Malamir was a son of
Omurtag (r. 814–831) and a grandson of
Krum (r. 803–814). Malamir became ruler of Bulgaria in 831 on the death of his father Omurtag, because his older brother
Enravota (Voin) had forfeited his right to the succession by becoming a
Christian. It is possible that Malamir was young and inexperienced at the time of his accession, and that affairs of state were managed by his
kavhan (
kaukhanos)
Isbul. About 833, Malamir executed Enravota for refusing to renounce
Christianity. After the expiration of the original
30-year peace treaty with the
Byzantine Empire in 836, emperor
Theophilos ravaged the regions inside the Bulgarian frontier. The Bulgarians retaliated, and under the leadership of Isbul they reached
Adrianople. At this time, if not earlier, the Bulgarians annexed Philippopolis (
Plovdiv) and its environs. Several surviving monumental inscriptions from this reign make reference to the Bulgarian victories and others to the continuation of construction activities in and near
Pliska. In several older studies, Malamir is identified with his successor
Presian I, and it is assumed that he survived until the 850s as the direct predecessor of
Boris I. This is very unlikely, as Malamir is attested as having been succeeded by his nephew (the son of his brother
Zvinitsa), while
Boris I was preceded by his father Presian I. Zlatarski resolved the problems in the fragmentary sources by determining that Malamir's unnamed nephew and successor was in fact Presian I, and Boris I was the latter's son. The 17th century Volga Bulgar compilation
Cäğfär Taríxı (a work of disputed authenticity) represents Balamir (i.e., Malamir) as the son of Yomyrčak (i.e., Omurtag), and as the brother of Sabanša (i.e., Zvinica), who was the father of Birdžihan (i.e., Presian I).
Malamir Knoll on
Greenwich Island in the
South Shetland Islands,
Antarctica, is named for Khan Malamir of Bulgaria. == See also ==