aining prestige is not a point to be taken lightly. Medieval rulers tended to have claims of sovereignty that were at best shaky – often they had to
“Giraffe Diplomacy”
The ‘Roman Slayer'
When Basil II destroyed and absorbed the Bulgarian empire in 1014, the victory earned him the title of the ‘Bulgar Slayer.’ Almost two hundred years later, the ruler of a restored Bulgaria dubbed himself the ‘Roman slayer’ in revenge. It was a title
