Samuel

The Tsar of Bulgaria who fought a bitter forty-year war with the Byzantine emperor Basil II.

Life

Western nobles

Samuel was a noble from western Bulgaria. After eastern Bulgaria was conquered by Byzantium in 971 CE, he carried on the resistance from his base at Ohrid and proclaimed himself tsar in 997 CE.

Ohrid

For a time he recovered large areas of territory, but he came up against Byzantium's most formidable emperor, Basil II. At the Battle of Kleidion in 1014 the Bulgar army suffered a crushing defeat; according to the records, Basil II blinded more than 10,000 prisoners, leaving one man in every hundred with one eye to lead them home.

Kleidion

When Samuel saw his blinded soldiers he collapsed on the spot, and he died two days later. In 1018 Bulgaria was annexed by Byzantium.

Legacy

Samuel was the last hero of the First Bulgarian Empire, and his defeat earned Basil II the epithet "the Bulgar-Slayer."

Did you know? The ruins of Samuel's Fortress beside Lake Ohrid lie today in North Macedonia.

Key dates

• 976Resisted Byzantium from his base at Ohrid (approx.)
• 997Proclaimed himself tsar
• 1014Battle of Kleidion; died the same year