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

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

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 ...

(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.

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

Life

Possible grave

See also

Footnotes

References

Sources