Tsar Samoil and the Archbishopric of Ohrid in Macedonia

[Soldier of Macedon]

Here is the Zaimov creation and its English translation.

† Въ лѣто Ѕ ҃Ф ҃К ҃Г ҃ отъ створенїа мира обнови сѧ съ градь зидаемъ и дѣлаемъ Їѡаном самодрьжъцемъ блъгарьскомь и помощїѫ и молїтвамї прѣс ҃тыѧ влад ҃чицѧ нашеѧ Б ҃чѧ ї въз()стѫпенїе І ҃В ҃ i връховънюю ап ҃лъ съ же градь дѣлань бысть на ѹбѣжище и на сп҃сенѥ ї на жизнь бльгаромъ начѧть же бысть градь сь Битола м ҃ца окто ҃вра въ К ҃. Конъчѣ же сѧ м ҃ца ... исходѧща съ самодрьжъць быстъ бльгарїнь родомь ѹнѹкъ Николы же ї Риѱимиѧ благовѣрьнѹ сынь Арона Самоила же брата сѫща ц ҃рѣ самодрьжавьнаго ꙗже i разбїсте въ Щїпонѣ грьчьскѫ воїскѫ ц ҃рѣ Васїлїа кде же взѧто бы злато ... фоѧ съжев ... ц҃рь разбїенъ бы ц҃рѣмь Васїлїемь Ѕ ҃Ф ҃К ҃В ҃ г. лтѣ оть створенїѧ мира ... їѹ съп() лѣтѹ семѹ и сходѧщѹ

In the year 6523 since the creation of the world [1015/1016? CE], this fortress, built and made by Ivan, Tsar of Bulgaria, was renewed with the help and the prayers of Our Most Holy Lady and through the intercession of her twelve supreme Apostles. The fortress was built as a haven and for the salvation of the lives of the Bulgarians. The work on the fortress of Bitola commenced on the twentieth day of October and ended on the [...] This Tsar was Bulgarian by birth, grandson of the pious Nikola and Ripsimia, son of Aaron, who was brother of Samuil, Tsar of Bulgaria, the two who routed the Greek army of Emperor Basil II at Stipon where gold was taken [...] and in [...] this Tsar was defeated by Emperor Basil in 6522 (1014) since the creation of the world in Klyutch and died at the end of the summer.

Here is the actual legible transcription.



Despite the fact that parts of the inscription are either missing or illegible, Moshin rushed to judgement and made a baseless argument by linking it directly to Ivan Vladislav. This encouraged some Bulgar and his wife to go to Bitola on a supposedly clandestine mission to take photographs of the inscription and fabricate information which does not exist on the stone itself, such as the exact dates, the names of Basil and Samuel (along with the names of his parents, Nikola and Ripsimia) and details about some battles in Štip and Kluč. From 1970, these fabrications have been accepted as the truth in Bulgaria. More rational assessments point to palaeography and the writing style which correspond to a later period, and rightly assert that the inscription is to be dated to the 13th century, when there were actual Bulgar rulers named Ivan (Kaloyan and Asen). The insistence of modern Bulgar scholars is based on the legible reference to “John autocrat” at the beginning and “son of Aaron” much further on in the inscription. They claim that “John” was Ivan Vladislav, who was the son of Aaron, the supposed brother of Samuel, hence the conjecture for the missing part of the inscription. That is all they have.

Yet, history records that Samuel killed Aaron and his whole family. At the behest of Gavril Radomir (Samuel’s own son), Ivan Vladislav was spared. Gavril Radomir would himself be murdered by Ivan Vladislav years later. Samuel also commissioned an inscription at the tombstone of his parents. There, he mentions only their names and that of one brother, David. There is no mention of Aaron or his other supposed brother, Moses. Thus, there was little motivation for Ivan Vladislav to highlight that Samuel was the supposed brother of his father and glorify his past exploits. Taking Lunt et al. into account, it is more than likely that this inscription was created long after the period of Samuel's reign. Whether the John and Aaron mentioned in the inscription were from the time of Samuel or a later period, or if they were even connected to each other relative to the narrative in the inscription, is inconclusive. Perhaps it was an attempt by some Bulgar ruler to draw upon the legacy of Ivan Vladislav or perhaps it had nothing to do with him at all.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Originally Posted by Soldier of Macedon

Here is the Zaimov creation and its English translation.

Here is the actual legible transcription.



Despite the fact that parts of the inscription are either missing or illegible, Moshin rushed to judgement and made a baseless argument by linking it directly to Ivan Vladislav. This encouraged some Bulgar and his wife to go to Bitola on a supposedly clandestine mission to take photographs of the inscription and fabricate information which does not exist on the stone itself, such as the exact dates, the names of Basil and Samuel (along with the names of his parents, Nikola and Ripsimia) and details about some battles in Štip and Kluč. From 1970, these fabrications have been accepted as the truth in Bulgaria. More rational assessments point to palaeography and the writing style which correspond to a later period, and rightly assert that the inscription is to be dated to the 13th century, when there were actual Bulgar rulers named Ivan (Kaloyan and Asen). The insistence of modern Bulgar scholars is based on the legible reference to “John autocrat” at the beginning and “son of Aaron” much further on in the inscription. They claim that “John” was Ivan Vladislav, who was the son of Aaron, the supposed brother of Samuel, hence the conjecture for the missing part of the inscription. That is all they have.

Yet, history records that Samuel killed Aaron and his whole family. At the behest of Gavril Radomir (Samuel’s own son), Ivan Vladislav was spared. Gavril Radomir would himself be murdered by Ivan Vladislav years later. Samuel also commissioned an inscription at the tombstone of his parents. There, he mentions only their names and that of one brother, David. There is no mention of Aaron or his other supposed brother, Moses. Thus, there was little motivation for Ivan Vladislav to highlight that Samuel was the supposed brother of his father and glorify his past exploits. Taking Lunt et al. into account, it is more than likely that this inscription was created long after the period of Samuel's reign. Whether the John and Aaron mentioned in the inscription were from the time of Samuel or a later period, or if they were even connected to each other relative to the narrative in the inscription, is inconclusive. Perhaps it was an attempt by some Bulgar ruler to draw upon the legacy of Ivan Vladislav or perhaps it had nothing to do with him at all.

Note also that the inscription comissioned by Samuil utilises a writing style that differs from the inscriptions in the Bitola tablet.