The reign of Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria (reign 997–1014) represents the final and most intense phase of resistance mounted by the First Bulgarian Empire against Byzantine expansion. Emerging from a period of political fragmentation following the fall of Preslav (971), Samuil consolidated authority in the western regions of the empire, establishing his court at Ohrid and asserting continuity of the Bulgarian state. His rule unfolded against the backdrop of the long Byzantine–Bulgarian conflict, which escalated under Emperor Basil II (first reign 976–(deposed 986); restored 987–1025), whose strategic objective was to reassert Byzantine control over the Balkans. Throughout this period, shifting alliances, contested borders, and asymmetric military capabilities shaped the geopolitical landscape of southeastern Europe.
In the early years of his reign and preceding co-rule, Samuil achieved notable successes. Bulgarian armies conducted campaigns against the Adriatic Slavic principalities, mounted operations into Croatia and Hungary, and launched incursions into Byzantine Macedonia and Thessaly, temporarily stabilizing Bulgarian power in the western Balkans. However, the strategic balance shifted as Basil II strengthened imperial authority. The decisive turning point came with the Battle of Kleidion (1014), where Samuil’s forces suffered catastrophic losses after a failed defensive stand in the Belasitsa mountains. Samuil died shortly afterward, and by 1018, the First Bulgarian Empire was fully incorporated into the Byzantine Empire.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2025, December 05). Map of the Bulgarian Empire under Samuil, 997 - 1014. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18033/map-of-the-bulgarian-empire-under--samuil-997---10/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Bulgarian Empire under Samuil, 997 - 1014." World History Encyclopedia, December 05, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18033/map-of-the-bulgarian-empire-under--samuil-997---10/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Bulgarian Empire under Samuil, 997 - 1014." World History Encyclopedia, 05 Dec 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18033/map-of-the-bulgarian-empire-under--samuil-997---10/.
