 2025 · Prof. Plamen Pavlov, Trud
- Tsar Mihail III Shishman, the bold descendant of the Asenids11 February 2023 · Prof. Plamen Pavlov, Trud