Theodora of Bulgaria (
Bulgarian and sr, Теодора) was a Bulgarian princess and Queen consort of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hun ...
, the first wife of
Stefan Dečanski. Teodora was the second daughter of Tsar
Smilets of Bulgaria and
Smiltsena Palaiologina. Teodora is best remembered as a patron of the Arts, Music and Literature. Among her heirloom, one of the most famous rings from the fourteenth century was found, now on display in the
National Museum in Belgrade
The National Museum of Serbia ( sr, / ) is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square (Belgrade), Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and th ...
. That golden ring has the carved inscription: "May the Lord help the one who wears it."
[Jovan Janićijević]
''The cultural treasury of Serbia''
IDEA Books, 1998 - History, pp. 249
Queenship
Teodora married Serbian crown prince (later king) Stefan Uroš III (called ''Dečanski'') on 24 August 1296. They had two children: future
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the t ...
(Emperor)
Stefan Dušan
Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан, ), known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr, / ; circa 1308 – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Tsar (or Emperor) and autocrat of the Serbs, Gree ...
and Dušica.
In 1314 her husband's father
Stefan Milutin
Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&n ...
quarreled with Stefan, and sent him to Constantinople to
be blinded. Teodora and the family went with him and established a household there until 1320 when they were allowed to return.
Later life
She was present at the state assembly of 6 January 1322, when her son Dušan was crowned Young king.
In this period, Dečanski and Teodora were divorced.
It is very likely that, between the death of Milutin (29 October 1321) and the crowning of Dušan, it was decided that Teodora be divorced from her husband due to the fact that Teodora's father's family had by then been expelled from Bulgaria, and Dečanski sought to empower himself by marrying into the Byzantine royal family.
He then married
Maria Palaiologina.
It is still unknown when Teodora died.
She was alive on 6 January 1322, and according to M. Vukićević and S. Ćosović died prior to January 1323.
[ Historian Stojan Novaković earlier based the death in the winter of 1322–23 on the talks of Dečanski marrying Phillip of Tarento in the beginning of 1323.] Other believe she lived longer, possibly marrying Jovan Dragoslav between 1322 and 1326. It is believed she was buried in the Banjska monastery.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Teodora Mitrovic
13th-century Bulgarian people
14th-century Bulgarian people
14th-century Serbian royalty
Serbian queens consort
Bulgarian princesses
Medieval Serbian royal consorts
People of the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)
Smilets dynasty
Year of birth unknown
1322 deaths
14th-century Bulgarian women
13th-century Bulgarian women
14th-century Serbian people
14th-century Serbian women
Daughters of emperors