Today marks 1,012 years since the death of Tsar Samuel. For the first time, Bulgarians can pay their respects at his remains at home, placed on October 3 in the St Sofia church in the capital.
Samuel ruled as tsar from 997 until his death and was the first ruler among the "komitopuli," the sons of the boyar komit Nicholas, governor of the komitat, or region, of Sredets. He fought Byzantium for years and held off Emperor Basil II, winning many battles.
In 986, Samuel crushed a Byzantine army that had invaded Bulgaria at the Trayanovi Vrata pass near Shtipon, today's Ihtiman. Almost the entire Byzantine force was wiped out, and Basil II barely escaped with his life. It was his worst defeat in the campaigns against Bulgaria. After 986, eastern Bulgaria broke free of Byzantine rule, but the fighting with Byzantium went on for the rest of Samuel's reign.
On July 29, 1014, Basil II crushed the Bulgarian army at the village of Kleidion in the Belasica mountains. About 15,000 Bulgarian soldiers were blinded, with one man in every hundred left with one eye so he could lead the rest.
The captives were marched to Ohrid, where Samuel, who had survived the battle, was waiting. The tsar died after seeing his shattered, blinded army. Because of his cruelty, Basil II earned the name "the Bulgar-slayer."