father predecessor successor succession house mother birth_place death_date death_place title consort birth_date image article_title name reign spouses
theodore ii laskaris maria asenina maria kantakouzena empress consort of bulgaria laskaris house of asen elena of bulgaria empire of nicaea 1268 tarnovo , bulgaria empress consort of bulgaria yes unknown nhm-bg-photo1-2 . jpg irene doukaina laskarina
 irene 1258 -- 1268 constantine tikh of bulgaria
irene doukaina laskarina

irene doukaina laskarina -lrb- , -rrb- was empress consort -lrb- tsaritsa -rrb- of bulgaria -lrb- 1258 -- 1268 -rrb- .
she was second wife of tsar constantine tikh of bulgaria .
she was a daughter of theodore ii laskaris , emperor of nikaea , and his wife elena of bulgaria .
irene was a sister of byzantine emperor john iv laskaris .
her maternal grandparents were tsar ivan asen ii and anna maria of hungary .
in 1257 irene was married bulgarian nobleman constantine tikh as his second wife .
her husband was a pretender for bulgarian crown .
constantine was proud to be married a granddaughter of tsar ivan asen ii and he adopted the bulgarian dynastic name `` asen '' to enhance his position as a legitimate ruler of bulgaria .
on the next year constantine tikh asen was elected `` tsar of bulgaria '' by a boyar council in tarnovo and irene become his consort .
in 1261 irene 's brother , byzantine emeperor john iv laskaris , was deposed by michael viii palaiologos , who seized the power in the byzantine empire .
tsaritsa irene was a bitter enemy of the usurper .
she become a leader of anti-byzantine party in the bulgarian court .
irene died in 1268 .
she had no children .
