Theodora was Tsar Ivan Alexander’s second wife, often called Sarah-Theodora to distinguish her from his first wife. In the manuscript she belongs to a carefully arranged presentation of the royal household. Inscriptions and the figure identify her; personal feelings cannot be read from the miniature. Appears in the Gospel book of 1355–1356. Stands beside her son Ivan Shishman and the tsar. Is presented with a crown and ceremonial dress. Her portrait records the tsaritsa’s place in the dynasty’s presentation of itself.
Where you meet Theodora
Unspecified · CC0 · British Library via Wikimedia Commons
History of Bulgaria
