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| Petar Delyan | |
|---|---|
| Tsar of Bulgaria | |
 | |
| Reign | 1040–1041 |
| Predecessor | Presian II |
| Successor | Constantine Bodin |
| Died | 1041 (1042) |
| House | Comitopuli |
| Father | Gavril Radomir |
| Mother | Marguerite of Hungary |
Petar Delyan (reigned 1040–1041) (Bulgarian:Петър Делян;Greek: Πέτρος Δελεάνος), sometimes enumerated asPetar II,[1][2] (Петър II) was the leader of a majorBulgarian uprising against Byzantine rule in theTheme of Bulgaria during the summer of 1040. He was proclaimedTsar of Bulgaria, asSamuel's grandson inBelgrade, then in thetheme of Bulgaria. His original name may have been simplyDelyan, in which case he assumed the name Petar II upon accession, commemorating the sainted EmperorPetar I (Petăr I), who had died in 970. The exact year of his birth cannot be ascertained with certainty, but it is believed to have taken place during the early 11th century, likely between 1000 and 1014. Similarly, the year of his death is estimated to be 1041.
His origin is not clear. He claimed that he was son of EmperorGavril Radomir and grandson ofSamuel of Bulgaria, but he could also be a local who became leader of the uprising and claimed to be Samuel's grandson to justify his proclamation asTsar of Bulgaria.[3]
Those who believe he actually was Radomir's son, think that he was born from Radomir's marriage with Marguerite, sister of KingStephen I of Hungary (996/997). Petar's mother was expelled while pregnant from Samuel's court before the accession of Gavril Radomir, but given Delyan's subsequent career, it is likely that he had been born and remained in Bulgaria with his father.[4]
AfterIvan Vladislav's murder of Gavril Radomir in 1015 and the conquest ofBulgaria by theByzantine Empire in 1018, Delyan was taken captive toConstantinople and became a servant of an unidentified member of the Byzantine aristocracy. He later escaped and went to his mother's country ofHungary, whence he returned to Bulgaria and raised a revolt against the Byzantine rule, taking advantage of the discontent over the imposition of taxes in coin by the Byzantine government.
Those who oppose the theory that he was Samuel's grandson and believe he was merely a local Bulgarian claim that he was proclaimed astsar inBelgrade not because it was the first border town between theByzantine Empire andHungary that he reached when he joined them as a prince of royal blood, but merely because it was the first important town that the rebels captured.
They also claim that it is highly unlikely that Ivan Vladislav, who in 1015 murdered his cousin Gavril Radomir (Delyan's supposed father) and his then wife Maria to seize the throne, would not kill Radomir's son and heirs, if he had them, in order to secure himself. It is known that Ivan Vladislav also ordered the execution of the Serbian prince ofDuklja,Jovan Vladimir, who was Samuel's son-in-law (married to his daughterTheodora Kosara), because Vladimir was a threat to his position as Bulgarian tsar.
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Petar Delyan was a leader[5] of an uprising that broke out in the summer of 1040 in theTheme of Bulgaria against theByzantine Empire. There were two main causes:
The uprising spread and rebels very quickly took control over the northern part ofPomoravlje and liberated Belgrade. Delyan was proclaimed emperor (Tsar) ofBulgaria there and took the namePetar II after being raised atop a shield by leaders of the resistance. He had been proclaimed legitimate as the grandson of Samuel.[6] He perhaps enjoyed some support from theKingdom of Hungary.
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Petar II Delyan tookNiš andSkopje, first co-opting and then eliminating another potential leader in the person of oneTihomir, who had led a rebellion in theregion of Dyrrhachium. After this Petar II (or Petar) marched onThessalonica, where the Byzantine EmperorMichael IV was staying.Defeated, he fled, leaving his treasury to a certain Michael Ivač. The latter, who was probably a son ofIvač, a general underSamuel of Bulgaria, promptly turned over the bulk of the treasury to Petar outside the city. Thessalonica remained in Byzantine hands, butMacedonia, Dyrrachium, and other parts of northernGreece were taken by Petar II's forces. This inspired further Slavic revolts against Byzantine rule inEpirus andAlbania.
Petar II Delyan's successes ended, however, with the interference of his cousinAlusian. Alusian, whose fatherIvan Vladislav had murdered Petar's fatherGavril Radomir in 1015, joined Petar II's ranks as an apparent deserter from the Byzantine court, where he had been disgraced. Alusian was welcomed by Petar II, who gave him an army with which to attack Thessalonica. The siege, however, was raised by the Byzantines, and thearmy was defeated. Alusian barely escaped and returned toOstrovo.
In 1041, one night during dinner, while Delyan was drunk, Alusian cut off his nose and blinded him with a kitchen knife. Since Alusian was of the blood ofSamuel of Bulgaria, he was quickly proclaimed emperor in Petar II's place by his troops, but he conspired to defect to the Byzantines. As the Bulgarian and Byzantine troops were preparing for battle, Alusian deserted to the enemy and headed forConstantinople, where his possessions and lands were restored to him, and he was rewarded with the high court rank ofmagistros.
Meanwhile, though blind, Petar II Delyan resumed command of the Bulgarian forces, but the Byzantine Emperor Michael IV determined to take advantage of the situation and advanced against them. In an obscurebattle of Ostrovo, the Byzantines defeated the Bulgarian troops and Petar II Delyan was captured and taken toConstantinople, where he was perhaps executed. According to some legends he was later exiled to a monastery inIskar Gorge, in theBalkan Mountains, where he died.
Norse sagas refer to the participation of the futureNorwegian KingHarald Hardrada, who allegedly cut down Petar II in the field of battle as a member of theVarangian Guard. This tradition may be supported by a laconic reference in the so-called "Bulgarian Apocryphal Chronicle". In either case, Petar II Delyan might have perished in 1041.
| Comita Nikola | Ripsimia of Armenia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aron | Moses | David | Samuil of Bulgaria | Agatha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ivan Vladislav | Theodora Kosara | Miroslava | Irene of Larissa | Gavril Radomir | Hungarian princess | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| several sons & daughters | Petar Delyan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Delyan Point onSmith Island in theSouth Shetland Islands,Antarctica is named after Petar Delyan.
| Preceded by Presian II (1018) and Byzantine Rule | Emperor of Bulgaria 1040–1041 | Succeeded by Byzantine Rule andConstantin Bodin asPetar III (1072) |