Maria Palaiologina Kantakouzene

Maria Palaiologina Kantakouzene (, ; died after 1294) was an Empress consort of Bulgaria by marriage to two Bulgarian emperors, Constantine Tikh and Ivaylo. She was a niece of Michael VIII Palaiologos. She is referred to as the most powerful empress of Bulgaria. She ruled as regent from 1271 to 1279 on behalf of her minor son, Michael Asen II, who was made co-regent of her first spouse, and remained co-regent during the reign of her second spouse. Family Maria was the second daughter of John Kantakouzenos and Irene Komnene Palaiologina, sister of Michael VIII Palaiologos. According to George Pachymeres, Maria was unusually perfidious and sly and she had a strong influence over the people and the clergy. He would have it that Maria supported her uncle's military coup d'etat and she prompted him to blind the legitimate emperor John IV Laskaris, who was brother of Bulgarian empress Irene, second wife of tsar Constantine Tikh of Bulgaria.