9th-10th c. Information from the Byzantine
writer Ioannes Cameniata1 about some settlements on the plain of Thessalonica
paying taxes to the Bulgarian (Scythian) people
In the middle of this plain there are some mixed settlements: some of them pay
taxes to the town (Thessalonica) - these are the so-called Dragoviti and
Sagoudati;2 other settlements pay taxes to the neighbouring Scythian people,3
situated nearby. Moreover, the settlements are situated in close proximity to
each other. They are in contact with the Scythians through trading. This, in
addition to the other circumstances, is of great benefit to the people of
Thessalonica, particularly when they are in good relations with each other and
are not in arms for a cruel war. For a long time in the past this used to be a
matter of concern for both sides. They exchange things mutually essential for a
joint way of life, preserving a marvelous and profound peace with each other.
Big rivers come from the country of the Scythians and, by dividing the
above-mentioned plain, bring great abundance to the town through the revenue
from fishing and through passage of ships from the sea up the rivers. These
ships ensure a varied flow of goods along these rivers.
loannis Cameniatae De excidio Thessalonicensi, ed. Bonn.,
pp.495 - 496; V, p.22; the original is in Greek
1. Ioannes Cameniata, a citizen of Thessalonica, who witnessed the Arab conquest
of the city in 904. Author of the book The Capture of Thessalonica.
2. Slav tribes.
3. i.e. the Bulgarians.
"On the same day** we celebrate the birth of Clement, Bulgarian Bishop in Ochrida, our sacred father and performer of wonders."
H. Delehaye, Synaxarium Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae. Propylaeum ad ASS. Novembris, Bruxelles, 1902, col 255-256; the original is in Greek.
* Clement - disciple of Cyril and Methodius, one of the most eminent enlighteners of the Bulgarian people.
** the day of Clement of Ochrida is celebrated today on the 8th of December.
10th c. Excerpt from the second Life of Nahum
concerning the arrival of the disciples of Cyril and Methodius in the Bulgarian
lands, and the big monastery and church built by Nahum in Ohrid on the orders of
the Bulgarian Tsar Boris
The Reverend and Great Father Nahum grew up in Moesia[1] and, in
accordance with the education /which he received/ from his noble parents, he
regarded nobility, wealth and all as the weeds of the field, and he joined
Constantine the Philosopher and his brother Methodius, equal to the Apostles,
who went about teaching the Moesian and Dalmatian peoples and he followed them
everywhere, even as far as ancient Rome ...
After the death of Methodius, the archbishopric was assumed by a Latin named
Viglisco.[2] Being filled with the heresy of Macedonius and Appolinarius,[3] he
corrupted the whole teaching of Methodius and he greatly tortured his disciples
and put them in dungeons and chains. And when the saints prayed to God, there
was a mighty earthquake, and a second time and a third, and everybody ran out of
their homes, and the doors of the dungeons were flung open and the chains on
arms and legs were torn asunder. And all marveled at this miracle and called the
saints great. But the heathens attributed it to Beelzebub, as the Judeans did
with my Christ, and with great torture they chased them away from that land.
And they shook the dust from off their feet, as it is said in the Scriptures,
and they came to the lands near the Danube. And there, after they had raised by
prayer the dead only son of a certain nobleman and had enlightened his
household, together with many other /people/ from the village, for which reason
they were greatly honoured by all, they at once departed for the great river
Danube. There, with prayer and a heavenly miracle they tied three trees with
virgin's flower, called on the name of the Holy Trinity and crossed the river
and came to Belgrade.[4] And there they were greatly honoured by Knyaz Radislav,[5]
and they gave blessing and joy. Thus, some went towards Moesia, and others to
Dalmatia and Dacia, and everywhere they multiplied the word of God a
hundred-fold.
Nahum and Clement came to the Illyrian and Lichnidian countries. In Devolski
Livan, at the far end of the lake of Ohrid city, between the two rivers, Nahum
built a big monastery and church dedicated to the hierarchal Archangel Michael
and all heavenly powers, with the means and on the orders of the pious Bulgarian
Tsar Mihail Boris and his son. Tsar Simeon, and that was in the year 6413 /=
905/. And, having done everything to please God, the blessed Nahum died there at
a great age and rendered up his soul into the hands of God on the 23rd day of
December,[6] and his venerable body was prepared and anointed by the godly hands
of Christ's Bishop Clement of Ohrid and was laid with honours in a grave in the
right wing of the church. God glorified him with great miracles and he heals all
illnesses and ulcers and casts out devils.
Yordan Ivanov, Bulgarian Antiquities in Macedonia, Naouka i Izkoustvo Publ.,
1970, p. 313.; Ivan Duichev, Old Bulgarian Literature, Sofia, 1943, pp. 62-65;
the original is in Old Bulgarian.
1. i.e. Bulgaria.
2. Bishop Wieching, German by birth, who came to head the Moravian Church
following Methodius' death.
3. Macedonius and Appolinarius were followers of the Arian faith, according to
which the Holy Father and the Holy Son were not a unity.
4. Those who arrived in Belgrade were the disciples of Cyril and Methodius -
Clement, Nahum, Gorazd and Angelarius.
5. The Bulgarian ruler in Belgrade.
6. Nahum died on December 23, 910.
973 The Western writer Thietmarus
reports on the Bulgarian envoys to Emperor Otto I
"...After this he /Otto I[1] went to Quedlinburg where he stayed to spend
the coming Easter in church celebrations and worldly pleasures. There on the
Emperor's orders were assembled the Princes Mieszko and Boleslaw and the envoys
of the Greeks, the Beneventians, the Hungarians, the Bulgarians, the Danes and
the Slavs [2] together with all notables from the entire Kingdom. After settling
everything in a peaceful fashion, they returned to their countries pleased and
loaded with bountiful gifts..."
Thietmari Chronicon, MGH, SS, m, p.753; Latin Sources of Bulgarian History, II,
pp.349 -350; the original is in Latin.
1 Otto I, German Emperor (R. 936-973). The arrival of Bulgarian envoys at his
court shows that in that time Bulgaria was not conquered. The Bulgarian envoys
went at the request of the Kometopouli brothers: David, Moisei (Moses), Aaron
and Samuil.
2 These are the Western Slavs.
"After Kroum had seized Adrianople*, he brought across the Danube and settled by the river many noble Macedonians and extremely large numbers of people... Setting out for Adrianople, he captured it and transferred from there 12,000 men, without counting the women and children, and settled them along the Danube... The people together with the women and children decided to pass over into Romania**... And so the Macedonians despaired, made Tsants and Cordillas their leaders and, engaging in battle, killed many and took some in captivity. The Bulgarians who could not pass over, resorted to the Ugri***. informing them of everything about the Macedonians... The next day, when they wanted to set out, the Huns**** again appeared to fight against them. Then another Macedonian by the name of Leo of the family of the Gimostes, who afterwards became Heteriarch, rose up in arms as well as other prominent Macedonians. They put them to fight and chased them away. Returning, they came on board the ships and fled to the Emperor. They were favoured by him and returned to their country Macedonia*****."
Leonis Grammatici Chronographia, ed. Bonn, 1842, pp.208, 231-233; cf. GSBH, V, pp.155-156; the original is in Greek.
* Adrianople was seized in 813.
** Under Romania here are designated the European parts of Byzantium, i.e. Thrace.
*** Ugri- the Hungarians.
**** Huns - the Hungarians.
***** Macedonia - Thrace with Adrianople as its centre.
"We deemed it necessary to relate how this same Basil was brought up and from where he descended. He was born in Macedonia, in a village near Adrianople, during the reign of Michael Rhangabe**"
Ibidem, p. 228; cf. GSBH, V, p. 155; the original is in Greek.
* Basil I - Emperor of Byzantium (867 - 886)
** Michael Rhangabe - Emperor of Byzantium (811 - 813)
"[In the year 6523 (=1015) of the creation of the world was this fortress erected] built and made by Ivan autocrator of the Bulgarians with the help and prayers of Our Souvereign, the Holy Mother of God, and the intercession of twelve and of [the two] supreme apostles. This fortress was made [as] a sanc[tuary], for the salvation and the life of the Bulgarians. The Bitolya fortress was begun in the month . . . at the end . . . was Bulgarian by birth . . ."
Yordan Zaimov, The Bitolya Inscription - in manuscript; Vl. Moshin, The Bitolya Plaque of 1018, magazine "Makedonski jazik", XVII, 1966, pp. 51 - 61; the original is in Old Bulgarian.
* Ivan Vladislav - Bulgarian Tsar (1015 - 1018).
". . . In everything help the needy. And truly, the rich is god
for the poor because he favours him. It is for this reason that the Bulgarians
call the wealthy b o g a t (rich), which means b o g o p o d o b e n (god-like)..."
"Demetrias is a sea town in Hellas, protected from the sea and from
the adjacent marshes. Delyan (a bulgarian toparchos) conquered it. After
seizing the town, he sent there the old warrior Litovoy of Devol, experienced
in military matters (in the language of the Bulgarians the strategus is
called chelnik) and provided him with troops for the protection of the
fortress . . ."
"If the enemy remains in the fortress and does not come out, and you
do not know what the troops are like, take it from me that he is not numerous
and that he lacks strength. Yet, in spite of this you should not underrate
him but if you have troops do not allow him to relax but send light horsemen
to find a way through which troops can sweep over him . . . And when you
find a road do not come out to the open but stay opposite to him and send
troops to penetrate through the way discovered by you. Let them have an
able man as a guide. When they get in, let them make a fire, if it is during
the night but if they get in during day-time, let them make smoke. And
watch out! When you see that they are perplexed and confused, you should
pounce on them. It was in this way that in the gorge Zagore the porphyrogenitus
Emperor Sire Basil captured fourteen thousand Bulgarians, headed by the
excellent warrior Samuil."
"If you set out to fight against some people or some fortress, first
of all, after you have settled and built up a camp, arrange the troops
in the camp - each in his unit. Do not set up your camp very near lest
you will be observed by them. When you have put up your troops and have
rested, if you wish, begin the battle either against the population or
against the fortress. Listen in point of fact how badly fared those who
did not observe this rule. Thessalonica is a town. . . populous . . . [Alusianus***
setting out] with a great multitude of Bulgarians, so as to conquer it,
did not put up his tent first, and did not settle his troops in a suitable
place, but, as he was proceeding with the supply-column, approached the
town walls and started the assault. His troops were exhausted from fatigue
and the difficulties because even those who are distinguished by force
and bodily strength may slacken off and become inactive, wearied from the
long journey. And since he did not put them up in a camp, as I have mentioned,
they scattered about, some wanting to drink water, others to give their
horses some rest, and still others to recover themselves from fatigue.
When those inside the fortress saw them loitering in a disorderly manner,
they came out all of a sudden, attacked the Bulgarians and inflicted a
great defeat upon them. . ."
"While my late grandfather Cecaumenus was in Larissa as governor of
Hellos, the Bulgarian ruler Samuil often tried either by war or by stratagem
to capture Larissa and failed but was repulsed and outwitted by him. .
."
"Pliris is a river with a wide valley spreading on both sides of its
banks. It flows across the land of the Wallachians, dividing it into two.
Nikolitsa set up his camp there, gathered the Wallachians and the Bulgarians,
living nearby, and so he collected numerous troops."
Strategicon et Incerti scriptoris de officiis reglis, ed. B. Wassiliewsky - V. Jernstedt, Petropoli, 1896; the original is in Greek.
*Byzantine writer. His grandfather on his mother's side was an eminent nobleman at the court of Samuil. Cecaumenus lived for a long time in the western parts of Bulgaria and knew Bulgarians well.
**Basil II called Killer of Bulgarians (Bulgaroctonus), Byzantine emperor (976-1025) who in 1018 conquered Bulgaria
***Son of Ivan-Vladislav
"F
i r s t c h a r t e r
Many and great are the
favours which man-loving God has at different times conferred upon our
Empire and which surpass any number; the greatest of them is that the Byzantine
State expanded and that the State of the Bulgarians passed under one yoke
(with it).
Therefore on account of
this we confirm the most pious monk loan* to the Archbishop of Bulgaria
and to be in charge of the matters relating to the archbishopric.
And since he asked for
the kleroikoi and paroikoi nominated to work for the churches of his diocese,
as well as for the bishops subordinate to him, to be determined in writing,
we gave him the present sigilium of our Majesty by which we order:
The Archbishop himself
shall have, in the towns of his diocese, i. e. in Ochrida, Prespa, Mokro
and in Kichevo, 40 kleroikoi and 30 paroikoi**.
S
e c o n d c h a r t e r
Since after issuing this
sigilium referring to the scope of each Bulgarian episcopate, the holiest
Archbishop of Bulgaria asked our Majesty to issue another sigilium concerning
his other bishoprics not listed in the first sigilium and the other bishoprics
subordinate to him, because the neighbouring metropolitans had seized them
from the Bulgarian region and had misappropriated them, and since our Majesty
does not allow any one of them or of their people to make even one step
into the boundaries of the Bulgarian region, we therefore lay down that
the present holiest Archbishop shall possess and govern all the Bulgarian
bishoprics, as well as all other towns which were under the power of Tsar
Peter and Samuil and were also held by the archbishops of that time. Because
it was not without blood, labour or sweat, but by years' long persistence
and with God's help that this country was granted in subordination to us
by God, whose goodness clearly helped us, blending into one the divided
parts and putting under one yoke the boundaries, without in any way infringing
the rules well established by those reigning prior to us . Because although
we became the possessor of the land we yet preserved its rights intact,
reaffirming them by our royal decrees and sigilia. We also lay down that
the present holiest Archbishop of Bulgaria shall have as large a diocese
as that under under Tsar Peter, and that he shall possess and govern all
bishoprics of Bulgaria, i. e. not only those mentioned in the first sigilium
but also those omitted and not indicated together with the others and which
through the present sigilia are announced and listed by name. To them,
as to the others, we present kleroikoi and paroikoi.
We, therefore, decree that
the Bishop of Dristra*** shall have in the towns of his bishopric and in
the other towns around it 40 kleroikoi and 40 paroikoi. Because during
the reign of Peter in Bulgaria this (bishopric) shone in archbishop's dignity
and then the archbishops (of it) moved from one place to another, one to
Triaditsa,**** the other to Vodena and Moglena, and after this we found
the present Archbishop in Ochrida. For this reason (we order) Ochrida to
have an archbishop, and another bishop to be ordained for Dristra.
We decree that the holiest
Archbishop of Bulgaria shall possess not only the bishoprics mentioned
by names but if there are some others situated in Bulgarian lands and forgotten
to be mentioned, we decree that he shall possess and govern them as well.
Whatever other towns missed to be mentioned in the charters of our Majesty,
shall be possessed by the same holiest Archbishop and he shall collect
canonicon from them all as well as from the Wallachians throughout Bulgaria
and from the Turks around the Vardar in so far as they are within the Bulgarian
boundaries.
And all strategs in Bulgaria
and the other officials and archonts shall hold him in great respect and
listen to his word and precepts, shall not interfere in the affairs either
of a Bulgarian monastery, a chirch or any ecclesiastical matter and shall
not obstruct either him or his subordinate God-tearing bishops and shall
not be in their way lest such people draw upon themselves the great and
merciless wrath of our Majesty.
For this reason and as
a matter of information to the Emperors after us, we drew up this sigilium
and gave it to the holiest Archbishop, stamping it with the the molybdovol
of our Kingdom in the month of May, indiction 3, year 6528 (1020)."
Yordan Ivanov, Bulgarian antiquities in Macedonia), Sofia, 1931, pp. 547-562; cf. GSBH, VI, pp. 40-41, 44-47; the original is in Greek
*Bulgarian patriarch acknowledged by Basil II for Archbishop of entire Bulgaria. Probably he was a Bulgarian from Debur
**Kleroikoi and paroikoi were dependent
***Silistra at present
****Sofia at present
11th c. Information by the Byzantine
writer Cecaumenus1 about the Bulgarians in Macedonia and about the Bulgarian
tsars Samuil and Ivan Vladislav
... In everything help the needy. And truly, the rich man is god for
the poor man, because he favours him. It is for this reason that the Bulgarians
call the wealthy bogat (rich), which means bogopodoben (god-like) ...
Demetnas is a coastal town in Hellas, protected by the sea and by the adjacent
marshes. Delyan (a Bulgarian toparchos) conquered it. After seizing the town, he
sent there the old warrior Litovoy of Devol, experienced in military matters (in
the language of the Bulgarians the strategus is called chelnik) and provided him
with troops for the protection of the fortress ...
If the enemy remains within the fortress and does not come out, and you do not
know what troops he has, take it from me that he is not numerous and that he
lacks strength. Nevertheless, you should not underrate him, and if you have
troops, do not allow him to relax but send light horsemen to find a way through
which troops can sweep over him ... And when you find a road, do not come out
into the open but stay facing him, and send troops to penetrate through the way
you have discovered. Let them have an able man as a guide. When they get in, let
them make a fire, if it is during the night, but, if they get in during the day,
let them make smoke. And watch out! When you see that they are perplexed and
confused, you should pounce on them. It was in this way that, in the gorge of
Zagora, the porphyrogenitus Emperor Lord Basil [2] captured fourteen thousand
Bulgarians, headed by the excellent warrior Samuil.
If you set out to fight against some people or some fortress, first of all,
after you have settled and built a camp, arrange the troops in the camp - each
in his unit. Do not set up your camp very near lest you be observed by them.
After you have settled your troops and have rested, then if you wish, begin the
battle, either against the population or against the fortress. Hear, in fact,
how badly those fared who did not observe this rule. Thessalonica is a town ...
populous ... /Alusianus,[3] setting out/ with a great multitude of Bulgarians,
so as to conquer it, did not put up his tent first, settling his troops in a
suitable place but, as he was proceeding with the supply-column, approached the
town walls and started the assault. His troops were exhausted from fatigue and
the difficulties, because even those who are distinguished by their strength
and soundness of body may become slack and inert when wearied from a long
journey. And since he did not establish them in a camp, as I have mentioned,
they scattered hither and thither, some wanting to drink water, others to give
their horses some rest, and still others - to recover from their fatigue. When
those inside the fortress saw them wandering about in a disorderly manner, they
came out all of a sudden, attacked the Bulgarians and inflicted a great defeat
upon them ...
While my late grandfather Cecaumenus was in Larissa as governor of Hellas, the
Bulgarian ruler Samuil often tried either by war or by stratagem to capture
Larissa but failed, and was repulsed and outwitted by him...
Pliris is a river with a wide valley spreading out on both sides of its banks.
It flows across the land of the Wallachians, dividing it into two. Nikolitsa set
up his camp there, gathered the Wallachians and the Bulgarians who lived nearby,
and thus he collected numerous troops.
Strategicon et Incerti scrtptoris de officiis regiis Libellus,
ed. B.Wassiliewsky - V. Jernstedt,Petropoli, 1896; Journal of the Historico-philological
faculty, Part XXXVIII, pp. 3, 17-18, 28;
Çàïèñêè Èñòîðèêî-ôèëîëîã. Ôàêóëüòåòà Èìïåðàò. Ñ.-ïåòåðáóðãñêîãî óíèâåðñèòåòà,
÷àñòü XXXVIII, ñòð.. 3,17-18, 22, 28, 64-74;
the original is in Greek
1 Byzantine writer. His grandfather on his mother's side was an eminent nobleman
at the court of Samuil. Cecaumenus lived for a long time in the western parts of
Bulgaria and knew Bulgarian well.
2 Basil II, called Killer of Bulgarians (Bulgaroctonus), Byzantine Emperor
(976-1025), who conquered the whole of Bulgaria in 1018.
3 Son of Ivan Vladislav
11th c. Charters granted by the Byzantine Emperor
Basil II (1019, 1020, 1020-1025) to the Bulgarian Church after his conquest of
Bulgaria
First Charter
Many and great are the favours which man-loving God has at different times
conferred upon our Empire and which surpass all number; the greatest of them is
that the Byzantine State has expanded and that the State of the Bulgarians has
passed under one yoke /with it/.
Therefore on account of this we confirm the most pious monk Ioan1 to be
Archbishop of Bulgaria and to direct affairs relating to the archbishopric.
And since he asked for the kleroikoi and paroikoi 2 obliged to work for the
churches of his diocese, as well as for the bishops subordinate to him, to be
determined in writing, we give him the present sigilium of our Majesty by which
we order:
The Archbishop himself shall have, in the towns of his diocese, i.e. in Ohrid,
Prespa, Mokro and in Kichevo, 40 kleroikoi and 30 paroikoi.
Second Charter
Since, following the issue of this sigilium referring to the scope of each
Bulgarian archbishopric, the holiest Archbishop of Bulgaria asked our Majesty to
issue another sigilium concerning his other bishoprics not listed in the first
sigilium and the other bishoprics subordinate to him, because the neighbouring
metropolitans had seized them from the Bulgarian region and had misappropriated
them, and since our Majesty does not allow any one of them or of their people to
make even one step into the boundaries of the Bulgarian region, we therefore
decree that the present most holy Archbishop shall possess and govern all the
Bulgarian bishoprics, as well as all other towns which were under the power of
Tsar Peter and Samuil and were also held by the archbishops of that time.
Because it was not without blood, toil and sweat, but by years long persistence
and with God's help that this country was granted in subordination to us by God,
whose goodness clearly helped us, blending into one the divided parts and
putting under one yoke the boundaries, without in any way infringing the rules
well established by those reigning before us. Because, although we became the
possessor of the land, we still preserved its rights intact, reaffirming them by
our royal decrees and sigilia. We also lay down that the present most holy
Archbishop of Bulgaria shall have a diocese as large as that under Tsar Peter,
and that he shall possess and govern all bishoprics of Bulgaria, i.e. not only
those mentioned in the first sigilium but also those omitted and not indicated
together with the others and which through the present sigilia are announced
and listed by name. To them, as to the others, we present kleroikoi and paroikoi.
We, therefore, decree that the Bishop of Dristra3 shall have in the towns of his
bishopric and in the other towns around it 40 kleroikoi and 40 paroikoi. Because
during the reign of Peter in Bulgaria this /bishopric/ shone with archiepiscopal
dignity and then the archbishops /of it/ moved from one place to another, one to
Triaditsa,4 the other to Voden and Moglena, and after this we found the present
Archbishop in Ohrid. Wherefore /we decree/ that Ohrid itself shall have an
archbishop, while another bishop shall be consecrated for Dristra.
…………..
We decree that the most holy Archbishop of Bulgaria shall possess not only those
bishoprics mentioned by name but, if there be others situated in Bulgarian lands
and not mentioned through oversight, we decree that he shall possess and govern
them as well. Whatever other towns were omitted in the charters of our Majesty,
these shall be possessed by the same Archbishop and he shall collect canonicon
from them all as well as from the Wallachians throughout Bulgaria and from the
Turks around the Vardar insofar as they are within the Bulgarian boundaries.
And all strategi in Bulgaria and the other officials and archons shall hold him
in great respect and listen to his word and precepts, shall not interfere in the
affairs of any Bulgarian monastery, church or any ecclesiastical matter
whatsoever and shall not obstruct either him or his subordinate God-fearing
bishops and shall not hinder them, lest such people draw upon themselves the
great and merciless wrath of our Majesty.
For this reason and for the information of the Emperors after us, we drew up
this sigilium and gave it to the most holy Archbishop, stamping it with the
molybdovoul of our Kingdom in the month of May, indiction 3, year 6528 /1020/.
Yordan Ivanov, Bulgarian antiquities in Macedonia, Sofia, 1931, pp.547-562; cf.
ÃÈÁÈ, VI, pp.40-41, 44-47; the original is in Greek.
Third Charter
The present sigilium of our Majesty5 is given to the most holy Archbishopric of
Bulgaria, so that it may, without let or hindrance, take possession of the
following bishoprics, namely those of Servia, Stag [6] and Berrhoea, because
they, too, lie within the Bulgarian boundaries. With this present sigilium we
attached them to the remaining bishoprics and subordinated them to the
Archbishopric of Bulgaria, and decided to endow them also with kleroikoi and
paroikoi:
to the Bishop of Stag, 12 paroikoi and 12 kleroikoi.
to the Bishop of Berrhoea, 30 paroikoi and 30 kleroikoi.
to the Servian bishopric they were given according to the first sigilium, and
this is not to be interfered with.
Yordan Ivanov, Bulgarian Antiquities in Macedonia, Sofia, 1931, pp. 547-562;
cf. ÃÈÁÈ, VI, pp. 40-41, 44-47; the original is in Greek
1 Bulgarian Patriarch acknowledged by Basil II as “Archbishop of Bulgaria.” He
was probably a Bulgarian from Debur.
2 Kleroikoi and paroikoi were dependent persons.
3 Present-day Silistra.
4 Present-day Sofia.
5 According to Novakovic. Opus cit, p. 62: this charter also dates from 1020;
Yordan Ivanov, Dioceses of the Ohrid Archbishopric, p. 95, places its
publication after this date.
6 Stag or Stayn, present-day Kalabaka, north-east of Trikala in Thessaly.
". . . * And so, while glorifying and giving praise to God they arrived to Bregalnitsa . . . and to the shrine of God was appointed a clergyman, trained in the Bulgarian language, to stay there and to sing the sacred songs all the time"
Theophilacti Bulgariae archiepiscopi Historia martyrii XV martyrum, PGr. CXXVI, col. 208; the original is in Greek
* In the missing text of the work of Theophylactus of Ochrida "The Sufferings of the Martyrs from Tiberlopol" there is a story of how the Bulgarian Tsar Boris I is the IXth c. ordered for a new church to be built in Bregovitsa where the relics of the saints from Stroumitsa were transferred. In the passages submitted here Theophylactus mentions about the transfer of these relics.
". . . When the people (the Avars) withdrew, another people still more lawless and fierce, the so-called Bulgarians, came from the Scythian lands; crossing the river called Istros (Danube), they came as a heavy scourge, sent by God to the western parts. They did not know Christ's name and in their Scythian ignorance worshiped the Sun, the Moon and the stars. There were such as offered sacrifices to the dogs. Their minds were so muddled that they respected the creatures instead of their creator. And since they had conquered the entire Ilyric country, Old Macedonia up to the town of Thessalonica and part of Old Thrace, namely around Boruy*, I say Phillippopolis too, as well as the mountainous localities next to them, they settled as true inhabitants of the lower towns they resettled in the upper, and those of the latter in the lower towns."
Ibidem, col. 189; cf Yordan Ivanov, opus cit., p. 121; the original is in Greek.
*Today's Ber.
(a) from a letter to Anem:*
"By saying that you have thoroughly become a barbarian among the Bulgarians,
you, dearest, say what I dream (in my sleep). Because, think of it, how
much I have drunk from the cup of vulgarity, being so far away from the
countries of wisdom and how much I have drunk from the lack of culture
. . . Since we have been living for a long time in the land of the Bulgarians,
vulgarity has become our close companion and mate."
Gr. CXXVI, Theophylactui epistola XXI ed. Meursio; cf. Letters of Theophylactus of Ochrida, translated by metropolitan Symeon from Greek, Reg. BAS, vol. XXVII, Hist.-Philol. nad Philos.-Polit. Branch, 15, Sofia, 1931, pp. 71-72; the original is in Greek.
*Friend of Theophylactus of Ochrida who among other complaints says that he has to live among the simple Bulgarians.
(b) from a letter to Empress Maria:*
"Since I went from Ochrida to the Queen of Towns**, my holy Lady,
I have come across many sorrows because of my numerous sins. . . . And
so I come to the Bulgarians, I, the true man of Constantinople, a Bulgarian
by miracle, who smells of rot, as they smell of hide."
Ibidem, ep. 1, ed. Lamio; cf. Letters, op. cit., pp. 180-181; the original is in Greek.
*This is the former queen Maria, wife of Nicephorus III Botaneiates (1078-1081)
**I. e. Constantinople
(c) from a letter to the great domesticus:
"There is some difference, however, that I am a slave not of a queen,*
pure and beautiful and of a golden Aphrodite, but of slaves, barbarians,
unclean, smelling of hide . . ."
Ibidem ep. II, ed. Lamio; cf. Letters, op. cit., p. 188; the original is in Greek.
*In the previous text Theophylactus says that according to the mythology Hercules was a serf to to the lovely Lydian queen Omphala
(d) from a letter to the Bishop of Vidin:
"And so do not lose heart, as if you were the only to suffer . . .
Are there Cumans invading your land? What are they, however, in comparison
with the people of Ochrida who come from the city to attack us? . . . Have
you got cunning citizens? They are children in comparison with our citizens
- Bulgarians . . ."
Ibidem, ep. XVI, ed. Finetti; cf. Letters, op. cit., p. 18; the original is in Greek.
(e) from a letter to the royal son-in-law Briennius:*
"Because the clerics paid for the mills twice as much as the laymen,
and for the strugi, as they are called in Bulgarian, which the Hellenes
would call brooklets and facilitate fishing, and for them the kleroikoi
were subjected to much greater damage than the others . . .
Allergedly so as not to put to shame my high order,** from me personally
he collected do much that for mills which have long since been destroyed
he asked the full price and for those in good condition twice as much as
from the Bulgarians."
Ibidem, ep. XLI, ed. Finetti; cf. Letters, op. cit., p. 128; original is in Greek
*Briennius was the husband of Anna Comnena.
**This was the state tax collector pestering Theophylactus.
"4. You probably want to know who these saints are? - Mathodius
who crowned the Pannonian diocese by becoming Archbishop of Moravia, and
Cyril,* who was great in pagan philosophy and still greater in the Christian
one . . .
5. Because the Slav or Bulgarian people did not understand the scripture
in the Greek language, the saints considered this as the greatest loss
and found grounds for their inconsolable sorrow in the fact that the lamp
of the Scripture was not lit in the dark country of the Bulgarians. They
grieved, suffered and renounced life.
6. And so what did they do? They turned to the consoler whose first gifts
are the tongues and the words. They obtained from him the grace and invented
the alphabet that corresponds to the coarseness of the Bulgarian language
and enabled them to translate the Holy Scriptures into the language of
the people. And indeed, by devoting themselves to strict fasting and continuous
prayer to weaken the body and humiliate their soul, they achieved what
they desired . . .
7. . . . After having obtained this desired gift, they invented the Slav
alphabet, translated the God-inspired Scripture from the Greek into the
Bulgarian language and took care to pass on the divine knowledge to the
more talented among their disciples . . .
62. After this, having conferred with the more judicious men of his attendance,
who were all favourably disposed towards Clement as if he were their own
father, . . . , he (Tsar Symeon) appointed him Bishop of Drembitsa or Velika
and so Clement became the First Bishop in the Bulgarian language.
66. . . . He (Clement) made up simple and clear sermons for all holidays,
which do not contain anything profound and wise but are understandable
even for the simplest Bulgarian. It was with them that he nourished the
souls of the plainer Bulgarians . . .
67. . . . In every way he tried to overcome the indifference of the Bulgarians
towards divine matters to get them together, attracted by the beauty of
the buildings (of the shrines) and particularly to soften the cruelty,
harshness and coarseness of their hearts by their coming to know God. .
. ."
Al. Milev, Greek Life Stories of Clement of Ochrida, Sofia, 1966, pp. 79, 81, 129, 133, 135; the original is in Greek.
*Theophylactus refers to the brothers from Salonica, Cyril and Methodius
Remember also your slave Josif [Joseph] and Tihota who wrote this book with the help of our Lord and of the Holy Mother of God Virgin Mary. It was written in the town of Ohrid, in the village called Ravna, in the time of tsar Assen of Bulgaria.*
The Bologna Psalter
* The fact that the authors indicate the time of the compiling of the book with the reign of the Bulgarian tsar although they were subjects of Byzantium testifies to their patriotic feeling.
13th c. The Byzantine writer Theodore
Scutariot calls Ohrid the Archbishopric of Bulgaria
And so the Emperor[1] sent his brother, Prince Ioannis, against the
secessionist.[2] He gave him his army and commanders and ordered him to go forth
until he encountered the army of the secessionist. He acted according to his
orders. And the secessionist, together with his wife and household, had camped
around Castoria.3 Suddenly he heard a cry that the Byzantine forces had crossed
the Voden gorge and were advancing towards them. Therefore, seized by no small
fear, they fled. But it was night and no one could see where he was going, and
many died in the ravines. Thus Theodore Petralipha, brother of the
secessionist's wife, who had mounted a wilder horse, fell in a gulch together
with his horse and perished. And so they fled back to their lands, or to the
Pyrenean Mountains, which divide Old and New Epirus from the Greek land and
ours. And the Prince took advantage of the situation and, since he found that
the land was undefended, he began to attack the fortresses of the country. And
first he went to Ohrid, the Archbishopric of Bulgaria, taking with him the
Archbishop Kavasilia, whom Emperor Theodore had kept in the East, because he was
suspected of being unloyal to the Emperor, for his brothers Ioannis and Theodore
had been with the secessionist Michael.
Bibliotheca Graeca medii aevi, ed. Constant. Sathas. vol. VII, Parisiis, 1894,
pp. 5427-54610 - Cf. ÃÈÁÈ, VØ, pp. 299-300.
1 The Nicaean Emperor Ioannis Vatatzes (R. 1222-1254).
2 The Epirean despot Michael II Angel (1237-1271).
3 Present-day Kostour, a town in Southwestern Macedonia.
13th c The Byzantine historian Georgius Acropolita1
writes in his history that the greater part of the Empire's western regions are
populated by Bulgarians
.
The reason for his2 hastening his departure from Nicaea was as
follows. When the Bulgarian ruler Mihail,3 who was the brother of Emperor
Theodore's wife and the son of his father-in-law, Ivan Assen, by Theodore
Angel's daughter, learned of the death of Emperor Ioannis, because he knew that
the western lands had been laid bare by the Byzantine troops, he desired to
return to the Bulgarian state the land which Emperor Ioannis had taken from the
Bulgarians, together with the towns in it. This had long been a source of sorrow
to the Bulgarians. Finding, as he believed, the moment suitable, he descended
from Haemus4 and, crossing the Hebrus,5 he rapidly conquered vast lands and
easily annexed many towns. The populace, who were Bulgarians, went over to their
compatriots and shook off the foreign yoke. And the fortresses, left only with a
Byzantine guard that was inadequate to offer resistance under the
circumstances, were easily accessible to the Bulgarians. Some panicked from
fear and gave up the fortresses in exchange for freedom to go home, others took
flight and left them unprotected because of the sudden attack, because they
could not immediately think of anything useful to do, and still others were,
naturally, tired of the long service, since they had been ordered to keep guard
for too long a time. And most of the fortresses were unfinished and
insufficiently armed. Stanimaka, Peroushtitsa, Krichim and Tsepena were
immediately captured, together with everything in the Ahrid region except Mniak,
which alone remained in Byzantine hands. Ustra, Perperek, Krivus and the
Adrianople Plain called Ephraim also fell to the Bulgarians. After this turn of
events and after the Byzantine State also found itself in difficulties in the
West, a rumour /about this/ reached the Emperor's ears, informing him that evils
even greater than the present ones were expected. Then the people in the palace
became exceedingly anxious, for it was known that the greater part of the
western regions were populated by Bulgarians, who had long ago split away from
the Byzantines and were, until recently, subjugated to Emperor Ioannis, but they
had not been thoroughly subdued and they always harboured a great hatred for the
Byzantines.
Georgii Acropolitae Opera, rec. A. Heisenberg, I-II, Lipsiae 1903, PP-107-109;
cp. ÃÈÁÈ, VIII, pp. 183 184; the original is in Greek
1Georgius Acropolita occupied high posts at the Emperor's Court. As a military
commander and a participant in the events, he was familiar with the population
in the Empire's western regions .
2 The Nicean Emperor Theodore II Lascaris (R. 1254^1258) arrived in the Balkan
Peninsula iron Asia Minor in order to stop the advance of Bulgarian Tsar Mihail
II Assen towards the south and southeast.
3 The Bulgarian ruler Mihail II Assen (R. 1246-1257).
4 The Balkan Range.
5 The river Maritsa .
13th c. The Byzantine author Georghis Acropolita
calls Demetrius Chomatianus the Archbishop of the Bulgarians
21. And Theodore Comnenus,1 whom we mentioned a little while ago, was
not content with his position and assumed royal dignity. After he had become
lord of Salonica and had subjugated much of the Byzantine land which had been
seized by the Italians,2 as well as much of that which had been conquered by
the Bulgarians, he dressed himself in purple and put on red shoes. This move was
most rigorously opposed by the Archbishop of Salonica, Constantino Mesopotamit,
who, because he upheld canon law, exposed himself to many calamities and exile.
The Bulgarian Archbishop Demetrius,3 however, crowned him with the royal diadem,
saying that he was independent and accountable to none, and that he therefore
had the right to anoint kings whomsoever, wheresoever and whensoever he wished.
Georgii Acropolitae Opera, rec. A. Heisenberg, I-II, Lipsiae 1903; ÃÈÁÈ, VIII,
p. 158; the original is in Greek
1 Theodore Angel Duka Comnenus, Byzantine despot of Epirus (R. 1215-1224) and
Emperor of Salonica (R. 1224-1230).
2 i.e. the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade.
3 Demetrius Chomatianus, Archbishop of Ohrid at the beginning of the 13th
century (1216-1235).
We were in foreign places and among people who did not know our language. Most of the old inhabitants here are of the Moesians*, that are our neighbours; their customs have mixed with the customs of the people of our tribe. But when later they greeted us in their own tongue good-naturedly and smiling, we cheered up and relaxed and we did not see anything wrong with them.
Nic. Gregorae, Historia Byzantina, ed. Bonn., pp. 375-379
*The Byzantine authors of the periob refer to the Bulgarians as "Moesians" after the name of a tribe that inhabited the Danube plain in antiquity.