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12 From this came not a few troubles for the Romans from the Bulgarians, and when Alexios reigned, many wars were waged against him by them around Berroia, where the protostrator Kamytzes was also captured by the Bulgarians while fighting, when Asan's brother, Ioannes, was then in command. For Asan had two brothers, Peter and Ioannes; and he had Ioannes with him, but having cut off a certain portion, he let Peter rule it. Thus, having completed nine years, Asan is murdered by his first cousin Ivankos, and his brother Ioannes reigns, as Asan's son, Ioannes, was a minor.

13 Who had become the cause of many evils for the Romans and for the Italians themselves. For he was king of the Bulgarians when the city of Constantine was taken. Thus, when the Italians had brought the whole land of Macedonia under their control, with Baldwin, who was the first to rule, royally directing their affairs, they sent a message to the city of Adrianople, that it should come under their rule. For the king of the Bulgarians, Ioannes, had anticipated them by subduing Philippopolis and carrying off a great number of Roman captives from there. But when the Adrianopolitans were unwilling to come under the hand of the Italians, the Italians marched out against them. Having come into no small straits, therefore, the people of Adrianople send to the king of the Bulgarians, Ioannes, that he might help them. And he gladly accepts this, and having taken Scythians with him, he hastens to overcome the Latins by stratagems. And he himself was camped somewhere far from Adrianople, but he sends the Scythians against the Italians. Now, it is the custom for the Italians to ride on high-necked horses, in heavy armor, but the Scythians, being more lightly armed, charge more freely against their opponents. Not understanding this, the Italians are out-generaled by the Scythians, so that even King Baldwin himself was captured by them and led as a prisoner to the king of the Bulgarians, Ioannes; whose head, they say, served the barbarian as a cup, having been closely decorated all around. So the Adrianopolitans did not immediately recognize what had happened; for if they had known, they would have made the Italian tents their spoil. But the remaining Italians, having lit bright lights in their tents and having set out in the middle of the night, proceed towards the city of Constantine. In the morning, therefore, the people of Adrianople, realizing this, took what was left in the tents. So the king of the Bulgarians, Ioannes, according to what he had promised the Adrianopolitans, set out to take possession of their city. But they refused this. Being indignant, therefore, he wished to besiege them, but the Bulgarians are completely unskilled in siegecraft; for they neither know how to set up city-takers nor to devise anything else. Departing from there, therefore, since the Italians had been ravaged, he overruns all Macedonia and drives off much booty, having taken the cities with their men and finally razed them, so that the Romans might never have a recall. For he razed Philippopolis, then Herakleia, Panion, Rhaidestos, Charioupolis, Traianoupolis, Makre, Klaudioupolis, Mosynoupolis, Peritheorion and others, which it is not necessary to number. And taking the people from there, he settles them near the streams of the Ister, giving the settlements the names from the enslaved villages and cities. So he was taking revenge, as they said, for the evils which the emperor Basil had wrought against the Bulgarians. And they said that man was called Bulgar-slayer, but he named himself Roman-slayer. Having come, then, even to Thessalonica itself, he dies there, seized by the disease of pleurisy, though some said that his death happened from divine wrath. For it seemed to him in his sleep that an armed man stood over him and struck his side with a spear; so that a name was also given to him from a dog; for he was nicknamed Skyloioannes by all. For having made the race of the Scythians his own and having entered into fellowship with them,

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12 Ἐντεῦθεν οὐκ ὀλίγα πράγματα Ῥωμαίοις ἐκ Βουλγάρων, καὶ τοῦ Ἀλεξίου βασιλεύσαντος πόλεμοι αὐτῷ ἐκ τούτων πολλοὶ περὶ Βέρροιαν, ἔνθα καὶ ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ Καμύτζης ὑπὸ Βουλγάρων ἑάλω μαχόμενος, τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ Ἀσὰν Ἰωάννου τότε κατάρχοντος. ὁ γὰρ Ἀσὰν δύο ἀδελφοὺς εἶχε, Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην· καὶ τὸν μὲν Ἰωάννην εἶχε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ,τὸν δὲ Πέτρον τμῆμά τι κόψας ἄρχειν τούτου παρῆκεν. ἐν νέα γοῦν ἐνιαυτοὺς διανύσας ὁ Ἀσὰν φονεύεται παρὰ τοῦ πρωτεξαδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰβανοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύει ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐ τοῦ Ἰωάννης, ἀφήλικος ὄντος τοῦ τοῦ Ἀσὰν υἱοῦ Ἰωάννου.

13 Ὃς πολλῶν ἐγεγόνει τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις αἴτιος κακῶν καὶ τοῖς Ἰταλοῖς αὐτοῖς. ἦν γὰρ οὗτος βασιλεὺς Βουλ γάρων, ὁπότε ἡ Κωνσταντίνου ἑάλω. ὡς γοῦν οἱ Ἰτα λοὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τῆς Μακεδονίας χώραν ὑφ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐποι ήσαντο, βασιλικῶς τοῦ πρώτως κατάρξαντος Βαλδουΐνου τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς διιθύνοντος, καὶ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν Ἀδριανοῦ διεμηνύσαντο, ὅπως ὑπ' αὐτοὺς γένηται. ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς Βουλγάρων Ἰωάννης προύλαβε χειρώσασθαι τὴν Φιλιππούπολιν καὶ ἀνδραποδισμὸν μέγαν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐκεῖθεν ποι ήσασθαι. μὴ βουληθέντων δὲ τῶν Ἀδριανουπολιτῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα γενέσθαι τῶν Ἰταλῶν, ἐκστρατεύουσιν οἱ Ἰταλοὶ κατ' αὐτῶν. εἰς στενοχωρίαν οὖν οὐ μικρὰν ἐλθόντες οἱ τῆς Ἀδριανοῦ στέλλουσι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Βουλγάρων Ἰωάννην, ἵνα συνάρηται τούτοις. ὁ δὲ ἀσμένως δέχεται τοῦτο, καὶ Σκύθας μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ προσλαβόμενος μηχαναῖς Λατίνων περιγενέσθαι σπεύδει. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἔκειτο μακράν που τῆς Ἀδριανουπόλεως, ἐκπέμπει δὲ κατὰ τῶν Ἰταλῶν τοὺς Σκύθας. Ἰταλοῖς μὲν οὖν ἔθος ἐφ' ἵπποις ἐποχεῖσθαι ὑψαύ χεσι, καταφράκτοις ὅπλοις, Σκύθαι δὲ κουφότερον ὡπλισμέ νοι ἐλευθερώτερον ἐπιπηδῶσι τοῖς ἐναντίοις. οὗ μὴ συνιέντες οἱ Ἰταλοὶ παρὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν καταστρατηγοῦνται, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλέα Βαλδουῖνον ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἁλῶναι καὶ δέσμιον ἀπαχθῆναι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Βουλγάρων Ἰωάν νην· οὗπερ ὥς φασι τὴν κεφαλὴν εἰς κύπελλον χρηματίσαι τῷ βαρβάρῳ, κόσμῳ πυκασθεῖσαν κύκλωθεν. οἱ μὲν οὖν Ἀδριανουπολῖται ἐκ τοῦ παραυτίκα τὸ γεγονὸς οὐκ ἐγνώ ρισαν· εἰ γὰρ ᾔδεσαν, λείαν ἂν ἐποίησαν τὰς Ἰταλικὰς σκηνάς. οἱ δ' ἀπολειφθέντες Ἰταλοὶ φῶτα λαμπρὰ ταῖς σκηναῖς ἅψαντες καὶ μέσων νυκτῶν ἄραντες περὶ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου χωροῦσιν. πρωίας οὖν γνόντες τοῦτο οἱ τῆς Ἀδριανοῦ τὰ ἐλλελειμμένα ταῖς σκηναῖς ἄραντες ἦσαν. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς Βουλγάρων Ἰωάννης κατὰ τὰ ὑπεσχημένα τοῖς Ἀδριανουπολίταις ἐγκρατὴς γενέσθαι τῆς σφῶν πόλεως ὥρμησεν. οἱ δὲ ἀπηνήναντο τοῦτο. δυσανασχετήσας οὖν πολιορκῆσαι τούτους ἠθέλησεν, ἀλλ' ἀφυεῖς παντελῶς εἰς πολιορκίαν οἱ Βούλγαροι· οὔτε γὰρ ἑλεπόλεις οἴδασι στῆσαι οὐθ' ἕτερόν τι διανοήσασθαι. ἀπάρας γοῦν ἐκεῖθεν, ὡς τῶν Ἰταλῶν καταπορθηθέντων, πᾶσαν κατατρέχει Μακεδονίαν καὶ λείαν πολλὴν ἐλᾷ, αὐτάνδρους τὰς πόλεις ἑλὼν καὶ τέλος κατασκάψας, ὡς μήποτε Ῥωμαίους ἀνάκλησιν σχεῖν. κατέσκαψε γὰρ Φιλιππούπολιν, εἶτα Ἡράκλειαν Πά νιον Ῥαιδεστὸν Χαριούπολιν Τραϊανούπολιν Μάκρην Κλαυδιούπολιν Μοσυνούπολιν Περιθεώριον καὶ ἄλλας, ἃς ἀριθ μεῖν οὐ χρεών. τὸν δὲ λαὸν ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν περὶ τὰς παραρροίας τοῦ Ἴστρου καθίζει, ἐκ τῶν ἠνδραποδισμένων κωμῶν καὶ πόλεων ἐπιθεὶς τὰς κλήσεις ταῖς οἰκήσεσιν. ἀντάμυναν μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἔφασκον, ἐποιεῖτο τῶν ὧν εἰργάσατο πρὸς Βουλγάρους κακῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς Βασίλειος. καὶ καλεῖ σθαι μὲν ἔλεγον ἐκεῖνον Βουλγαροκτόνον, Ῥωμαιοκτόνον δὲ ὠνόμαζεν ἑαυτόν. μέχρι γοῦν καὶ αὐτῆς καταντήσας Θεσσα λονίκης ἐκεῖσε θνήσκει πλευρίτιδι νόσῳ κατασχεθείς, ὡς δέ τινες ἔλεγον, ὅτι ἐκ θεομηνίας αὐτῷ ὁ θάνατος γέγονεν. ἔδοξε γὰρ αὐτῷ καθ' ὕπνους ἔνοπλον ἄνδρα ἐπιστῆναι αὐτῷ καὶ δόρατι πλῆξαί οἱ τὴν πλευράν· ὡς καὶ ὄνομα τεθῆναι τούτῳ ἐκ κυνός· Σκυλοϊωάννης γὰρ ἐπεκλήθη τοῖς πᾶσι. τὸ γὰρ τῶν Σκυθῶν γένος ἰδιοποιησάμενος καὶ κοι νωνήσας αὐτοῖς κοινωνίαν,