Nicholas (komes)

Common card · No. 382449

Nicholas (Bulgarian: Никола, romanized: Nikola) was a local ruler (komes) in Bulgaria, and progenitor of the Cometopuli ("the sons of the count") dynasty. According to the Armenian chronicler Stephen of Taron, the family originated in the Armenian region of Derdjan, where their sons were born. However, Michael Palairet affirms that count Nicholas' family name is Shishman, a family name not of Armenian origin, which centuries later became a Bulgarian royal dynasty. He was married to Ripsime or Hripsime; the couple had four sons, David, Moses, Aron, and Samuel, who are collectively known as the Cometopuli (from Greek Kometopouloi, "sons of the komes"; Armenian կոմսաձագ Komsajagk). Sometime in the 970s—the exact date is unclear and disputed—the brothers launched a successful rebellion against the Byzantine Empire, that had recently subdued Bulgaria; after the early death of his brothers, Samuel remained as the undisputed leader of Bulgaria, ruling as Tsar from 996 until his death in 1014...

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