Bulgaria (theme)

The Byzantine theme of Bulgaria was a military administrative district, which was formed around 1018 in the center of the Balkan Peninsula. Capital was Skopje (now capital of the Republic of Macedonia ). The name of the military- administrative district was derived from the II under the Byzantine emperor Basil Bulgaroktonos ( Bulgarians Slayer ) conquered the First Bulgarian Empire from the reign of the Komitopuli. The Bulgarian soldiers and aristocrats, who survived the Byzantine- Bulgarian Wars were resettled in Asia Minor and charged with the conquest of Armenia.

Next reorganized Basil II the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, he converted by the Patriarchate of Preslav, Ohrid and in the Archdiocese of Ohrid and nominally subordinate only to the Byzantine emperor. The boundaries of the Archdiocese were identical with the limits of themes. Other important cities in the topic next to Ohrid and Skopje were Serdica, Welbaschd and Bdin. The issue lasted almost 150 years, until it was dissolved by the uprising of the Bulgarian princes Asen I and Peter and the Second Bulgarian Empire was born.