Early medieval Bulgarian seals bearing the name John
Early medieval Bulgarian seals bearing the name John

Summary/Abstract: The article features three lead seals from the period of the First Bulgarian Empire and, as the title suggests, what they have in common is the name John inscribed on them. The first two seals have long been in scholarly circulation. They have the following legend: “Lord, help your servant John, bagatur and heir to the throne.” The third lead seal was discovered during regular archaeological excavations in the Outer City of Pliska in 2021. Based on the iconographic and epigraphic characteristics giving grounds for dating the seals into the second half of the 9th century, the idea is proposed that the three seals most likely belonged to one individual and represent two stages of his career in the supreme power of the First Bulgarian Empire - initially as heir to the throne, and later as ruler of Bulgaria. It is hypothesized that this individual is Prince Boris-Michael’s first-born son represented by his Christian name John, hitherto known by his pagan names Rasate and Vladimir.

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