Prespa (medieval town)
Encyclopedia
Prespa was a medieval town, situated in the homonymous area
in south-western Macedonia
. It was a residence and burial place of the Bulgarian emperor Samuel and according to some sources capital of the First Bulgarian Empire
and seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate
in the last decades of the 10th century.
, surrounded by the mountains Baba, Petrino, Galičica, Zvezda and Korbets. It is situated in the territories of three modern countries: Albania
, the Republic of Macedonia
and Greece
. According to the archaeological research, in the Early Middle Ages
there were construction activities in the following sites:
It is likely that the town itself, the center of that agglomeration of settlements, was situated on the Island of Saint Achilles. It is the largest of the three mentioned islands (1,700 m long and 500 m wide). The ruins of several churches have been discovered, including a large basilica, which was according to some researchers one of the seven large churches, constructed by prince Boris I
after the Christianization of Bulgaria
, while other suggest that it was built by Thessalian Greeks by orders of emperor Samuel. Its architectural plan is similar to that of the Great Basilica in the old capital Pliska
. There are traces of the early medieval Bulgarian painting and sculpture in the ruins. On the inner side of the apse are written the names of the bishops who were subordinated to the Bulgarian Patriarch in the late 10th century. The central part of the island along with the heights Kale (the Bulgarian for fortress) and Kulata (the Tower) used to be fortified. There were churches and probably residential buildings in lower parts and along the coast. That area constitited the Outer town. The northern end was named Porta (Gate) which may suggest that the Outer town also had defense structures.
was seized by the Byzantines. Prespa was one of the centers of the uprising of the Cometopuli brother who kept the western Bulgarian lands out of Byzantine occupation. There are theories that the lake town was the residence of the eldest of the four brothers, David, before he was killed in 976. Later it became the residence of Samuel who de facto
ruled the Bulgarian Empire after the murder of his brother Aron in 976 or 986 and especially after the legitimate emperor Roman
was captured by the Byzantines in 991. Due to that fact, some authors suggest that Prespa became official capital of the empire. According to Encyclopedia Bulgaria the town was capital between 973 and 996, according to the Cyril and Methodius Encyclopedia it was capital at least to 1015 but many medievalists do not agree with that. Some think that Sofia
was the political center of the country up to 986 while others consider that Prespa was never an official capital of Bulgaria, unlike Skopje
and Ohrid
.
After the conquest of Larissa
in Thessaly
in 983 or 985, Samuel took the relics of Saint Achilles to Prespa. The large island of the Little Prespa Lake was named after the saint. During the rule of Samuel there were palaces on the island which were connected to a tower on the opposite shore by means of artificial sand-bank. On the eastern shore of the lake, near the village of German, Samuel erected an inscription dedicated to his parents, Comita Nikola
and Ripsimia of Armenia
, and his eldest brother David. When in 997 Samuel was proclaimed Emperor the seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate was in Prespa but was subsequently moved to Ohrid.
Immediately after the disastrous defeat at the hands of the Byzantines in the battle of Kleidion
, emperor Samuel sought refuge in Prespa. There he met his soldiers, blinded by the Byzantine emperor Basil II
, and died of a heart attack on 6 October 1014. Prespa remained an Imperial residence for his successor Ivan Vladislav
. In 1016 the Serbian prince Jovan Vladimir
was murdered in Prespa by orders Ivan Vladislav. The Byzantines conquered Prespa in 1018, after the larger part of the Bulgarian nobility surrendered to Basil II. The emperor did not destroy the fortress but renamed it to Constantia.
Prespa, including the Basilica of Saint Achilles and Samuel's palaces, was destroyed by Western European mercenaries in 1073, in the aftermath of the suppression of the Uprising of Georgi Voiteh
, who attempted to restore the independence of Bulgaria. Prespa was mentioned as an administrative center in 12th-century sources. It was conquered by the Despotate of Epirus
in the beginning of the 13th century, then by Bulgaria and in 1259 was seized by the Nicaean Empire
. It was not mentioned in later sources.
During excavations in 1969 the Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos discovered a grave which is thought to be the burial place of emperor Samuel.
Prespa
Prespa is a region in Republic of Macedonia. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Resen with 9,000 inhabitants....
in south-western Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
. It was a residence and burial place of the Bulgarian emperor Samuel and according to some sources capital of the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
and seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
in the last decades of the 10th century.
Location
The toponym Prespa is used for a lake, an island settlement or simply an island. The exact borders and character of the town are difficult to define by the historical sources. It has been searched in the valley of the Lake PrespaLake Prespa
Prespa is the name of two freshwater lakes in southeast Europe, shared by Greece, Albania, and Macedonia. Of the total surface area, belongs to Macedonia, to Greece and to Albania...
, surrounded by the mountains Baba, Petrino, Galičica, Zvezda and Korbets. It is situated in the territories of three modern countries: Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. According to the archaeological research, in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
there were construction activities in the following sites:
- On the island of Saint Achilles in the Little Prespa Lake (today in Greece)
- In the modern village of Agios GermanosAgios GermanosAgios Germanos, is a village in the Prespes Municipality in West Macedonia, Greece. Agios Germanos is located at an altitude of approximately 1,100 meters , on a hillside, part of the Varnoundas Mountains. It is from the Prespes lakes, which can be seen from a panorama location of the village...
to the east of the Little Prespa Lake in Greece - On the islands of Golem GradGolem GradGolem Grad , meaning Big City, also known as Snake Island, is an island in the Republic of Macedonia. The island covers an area of 18 hectares. It is located in Lake Prespa, a few kilometers from Greek and Albanian territory. Golem Grad is home to several ancient ruins and churches. It is also home...
(in the Republic of Macedonia) and Maligrad (in Albania) in Lake Prespa - In the vicinity of the modern village Carev DvorCarev DvorCarev Dvor is a village in Resen Municipality in the Republic of Macedonia. It has 605 residents.-External links:* http://www.carevdvor.com...
to the north of the lake - On the summit of Galičica, the mountain range between Prespa and Lake OhridLake OhridLake Ohrid straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that is of worldwide importance...
(the fortress Vasiliada)
Boris I of Bulgaria
Boris I, also known as Boris-Mihail and Bogoris was the Knyaz of First Bulgarian Empire in 852–889. At the time of his baptism in 864, Boris was named Michael after his godfather, Emperor Michael III...
after the Christianization of Bulgaria
Christianization of Bulgaria
The Christianization of Bulgaria was the process by which 9th-century medieval Bulgaria converted to Christianity. It was influenced by the khan's shifting political alliances with the kingdom of the East Franks and the Byzantine Empire, as well as his reception by the Pope of the Roman Catholic...
, while other suggest that it was built by Thessalian Greeks by orders of emperor Samuel. Its architectural plan is similar to that of the Great Basilica in the old capital Pliska
Pliska
Pliska is the name of both the first capital of Danubian Bulgaria and a small town which was renamed after the historical Pliska after its site was determined and excavations began....
. There are traces of the early medieval Bulgarian painting and sculpture in the ruins. On the inner side of the apse are written the names of the bishops who were subordinated to the Bulgarian Patriarch in the late 10th century. The central part of the island along with the heights Kale (the Bulgarian for fortress) and Kulata (the Tower) used to be fortified. There were churches and probably residential buildings in lower parts and along the coast. That area constitited the Outer town. The northern end was named Porta (Gate) which may suggest that the Outer town also had defense structures.
History
The town gained great political significance after 971 when the capital of Bulgaria PreslavPreslav
Preslav was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972 and one of the most important cities of medieval Southeastern Europe. The ruins of the city are situated in modern northeastern Bulgaria, some 20 kilometres southwest of the regional capital of Shumen, and are currently a...
was seized by the Byzantines. Prespa was one of the centers of the uprising of the Cometopuli brother who kept the western Bulgarian lands out of Byzantine occupation. There are theories that the lake town was the residence of the eldest of the four brothers, David, before he was killed in 976. Later it became the residence of Samuel who de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
ruled the Bulgarian Empire after the murder of his brother Aron in 976 or 986 and especially after the legitimate emperor Roman
Roman of Bulgaria
Roman was emperor of Bulgaria from 977 to 997 .-Reign:Roman was the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria by his marriage with Maria Lakapene, the granddaughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lakapenos...
was captured by the Byzantines in 991. Due to that fact, some authors suggest that Prespa became official capital of the empire. According to Encyclopedia Bulgaria the town was capital between 973 and 996, according to the Cyril and Methodius Encyclopedia it was capital at least to 1015 but many medievalists do not agree with that. Some think that Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
was the political center of the country up to 986 while others consider that Prespa was never an official capital of Bulgaria, unlike Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
and Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
.
After the conquest of Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
in Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
in 983 or 985, Samuel took the relics of Saint Achilles to Prespa. The large island of the Little Prespa Lake was named after the saint. During the rule of Samuel there were palaces on the island which were connected to a tower on the opposite shore by means of artificial sand-bank. On the eastern shore of the lake, near the village of German, Samuel erected an inscription dedicated to his parents, Comita Nikola
Comita Nikola
Nikola the Comes was a father of counts David and Samuel. His son Samuel ruled as emperor of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 1014.-Family tree:-Literature:...
and Ripsimia of Armenia
Ripsimia of Armenia
Ripsimia was an Armenian princess and daughter of King Ashot II Bagratuni , and his wife Marie of Kachum. She wed comes Nikola, probably governor of Sofia and had two sons, counts David and tsar Samuil of Bulgaria. Her children and grandchildren ruled Bulgaria until 1018-Family tree:...
, and his eldest brother David. When in 997 Samuel was proclaimed Emperor the seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate was in Prespa but was subsequently moved to Ohrid.
Immediately after the disastrous defeat at the hands of the Byzantines in the battle of Kleidion
Battle of Kleidion
The Battle of Kleidion took place on July 29, 1014 between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire...
, emperor Samuel sought refuge in Prespa. There he met his soldiers, blinded by the Byzantine emperor Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
, and died of a heart attack on 6 October 1014. Prespa remained an Imperial residence for his successor Ivan Vladislav
Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria
Ivan Vladislav ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown, but he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that....
. In 1016 the Serbian prince Jovan Vladimir
Jovan Vladimir
Jovan Vladimir or John Vladimir was ruler of Duklja, the most powerful Serbian principality of the time, from around 1000 to 1016. He ruled during the protracted war between the Byzantine Empire and the First Bulgarian Empire...
was murdered in Prespa by orders Ivan Vladislav. The Byzantines conquered Prespa in 1018, after the larger part of the Bulgarian nobility surrendered to Basil II. The emperor did not destroy the fortress but renamed it to Constantia.
Prespa, including the Basilica of Saint Achilles and Samuel's palaces, was destroyed by Western European mercenaries in 1073, in the aftermath of the suppression of the Uprising of Georgi Voiteh
Uprising of Georgi Voiteh
The Uprising of Georgi Voiteh was a Bulgarian uprising against the Byzantine Empire in 1072. It was the second major attempt to restore the Bulgarian Empire after the Uprising of Peter Delyan in 1040-1041....
, who attempted to restore the independence of Bulgaria. Prespa was mentioned as an administrative center in 12th-century sources. It was conquered by the Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
in the beginning of the 13th century, then by Bulgaria and in 1259 was seized by the Nicaean Empire
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
. It was not mentioned in later sources.
During excavations in 1969 the Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos discovered a grave which is thought to be the burial place of emperor Samuel.