Kaliman I of Bulgaria

Who was Kaliman I of Bulgaria?

Kaliman Asen I, reigned as emperor of Bulgaria from 1241 to 1246. Kaliman Asen I was the son of Ivan Asen II and Anna Maria of Hungary. His maternal grandparents were Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Merania.

Kaliman was born about 1234, and died in 1246. Kaliman Asen I was named after his maternal uncle, prince Kálmán of Hungary.

The reign of Kaliman Asen I is characterized by the gradual weakening of the Bulgarian state. The seven-year-old emperor was obviously not able to rule by himself, and the country was governed by a regency. Early in the reign Bulgaria was invaded by the Mongols of the Golden Horde under Batu Khan. They were bought off by an annual tribute.

Bulgaria's influence over neighboring Thessalonica and Serbia came to an end, although the boundaries of the enlarged state remained the same until Kaliman Asen I's premature death. In 1245 Pope Innocent IV addressed a letter to Kaliman Asen I, seeking to bring Bulgaria into a church union with the Roman Catholic Church. There are indications that local authorities took advantage of the youth of the ruler to abuse their power in the provinces, for example at Melnik.