Paristrion ( el, Παρίστριον, lit=beside the
Ister Ister, The Ister, or Der Ister may refer to:
*The Danube river, known as the Ister in Ancient Greek (Ἴστρος) and Thracian
*The Dniester river, known as the Ister in Thracian
*"Der Ister", a poem by Friedrich Hölderlin
**''Hölderlin's Hymn " ...
), or Paradounabon/Paradounabis (), which is preferred in official documents, was a
Byzantine province Subdivisions of the Byzantine Empire were administrative units of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire (330–1453). The Empire had a developed administrative system, which can be divided into three major periods: the late Roman/early Byzantine, w ...
covering the southern bank of the Lower
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
(
Moesia Inferior
Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; el, Μοισία, Moisía) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River, which included most of the territory of modern eastern Serbia, Kosovo, north-eastern Alban ...
) in the 11th and 12th centuries.
[.]
Although
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
authors use the term to describe the lands along the Danube in general, the province of Paristrion seems to have comprised mostly modern
Dobruja
Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...
. It is not certain exactly when the province was established: the
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
scholar Nicolae Bănescu considered that it was established immediately after the end of the
Rus'–Byzantine War of 970–971, while others, such as
Vasil Zlatarski
Vasil Nikolov Zlatarski ( bg, Васил Николов Златарски; – 15 December 1935) was a Bulgarian historian-medievalist, archaeologist, and epigraphist.
Life
Vasil Zlatarski was born in Veliko Tarnovo in 1866, the youngest c ...
, thought it a later, mid-11th century creation.
It was governed by a ''
katepano
The ''katepánō'' ( el, κατεπάνω, lit. "he oneplaced at the top", or " the topmost") was a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as ''capetanus/catepan'', and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the ...
'' or a ''
doux'', and was probably based at Dorostolon (modern
Silistra
Silistra ( bg, Силистра ; tr, Silistre; ro, Silistra) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Sil ...
), where a Byzantine ''
strategia'' ("generalcy") is indeed attested in the 970s.
[.] In the aftermath of his victory over the Rus', Emperor
John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes (; 925 – 10 January 976) was the senior Byzantine emperor from 969 to 976. An intuitive and successful general, he strengthened the Empire and expanded its borders during his short reign.
Background
John I Tzimiskes ...
(r. 969–976) appointed general
Leo Sarakenopoulos as commander over north-eastern
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, based at
Pereyaslavets
Pereyaslavets ( East Slavic: ) or Preslavets ( bg, Преславец) was a trade city located near mouths of the Danube. The city's name is derived from that of the Bulgarian capital of the time, Preslav, and means Little Preslav (). In Greek ...
/Ioannopolis. Sarakenopoulos and his subordinates engaged in major
fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
activities in the region of the Dobruja over the next few years, where abandoned Roman-era
forts
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
were rebuilt and re-occupied.
The region however fell back under
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
control under the
Cometopuli
The Kometopuli dynasty (Bulgarian: ,
Bulgarian; ; Byzantine Greek: , ) was the last royal dynasty in the First Bulgarian Empire, ruling from ca. 976 until the fall of Bulgaria under Byzantine rule in 1018. The most notable member of the dynasty ...
brothers in 986 and was held until c. 1001, when Byzantine control was re-established. Bănescu, however, considered that
Dorostolon at least remained in Byzantine hands throughout.
From the 1030s on, the region faced the continuous raids of the
Pechenegs
The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პა ...
. The population was withdrawn to a few large fortified centres, and the Pechenegs were allowed to settle in the province as allies and colonists (termed ''
mixobarbaroi ''Mixobarbaroi'' ( el, μιξοβάρβαροι, la, semibarbari, "semi-/mixed/half barbarians") was an ethnographical term first used in Classical Greece by authors to denote people who lived in the frontiers of the ''oikoumene'', and had qualiti ...
'' by contemporary authors) and kept pacified through subsidies and through a vibrant
trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...
. It was not until the early 1070s that the Pechenegs launched an open
rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
, and posed a constant threat to the Byzantine Empire's
Balkan
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
provinces until decisively defeated at the
Battle of Levounion
The Battle of Levounion was the first decisive Byzantine victory of the Komnenian restoration. On April 29, 1091, an invading force of Pechenegs was crushed by the combined forces of the Byzantine Empire under Alexios I Komnenos and his Cuman a ...
in 1091. Despite occasional
Cuman
The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian language, Russian Exonym and endonym, exonym ), were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confede ...
raids thereafter, the Paristrion remained largely peaceful and prosperous in the 12th century.
[cf. .] The province seems to have been disbanded by the late 12th century.
Rulers
-
Basil Apokapes
Basil Apokapes (or Apocapes) (b 924-977) ( el, ) was a Byzantine general of the 11th century.
A descendant of the Apokapai family, an Armeno- Georgian noble clan, he was the son of the patrician Michael Apokapes or Abu K’ab, who had once ser ...
- 1056-1064
-Nestor 1074-1078( in rebellion)
References
Sources
*
*
*
{{refend
Provinces of the Byzantine Empire
Medieval Dobruja
11th century in Bulgaria
12th century in Bulgaria
Themes of the Byzantine Empire