Aaron (son of Ivan Vladislav)

Aaron (Аарон; ) was a younger son of the last tsar of the First Bulgarian Empire, Ivan Vladislav ((r. 1015 – 1018)). After the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria he entered Byzantine service along with his brothers, and held a series of higher military commands in the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire during the 1040s and 1050s, rising from patrikios to protoproedros in the process. In this capacity, he fought in the first battles against the invading Seljuq Turks, as well as, unsuccessfully, against the uprising in 1057 of his brother-in-law Isaac I Komnenos.

Life
He was the third son of Ivan Vladislav and Maria. He had two older brothers, Presian and Alusian, as well as three younger ones, and six sisters. After the death of Ivan Vladislav in February 1018, Bulgarian resistance to the Byzantine emperor Basil II ((r. 976 – 1025)) collapsed, and Aaron with his two older brothers fled to Mount Tmoros. The mountain was surrounded by Basil with guards, until the three brothers surrendered after receiving guarantees for their safety. Presian received the high title of magistros (by which it appears that he was the eldest and his father's heir-apparent), while Alusian and Aaron received the title of patrikios. Presian was later involved in a plot against Emperor Romanos III Argyros in c. 1029, and the second brother, Alusian, was involved in the failed Uprising of Peter Delyan in 1040.

Military career
Aaron himself is known from literary sources and his seals of office to have served as military governor (katepano) of Vaspurakan (the seal mentions the titles of patrikios, anthypatos, and vestes) in c. 1046/47. During this time, along with Katakalon Kekaumenos, he faced the first large-scale invasions of the Seljuq Turks into Byzantine-held Armenia. A first invasion, under a certain "Hasan the Deaf" was destroyed by the two Byzantine commanders east of Lake Van in 1048.

It was soon followed by an even larger expedition, led by Ibrahim Inal, which the local Byzantine forces were unable to counter. According to the historian John Skylitzes, contrary to Kekaumenos, who wanted to confront the Turks as soon as possible, Aaron favoured a more defensive stance, withdrawing behind their fortifications and conserving their forces, while informing Emperor Constantine IX ((r. 1042 – 1055)) and requesting instructions. Aaron's opinion prevailed, and the Byzantines left the Turks unmolested while they awaited the arrival of reinforcements under the Georgian prince Liparit IV, Duke of Kldekari. As a result of this inactivity, the Turks were able to raid widely and inflict much destruction, culminating in the dramatic Sack of Artze. After Liparit arrived, the combined army confronted the Turks in the Battle of Kapetron: in a fierce nocturnal engagement, Aaron and Kekaumenos, in command of the two flanks, pushed back and pursued the Turks "till cock's crow". In the centre, however, Inal managed to capture Liparit, a fact of which the two Byzantine commanders were not informed until the next day. Inal was able to retreat with his captives and booty to Seljuq territory, leaving the two Byzantine commanders with no option but to return to their respective bases.

He is further attested in inscriptions and seals as doux of Ani and Iberia, with the title of magistros, in c. 1055–1057, and is further identified with Aaron, a magistros and doux of Edessa attested through his seal, although this identification is not certain. During the uprising of the eastern generals under his brother-in-law Isaac I Komnenos in 1057, Aaron remained loyal to Emperor Michael VI ((r. 1056 – 1057)), and commanded the left flank of the Imperial army at the decisive Battle of Hades. During the battle, his men routed their opponents and pressed on to their camp, but Aaron hesitated to complete his victory, allowing the rebel army time to reverse the situation and defeat the Imperial forces.

In c. 1059 he is attested in the testament of Eustathios Boilas as proedros (and presumably doux) in Mesopotamia, then held the office of protostrator along that of doux (the exact command is not specified), and finally, after 1059, the title of protoproedros.

Family
Aaron gave his name to the noble Byzantine family of Aaron or Aaronios (plural: Aaronioi), which included all descendants of John Vladislav, including the Alousianoi, the descendants of Alusian. His son Theodore, governor of Taron, was killed fighting against the Seljuk Turks in 1055/56. He had possibly one other son, Radomir Aaron. From Aaron's younger siblings, the family became closely intermarried with the Komnenos dynasty: his sister Catherine married Isaac Komnenos, the uncle of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos ((r. 1081 – 1118)), while the daughter of his younger brother Troian married Andronikos Doukas, the father-in-law of Alexios I.