father death_date successor succession mother allegiance birth_date spouse issue article_title reign
sratsimir of kran 1363 alexander komnenos asen despot of valona keratsa petritsa serbian empire , republic of venice unknown unknown anna palaiologina alexander komnenos asen ? komnena ? john komnenos asen
 c. 1345 -- 1363
john komnenos asen

john komnenos asen -lrb- , `` yoan komnin asen '' ; , `` iōannēs komnēnos asanēs '' ; , `` jovan komnin asen '' -rrb- was the ruler of the principality of valona from circa 1345 to 1363 , initially as a serbian vassal and after 1355 as a largely independent lord .
descended from high-ranking bulgarian nobility , john was a brother of both tsar ivan alexander of bulgaria and helena of bulgaria , the wife of tsar stephen dušan of serbia .
perhaps in search of better opportunities , he emigrated to serbia , where his sister was married .
there , he was granted the title of despot by stephen dušan , who placed him in charge of his territories in modern south albania .
as the despot of valona , john established commercial ties with venice and ragusa , and he became a citizen of the former in 1353 .
after the death of dušan in 1355 , he took the side of the unsuccessful simeon uroš in the ensuing conflict for the serbian throne .
with venetian assistance , john maintained the essentially independent status of the principality of valona .
he probably died of the plague in 1363 and he was succeeded by alexander komnenos asen , who was likely his son from his unknown first wife .
john 's second marriage was to epirote noblewoman anna palaiologina .
