The origins of the dynasty, especially the ethnic background of the three Asen brothers—
Peter IV (or II) (), originally named Theodore (
Teodor),
Ivan Asen I () and
Kaloyan ()—are still a source of much controversy, debated among historians. There are three main hypotheses regarding their origins: •
Vlach origin, a view supported by most contemporary sources and scholars who base their claims on Western Crusade chronicles, and letters between
Pope Innocent III and
Kaloyan. •
Cuman origin, as some of the names in the dynasty, including Asen and Belgun, are derived from the
Cuman language, as well as the family's close ties to the
Cumans, such as intermarriage (including
Kaloyan's wife), immediate entourage and allies. Groups of Cumans settled and mingled with the local population in many regions of the Balkans between the 10th and 13th centuries and also founded subsequent Bulgarian dynasties (
Terterids and
Shishmanids). Similarly, according to some researchers, the
Asen dynasty might be descendants of the
Ashina tribe. •
Bulgarian origin, a view that is common among the Bulgarian historians who reckon that all native sources (from the 13th century) use predominantly the terms Bulgaria, Bulgarians and Bulgarian, the
Slavic names like
Ivanko (relative and murderer of
Ivan Asen I),
Boril and
Slav, that tsar
Kaloyan claimed provenance from the old
Bulgarian rulers and his state from the
First Bulgarian Empire and declares himself a
Bulgarian avenger, adopting the moniker
the Romanslayer by analogy with the emperor
Basil II the Bulgar Slayer and shows cruelty to the Byzantines as revenge for the murdered and blinded
Bulgarians. In their own administrative documents and correspondence, the three rulers viewed themselves as descendants and successors of the Bulgarian Tsars
Samuil,
Peter I and
Simeon I, and the state they founded as a continuation of the First Bulgarian Empire. In a correspondence, of 1199, the Pope talks about the "Roman descent" of Kaloyan. However, considering the actual text says
Nos autem audito quod de nobili urbis Romae prosapia progenitores tui originem traxerint ("We heard that your forefathers come from a noble family from the city of Rome"), it is usually dismissed as simply a hidden compliment of the Pope to Kaloyan. In his first letter to the Pope, Kaloyan states that neither he nor anyone at his court spoke or understood Latin, and that their correspondence had to be translated from Bulgarian into Greek and then into Latin.This has led Associate Professor Nikola Dyulgerov, a Bulgarian historian, to argue that the
native language of the Asen brothers was Bulgarian. Pope Innocent III in his letters to the Bulgarian king Kaloyan (Calojoannes) in 1204 addressed him "King of Bulgarians and Vlachs" (
rex Bulgarorum et Blachorum); in answering the Pope, Kaloyan called himself
imperator omnium Bulgarorum et Blachorum ("Emperor of all Bulgarians and Vlachs'), but signed himself
imperator Bulgariae Calojoannes ("Emperor Kaloyan of Bulgaria"); besides, the archbishop of Veliko Tarnovo called himself
totius Bulgariae et Blaciae Primas ("Primate of all Bulgaria and Vlachia").
Ivan Asen II styled himself “Tsar and sovereign of the
Bulgarians“ and “Tsar of
Bulgarians and
Greeks” after his victory at the
Battle of Klokotnitsa. Bulgarian historiography largely negates, while Romanian historiography highlights the role of the Vlachs in the uprising. However, the scientific debate reflects the nationalistic rivalry from the 19-20th century, which did not exist in the 12-13th century. Vlachs and Bulgarian Slavs jointly inhabited Bulgaria, and both groups in sufferance were united against the common cause under a leader, regardless of the leader's "race".
Niketas Choniates overemphasized the Vlachs while scarcely mentioning the Bulgarians during his narratives of the revolt, but regardless of their ethnicity, it was a joint venture of the Bulgarians, Vlachs and Cumans.
Etymology The name of the dynasty comes from one of the brothers, namely Asen I. The etymology is most likely of Cuman Turkic origin, derived from "esen" which meant "safe, sound, healthy" and the Belgun nickname seems to be derived from Turkic "bilgün", which meant "wise". Further support to this connection can be found in the charters of the
Great Lavra of Mt. Athos from the end of the 12th century, which mention the monastery's problems with some of the Cuman stratiotes, where "Asen" is listed as the name of one of those Cumans. Another study shows that the only name that makes sense is
änish ("descent") and the word can be found almost exclusively in the languages of the Kipchak Turks. ==Bulgarian Emperors from the Asen dynasty==