Peter Delyan was a Bulgarian noble from Byzantine Balkans who, in 1040, claimed descent from the last Bulgarian Emperor, Samuel I, and rose up in rebellion against the central Byzantine imperial administration with local support, aiming to restore Bulgaria's independence. His revolt was the only one that was properly organized prior to that of the Asen brothers in the 1190's. At first his armies managed to overrun much of modern day Serbia and Macedonia, and at one point he even came close to capturing Thessalonica, but treachery by other rebel leaders allowed the Byzantines an opportunity to crush the rebellion and reintegrate Bulgaria into the empire.
But what if Delyan had actually been successful in restoring the Bulgarian Empire, at least in the shape of that of the then recently defeated Cometopuli scions? This is after the age of Basil II, alas, and most of the Byzantine emperors who succeeded him were incompetent. Could this herald an earlier period of troubles for Byzantium's western front? How does a successful Delyan affect the rise of the Normans in Byzantine Italy?
But what if Delyan had actually been successful in restoring the Bulgarian Empire, at least in the shape of that of the then recently defeated Cometopuli scions? This is after the age of Basil II, alas, and most of the Byzantine emperors who succeeded him were incompetent. Could this herald an earlier period of troubles for Byzantium's western front? How does a successful Delyan affect the rise of the Normans in Byzantine Italy?
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