Theophylact Botaneiates

Who was Theophylact Botaneiates?

Theophylact Botaniates was an 11th-century Byzantine general and governor of Thessalonica. In 1014 the Byzantine Emperor Basil II invaded Bulgaria and reached the ramparts around the village of Klyuch. To distract his attention, the Bulgarian emperor Samuel sent a large army under Nestoritsa towards Thessalonica. Botaniates and his son Michael met the Bulgarians and defeated them in the vicinity of the city, after which he joined Basil's troops. After the Byzantine victory in the subsequent battle of Kleidion he was sent with an army to clear the road to Thessalonica. On his way back to Basil's main camp however, his army was ambushed by the Bulgarians under Gavril Radomir and Botaneiates himself was killed by Radomir's spear.