Editing John I Tzimiskes (section)

== Reign ==
[[File:Coronation_of_John_Tzimiskes.jpg|thumb|250x250px|The coronation of John Tzimiskes, from the ''[[Madrid Skylitzes]]''|left]]After his [[coronation of the Byzantine emperor|coronation]] in December 969, Tzimiskes dispatched his brother-in-law [[Bardas Skleros]] to subdue a rebellion by [[Bardas Phokas the Younger|Bardas Phokas]], a cousin of Tzimiskes who aspired to succeed their uncle as emperor. To solidify his position, Tzimiskes married [[Theodora, daughter of Constantine VII|Theodora]], a daughter of Emperor [[Constantine VII]]. He proceeded to justify his usurpation by repelling the foreign invaders of the Empire. The tributary of [[Aleppo]] was soon assured under the [[Treaty of Safar]].
[[File:The Chronicle of Ioannis Skylitzis Preslav Attacked.jpg|thumb|The Byzantine army under John I lays siege to the Bulgarian capital at Preslav.]]
During his early reign he had to fight off the [[Kievan Rus']] encroachment on the Lower [[Danube]]. In 970 he sent his brother-in-law, Bardas Skleros, to push the Rus' forces out of [[Thrace]]; Skleros defeated the Rus' army at [[Battle of Arcadiopolis (970)|Arcadiopolis]]. In 971, John Tzimiskes took the main army across [[Haemus Mons|Mt. Haemus]], and [[Siege of Dorostolon|besieged the fortress of Dorostolon]] ([[Silistra]]) on the Danube for 65 days, where after several hard-fought battles he defeated Grand Prince [[Sviatoslav I]] of Kiev. Tzimiskes and Sviatoslav ended up negotiating a truce, in which weaponry, armor and provisions were exchanged for the famished Rus' departure.
[[File:Returns.jpg|thumb|John Tzimiskes enters Constantinople in triumph along with the captured [[Boris II of Bulgaria]].]]On his return to Constantinople, Tzimiskes celebrated a triumph, expanded the [[Arslan Hane, Istanbul|Church of Christ of the Chalke]] as thanksgiving, divested the captive Bulgarian Emperor [[Boris II of Bulgaria|Boris II]] of the Imperial symbols, and proclaimed Bulgaria annexed. He further secured his northern frontier by transplanting to Thrace some colonies of the [[Paulicians]], whom he suspected of sympathising with their [[Islam|Muslim]] neighbours in the east.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
In 972, Tzimiskes turned against the [[Abbasid Empire]] and its vassals, beginning with an invasion of Upper [[Mesopotamia]]. A [[Syrian campaigns of John Tzimiskes|second campaign]], in 975, was aimed at [[Syria (region)|Syria]], where his forces took [[Homs|Emesa]], [[Baalbek|Heliopolis]], [[Damascus]], [[Tiberias]], [[Nazareth]], [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]], [[Sidon]], [[Beirut]], [[Byblos]], and [[Tripoli (Lebanon)|Tripoli]], but failed to take [[Jerusalem]].{{sfn|Romane|2015|p=73}}