In 2014 Bulgaria marks 1,000 years since the death of Tsar Samuel, who has gone down in history as the ruler who staunchly upheld this country’s independence at a difficult period for it. Samuel was the son of comit Nikola, who is believed to have been governor of the Sredets region /Sofia today/.

“The age of Samuel's reign was a constant battle against Byzantium,” says Associate Prof. Georgi Nikolov from the Historical Faculty of the St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University. “This war that lasted far too long, actually started in 968, before Samuel ascended the throne. It ultimately brought agony upon the Bulgarian kingdom as it exhausted it in terms of human and material resources; at the time Byzantium was a huge empire, spreading over almost all of Asia Minor, the Balkans and in part Italy and was able to compensate for the losses it sustained, including at the hand of the Bulgarians. The central government of the Bulgarian kingdom was gradually moved from the old capitals of Pliska and Preslav to the southwestern parts, with Ohrid being its center. This was done in view of the fact that comit Nikola’s four sons - David, Aaron, Moses and Samuel  - had ruled this region even before the start of the fighting against Byzantium; hence it was on this territory that the battles were played out…”

Was Samuel a heroic or a tragic figure?

“According to original historical sources, he was a man who knew no peace. Samuel was constantly waging war and his troops were ever ready for battle. On the other hand, his death was truly tragic – he saw his 15,000 men return from captivity blinded /1 in 100 was left with one eye so as to lead the men back/! That was the reason why Byzantine Emperor Basil II received the sinister sobriquet of Bulgar-slayer. At the sight of his blinded men Samuel most likely had a heart attack and passed away a few days later. Just 4 years after his death Bulgaria was conquered by Byzantium for a period of two centuries, so we can say that Samuel was the ruler to have postponed the defeat by 40 years, during his reign /976 – 1014 AD/.”

An international scientific conference will be devoted to Samuel's death 1,000 years ago /October 6, 1014/ entitled "The European Southeast Over the Second Half of the 10^th Century – the beginning of the 11^th Century: History and Culture". Experts from 14 countries in Europe and America will take part in the conference, October 6 – 8. Among the other editions that will be published for the anniversary there is a compilation of Prof. Vassilka Tapkova-Zaimova with historical sources shedding light on the famous ruler and his age. The book by Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov and Prof. Anna-Maria Totomanova on Cyrillic inscriptions from the time of Samuel will also be presented during the conference. Exhibitions will be mounted at Sofia's foremost museums - The National Musem of History, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, the National Museum of Military History .

English version: Zhivko Stanchev