Tihomir ( bg, Тихомир; gr, Τειχομηρὁς, Teichomeros) was an 11th-century Bulgarian military commander of Dyrrhachium, who had been sent to tackle an uprising in the north headed by the

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 ...

noble

Peter Delyan Petar II Delyan (reigned 1040–1041) ( bg, Петър II Делян, Greek: Πέτρος Δελεάνος) was the leader of an uprising against Byzantine rule in the Theme of Bulgaria during the summer of 1040. He was proclaimed Tsar of Bulgari ...

. He defected and joined him, but later came into conflict with Delyan because he had his own claim to the throne.

Background

In 1040, Peter Delyan revolted against the Byzantine rule in the

Theme of Bulgaria The Theme of Bulgaria () was a province of the Byzantine Empire established by Emperor Basil II after the conquest of Bulgaria in 1018. Its capital was Scupi (or Skoupoi) and it was governed by a strategos. The local inhabitants were ''Bulgaria ...

. The

Uprising 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 ...

first broke out in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

where Delyan was proclaimed Emperor. He went south, going through Rascia and

Dendra Dendra ( el, Δενδρά) is a prehistoric archaeological site situated outside the village with the same name belonging to the municipality of Midea in the Argolid, Greece. The site has a history stretching back at least to the early Bronze A ...

, then taking the Byzantine fortresses of Naissus and

Skopie Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

. The

strategos ''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek language, Greek to ...

Basil Synadenus of Dyrrhachium raised an army from the surrounding lands and marched out to confront the rebels, but his position was undermined by one of his own subordinates, Michael Dermocaites, who complained falsely to the Emperor about Basil's disorderly behaviour and had him arrested. Dermocaites took over the troops, but quickly lost support because they wanted to choose one of their own, Tihomir.

The revolt

The troops of Tihomir were to be sent towards the north,

and Margum, where they would attack Delyan. Tihomir instead joined him.''Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204'', p. 130
/ref> Tihomir was also proclaimed emperor separate from Delyan, who knew that the existence of two separate rebel leaders and camps would be problematic for the revolt and invited Tihomir to a meeting. During this meeting a debate was held between them and Delyan made the more convincing speech, stating that an army with two leaders will inevitably fail in their common goal. He stated that the Bulgarians should chose only one leader and that since he was the son of

Gavril Radomir Gavril Radomir ( bg, Гаврил Радомир; el, Γαβριὴλ Ρωμανός, Gavriil Romanos; anglicized as "Gabriel Radomir"; died 1015) was the emperor (tsar) of the First Bulgarian Empire from October 1014 to August or September 101 ...

and descendant of the heroic Emperor

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 a ...

, they should proclaim him as sole leader and emperor. As a result of losing this debate, Tihomir was deposed and killed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tihomir 1040 deaths 11th-century Bulgarian people Medieval Bulgarian nobility Bulgarian people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars Medieval Bulgarian military personnel People from Durrës Year of birth unknown Uprising of Peter Delyan

Background

The revolt

See also

References