Agatha (wife of Samuel of Bulgaria)

In today's world, Agatha (wife of Samuel of Bulgaria) plays a crucial role in our society. From its impact on the economy to its influence on popular culture, Agatha (wife of Samuel of Bulgaria) has been the subject of constant debate and analysis. In this article, we will explore the various facets of Agatha (wife of Samuel of Bulgaria) and its relevance in our daily lives. From its origins to its current evolution, we will examine how Agatha (wife of Samuel of Bulgaria) has shaped the world we know. Additionally, we will consider its future implications and how it could continue to transform our society for decades to come.

Agatha
BornLarissa, Byzantine Empire
SpouseSamuel of Bulgaria
IssueMiroslava
Gavril Radomir
two unnamed daughters

Agatha (Bulgarian: Агата, Greek: Άγάθη; fl. late 10th century) was the wife of Emperor Samuel of Bulgaria.

Biography

According to a later addition to the history of the late-11th-century Byzantine historian John Skylitzes, Agatha was a captive from Larissa, and the daughter of the magnate of Dyrrhachium, John Chryselios. Skylitzes explicitly refers to her as the mother of Samuel's heir Gavril Radomir, which means that she was probably Samuel's wife. On the other hand, Skylitzes later mentions that Gavril Radomir himself also took a beautiful captive, named Irene, from Larissa as his wife. According to the editors of the Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit, this may have been a source of confusion for a later copyist, and Agatha's real origin was not Larissa, but Dyrrhachium. According to the same work, it is likely that she had died by ca. 998, when her father surrendered Dyrrhachium to the Byzantine emperor Basil II.

Only two of Samuel's and Agatha's children are definitely known by name: Gavril Radomir and Miroslava. Two further, unnamed, daughters are mentioned in 1018, while Samuel is also recorded as having had a bastard son.

Agatha is one of the central characters in Dimitar Talev's novel Samuil.

References

  1. ^ a b c PmbZ, Agathe (#20171).
  2. ^ PmbZ, Samuel Kometopulos (#26983).

Sources

  • Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013). Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.