On the role of Bulgarian fortresses in the war of 976-1018

After 1018/1019, the organization of Byzantine rule in the interior regions of the Balkans rested on the administration that John I Tzimiskes established in the areas taken from Bulgaria after 971 and the experience Basil II acquired during the war of 976-1018/1019 against Samuel and his successors. The sources attest that the struggle for Bulgarian independence relied on a dense network of fortresses in the interior of the Balkans. Accounts of the war of 976-1018/1019 by Byzantine authors show that, based on certain criteria, we can identify the dominant fortresses that served as the centers of Bulgarian resistance. Basil took control of most of those fortresses by their surrender. The way in which the Balkan interior was subdued led to Byzantium’s reliance on church organization to establish its rule in the post-1018/1019 period. During the reign of Basil II and shortly after his death, the Archbishopric of Ohrid had a twofold role. This institution, on the one hand, ensured lasting peace in the Balkans and, on the other, remained the only guardian of the subjugated people’s identity. However, in the mid-11th century, Byzantium already began to openly pursue a policy that almost exclusively favored Constantinople’s interests in the Balkans.