Bitola inscription

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The Bitola inscription (replica in the National History Museum )

The Bitola inscription (Bulgarian "Битолският надпис") is an inscription in the Old Church Slavonic or Old Bulgarian language . It dates from the time of Ivan Wladislaw , who ruled between 1015 and 1018, the last tsar of the First Bulgarian Empire . Macedonian historians see him as the last tsar of a possible Macedonian state in the Middle Ages , ignoring this inscription.

The inscription was found in December 1956 during demolition work on a mosque in Bitola (now in the Republic of Macedonia ). The mosque itself was probably built from stones from the Bitola fortress. In the inscription, the ruler proclaims the completion of the fortress of Bitola and describes himself as a Bulgarian. This fact is in contrast to the official state doctrine of "Macedonism" in the Republic of Macedonia .

As proof of the historical and political explosiveness of the inscription, one can see the scandal that this inscription caused in 2006. At that time, the French consulate in Macedonia, which, together with official representatives of the Republic of Macedonia, wrote a tourism catalog for Bitola, used a photograph of the stone as the cover for this catalog without prior agreement. Apparently the French consulate was not aware of the consequences of its decision, as the stone contains the word "Bulgarians". After an official protest by the Bitola City Council, the printing of the tourism catalog was stopped and the French consul officially apologized to the Macedonian state.

Today the inscription is exhibited in the Museum of Bitola. Curiously, the stone was exhibited upside down, i.e. with the empty back facing up. In this way it should be prevented that one could read what is written there. The stone is now displayed the right way round.

The inscription

Some fragments of the text are slightly damaged. However, they were reconstructed by Vladimir Mošin and Jordan Saimow.

Original in old Bulgarian

"† Въ лѣто Ѕ ҃Ф ҃К ҃Г ҃ отъ створенїа мира обнови сѧ съ градь зидаемъ и дѣлаемъ Їѡаном самодрьжъцемъ блъгарьскомь и помощїѫ и молїтвамї прѣс ҃тыѧ влад ҃чицѧ нашеѧ Б ҃чѧ ї въз () стѫпенїе І ҃В ҃ ı връховънюю ап ҃лъсъ же градь дѣлань бысть на ѹбѣжище и на сп҃сенѥ ї на жизнь бльгаромъ начѧть же бысть градь сь Битола м ҃ца окто ҃вра въ К ҃. Конъчѣ же сѧ м ҃ца ... исходѧща съ самодрьжъць быстъ бльгарїнь родомь ѹнѹкъ Николы же ї Риѱимиѧ благовѣрьнѹ сынь Арона Самоила же брата сѫща ц ҃рѣ самодрьжавьнаго іаже ı разбїсте въ Щїпонѣ грьчьскѫ воїскѫ ц ҃рѣ Васїлїа кде же взѧто бы злато ... фоѧ съжев. .. ц҃рь разбїенъ бы ц҃рѣмь Васїлїемь Ѕ ҃Ф ҃К ҃В ҃ г. лтѣ оть створенїѧ мира ... їѹ съп () лѣтѹ семѹ и сходѧщѹ "

German translation

“In 6523 (1015) from the creation of the earth, this fortress, created and built by Ivan, Tsar of Bulgaria, was renewed with the help and prayers of our most holy wife and the intercession of her twelve highest apostles. The fortress was built as heaven and for the salvation of the lives of all Bulgarians. Work on the fortress of Bitola began on the twentieth day of October and ended on (...) This tsar was a Bulgarian by birth, grandson of the pious Nikola and Ripsimia, son of Aaron, who was the brother of Samuels , the tsar of the Bulgarians, both defeated the Greek army of Emperor Basil II at Stipone, where gold was taken (…) and in (…) this Tsar was defeated by Emperor Basil in 6522 (1014) since the creation of the earth in Klyuch and died at the end of this Summer. "

The text reconstructed by the Macedonian historian Radmila Ugrinova-Skalovska is very similar to this.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ List of all individual references:
    The official website of the Museum of Bitola NI Institute and Museum ( Memento from January 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
    Paul Stephenson: The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-slayer . Cambridge University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-521-81530-4 , pp. 29f.
    Florin Curta: Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages. 500-1250 . Cambridge medieval textbooks, Cambridge University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-521-81539-8 , p. 246.
    Catherine Holmes: Basil II and the governance of Empire (976-1025). (= Oxford studies in Byzantium ). Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-19-927968-3 , pp. 56-57.
    Ivan Mikulcic: Medieval Cities and Castles in Macedonia. Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Skopje 1996, Chapter Early medieval fortifications , p 69. (maz .: Микулчиќ, Иван, "Средновековни градови и тврдини во Македонија" Македонска академија на науките и уметностите, Скопје, 1996, глава Раносредновековни фортификации , стр. 69.)
    Srdjan Pirivatrić: Samuil's state. Scope and character. Byzantine Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, special editions of the book 21, Belgrade 1997, p 183. (ser: Срђан Пириватрић, "Самуилова држава Обим и карактер." Византолошки институт Српске академије науке и уметности, посебна издања књига 21, Београд, 1997, стр. 183.)
    Академик Г. Г. Литаврин, "Прошлое и настоящее Македонии в свете современных проблем" , зборник "Македония - проблемы истории и культуры" Институт за словенски науки при Руската академија на науките , Москва, 1999.
    Ivan Bozhilow: Bitola inscription of Ivan Vladislav. In: Kyril and Methodius Encyclopedia. Volume 1, Sofia 1985, pp. 196-198. (bul. Божилов, Иван Битолски надпис на Иван Владислав // Кирило-методиевска енциклопедия, т І, София, 1985, с 196-198...)
    Александър Бурмов: Новонамерен старобългарски надпис в НР Македония. In: Пламък. 3, 10, Sofia 1959, pp. 84-86.
    Йордан Заимов: Битолски надпис на Иван Владислав, старобългарски паметник от 1015-1016. Sofia 1969.
    Йордан Заимов: Битолският надпис на цар Иван Владислав, самодържец български. Епиграфско изследване. Sofia 1970.
    Йордан Заимов: Битольская надпись болгарского самодержца Ивана Владислава, 1015-1016. In: Вопросы языкознания. 28, 6, Moscow 1969, pp. 123-133.
    Владимир Мошин: Битољска плоча из 1017. год. Македонски јазик, XVII, Skopje 1966, pp. 51–61.
    Владимир Мошин: Уште за битолската плоча од 1017 година. In: Историја. 7, 2, Skopje 1971, pp. 255-257.
    Г. Томовић: Морфологија ћирилских натписа на Балкану. Историјски институт, Посебна издања, 16, Skopje 1974, p. 33.
    Петар Џорђић: Историја српске ћирилице. Beograd 1990, pp. 451-468.
    Радмила Угринова-Скаловска: Записи и летописи. Skopje 1975, pp. 43-44.
  2. ↑ Исправена печатарска грешка, Битола за малку ќе се претставуваше како бугарска. Дневник-online, 2006 ( Memento of the original from February 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Macedonian).  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dnevnik.com.mk
  3. ↑ Samuil's Stone Stirred Macedonia. In: Standart News. April 1, 2004.
  4. ↑ Владимир Мошин: Битољска плоча из 1017. год. In: Македонски jазик. XVII, 1966, pp. 51-61.
  5. ↑ Йордан Заимов: Битолският надпис на цар Иван Владислав, самодържец български. Епиграфско изследване, Sofia 1970. For criticism of this reconstruction, see: Horace G. Lunt: review of Zaimov. In: Slavic Review. 31, 1972, p. 499.
  6. ↑ Радмила Угринова-Скаловска: Записи и летописи . Skopje 1975, p. 43 f.