Presian, sometimes referred to as Presian II ( bg, Пресиян II; el, Προυσιάνος, Prousianos) was probably the oldest son of the last tsar of the
First Bulgarian Empire,
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 ...
(), who after the
Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria
From ca. 970 until 1018, a series of conflicts between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire led to the gradual reconquest of Bulgaria by the Byzantines, who thus re-established their control over the entire Balkan peninsula for the firs ...
entered Byzantine service, until his involvement in a conspiracy to usurp the throne in . He was
blinded and
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...
d, after which he disappears from the historical record. It is possible, however, that in later life he emigrated to
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
, as a tombstone of a certain "Prince Presian" has been found, in what is now
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, giving his date of death as 1060/61.
Life
He was probably the oldest son of
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 ...
and
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
. He had five younger brothers as well as six sisters. After the death of Ivan Vladislav in February 1018, Bulgarian resistance to the
Byzantine emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...
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 ...
() collapsed, and Presian with two of brothers,
Alusian and
Aaron, fled to
Mount Tmoros in
Tomornitsa. The mountain was surrounded by Basil with guards, until the three brothers surrendered after receiving guarantees for their safety. Prusian received the high title of ''
magistros
The ''magister officiorum'' (Latin literally for "Master of Offices", in gr, μάγιστρος τῶν ὀφφικίων, magistros tōn offikiōn) was one of the most senior administrative officials in the Later Roman Empire and the early cent ...
'' (by which it is surmised that he was the eldest and his father's heir-apparent), while Alusian and Aaron received the title of ''
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 ...
''. Their mother, along with the rest of their siblings, had made terms and surrendered to Basil II at
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
.
At about the same time, he also married into the Byzantine aristocracy himself, wedding the daughter of Romanos Kourkouas.
Under
Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII Porphyrogenitus ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Πορφυρογέννητος, ''Kōnstantinos Porphyrogénnetos''; 960 – 11/12 November 1028) was ''de jure'' Byzantine emperor from 962 until his death. He was the youn ...
(), Presian served as governor (''
strategos'') of the
Bucellarian Theme
The Bucellarian Theme ( el, Βουκελλάριον θέμα, ''Boukellarion thema''), more properly known as the Theme of the Bucellarians ( el, θέμα Βουκελλαρίων, ''thema Boukellariōn'') was a Byzantine theme (a military-civil ...
. During his tenure he quarrelled with
Basil Skleros, to the extent that both men exchanged blows. Emperor Constantine then banished both men to the
Princes' Islands
The Princes' Islands ( tr, Prens Adaları; the word "princes" is plural, because the name means "Islands of the Princes", el, Πριγκηπονήσια, ''Pringiponisia''), officially just Adalar ( en, Islands); alternatively the Princes' Arch ...
: one of them to the island of
Plate
Plate may refer to:
Cooking
* Plate (dishware), a broad, mainly flat vessel commonly used to serve food
* Plates, tableware, dishes or dishware used for setting a table, serving food and dining
* Plate, the content of such a plate (for example: ...
, the other to
Oxeia
Oxeia ( el, Οξεία) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. , it had no resident population. It is the chief island in the southern group (the Ouniades) of the Echinades, part of the Ionian Islands. Oxeia possesses the highest point in the E ...
. Skleros was accused of planning to flee, and was
blinded as a result; according to
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes, la, Johannes, label=none, la, Iōannēs, label=none Scylitzes ( el, Ἰωάννης Σκυλίτζης, ''Iōánnēs Skylítzēs'', or el, Σκυλίτση, ''Skylítsē'', label=none ; la, ...
, Presian narrowly escaped the same fate himself, but was released instead.
Under
Romanos III Argyros
Romanos III Argyros ( el, Ρωμανός Αργυρός; Latinized Romanus III Argyrus; 968 – 11 April 1034), or Argyropoulos was Byzantine Emperor from 1028 until his death. He was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople whe ...
(), Presian was accused of plotting, along with Constantine VIII's daughter
Theodora
Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift".
Theodora may also refer to:
Historical figures known as Theodora
Byzantine empresses
* Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church
* Theodora o ...
, to overthrow the Emperor. He was banished to the
Monastery of Manuel
The Kefeli Mosque ( tr, Kefeli Câmîi, meaning "the mosque of the Caffariotes", after the inhabitants of the city of Caffa in Crimea, or also ''Kefeli Mescidi'', where ''Mescit'' is the Turkish word for a small mosque) is a former Eastern Orthod ...
, and after the charges against him were proved to be true, he was blinded, and his mother, who had received the high title of ''
zoste patrikia ''Zōstē patrikía'' ( gr, ζωστὴ πατρικία) was a Byzantine court title reserved exclusively for the woman who was the chief attendant and assistant to the Empress. A very high title, its holder ranked as the first woman after the Emp ...
'', expelled from
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 ( ...
. In 1030/31 he was
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...
d as a monk.
Possible grave
His subsequent fate is unknown, but the gravestone of a certain "Prince Presian" found in
Michalovce
Michalovce (; hu, Nagymihály, german: Großmichel, Romani: ''Mihalya'', Yiddish: ''Mikhaylovets'' or ''Mykhaylovyts''; uk, Михайлівці) is a town on the Laborec river in eastern Slovakia. Originally named after the Archangel St Micha ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
(then part of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
), may indicate that he could have emigrated to Hungary, where he died in 6569
AM (1060/61 CE). The gravestone gives his date of birth as 6505 AM (996/97 CE). The identification of "Prince Presian" with the son of Ivan Vladislav is disputed, however.
[, with literature.]
See also
*
Presian I of Bulgaria
Footnotes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Presian
990s births
1060s deaths
11th-century Bulgarian people
11th-century Byzantine people
11th-century Byzantine monks
Basil II
Bulgarian people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars
Bulgarian princes
Burials in Slovakia
Governors of the Bucellarian Theme
Byzantine people of Bulgarian descent
Byzantine prisoners and detainees
Aaronios family
Magistroi
Prisoners and detainees of the Byzantine Empire
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death uncertain
Sons of emperors