Theme of Bulgaria in the context of "Samuel of Bulgaria"

The Kometopuli dynasty (Bulgarian: Династия на комитопулите, Dinastiya na komitopulite; Byzantine Greek: Δυναστεία Κομητoπούλων, Dynasteía Kometopoulon) was the last royal dynasty in the First Bulgarian Empire, ruling from c. 976 until the fall of Bulgaria under Byzantine rule in 1018. The most notable member of the dynasty, Tsar Samuel, is famous for successfully resisting Byzantine conquest for more than 40 years. Sometimes the realm of the Cometopuli is called Western Bulgarian Kingdom or Western Bulgarian Empire.

The Uprising of Georgi Voyteh (Bulgarian: Въстание на Георги Войтех, romanized: Vastanie na Georgi Voyteh), or the Slavic uprising against the Byzantine rule (Serbian: Словенски устанак против византијске власти, romanized: Slovenski ustanak protiv vizantijske vlasti) was a wide South Slavic uprising against the Byzantine rule, that broke out in central Balkan regions soon after the devastating Byzantine defeat in Asia Minor, at the Battle of Manzikert (1071). The movement was initiated by Bulgarian leaders in the theme of Bulgaria, with assistance from the Serbian prince Michael I of Duklja, whose son Bodin was accepted by the rebels and proclaimed as emperor of Bulgaria, under the name Peter (1072). After some initial expansion, and several clashes with the Byzantines, the rebels were defeated by 1073. That was the second major attempt to restore the Bulgarian Empire, after the failed Uprising of Peter Delyan in 1040–1041.

The Uprising of Petar Delyan (Bulgarian: Въстанието на Петър Делян, Greek: Επανάσταση του Πέτρου Δελεάνου), which took place in 1040–1041, was a major Bulgarian rebellion against the Byzantine Empire in the Theme of Bulgaria. It was the largest and best-organised attempt to restore the former Bulgarian Empire until the rebellion of Ivan Asen I and Petar IV in 1185.

John Doukas (or Ducas) (Greek: Ιωάννης Δούκας, Iōannēs Doukas) (died c. 1088) was the son of Andronikos Doukas, a Paphlagonian nobleman who may have served as governor of the theme of Bulgaria (Moesia), and the older brother of Emperor Constantine X Doukas. John Doukas was the paternal grandfather of Irene Doukaina, wife of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.

He was the original owner of Codex Parisinus graecus 2009, i.e. the oldest known and preserved manuscript of De Administrando Imperio written by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, and copied by one of Doukas' scribes, a well-known encyclopedic Byzantine source on foreign nations from the 10th century.