The Asenevtsi monument is dedicated to Asen, Petar, Kaloyan and
Ivan Asen II. It was built in 1985 to celebrate the 800th
anniversary of the uprising of Asen and Petar, which led to the
liberation of Bulgaria from the Byzantine Empire. The sword located
in the middle is a symbol of the power and prosperity of the Second
Bulgarian Kingdom.
The Asenevtsi ruled the medieval Bulgarian state, called in
modern historiography the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, between 1187
and 1280.
Early rulers from the Asen dynasty (particularly Kaloyan)
referred to themselves as „Emperors of Bulgarians and
Vlachs“. Later rulers, especially the successful Ivan Asen
II, styled themselves „Tsars (Emperors) of Bulgarians and
Greeks“.
