Samuel of Bulgaria Samuel ( also Samuil , representing , pronounced ) was the Tsar ( " Emperor " ) of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014 . From 977 to 997 , he was a general under Roman I of Bulgaria , the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria , and co - ruled with him , as Roman bestowed upon him the command of the army and the effective royal authority . As Samuel struggled to preserve his country ' s independence from the Byzantine Empire , his rule was characterized by constant warfare against the Byzantines and their equally ambitious ruler Basil II . In his early years Samuel managed to inflict several major defeats on the Byzantines and to launch offensive campaigns into their territory . In the late 10th century , the Bulgarian armies conquered the Serb principality of Duklja and led campaigns against the Kingdoms of Croatia and Hungary . But from 1001 , he was forced mainly to defend the Empire against the superior Byzantine armies . Samuel died of a heart attack on 6 October 1014 , two months after the catastrophic battle of Kleidion , and Bulgaria was fully subjugated by Basil II four years later , ending the five decades - long Byzantine – Bulgarian conflict . Samuel was considered " invincible in power and unsurpassable in strength " . Similar comments were made even in Constantinople , where John Kyriotes penned a poem offering a punning comparison between the Bulgarian Emperor and a comet which appeared in 989 . During Samuel ' s reign , Bulgaria gained control of most of the Balkans ( with the notable exception of Thrace ) as far as southern Greece . He moved the capital from Skopje to Ohrid , which had been the cultural and military centre of southwestern Bulgaria since Boris I ' s rule , and made the city the seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate . Because of that , sometimes his realm is called " Western Bulgarian Kingdom " or " Western Bulgarian Empire " . Although Samuel ' s reign brought the end of the First Bulgarian Empire , he is regarded as a heroic ruler in Bulgaria . The rise of the Cometopuli . The Cometopuli . Samuel was the fourth and youngest son of count ( comita ) Nikola , a Bulgarian noble , who might have been the Count of Sredets ( Sofia ) , although other sources suggest that he was a regional count somewhere in the region of today Macedonia . His mother was Ripsimia of Armenia . The actual name of the dynasty is not known . “ Cometopuli ” is the nickname which is used by Byzantine historians to address rulers from the dynasty as its founder . Samuel and the Cometopuli rose to power , out of the disorder that occurred the Bulgarian Empire from 966 to 971 . Russian invasion and deposition of Boris . During the reign of Peter I , Bulgaria prospered in a long - lasting peace with Byzantium . This was secured by the marriage of Peter with a Byzantine princess Maria Lakapina . However after Maria ' s death in 963 , the truce had been shaken and Peter I sent his sons Boris and Roman in Constantinopole , as honorary hostages , to honor the new terms of the peace treaty . During these years the Byzantines and Bulgarians had entangled themselves in a war with Kievan Rus prince Sviatoslav , who invaded Bulgaria several times . After a defeat from Sviatoslav , Peter I suffered a stroke and died shortly afterward in 969 ( or 970 ) . As both of his heirs were in the Byzantine capital the Bulgarian throne became empty . Boris was allowed back to Bulgaria to take his fathers throne , restore order and oppose Sviatoslav , but had little success . This was allegedly used by Samuil and his brothers , who were contemplating a revolt in 969 . This forced Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes to intervene . He quickly invaded Bulgaria , defeated the Rus , and conquered the Bulgarian capital Preslav in 970 ( 971 ) . Boris II of Bulgaria was ritually divested of his imperial insignia in a public ceremony in Constantinople and he and his brother Roman of Bulgaria remained in captivity . Although the ceremony in 971 had been intended as a symbolic termination of the Bulgarian empire , the Byzantines were unable to assert their control over the western provinces of Bulgaria . Count Nikola , Samuil ' s father , who had close ties to the royal court in Preslav , died in 970 . In the same year " the sons of the Count " Samuel , David , Moses and Aaron rebelled against John I Tzimiskes . The series of events are not clear due to contradicting sources , but it is sure that after 971 , Samuil and his brothers were the " de facto " rulers of the Western Bulgarian lands . In 973 , the Cometopuli sent envoys to the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I in Quedlinburg in an attempt to secure the protection of their lands . The brothers ruled together in a tetrarchy . David ruled the southernmost regions and led the defense of one of the most dangerous border areas , around Thessaloniki and Thessaly . The centres of his possessions were Prespa and Kastoria . Moses ruled from Strumitsa , which would be an outpost for attacks on the Aegean coast and Serres . Aaron ruled from Sredets , and was to defend the main road from Adrianople to Belgrade , and to attack Thrace . Samuel ruled northwestern Bulgaria from the strong fortress of Vidin . He was also to organize the liberation of the conquered areas to the east , including the old capital Preslav . Some records suggest that David played a major role in this tumultuous period of Bulgarian history . War with Byzantium . After John I Tzimiskes died on 11 January 976 , the Cometopuli launched an assault along the whole border . Within a few weeks , however , David was killed by Vlach vagrants and Moses was fatally injured by a stone during the siege of Serres . The brothers ' actions to the south detained many Byzantine troops and eased Samuel ' s liberation of northeastern Bulgaria ; the Byzantine commander was defeated and retreated to Crimea . Any Bulgarian nobles and officials who had not opposed the Byzantine conquest of the region were executed , and the war continued north of the Danube until the enemy was scattered and Bulgarian rule was restored . After suffering these defeats in the Balkans , the Byzantine Empire descended into civil war . The commander of the Asian army , Bardas Scleros , rebelled in Asia Minor and sent troops under his son Romanus in Thrace to besiege Constantinople . The new Emperor Basil II did not have enough manpower to fight both the Bulgarians and the rebels and resorted to treason , conspiracy and complicated diplomatic plots . Basil II made many promises to the Bulgarians and Scleros to divert them from allying against him . Aaron , the eldest living Cometopulus , was tempted by an alliance with the Byzantines and the opportunity to seize power in Bulgaria for himself . He held land in Thrace , a region potentially subject to the Byzantines threat . Basil reached an agreement with Aaron , who asked to marry Basil ' s sister to seal it . Basil instead sent the wife of one of his officials with the bishop of Sebaste . However , the deceit was uncovered and the bishop was killed . Nonetheless , negotiations proceeded and concluded in a peace agreement . The historian Scylitzes wrote that Aaron wanted sole power and " sympathized with the Romans " . Samuel learned of the conspiracy and the clash between the two brothers was inevitable . The quarrel broke out in the vicinity of Dupnitsa on 14 June 976 and ended with the annihilation of Aaron ' s family . Only his son , Ivan Vladislav , survived because Samuel ' s son Gavril Radomir pleaded on his behalf . From that moment on , practically all power and authority in the state was held by Samuel and the danger of an internal conflict was all but eliminated . However , another theory suggests that Aaron participated in the battle of the Gates of Trajan which took place ten years later . According to that theory Aaron was killed on 14 June 987 or 988 . Co - rule with Roman . After the Byzantine plan to use Aaron to cause instability in Bulgaria failed , they tried to encourage the rightful heirs to the throne , Boris II and Roman , to oppose Samuel . Basil II hoped that they would win the support of the nobles and isolate Samuel or perhaps even start a Bulgarian civil war . Boris and Roman were sent back in 977 but while they were passing through a forest near the border , Boris was killed by Bulgarian guards who were misled by his Byzantine clothing . Roman , who was walking some distance behind , managed to identify himself to the guards . Roman was taken to Vidin , where he was proclaimed Emperor of Bulgaria . Samuel became his first lieutenant and general and together they gathered an army and fought the Byzantines . During his captivity , Roman had been castrated on the orders of John I Tzimiskes so that he would not have heirs . Thus Samuel was certain to eventually succeed Roman . The new emperor entrusted Samuel with the state administration and became occupied with church and religious affairs . As the main effort of Basil II were concentrated against the rebel Skleros , Samuel ' s armies attacked the European possessions of the Byzantine Empire . Samuel invaded not only Thrace and the area of Thessaloniki , but also Thessaly , Hellas and Peloponnese . Many Byzantine fortresses fell under Bulgarian rule . Samuel wanted to seize the important fortress of Larissa , which controlled the key routes in Thessaly , and from 977 to 983 , the town was blockaded . After starvation forced the Byzantines to surrender , the population was deported to the interior of Bulgaria and the males were forced to enlist in the Bulgarian army . Although Basil II sent forces to the region , they were defeated , and the conquest of Larissa marked the loss of an important Byzantine stronghold in that part of the peninsula . With this victory , Bulgaria had gained influence over most of the southwestern Balkans , although it did not occupy these territories . From Larissa , Samuel took the relics of Saint Achilleios , which were laid in a specially built church of the same name on an island in Lake Prespa . The Bulgarian successes in the west raised fears in Constantinople , and after serious preparations , Basil II launched a campaign into the very centre of the Bulgarian Empire to distract Samuel from southern Greece . The Byzantine army passed through the mountains around Ihtiman and besieged Sofia in 986 . For 20 days , the Byzantines assaulted the city , but their attacks proved fruitless and costly : several times , the Bulgarians came out of the city , killed many enemy soldiers and captured draught animal s and horses . Eventually , the Bulgarian troops burned the siege equipment of the Byzantine army , forcing Basil II to withdraw to Thrace , but on 17 August 986 , while passing through the mountains , the Byzantine army was routed at the Trajan ' s Gates Pass . This was a significant blow for Basil , who was one of the few to return to Constantinople ; his personal treasure was captured by the victors . After the defeat , the rebellion of Bardas Phocas diverted the efforts of the Byzantine Empire into another civil war . Samuel seized the opportunity and began to exert pressure on Thessaloniki . Basil II sent a large army to the town and appointed a new governor , Gregorios Taronites , but he was powerless to stop the Bulgarian advance . By 989 , the Bulgarian troops had penetrated deep into Byzantine territory , and seized many fortresses , including such important cities as Veria and Servia . In the south , the Bulgarians marched throughout Epirus and in the west they seized the area of modern Durrës ( medieval Dyrrhachium or Drach ) on the Adriatic Sea . In 989 , Phocas was killed and his followers surrendered , and the following year Basil II reached an agreement with Skleros . The Byzantines focused their attention on Bulgaria , and counter - attacked in 991 . The Bulgarian army was defeated and Roman was captured while Samuel managed to escape . The Byzantines conquered some areas ; in 995 , however , the Arabs invaded Asia Minor and Basil II was forced to move many of his troops to combat this new threat . Samuel quickly regained the lost lands and advanced south . In 996 , he defeated the Byzantines in the battle of Thessaloniki . During the battle , Thessaloniki ' s governor , Gregorios , perished and his son Ashot was captured . Elated by this success , the Bulgarians continued south . They marched through Thessaly , overcame the defensive wall at Thermopylae and entered the Peloponnese , devastating everything on their way . As a response , a Byzantine army under Nikephorus Uranos was sent after the Bulgarians , who returned north to meet it . The two armies met near the flooded river of Spercheios . The Byzantines found a place to ford , and on the night of 19 July 996 they surprised the unprepared Bulgarian army and routed it in the battle of Spercheios . Samuel ' s arm was wounded and he barely escaped captivity ; he and his son allegedly feigned death . After nightfall they headed for Bulgaria and walked home . Research of Samuel ' s grave suggests that the bone in his arm healed at an angle of 140° but remained crippled . Emperor . In 997 , Roman died in captivity in Constantinople , ending the line of rulers started by Krum . Because of the war with Byzantium , it was dangerous to leave the throne vacant for long , and Samuel was chosen as the new Emperor of Bulgaria because he had the closest relations to the deceased emperor and was Roman ' s long - standing military commander . The presbyter of Duklja also marked the event : " By that time among the Bulgarian people rose one Samuel , who proclaimed himself Emperor . He led a long war against the Byzantines and expelled them from the whole territory of Bulgaria , so that the Byzantines did not dare to approach it . " Constantinople would not recognize the new emperor , as for the Byzantines Boris II ' s abdication symbolized the official end of Bulgaria and Samuel was considered a mere rebel . Instead Samuel sought recognition from the Pope , which would be a serious blow to the position of the Byzantines in the Balkans and would weaken the influence of the Patriarch of Constantinople , thereby benefiting both the See of Rome and Bulgaria . Samuel possibly received his imperial crown from Pope Gregory V . War against Serbs and Croats . In 998 , Samuel launched a major campaign against the Serbian principality of Duklja to prevent an alliance between Prince Jovan Vladimir and the Byzantines . When the Bulgarian troops reached Duklja , the Serbian prince and his people withdrew to the mountains . Samuel left part of the army at the foot of the mountains and led the remaining soldiers to besiege the coastal fortress of Ulcinj . In an effort to prevent bloodshed , he asked Jovan Vladimir to surrender . After the prince refused , some Serb nobles offered their services to the Bulgarians and , when it became clear that further resistance was fruitless , the Serbs surrendered . Jovan Vladimir was exiled to Samuel ' s palaces in Prespa . The Bulgarian troops proceeded to pass through Dalmatia , taking control of Kotor and journeying to Dubrovnik . Although they failed to take Dubrovnik , they devastated the surrounding villages . The Bulgarian army then attacked Croatia in support of the rebel princes Krešimir III and Gojslav and advanced northwest as far as Split , Trogir and Zadar , then northeast through Bosnia and Raška and returned to Bulgaria . This Croato - Bulgarian War allowed Samuel to install vassal monarchs in Croatia . Samuel ' s daughter Theodora Kosara fell in love with the captive Jovan Vladimir . The couple married after gaining Samuel ' s approval , and Jovan returned to his lands as a Bulgarian official along with his uncle Dragomir , whom Samuel trusted . Meanwhile , Princess Miroslava fell in love with the Byzantine noble captive Ashot and threatened to commit suicide if she was not allowed to marry him . Samuel conceded and appointed Ashot governor of Dyrrhachium . Samuel also sealed an alliance with the Magyars when his eldest son and heir , Gavril Radomir , married the daughter of the Hungarian Grand Prince Géza . Advance of the Byzantines . The beginning of the new millennium saw a turn in the course of Byzantine - Bulgarian warfare . Basil II had amassed an army larger and stronger than that of the Bulgarians : determined to definitively conquer Bulgaria , he moved much of the battle - seasoned military forces from the eastern campaigns against the Arabs to the Balkans and Samuel was forced to defend rather than attack . In 1001 , Basil II sent a large army under the patrician Theodorokanos and Nicephorus Xiphias to the north of the Balkan Mountains to seize the main Bulgarian fortresses in the area . The Byzantine troops recaptured Preslav and Pliska , putting north - eastern Bulgaria once again under Byzantine rule . The following year , they struck in the opposite direction , marching through Thessaloniki to tear off Thessaly and the southernmost parts of the Bulgarian Empire . Although the Bulgarian commander of the fortress of Veroia , Dobromir , was married to one of Samuel ' s nieces , he voluntarily surrendered the fort and joined the Byzantines . The Byzantines also captured the fortress of Kolidron without a fight , but its commander Dimitar Tihon managed to retreat with his soldiers and join Samuel . The next town , Servia , did not fall so easily ; its governor Nikulitsa organized the defenders well . They fought until the Byzantines penetrated the walls and forced them to surrender . Nikulitsa was taken to Constantinople and given the high court title of patrician , but he soon escaped and rejoined the Bulgarians . He attempted to retake Servia , but the siege was unsuccessful and he was captured again and imprisoned . Meanwhile , Basil II ' s campaign reconquered many towns in Thessaly . He forced the Bulgarian population of the conquered areas to resettle in the Voleron area between the Mesta and Maritsa rivers . Edessa resisted for weeks but was conquered following a long siege . The population was moved to Voleron and its governor Dragshan was taken to Thessaloniki , where he was betrothed to the daughter of a local noble . Unwilling to be married to an enemy , Dragshan three times tried to flee to Bulgaria and was eventually executed . War with Hungary . The Byzantine - Bulgarian conflict reached its apex in 1003 , when Hungary became involved . Since the beginning of the 9th century , the Bulgarian territory had stretched beyond the Carpathian Mountains as far as the Tisza River and the middle Danube . During the reign of Samuel , the governor of these northwestern parts was Duke Ahtum , the grandson of Duke Glad , who had been defeated by the Hungarians in 930s . Ahtum commanded a strong army and firmly defended the northwestern borders of the Empire . He also built many churches and monasteries through which he spread Christianity in Transylvania . Although Gavril Radomir ' s marriage to the daughter of the Hungarian ruler had established friendly relations between the two strongest states of the Danube area , the relationship deteriorated after Géza ' s death . The Bulgarians supported Gyula and Koppány as rulers instead of Géza ' s son Stephen I . As a result of this conflict , the marriage between Gavril Radomir and the Hungarian princess was dissolved . The Hungarians then attacked Ahtum , who had directly backed the pretenders for the Hungarian crown . Stephen I convinced Hanadin , Ahtum ' s right - hand man , to help in the attack . When the conspiracy was uncovered Hanadin fled and joined the Hungarian forces . At the same time , a strong Byzantine army besieged Vidin , Ahtum ' s seat . Although many soldiers were required to participate in the defense of the town , Ahtum was occupied with the war to the north . After several months he died in battle when his troops were defeated by the Hungarians . As a result of the war , Bulgarian influence to the northwest of the Danube diminished . Further Byzantine successes . The Byzantines took advantage of the Bulgarian troubles in the north . In 1003 , Basil II led a large army to Vidin , northwestern Bulgaria ' s most important town . After an eight - month siege , the Byzantines ultimately captured the fortress , allegedly due to betrayal by the local bishop . The commanders of the town had repulsed all previous attempts to break their defence , including the use of Greek fire . While Basil ' s forces were engaged there , Samuel struck in the opposite direction : on 15 August he attacked Adrianople and plundered the area . Basil II decided to return to Constantinople afterwards , but , fearing an encounter with the Bulgarian army on the main road to his capital , he used an alternate route . The Byzantines marched south through the Morava valley and reached a key Bulgarian city , Skopje , in 1004 . The Bulgarian army was camping on the opposite side of the Vardar River . After finding a ford and crossing the river , Basil II attacked and defeated Samuel ' s unsuspecting army , using the same tactics employed at Spercheios . The Byzantines continued east and besieged the fortress of Pernik . Its governor , Krakra , was not seduced by Basil ' s promises of a noble title and wealth , and successfully defended the fortress . The Byzantines withdrew to Thrace after suffering heavy losses . In the same year , Samuel undertook a march against Thessaloniki . His men ambushed and captured its governor , Ioannes Chaldus , but this success could not compensate for the losses the Bulgarians had suffered in the past four years . The setbacks in the war demoralized some of Samuel ' s military commanders , especially the captured Byzantine nobles . Samuel ' s son - in - law Ashot , the governor of Dyrrhachium , made contact with the local Byzantines and the influential John Chryselios , Samuel ' s father - in - law . Ashot and his wife boarded one of the Byzantine ships that were beleaguering the town and fled to Constantinople . Meanwhile , Chryselios surrendered the city to the Byzantine commander Eustathios Daphnomeles in 1005 , securing the title of patrician for his sons . In 10061007 , Basil II penetrated deep into the Bulgarian - ruled lands and in 1009 Samuel ' s forces were defeated at Kreta , east of Thessaloniki . During the next years , Basil launched annual campaigns into Bulgarian territory , devastating everything on his way . Although there was still no decisive battle , it was clear that the end of the Bulgarian resistance was drawing nearer ; the evidence was the fierceness of the military engagements and the constant campaigns of both sides which devastated the Bulgarian and Byzantine realms . Disaster at Kleidion . In 1014 , Samuel resolved to stop Basil before he could invade Bulgarian territory . Since the Byzantines usually used the valley of the Strumitsa River for their invasions into Bulgaria , Samuel built a thick wooden wall in the gorges around the village of Klyuch ( also " Kleidion " , " key " ) to bar the enemy ' s way . When Basil II launched his next campaign in the summer of 1014 , his army suffered heavy casualties during the assaults of the wall . Meanwhile , Samuel sent forces under his general Nestoritsa to attack Thessaloniki so as to distract Basil ' s forces away from this campaign . Nestoritsa was defeated near the city by its governor Botaniates , who later joined the main Byzantine army near Klyuch . After several days of continuous attempts to break through the wall , one Byzantine commander , the governor of Plovdiv Nicephorus Xiphias , found a by - pass and , on 29 July , attacked the Bulgarians from the rear . Despite the desperate resistance the Byzantines overwhelmed the Bulgarian army and captured around 14 , 000 soldiers , according to some sources even 15 , 000 Basil II immediately sent forces under his favourite commander Theophylactus Botaniates to pursue the surviving Bulgarians , but the Byzantines were defeated in an ambush by Gavril Radomir , who personally killed Botaniates . After the Battle of Kleidion , on the order of Basil II the captured Bulgarian soldiers were blinded ; one of every 100 men was left one - eyed so as to lead the rest home . The blinded soldiers were sent back to Samuel who reportedly had a heart attack upon seeing them . He died two days later , on 15 October 1014 . This savagery gave the Byzantine emperor his byname " Boulgaroktonos " ( " Bulgar - slayer " in ) . Some historians theorize it was the death of his favourite commander that infuriated Basil II to blind the captured soldiers . The battle of Kleidion had major political consequences . Although Samuel ' s son and successor , Gavril Radomir , was a talented military leader , he was unable to restore the Bulgarian Empire ' s previous power . After Samuel ' s death , many of his subordinates , including Krakra , surrendered to the Byzantines . In the deep north - northwest , the duke of Syrmia , Sermon , was deceived and killed by the Byzantines . After a series of battles , the Bulgarian Empire was thoroughly conquered by the end of 1018 , only four years after Samuel ' s death . Most of its territory was incorporated within the new Theme of Bulgaria , with Skopje as its capital . It was more than 150 years before Bulgaria was restored , with the rebellion of the brothers Peter and Asen in 1185 . Family , grave and legacy . Samuel ' s wife was called Kosara . The name of his second wife was Agatha . Samuel had five children : the successor Gavril Radomir and four daughters : Theodora Kosara , Miroslava , Katun Anastasiya and Agatha . Gavril Radomir married twice , to Ilona of Hungary and Irina from Larissa ; Kosara married the Prince of Duklja , Jovan Vladimir ; Miroslava married the captured Byzantine noble Ashot and Katun Anastasiya married the Hungarian noble Vazul . After the fall of Bulgaria , Samuel ' s descendants assumed important positions in the Byzantine court after they were resettled and given lands in Asia Minor and Armenia . Оne of his granddaughters , Catherine , became empress of Byzantium . Another grandchild , Peter II Delyan , led an attempt to restore the Bulgarian Empire after a major uprising in 10401041 . Two other women of the dynasty became Byzantine empresses , while many nobles served in the army as strategos or became governors of various provinces . There is also another version about Samuel ' s origin . The 11th - century historian Stepanos Asoghik wrote that Samuel had only one brother , stating they were both Armenians from the district of Derjan , an Armenian land incorporated into the Byzantine Empire . They were sent to fight the Bulgarians in Macedonia but ended up joining them . This version is supported by the historian Nicholas Adontz , who analyzed the events and facts of the century and concluded that Samuel had only one brother , David . Asoghik ' s version is also supported by the historian Jordan Ivanov ; furthermore , according to Samuel ' s Inscription , he had only one brother called David . The Arab historian Yahya of Antioch claims that the son of Samuel , Gavril , was assassinated by the leader of the Bulgarians , son of Aaron , because Aaron belonged to the race that reigned over Bulgaria . Asoghik and Yahya clearly distinguish the race of Samuel from the one of Aaron or the race of the Cometopuli from the royal race . According to them , Moses and Aaron are not from the family of the Cometopuli . David and Samuel were of Armenian origin and Moses and Aaron were Armenian on their mother ' s side . Samuel ' s grave was found in 1965 by Greek professor Nikolaos Moutsopoulos in the Church of St Achillios on the eponymous island in Lake Prespa . Samuel had built the church for the relics of the saint of the same name . What is thought to have been the coat of arms of the House of Cometopuli , two perched parrot s , was embroidered on his funeral garment . His remains are kept in a secret location in Greece , but according to a recent agreement , they may be returned to Bulgaria and buried in the SS . Forty Martyrs Church in Veliko Tarnovo , to rest with the remains of emperors Kaloyan and Michael Shishman . Samuel ' s face was reconstructed to restore the appearance of the 70 - year - old Bulgarian ruler . According to the reconstruction , he was a sharp - faced man , bald - headed , with a white beard and moustache . Samuel is among the most renowned Bulgarian rulers . His military struggle with the Byzantine Empire is marked as an epic period of Bulgarian history . The great number of monuments and memorials in Bulgaria and Republic of Macedonia , such as the ones in Petrich and Ohrid , signify the trail this historical figure has left in the memory of the people . Four Bulgarian villages bear his name , as well as Samuel Point on Livingston Island , Antarctica . Samuel is the main figure in at least three major Bulgarian novels by authors Dimitar Talev , Anton Donchev and Stefan Tsanev and also stars in the Greek novel " At the Times of the Bulgarian - Slayer " by Penelope Delta , who closely follows the narrative flow of events as presented by St . Runciman ; he is mentioned in the verse of Ivan Vazov , Pencho Slaveykov , and Atanas Dalchev as well . Nomenclature . Samuel ' s empire had its heartlands around Ohrid , west and southwest of this earlier cultural center of the First Bulgarian Empire . Thus , the Yugoslav historian George Ostrogorsky distinguished Samuel ' s Empire from the Bulgarian Empire , referring to it as a " Macedonian Empire " , although he claims that it was politically and ecclesiastically a direct descendant of the empire of Simeon and Peter , and it was regarded by Samuel and the Byzantines as being the Bulgarian Empire , itself . Some historians of the same school , such as the Serbian scholar Anastasijević , claimed even that Samuel ruled a separate Slavic Empire founded as result of an anti - Bulgarian rebellion . This Yugoslav theories are now rejected by the modern Serbian historians . They are still tenaciously held only in the Republic of Macedonia , where the official state doctrine refers to a " Macedonian Slavic " , or even to " Ethnic Macedonian " Empire . However , this controversy is ahistorical , as it projects modern ethnic distinctions onto the past .