National Historical Museum of Bulgaria PD 2012 024

The ''komes'' ("count") Nicholas () was a local ruler in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, and progenitor of the

Cometopuli The Kometopuli dynasty ( Bulgarian: , ; Byzantine Greek: , ) was the last royal dynasty in the First Bulgarian Empire, ruling from until the fall of Bulgaria under Byzantine rule in 1018. The most notable member of the dynasty, Tsar Samuel, i ...

("the sons of the count") dynasty. According to the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

chronicler

Stephen of Taron Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the fir ...

, the family originated in the Armenian region of Derdjan, where their sons were born. However, Michael Palairet affirms that count Nicholas' family name is Shishman, a family name not of Armenian origin, which centuries later became a Bulgarian royal dynasty. He was married to Ripsime or Hripsime, seen as a daughter of King

Ashot II of Armenia Ashot II the Iron (; died 929) was king of Bagratid Armenia from 914 to 929. He was the son and successor of King Smbat I of Armenia, Smbat I. His reign was filled with rebellions by vassals and pretenders to the throne, as well as foreign invasi ...

. However, Ashot ll and his wife Marie of Kachen are not known to have had children. The couple had four sons,

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

, Aron, and

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

, who are collectively known as the

(from Greek ''Kometopouloi'', "sons of the ''komes''"; Armenian կոմսաձագ ''Komsajagk''). Sometime in the 970s—the exact date is unclear and disputed—the brothers launched a successful rebellion against the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, that had recently subdued Bulgaria; after the early death of his brothers, Samuel remained as the undisputed leader of Bulgaria, ruling as Tsar from 996 until his death in 1014. Other than that, nothing is known of Nicholas. He may have ruled

Serdica Serdika or Serdica ( Bulgarian: ) is the historical Roman name of Sofia, now the capital of Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans ...

or, according to other sources, was a local count in the region of the modern

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. The family appanage was located above the village of

Palatovo Palatovo () is a village in Dupnitsa Municipality, Kyustendil Province, south-western Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly ...

, according to legend and a number of archeological data in the neighborhood. Interview with Georgi Georgiev, historian from Dupnitsa
/ref> In 992/3, Samuel erected at German, near

Lake Prespa The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus: the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greec ...

, an inscription commemorating his parents and his brother David.

Family tree

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas Medieval Bulgarian nobility 10th-century births 10th-century deaths 10th-century Armenian people 10th-century Bulgarian people Cometopuli dynasty