File:MadridSkylitzesFol217r.jpg

Miniatures:

• Alusian seeks refuge in the camp of Peter Delyan (top).

Text from the Chronicle of John Skylitzes: "...In the month of September, indiction 9, 6549 /1040/, Aaron's second son, Alusianus, who was a patrician and strategus of Theodosiopolis, fled un­expectedly from the capital and joined Delyan for the following reason. As strategus of Theodosiopolis he was accused of injustice and before the charges made against him were examined, loannes ordered him to pay 50 pounds of gold, and expropriated the estate of his wife in Harsian. /Alusianus/ com­plained of this to the Emperor but received no support; despairing of everything and clad in Armenian clothes, allegedly as a servant of Basil Theodorocan, who was on his way to the Emperor in Thessalonica, he slipped secretly away and fled to Ostrovo, where Delyan was then encamped with his entire army. Delyan received him most joyfully, because he was afraid lest the Bulgarians might prefer to join him, since he was of royal blood. It seems that he shared his royal power with him and, giving him a 40,000 strong army, sent him to besiege Thessalonica..." (Macedonia - Documents And Materials, I., 19. (html); Fontes graeci historiae Bulgaricae VI, p. 304)

• Thessalonians pursue the Bulgarian besiegers of their city (bottom).

Text from the Chronicle of John Skylitzes: "...On arrival, /Alusianus/ encircled the town with trenches and began the siege. For six days he tried to take the town using battering rams and other machines. Everywhere he was repulsed and, abandoning everything, he decided to achieve his objective by a prolonged siege. One day the in­habitants of the town went to the grave of the great martyr Demetrius, held a night-long vigil and used the chrism gushing out of the divine grave. Then all of a sudden they opened the gates and came out against the Bulgarians. The detachment of the courageous was also with the Thessalonians. Suddenly emerging they frightened and put to flight the Bulgarians, who did not want to put up any defense or resistance, because the martyr led the Byzantine army and cleared its way, as the captured Bulgarians declared under oath. They said that they saw how the Byzantine army was led by a young horseman, out of whom came fire which burned their opponents. And so more than 15,000 Bulgarians fell and the number of prisoners was no less. The others, together with Alusianus, ignominiously fled to Delyan..." (Macedonia - Documents And Materials, I., 19.; Fontes graeci historiae Bulgaricae VI, p. 305)

References:

• Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis Historiarum. Editio Princeps. Rec. Ioannes Thurn, p. 412-413, in: Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae 5 Series Berolinensis, 1973
• Tsamakda V.: The illustrated chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes in Madrid, p. 241-242