Kan Telerig

Khan Telerig ascended the Bulgarian throne around 766. After long years of political struggles for the throne, conspiracies, the murder of khans, harsh climatic conditions and numerous military and territorial losses to the Byzantine Empire, Telerig skilfully consolidated his position and pursued a policy of restoring his state’s standing. He realised that the weakened Bulgarian state could not regain its position in eastern Thrace at that time, so he directed his efforts towards bringing the Slavic tribes to the south-west, in Macedonia, under his control. This was most likely an attempt to secure his rear before taking further action towards the south-east.