Telerig was the ruler of Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

 768–777.

Although Telerig is first mentioned in the Byzantine sources in 774, he is considered the immediate successor of Pagan

Pagan of Bulgaria

Pagan was the ruler of Bulgaria 767–768.Pagan has been identified as a member of that faction of the Bulgarian aristocracy, which sought to establish peaceful relations with the Byzantine Empire...

, who was murdered in 768. In May 774, the Byzantine Emperor Constantine V

Constantine V

Constantine V was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775; ); .-Early life:...

 Kopronymos embarked on a major expedition against Bulgaria, leading his field army on land, and dispatching a fleet of two thousand ships carrying horsemen towards the Danube

Danube

The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....

 delta. The fleet disembarked in the vicinity of Varna

Varna

Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...

, but the emperor did not press his potential advantage and inexplicably retreated.

Shortly afterwards the two sides signed a truce promising the cessation of hostilities. However, in October 774 Telerig sent an army of twelve thousand men to raid Berzitia

Battle of Berzitia

The battle of Berzitia occurred in the fall of 774 near the town of Berzitia, Macedonia. The result was a Byzantine victory.- Origins of the conflict :...

, Macedonia

Macedonia (region)

Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...

 and to transfer its population to Bulgaria. Collecting a large army of eighty thousand troops, Constantine V surprised the Bulgarians and won a resounding victory. The subsequent attack on Bulgaria failed, because the imperial fleet encountered contrary winds in the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

.

At this point Telerig sent a secret emissary to Constantine V, indicating his intention to flee Bulgaria and seek refuge with the emperor, and seeking assurances of hospitality. Telerig succeeded in having the emperor betray his own agents in Bulgaria, who were duly rounded up and executed. The expected Byzantine retaliation failed to materialize as Constantine V died in 775. In spite of his apparent success, Telerig found it necessary to flee to the new Byzantine emperor, Leo IV the Khazar

Leo IV the Khazar

Leo IV the Khazar was Byzantine Emperor from 775 to 780 CE.Leo was the son of Emperor Constantine V by his first wife, Irene of Khazaria , the daughter of a Khagan of the Khazars...

 in 777. The Byzantine government gave Telerig asylum and the title of patrikios. Telerig converted to Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 under the name of Theophylaktos and married a cousin of the Empress Eirene

Irene (empress)

Irene Sarantapechaina , known as Irene of Athens or Irene the Athenian was a Byzantine empress regnant from 797 to 802, having previously been empress consort from 775 to 780, and empress dowager and regent from 780 to 797. It is often claimed she called herself "basileus" , 'emperor'...

.

The 17th century Volga Bulgar compilation Ja'far Tarikh (a work of disputed authenticity) represents Dilyarek (i.e., Telerig) as the son of the former ruler Teles (i.e., Telets

Telets of Bulgaria

Telets was the ruler of Bulgaria from 762 to 765.According to the Namelist of Bulgarian Rulers, Telets reigned for 3 years "instead of another", and he was a member of the Ugain clan. This is corroborated by the Byzantine sources, which indicate that Telets replaced the legitimate rulers of...

).

Honour

Telerig Nunatak

Telerig Nunatak

Telerig Nunatak is a rocky peak of elevation 170 m projecting from the ice cap of Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica in the southwest extremity of Dryanovo Heights....

 on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...

, Antarctica is named after Telerig of Bulgaria.