| Peter II Петър II | |
|---|---|
.png) Coin of Peter II | |
| |
| Reign | 1185 – 1197 |
| Coronation | 1185 |
| Successor | Kaloyan |
| Died | 1197 |
| Dynasty | Asen dynasty |
Peter II,[note 1] born Theodor, also known as Theodor-Peter (Bulgarian: Теодор-Петър; died in 1197), was the first emperor or tsar of the restored Bulgarian Empire from 1185 to 1197. He hails from the Byzantine theme of Paristrion, although his exact place and date of birth are unknown.
He and his younger brothers, Asen and Kaloyan, were mentioned as Vlachs in most foreign contemporaneous sources but they were probably of a mixed Vlach, Bulgarian, and Cuman origin. In 1185, Theodor and Asen approached the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos in Thrace, demanding an estate in the Balkan Mountains. After the Emperor refused and humiliated them, they decided to incite a rebellion, taking advantage of the discontent that a new tax had caused among the Bulgarians and Vlachs. To convince their compatriots to join them, they had native prophets declare that Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica had abandoned the Romans in favour of the Bulgarians and Vlachs. Before the end of the year, Theodor was crowned Emperor of Bulgaria, taking the name Peter and adopting the insignia used only by emperors.
The Byzantine army defeated the rebels, forcing Theodor-Peter and Asen to flee to the Cumans in April 1186. Returning in the autumn at the head of Cuman troops, they took control of Paristrion, firmly establishing the new state, regarded as the successor to the First Bulgarian Empire. The brothers made regular raids against nearby Byzantine territories in the early 1190s. Conflicts between Isaac II and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa during the Third Crusade enabled Peter to conquer new territories in 1190. Peter and Asen divided their realm around 1192, with Peter receiving Preslav and the north-eastern region. After Asen was murdered by a boyar in 1196, Peter appointed Kaloyan as his co-ruler in Asen's place. Peter was also murdered the following year.
- ^ Madgearu 2017, pp. 37–38.
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