Aspects of the ethnic and political identities and othernesses in the Balkans during the Byzantine domination (1018-1185) / Ipostaze ale identită?ilor ?i alterită?ilor etnice ?i politice din Balcani în timpul stăpânirii bizantine (1018-1185)

The two centuries between the conquest of Basil II the “Bulgar-slayer” and the revolt of the Asens (1185) were for the Bulgarian-Vlach world, which was under Byzantine domination, a period during which political stability alternated with a necessity to re-dimension the ethnic identity under the patronage of the Bulgarian state tradition. The period we are referring to is a sinuous and antagonistic one, which provoked in the Byzantine Empire a series of revolts that emerged in the Balkan world. The rebellions that broke out during this time-span had different causes and characteristics and questioned the very strength of the Imperial domination in the Balkans. The centrifugal movements, especially those arisen among the Bulgarians, had a national, anti-Byzantine character, aiming to proclaim the leader of the revolt “Tsar of the Bulgarians”. The Vlahs in the Balkans were famous for their knowledge and surveillance of the mountain passes and maybe for this reason they were used for all sorts of missions. These people of the mountains, specially recruited in the Byzantine Army, had the specific role of guiding the Byzantine military units through the mountain passes and of recommending the most favorable places for setting camp. The political and economic situation of the Byzantium at the end of the 12th century caused strong contradictions within the populations in the Haemus region, who rose against the Byzantine domination under the leadership of the Romanians. The collaboration between the Bulgarian-Vlachs and the Cumans manifested itself on various occasions during the 12th century and intensified in the eve of the Asens’ Revolt and, subsequently, during their Tsardom.