Presian II of Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
Presian II (or also Prusian) was emperor (tsar
) of Bulgaria for a short time in 1018. The year of his birth may have been 996/997; he may have died in exile in 1060/1061. Presian II was clearly the legitimate and unchallenged claimant to the crown of Bulgaria in 1018 and he was in charge of the resistance to Byzantine conquest, but his ephemeral and constrained rule has resulted in his omission from most lists of Bulgarian monarchs.
Presian II was the eldest son of Emperor Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria
and his wife Maria
. After the death of Ivan Vladislav at the siege of Drach in February 1018, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II
invaded Bulgaria
and quickly obtained the submission of much of the nobility, including the widowed Empress Mariya and the Bulgarian Patriarch.
Although the capital Ohrid
also surrendered, some of the nobility and the army rallied around Presian II as his father's successor. Presian II and his brothers Aron and Alusian
headed a determined opposition to the Byzantine conquest in and around the Albania
n mountain Tomorr
during a Byzantine blockade of long duration in 1018. Eventually Presian II and his brothers were forced to surrender, and were integrated into the court nobility in Constantinople
. There Presian was granted the high court title of magistros, like the previous ruler of Bulgaria to be deposed by the Byzantines, Boris II
.
About a decade later, in the late 1020s, Presian became involved in the conspiracy of his sister's husband, Romanos Kourkouas, against Emperor Constantine VIII
. Returning from exile after the accession of Romanos III Argyros in 1029, Presian was once again implicated in a plot, together with his mother Maria
. This time Presian was planning to marry Theodora
, a daughter of Constantine VIII, and to usurp the throne. The plot was discovered, and Presian was blinded
and tonsure
d as monk in 1030. His subsequent fate is unknown, but the gravestone of a certain "Prince Presian" found in Michalovce
, Slovakia
(then part of Hungarian kingdom) may indicate that he emigrated to Hungarian Kingdom and died there in 1060/1061.
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
) of Bulgaria for a short time in 1018. The year of his birth may have been 996/997; he may have died in exile in 1060/1061. Presian II was clearly the legitimate and unchallenged claimant to the crown of Bulgaria in 1018 and he was in charge of the resistance to Byzantine conquest, but his ephemeral and constrained rule has resulted in his omission from most lists of Bulgarian monarchs.
Presian II was the eldest son of Emperor Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria
Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria
Ivan Vladislav ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown, but he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that....
and his wife Maria
Maria, wife of Ivan Vladislav
Maria was the wife of tsar Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria. She was the last empress-consort of the First Bulgarian Empire.Her antecedents are unknown. It is believed that Maria was married to Ivan Vladislav in the late 10th century. Her husband was the son of Aron, who was the brother of Emperor...
. After the death of Ivan Vladislav at the siege of Drach in February 1018, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
invaded Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and quickly obtained the submission of much of the nobility, including the widowed Empress Mariya and the Bulgarian Patriarch.
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
also surrendered, some of the nobility and the army rallied around Presian II as his father's successor. Presian II and his brothers Aron and Alusian
Alusian of Bulgaria
Alusian was a Bulgarian and Byzantine noble who ruled as emperor of Bulgaria for a short time in 1041.-Life:Alusian was the second son of Emperor Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria by his wife Maria...
headed a determined opposition to the Byzantine conquest in and around the Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n mountain Tomorr
Tomorr
Mount Tomorr is a large mountain in southern Albania. Its highest peak, called Çuka e Partizanit, reaches a height of . It is located east of the towns of Berat and Poliçan and the river Osum not far from the Canyon of Osum river....
during a Byzantine blockade of long duration in 1018. Eventually Presian II and his brothers were forced to surrender, and were integrated into the court nobility in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. There Presian was granted the high court title of magistros, like the previous ruler of Bulgaria to be deposed by the Byzantines, Boris II
Boris II of Bulgaria
Boris II was emperor of Bulgaria from 969 to 977 .-Reign:Boris II was the eldest surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria and Maria Lakapena, a granddaughter of Emperor Romanos I Lakapenos of Byzantium...
.
About a decade later, in the late 1020s, Presian became involved in the conspiracy of his sister's husband, Romanos Kourkouas, against Emperor Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII was reigning Byzantine emperor from December 15, 1025 until his death. He was the son of the Emperor Romanos II and Theophano, and the younger brother of the eminent Basil II, who died childless and thus left the rule of the Byzantine Empire in his hands.-Family:As...
. Returning from exile after the accession of Romanos III Argyros in 1029, Presian was once again implicated in a plot, together with his mother Maria
Maria, wife of Ivan Vladislav
Maria was the wife of tsar Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria. She was the last empress-consort of the First Bulgarian Empire.Her antecedents are unknown. It is believed that Maria was married to Ivan Vladislav in the late 10th century. Her husband was the son of Aron, who was the brother of Emperor...
. This time Presian was planning to marry Theodora
Theodora (11th century)
Theodora was a Byzantine Empress. Born into the Macedonian dynasty that had ruled the Byzantine Empire for almost two hundred years, she was co-empress with her sister Zoe for two months in 1042 and sole empress from 11 January 1055 to after 31 August 1056...
, a daughter of Constantine VIII, and to usurp the throne. The plot was discovered, and Presian was blinded
Political mutilation in Byzantine culture
Mutilation in the Byzantine Empire was a common method of punishment for criminals of the era but it also had a role in the Empire's political life. The mutilation of political rivals by the Emperor was deemed an effective way of sidelining from the line of succession a person who was seen as a...
and tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
d as monk in 1030. His subsequent fate is unknown, but the gravestone of a certain "Prince Presian" found in Michalovce
Michalovce
Michalovce is a town on the Laborec river in eastern Slovakia, with a population around 40,000. It is the biggest town of the Michalovce District in the Košice Region.-Geography:...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
(then part of Hungarian kingdom) may indicate that he emigrated to Hungarian Kingdom and died there in 1060/1061.