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from the Avars (for from those parts they had driven out the Romans who now inhabit Dalmatia and Dyrrachion), {and} the emperor settled these same Serbs in these countries, and they were subject to the emperor of the Romans, whom the emperor, having brought priests from Rome, baptized, and having taught them to perform the rites of piety well, he set forth to them the faith of the Christians. Since Bulgaria was under the authority of the Romans, *** Therefore, when the archon of the Serbs who had taken refuge with the emperor died, his son ruled in succession, and again his grandson, and so the succeeding archons were from his generation. And after some years there was born from them Voisthlavos, and from him Rodosthlavos, and from him Prosigois, and from him Vlastimiros, and until the time of this Vlastimiros, the Bulgars lived in peace with the Serbs, loving each other as neighbors and borderers, having subjection and submission to the emperors of the Romans and being well treated by them. But during the reign of this Vlastimiros, Presiam, the archon of Bulgaria, came with war against the Serbs, wishing to subdue them, but after warring for three years, he not only accomplished nothing, but also lost most of his people. And after the death of archon Vlastimiros, his three sons, Muntimiros and Stroimiros and Goinikos, succeeded to the rule of Serbia, having divided the country. In their time, the archon of Bulgaria, Michael Boris, came, wishing to avenge the defeat of Presiam, his father, and having made war, the Serbs so terrified him that they even captured his son, Vladimir, a prisoner along with twelve great boyars. Then indeed Boris, distressed for his son and against his will, made peace with the Serbs. And as he was about to return to Bulgaria and feared lest the Serbs might ambush him on the way, he requested for his safe-conduct the children of the archon Muntimiros, Borena and Stephanos, who indeed escorted him unharmed as far as the frontiers, to Rascia. And for this favor Michael Boris gave them great gifts, and they in return gave him as guest-gifts two slaves, two falcons, two dogs, and eighty furs, which the Bulgars call a pact. And after a short time these same three brothers, the archons of Serbia, turned against one another, and one of them, Muntimiros, becoming the stronger and wishing to hold the rule alone, captured the other two and handed them over to Bulgaria, only keeping with him and caring for the child of one brother, Goinikos, named Peter, who also fled and came to Croatia, about whom it will be spoken a little later. And the aforesaid brother in Bulgaria, Stroimiros, had a son, Klonimiros, to whom Boris gave a Bulgar woman for a wife. From him was born in Bulgaria Tzeesthlavos. And Muntimiros, who drove out his two brothers and received the rule, begat three sons, Privesthlavos and Branos and Stephanos, and after his death he was succeeded by his first son, Privesthlavos. Therefore, after one year, the aforementioned Peter, the son of Goinikos, having come out of Croatia, drove from power his cousin Privesthlavos along with his two brothers, and he succeeded to the rule, and they, having fled, entered Croatia. And after three years Branos came to make war on Peter and, having been defeated and captured by him, was blinded. And after two years, Klonimiros, the father of Tzeesthlavos, also fleeing from Bulgaria, himself seized and entered one of the castles of Serbia, Dostinikan, with an army in order to take over the rule. Peter, therefore, having made war on him, killed him, and ruled for another 20 years, ruling during the reign of Leo, the most blessed and holy emperor, having submission and subjection to him. And he was also at peace with Symeon, the archon

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παρὰ τῶν Ἀβάρων (ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκεῖσε γὰρ Ῥωμάνους τοὺς νῦν ∆ελματίαν καὶ τὸ ∆υρράχιον οἰκοῦντας ἀπέλασαν), {καὶ} κατεσκήνωσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς αὐτοὺς Σέρβλους ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις χώραις, καὶ ἦσαν τῷ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμαίων ὑποτασσόμενοι, οὓς ὁ βασιλεὺς πρεσβύτας ἀπὸ Ῥώμης ἀγαγὼν ἐβάπτισεν, καὶ διδάξας αὐτοὺς τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας τελεῖν καλῶς, αὐτοῖς τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστιν ἐξέθετο. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ Βουλγαρία ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἦν τῶν Ῥωμαίων, *** αὐτοῦ οὖν τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦ Σέρβλου, τοῦ εἰς τὸν βασιλέα προσφυγόντος, τελευτήσαντος, κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἦρξεν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ὁ ἔγγων, καὶ οὕτως ἐκ τῆς γενεᾶς αὐτοῦ οἱ καθεξῆς ἄρχοντες. Μετὰ δὲ χρόνους τινὰς ἐγεννήθη ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁ Βοϊσέσθλαβος, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὁ Ῥοδόσθλαβος, καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνου ὁ Προσηγόης, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου ὁ Βλαστίμηρος, καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ τοῦ Βλαστιμήρου μετὰ τῶν Σέρβλων εἰρηνικῶς διετέλουν οἱ Βούλγαροι, ὡς γείτονες καὶ συνορῖται ἀγαπῶντες ἀλλήλους, ἔχοντες δὲ δούλωσιν καὶ ὑποταγὴν εἰς τοὺς βασιλεῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ εὐεργετούμενοι παρ' αὐτῶν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ αὐτοῦ Βλαστιμήρου ἦλθεν μετὰ πολέμου Πρεσιάμ, ὁ ἄρχων Βουλγαρίας, κατὰ τῶν Σέρβλων θέλων αὐτοὺς ὑποτάξαι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τριετίαν πολεμήσας, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ἤνυσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λαὸν αὐτοῦ πλεῖστον ἀπώλεσεν. Μετὰ δὲ θάνατον Βλαστιμήρου τοῦ ἄρχοντος διεδέξαντο τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς Σερβλίας οἱ τρεῖς υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, ὁ Μουντιμῆρος καὶ ὁ Στροΐμηρος καὶ ὁ Γοΐνικος, μερισάμενοι τὴν χώραν. Ἐπὶ τούτων παρεγένετο ὁ τῆς Βουλγαρίας ἄρχων, Μιχαὴλ ὁ Βορίσης, θέλων διεκδικῆσαι τὴν ἧτταν Πρεσιάμ, τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πολεμήσας, εἰς τοσοῦτον αὐτὸν ἐπτόησαν οἱ Σέρβλοι, ὥστε καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, Βλαδίμηρον ἐκράτησαν δέσμιον μετὰ καὶ βοϊλάδων δώδεκα μεγάλων. Τότε δὴ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ θλίψει καὶ μὴ θέλων ὁ Βορίσης εἰρήνευσε μετὰ τῶν Σέρβλων. Μέλλων δὲ ὑποστρέφειν ἐν Βουλγαρίᾳ καὶ φοβηθείς, μήποτε ἐνεδρεύσωσιν αὐτὸν οἱ Σέρβλοι καθ' ὁδόν, ἐπεζήτησεν εἰς διάσωσιν αὐτοῦ τὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος Μουντιμήρου παιδία, τὸν Βόρενα καὶ τὸν Στέφανον, οἳ καὶ διέσωσαν αὐτὸν ἀβλαβῆ μέχρι τῶν συνόρων, ἕως τῆς Ῥάσης. Καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς τοιαύτης χάριτος δέδωκεν αὐτοῖς Μιχαὴλ ὁ Βορίσης δωρεὰς μεγάλας, καὶ ἐκεῖνοι ἀντέδωκαν αὐτῷ χάριν ξενίων ψυχάρια δύο, φαλκώνια δύο, σκυλία δύο καὶ γούνας ὀγδοήκοντα, ὅπερ λέγουσιν οἱ Βούλγαροι εἶναι πάκτον. Μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ ἐγένοντο κατ' ἀλλήλων οἱ αὐτοὶ τρεῖς ἀδελφοί, οἱ ἄρχοντες Σερβλίας, καὶ γενάμενος ἐπικρατέστερος ὁ εἷς αὐτῶν, ὁ Μουντιμῆρος, καὶ θέλων μόνος τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπέχειν, κρατήσας παρέδωκεν τοὺς δύο ἐν Βουλγαρίᾳ, μόνον τὸ παιδίον τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀδελφοῦ, Γοϊνίκου, Πέτρον ὀνόματι, παρ' ἑαυτῷ κρατήσας καὶ ἐπιμελούμενος, ὅστις καὶ φυγὼν ἦλθεν ἐν Χρωβατίᾳ, περὶ οὗ μετ' ὀλίγον ῥηθήσεται. Ὁ δὲ προρρηθεὶς ἀδελφὸς ἐν Βουλγαρίᾳ, Στροΐμηρος εἶχεν υἱὸν τὸν Κλονίμηρον, ᾧ καὶ γυναῖκα παρέσχεν ὁ Βορίσης Βουλγάραν. Ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννᾶται ἐν Βουλγαρίᾳ ὁ Τζεέσθλαβος. Ὁ δὲ Μουντιμῆρος, ὁ τοὺς δύο ἀδελφοὺς διώξας καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν δεξάμενος, γεννᾷ υἱοὺς τρεῖς, τὸν Πριβέσθλαβον καὶ τὸν Βράνον καὶ τὸν Στέφανον, καὶ μετὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ θάνατον διαδέχεται αὐτὸν ὁ πρῶτος υἱός, ὁ Πριβέσθλαβος. Μετὰ οὖν χρόνον ἕνα ἐξελθὼν ἀπὸ Χρωβατίας ὁ προειρημένος Πέτρος, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Γοϊνίκου, διώκει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸν ἐξάδελφον αὐτοῦ, Πριβέσθλαβον μετὰ τῶν δύο ἀδελφῶν, κἀκεῖνος τὴν ἀρχὴν διαδέχεται, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ φυγόντες εἰσέρχονται ἐν Χρωβατίᾳ. Μετὰ δὲ χρόνους τρεῖς ἐλθὼν ὁ Βράνος πρὸς τὸ πολεμῆσαι τὸν Πέτρον καὶ ἡττηθεὶς καὶ κρατηθεὶς παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐτυφλώθη. Μετὰ δὲ χρόνους δύο φυγὼν καὶ ὁ Κλονίμηρος ἀπὸ Βουλγαρίαν, ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ Τζεεσθλάβου, καταλαμβάνει καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ εἰσέρχεται εἰς ἓν τῶν κάστρων Σερβλίας, τὴν ∆οστινίκαν, μετὰ λαοῦ πρὸς τὸ παραλαβεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν. Τοῦτον οὖν πολεμήσας ὁ Πέτρος ἀπέκτεινεν, καὶ ἐκράτησεν ἕτερα ἔτη κʹ, ἄρξας ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας Λέοντος, τοῦ μακαριωτάτου καὶ ἁγίου βασιλέως, ἔχων ὑποταγὴν καὶ δούλωσιν πρὸς αὐτόν. Εἰρήνευσεν δὲ καὶ μετὰ Συμεών, τοῦ ἄρχοντος