Nikulitsa ( bg, Никулица) was a Bulgarian noble from Larissa and governor of Servia during the reign of

Samuil Samuel (also Samuil; bg, Самуил, ; mk, Самоил/Самуил, ; Old Church Slavonic: Самоилъ; died October 6, 1014) was the Tsar (''Emperor'') of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014. From 977 to 997, he was ...

(r. 997–1014)..

Biography

Nikulitsa received his name ("little Nicholas") because of his short height. In 1001, the Byzantines led by

Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος ;) and, most often, the Purple-born ( gr, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, translit=ho porphyrogennetos).. 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar S ...

(r. 976–1025) besieged the city and after a long siege they managed to break through despite the garrison's desperate defence. To secure the fortress, the entire Bulgarian population was deported in the area called

Boleron Boleron ( el, Βολερόν) was the name of a region and a Byzantine province in southwestern Thrace during the Middle Ages. The region is first mentioned in the mid-9th century ''Life of Saint Gregory of Dekapolis'', and designated the area e ...

between the rivers Nestos and Hebros (

Maritsa Maritsa or Maritza ( bg, Марица ), also known as Meriç ( tr, Meriç ) and Evros ( ell, Έβρος ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of ,Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

and given the title ''

patrikios The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned aft ...

''. Soon, however, he fled Constantinople and rejoined Samuil's forces, who were trying to take back Servia. Basil II reacted quickly, heading to the town with an army and repulsing the Bulgarians. Samuil and Nikulitsa retreated but soon after the latter was ambushed and captured again. He was taken back to the Byzantine capital where he was imprisoned. He managed to escape once more and continued to fight. Nikulitsa was among the few nobles who continued the resistance in the mountainous areas of the country after the death of Emperor

Ivan Vladislav Ivan Vladislav ( cu, Їѡаннъ Владиславъ; bg, Иван/Йоан Владислав; died February 1018) ruled as emperor (tsar) of the First Bulgarian Empire from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is ...

in 1018. After his troops were surrounded by a Byzantine army, he understood that further resistance was pointless and surrendered to Basil II with the rest of his troops. Basil II sent him in

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

under arrest. Nikulitsa's grandson, Nikoulitzas Delphinas, led an unsuccessful

Vlach "Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...

rebellion in

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, The ...

in 1066.

References

Sources

* {{refend Medieval Bulgarian nobility 10th-century births 11th-century deaths 10th-century Bulgarian people 11th-century Bulgarian people Patricii Bulgarian people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars Medieval Bulgarian military personnel Military personnel from Larissa Prisoners of war held by the Byzantine Empire