The Bulgarian Khan Vinekh, after the success in the battle of the Rishki Pass in 759, had showed surprising inaction and desire for peace.

This eventually costs him the throne and his life when, in 762, he is assassinated, together with all his kin.

Telets, a leader of the conspiracy, is elected to succeed him.

According to the Namelist of Bulgarian Rulers, Telets reigned for three 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 Bulgaria.

The same sources describe Telets as a brave and energetic man in his prime (about thirty years old).

Scholars have conjectured that Telets may have belonged to an anti-Slavic faction of the Bulgarian nobility.