Bitola inscription and the Macedonian dynasty

[Flipper]

I'm not surprised at all that the FYROMians never answer me questions about Macedonian heroes of the Byzantine empire. They are completely unaware of them

Well, judjing on their education, it doesn't fit them to know anything about Byzantine Macedonia. Lets not forget Julian words for example where he recalls his wife Eusebia, comming from the purest of the Hellenes (Macedonians)

In any case even Bulgarian documents of the medieval years speak about the Greeks...Specifically the Bitola inscription has the following text:

In year 6253 (1015) since the creation of the world, 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 at Stipone where gold was taken… and this… Tsar was defeated by Emperor Basil in 6522 (1014) since the creation of the world in Klyutch (the Battle of Kleidion) and died at the end of the summer.

The Greek army of Emperor Basil...Lets see...Which Emperor Basil is this? We're talking about the years 1014-1015. The emperor of the byzantium during these years is Basil II the Bulgar Slayer. In which dynasty does Basil II belong to? The Macedonian dynasty of course!!!

Let's take a look on the Macedonian dynasty:

- Basil I the Macedonian (Βασίλειος Α') (811 - 886, ruled 867 - 886) - married Michael III's widow; died in hunting accident
- Leo VI the Wise (Λέων ΣΤ' ο Σοφός) (866 - 912, ruled 886 - 912) – likely either son of Basil I or Michael III;
- Alexander (Αλέξανδρος Γ' του Βυζαντίου) (870 - 913, ruled 912 - 913) – son of Basil I, regent for nephew
- Constantine VII the Purple-born (Κωνσταντίνος Ζ' ο Πορφυρογέννητος) (905-959, ruled 913 - 959) – son of Leo VI
- Romanos I Lekapenos (Ρωμανός Α' ο Λεκαπηνός) (870 - 948, ruled 919 - 944) – father-in-law of Constantine VII; coemperor, deposed by his sons and entered monastery
- Romanos II the Purple-born (Ρωμανός Β' ο Πορφυρογέννητος) (939 - 963, ruled 959 - 963) – son of Constantine VII
- Nikephoros II Phokas (Νικηφόρος Β' Φωκάς) (912 - 969, ruled 963 - 969) – Strategos; married Romanos II's widow, regent for Basil II; assassinated
- John I Tzimiskes (Ιωάννης Α' Κουρκούας ο Τσιμισκής) (925 - 976, ruled 969 - 976) – brother-in-law of Romanus II, lover of Nicephorus's wife but banned from marriage, regent for Basil
- Basil II the Bulgar-slayer (Βασίλειος Β' ο Βουλγαροκτόνος) (958 - 1025, ruled 976 - 1025) – son of Romanos II
- Constantine VIII (Κωνσταντίνος Η')(960-1028, ruled 1025 - 1028) – son of Romanos II; coemperor with Basil II
- Zoe (Ζωή) ((c. 978 - 1050, ruled 1028 - 1050) – daughter of Constantine VIII
- Romanos III Argyros (Ρωμανός Γ' ο Αργυρός) (968 - 1034, ruled 1028 - 1034) – eparch of Constantinople; Zoe's first husband, arranged by Constantine VIII; murdered
- Michael IV the Paphlagonian (Μιχαήλ Δ' ο Παφλαγών) (1010 - 1041, ruled 1034 - 1041) – Zoe's second husband
- Michael V the Caulker (Μιχαήλ Ε' ο Καλαφάτης) (1015 - 1042, ruled 1041 - 1042) – Michael IV's nephew, Zoe's adopted son
- Theodora (Θεοδώρα) (980 - 1056, ruled 1042) – daughter of Constantine VIII, coempress with Zoe
- Constantine IX Monomachos (Κωνσταντίνος Θ' ο Μονομάχος) (1000 - 1055, ruled 1042 - 1055) – Zoe's third husband
- Theodora (Θεοδώρα) (ruled 1055 - 1056)

Well, except from the fact that the Bulgarians identified the army of Basil as Greek, the whole Macedonian dynasty is assembled by known Greek rulers of the Byzantine Empire. One important thing is that their names are written down exactly as we call them today. None of them (after 400 years of Slavic presence) had names like Bulgarslayerovski, Tsimiskov, Phokov, Monomachov, Argyrov or anything else FYROMians might have desired.

If you ask me, i think we should dig out Byzantine records of the church, especially those available from Agion Oros, cause the FYROMians change colors each time they read about Phokas, Tzimiskis, Basilios, Leon etc. Those Macedonians do not fit in their picture of Macedonism hahahahaahaha.

[Cadmus]

Hi Flipper,

Samuil was he also a Macedonian native?

[Flipper]

Hi Cadmus!
No, he was a Bulgarian Tzar who attacked the Byzantium while it was ruled by Macedonian monarchy.

[Petros Houhoulis]

Originally Posted by Flipper

Hi Cadmus!
No, he was a Bulgarian Tzar who attacked the Byzantium while it was ruled by Macedonian monarchy.

Most likely none of these were Macedonians. Leo VI the wise wrote a lot and suggested that his father, Basil I, was a citizen of Adrianople of Armenian origin. Adrianople (modern Edirne in Turkish Thrace, just next to the Greek border) was capitol of the thema of Macedonia during those times, because many Macedonians had fled Macedonia after the Slavic invasions and established themselves in Thrace, and imposed their name upon it for the next few centuries.

There is a claim by a contemporary Armenian that the (Bulgarian dynasty) Komitopouloi were also of Armenian origins, although their surname is equally Greek...

[Teukros]

Well a jerk here mr optimusMK claimed they were 'makedonski' a.k.a monkeydonians

[akritas]

In the below thread anyone can read details as about Bitola inscription

http://www.macedoniaontheweb.com/for...scription.html

[Bagatur]

These revionists call the inscription fake...because they are losers.

Otherwise they might say that the word Bulgarian meants something else (peasants) and word Greek meant higher class people. I've seen such claims.

Btw can you give me a link about why eastern Thrace was called Macedonia? I've been wondering for a long time, your theory sounds plausible but is there some written evidence.

[akritas]

Originally Posted by Bagatur

Btw can you give me a link about why eastern Thrace was called Macedonia? I've been wondering for a long time, your theory sounds plausible but is there some written evidence.

http://www.macedoniaontheweb.com/for...72-themes.html

[tankistabg]

Originally Posted by Cadmus

Hi Flipper,

Samuil was he also a Macedonian native?

Samuil father was Macedonian native, and a Boliar(from the high ruing class of Bulgaria) and his mother was armenian.

[akritas]

Alexander Vasilief in his book mention in his book..... A History of the Byzantine Empire as about the origin of the Macedonian dynasty

The question of the origin of the founder of the Macedonian dynasty has called forth many contradictory opinions, mainly because sources vary greatly on this point. While Greek sources speak of the Armenian or Macedonian extraction of Basil I, and Armenian sources assert that he was of pure Armenian blood, Arabic sources call him a Slav. On the one hand, the generally accepted name Macedonian is applied to this dynasty, but on the other hand, some scholars still consider Basil an Armenian, and still others, especially Russian historians prior to the seventies of the nineteenth century, speak of him as a Slav. The majority of scholars consider Basil an Armenian who had settled in Macedonia, and speak of his dynasty as the Armenian dynasty. But in view of the fact that there were many Armenians and Slavs among the population of Macedonia, it might be correct to assume that Basil was of mixed Armeno-Slavonic origin. According to one historian who has made a special study of Basil's time, his family might have had an Armenian ancestry, which later intermarried with Slavs, who were very numerous in this part of Europe (Macedonia), and gradually became very much Slavonized. A more exact definition of the Macedonian dynasty from the point of view of its ethnographic composition might be Armeno-Slavic. In recent years scholars have succeeded in determining that Basil was born in the Macedonian city of Charioupolis.

Basil I, was Armenian that married the Greek Eudokia Ingerina and has nothing to do with Slavic origin. Geographical Macedonia at that time was under Bulgarian control (except Thessalonika region) and because of that Byzantines named the East Thrace as Macedonia Theme.


Vasilief make the same mistake as many other modern writers doing when speaking for Byzantium. He confuse the Byzantine chronography with the modern Historiograpgy.

One more intresting is the name of the city that supposed Basil born.

Charioupolis located in geographic Thrace and not in Macedonia.