And now he looked toward rebellion. For, not bearing the insatiability of Nikephoros and what things he contrived against everyone, with the emperor paying no attention but only minding his childish games, the leading men throughout Bulgaria asked Michaelas, who was at that time ruler of the aforementioned Croats, who made his home in Decatera and Praprata and held no small country under his control, to come to their aid and cooperate, and to give them his son, so that they might proclaim him king of Bulgaria and be freed from the tyranny and oppression of the Romans. He gladly obeyed them, and selecting three hundred of his own men and handing them over to his own son Constantine, also named Bodin, he sent them forth into Bulgaria. He went out, then, to Prizdiana, where the leading men in Skopje also gathered, whose leader was George Voiteh, who came from the family of the Kopchanes, and they proclaimed him king of the Bulgarians, renaming him Peter instead of Constantine. Having heard this, the one administering the office of doux in Skopje, Nikephoros Karantenos, taking the generals under his command, went away to Prizdiana with the Bulgarian forces. And while he was preparing for war, his successor Damianos Dalassenos arrived. Having therefore united with Karantenos, and having taunted him greatly, and having behaved outrageously toward each of the generals with him, and having scorned them as unmanly, he drew up his forces and immediately engaged the Serbs. And a dreadful battle occurred and a more dreadful rout of the Romans. For many fell, both of the Romans and the Bulgarians, and very many were taken alive, including the doux Damianos Dalassenos himself, and the one called Probatas and Longibardopoulos and many others with them. The entire camp was also taken and all the things in it were plundered. From there the Bulgarians openly proclaimed Bodin 164 king, renaming him Peter, as has been said, and being divided in two, some went with Bodin to Niš, while others, taking a certain Petrilos, who held the first rank under Bodin, went against the Romans in Kastoria; for there, because the city was fortified, those who favored the Romans gathered. Petrilos, therefore, having approached Ohrid and taken it by assault—for it was not yet fortified, but lay in ruins since the emperor Basil had destroyed it, suspecting that the Bulgarian palace in it was a great center for rebellion—where also, having been received with honor, he prepared the locals to proclaim his own lord, and having done the same in Diabolis, he went toward Kastoria with all speed; for there those who favored the Romans were gathered, as has been said, both the strategos of Ohrid, Marianos, and the one of Diabolis, the patrikios and anthypatos Theognostos Bourtzes, and with them also the strategos in Kastoria, among whom were also Boris David and many others, who, fearing the threat from the native Bulgarians, had fled together to Kastoria as to a refuge. Petrilos, therefore, having reached Kastoria with a countless multitude of Bulgarian soldiers, was preparing for war. But the Romans, having also drawn up their forces, went out against them, and engaging them with a violent charge, they turned Petrilos back and forced him to flee, arriving through impassable mountains to his own lord, Michaelas. They also killed many of the Bulgarians, and they captured the one ranked after Petrilos among the Croats and led him as a prisoner to the emperor. But Bodin, having seized Niš, took control of Bulgarian affairs as if he were already king, plundering everything he came across and ravaging and destroying those who would not receive him nor be his subjects. The emperor, having heard this, that is the defeat of the doux and his proclama 165 tion, sent Saronites against him, before the evil could be kindled and into

ἀπέβλεψε δὲ καὶ νῦν πρὸς ἀποστασίαν. Τὴν γὰρ τοῦ Νικηφόρου μὴ φέρον ἀπληστίαν καὶ ἃ κατὰ πάντων αὐτῷ μεμηχάνηται, οὐδενὸς ἐπιστρεφομένου τοῦ βασιλέως, ταῖς παιδαριώδεσι δὲ παιδιαῖς μόνον προσανέχοντος, οἱ κατὰ τὴν Βουλγαρίαν προέχοντες ἀξιοῦσι τὸν Μιχαηλᾶν, ἀρχηγὸν ὄντα τηνικαῦτα τῶν εἰρημένων Χροβάτων τὴν οἴκησίν τε ἐν ∆εκατέροις καὶ Πραπράτοις ποιούμενον καὶ χώραν οὐκ ὀλίγην ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἔχοντα, ἐπαρῆξαι αὐτοῖς καὶ συνεργῆσαι δοῦναί τε αὐτοῖς τὸν υἱὸν αὑτοῦ, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸν βασιλέα Βουλγαρίας ἀνακηρύξωσι καὶ τῆς ἐκ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐλευθερωθεῖεν καταδυναστείας καὶ βαρύτητος. Ὁ δὲ ἀσμένως ὑπακούει αὐτῶν, τριακοσίους τε τῶν αὑτοῦ ἀπολεξάμενος καὶ τῷ οἰκείῳ αὐτοῦ υἱῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ, τῷ καὶ Βοδίνῳ ὀνομαζομένῳ, παραδοὺς εἰς Βουλγαρίαν ἐξαποστέλλει. Ἔξεισι γοῦν εἰς τὰ Πρισδρίανα, ἔνθα καὶ συναθροισθέντες οἱ ἐν τοῖς Σκοπίοις προέχοντες, ὧν ἔξαρχος ἦν Γεώργιος ὁ Βοϊτάχος, τοῦ τῶν Κοπχάνων γένους καταγόμενος, βασιλέα Βουλγάρων αὐτὸν ἀνεκήρυξαν, Πέτρον ἀντὶ Κωνσταντίνου μετονομάσαντες. Ὅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ ἐν Σκοπίοις διέπων τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ δουκὸς Νικηφόρος ὁ Καραντηνός, τοὺς ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν στρατηγοὺς παραλαβὼν ἄπεισιν εἰς τὰ Πρισδρίανα μετὰ τῶν βουλγαρικῶν δυνάμεων. Ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ οὗτος τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἐξήρτυεν, ἐπικατέλαβε διάδοχος αὐτοῦ ∆αμιανὸς ὁ ∆αλασσηνός. Ἑνωθεὶς τοίνυν μετὰ τοῦ Καραντηνοῦ πολλά τε κερτομήσας αὐτὸν καὶ ἐς ἕκαστον δὲ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ στρατηγῶν ἐμπαροινήσας οὐκ ὀλίγα καὶ ὡς ἀνάνδρους μυκτηρίσας αὐτούς, συνταξάμενος συμβάλλει τοῖς Σέρβοις εὐθέως. Καὶ γίνεται μάχη φρικτὴ καὶ τροπὴ τῶν Ῥωμαίων φρικωδεστέρα. Πίπτουσι γὰρ πολλοὶ ἔκ τε Ῥωμαίων καὶ Βουλγάρων, ζωγροῦνται δὲ πλεῖστοι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ δοὺξ ∆αμιανὸς ὁ ∆αλασσηνὸς ὅ τε λεγόμενος Προβατᾶς καὶ ὁ Λογγιβαρδόπουλος καὶ ἕτεροι συχνοὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς. Ἐλήφθη δὲ καὶ ἡ παρεμβολὴ ἅπασα καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ πάντων διασκύλευσις γίνεται. Ἐντεῦθεν ἀνέδην οἱ Βούλγαροι τὸν Βοδῖνον 164 βασιλέα ἀναγορεύουσιν, ὡς εἴρηται, Πέτρον μετονομάσαντες διχῇ τε διαιρεθέντες, οἱ μὲν μετὰ τοῦ Βοδίνου εἰς τὸν Νίσον ἀπῄεσαν, οἱ δὲ Πετρίλον τινά, τὰ πρῶτα παρὰ τῷ Βοδίνῳ φέροντα, παραλαβόντες κατὰ τῶν ἐν Καστορίᾳ Ῥωμαίων ἀπίασιν· ἐκεῖσε γὰρ διὰ τὸ τετειχίσθαι τὴν πόλιν οἱ τὰ Ῥωμαίων φρονοῦντες ἠθροίζοντο. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Πετρίλος τῇ Ἀχρίδιπαραβαλὼν καὶ ταύτην ἐξ ἐφόδου ἑλών οὔπω γὰρ τετείχιστο, ἀλλ' ἐρείπιον ἔκειτο ἐξ ὅτου Βασίλειος ὁ βασιλεὺς κατηρείπωσε ταύτην, μέγα κέντρον ὑπειδόμενος πρὸς ἀποστασίαν τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ τῶν Βουλγάρων βασίλειαἔνθα καὶ ὑποδεχθεὶς φιλοτίμως τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τε κύριον ἀναγορεῦσαι παρεσκεύασε τοὺς ἐγχωρίους κἀν τῇ ∆ιαβόλει δὲ ταὐτὸ πεποιηκὼς ἐπὶ Καστορίαν ἀπῄει σὺν πάσῃ σπουδῇ· ἐκεῖσε γὰρ ἠθροίζοντο οἱ τὰ Ῥωμαίων φρονοῦντες, ὡς εἴρηται, ὅ τε Ἀχρίδος στρατηγὸς Μαριανὸς καὶ ὁ τῆς ∆ιαβόλεως, ὁ πατρίκιος καὶ ἀνθύπατος Θεόγνωστος ὁ Βούρτζης, σὺν αὐτοῖς δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐν Καστορίᾳ στρατηγῶν, μεθ' ὧν καὶ ὁ Βορίσης ∆αβὶδ καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοί, οἵτινες δεδιότες τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἰθαγενῶν Βουλγάρων ἀπειλὴν ὡς εἰς κρησφύγετον τὴν Καστορίαν συνέφυγον. Καταλαβὼν οὖν ὁ Πετρίλος τὴν Καστορίαν μετὰ πλήθους στρατιωτῶν Βουλγάρων ἀμυθήτου τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον συνεσκευάζετο. Οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ αὐτοὶ συνταξάμενοι ἐξῆλθον κατ' αὐτῶν, καὶ μετὰ ῥύμης σφοδρᾶς συμβαλόντες αὐτοῖς τρέπουσι τὸν Πετρίλον καὶ φυγεῖν καταναγκάζουσι, δι' ὀρέων ἀβάτων πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ κύριον τὸν Μιχαηλᾶν ἀφικόμενον. Κτείνουσι δὲ καὶ τῶν Βουλγάρων πολλούς, αἱροῦσι δὲ καὶ τὸν μετὰ τὸν Πετρίλον ἐν Χροβάτοις τεταγμένον καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα δεσμώτην ἀπάγουσιν. Ὁ δὲ Βοδῖνος τὸν Νίσον καταλαβὼν ὡς ἤδη βασιλεὺς τῶν βουλγαρικῶν πραγμάτων ἀντείχετο, πᾶν τὸ προστυχὸν ληιζόμενος καὶ τοὺς μὴ δεχομένους μηδὲ δουλουμένους αὐτῷ κεραΐζων καὶ λυμαινόμενος. Ὅπερ ἀκηκοὼς ὁ βασιλεύς, τήν τε τοῦ δουκὸς ἧτταν δηλαδὴ καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀναγό 165 ρευσιν, τὸν Σαρωνίτην κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐξαπέστειλε, πρὶν ἐξαφθῇ τὸ κακὸν καὶ εἰς