First Bulgarian Empire information

Bulgarian Empire
Church Slavonic: Блъгарьско Цѣсарьствиѥ
Bulgarian: Първо Българско Царство
Bulgarian Empire Church Slavonic: Блъгарьско Цѣсарьствиѥ; Bulgarian: Първо Българско Царство;
681–1018
	First Bulgarian Empire in 850
Capital	Pliska (681–893); Preslav (893–968/972); Skopje (972–992); Ohrid (992–1015); Bitola (1015–1018);
Common languages	Bulgar; Slavic; Byzantine Greek; Balkan Latin; Old Church Slavonic (official from 893);
Religion	Tengrism, Slavic paganism (681–864); Orthodox Christianity (state religion from 864);
Demonym(s)	Bulgarian
Government	Autocracy, Absolute monarchy
Monarch
• 681–700 (first)	Asparuh
• 1015–1018 (last)	Ivan Vladislav
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Asparuh defeats Eastern Roman Empire at the Battle of Ongal	680
• New Bulgarian state recognized by Eastern Roman Empire	681
• Christianisation	864
• Adoption of Old Bulgarian as a national language	893
• Simeon I assumes the title of tsar (emperor)	913
• Theme Bulgaria established in Byzantine Empire	1018
Area
850	400,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi)
950	240,000 km2 (93,000 sq mi)
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Byzantine Empire under the Heraclian dynasty
	Old Great Bulgaria
Bulgaria (theme)
Second Bulgarian Empire

The First Bulgarian Empire (Church Slavonic: блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, romanized: blŭgarĭsko tsěsarǐstvije; Bulgarian: Първо българско царство) was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh, moved south to the northeastern Balkans. There they secured Byzantine recognition of their right to settle south of the Danube by defeating – possibly with the help of local South Slavic tribes – the Byzantine army led by Constantine IV. During the 9th and 10th century, Bulgaria at the height of its power spread from the Danube Bend to the Black Sea and from the Dnieper River to the Adriatic Sea and became an important power in the region competing with the Byzantine Empire.^[11]

As the state solidified its position in the Balkans, it entered into a centuries-long interaction, sometimes friendly and sometimes hostile, with the Byzantine Empire. Bulgaria emerged as Byzantium's chief antagonist to its north, resulting in several wars. The two powers also enjoyed periods of peace and alliance, most notably during the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, where the Bulgarian army broke the siege and destroyed the Arab army, thus preventing an Arab invasion of Southeastern Europe. Byzantium had a strong cultural influence on Bulgaria, which also led to the eventual adoption of Christianity in 864. After the disintegration of the Avar Khaganate, the country expanded its territory northwest to the Pannonian Plain. Later the Bulgarians confronted the advance of the Pechenegs and Cumans, and achieved a decisive victory over the Magyars, forcing them to establish themselves permanently in Pannonia.

The ruling Bulgars and other non-Slavic tribes in the empire gradually mixed and adopted the prevailing Slavic language, thus gradually forming the Bulgarian nation from the 7th to the 10th century. Since the 10th century, the demonym Bulgarian gained prevalence and became permanent designations for the local population, both in literature and in common parlance. The development of Old Church Slavonic literacy had the effect of preventing the assimilation of the South Slavs into neighbouring cultures, while stimulating the formation of a distinct Bulgarian identity.

After the adoption of Christianity, Bulgaria became the foremost cultural and spiritual centre of Slavic Europe. Its leading cultural position was further consolidated with the adoption of the Glagolitic alphabet, the invention of the Early Cyrillic alphabet shortly after in the capital Preslav, and the literature produced in Old Church Slavonic soon began spreading north. Old Church Slavonic became the lingua franca of much of Eastern Europe. In 927, the fully independent Bulgarian Patriarchate was officially recognized.

During the late 9th and early 10th centuries, Simeon I achieved a string of victories over the Byzantines. Thereafter, he was recognized with the title of Emperor, and proceeded to expand the state to its greatest extent. After the annihilation of the Byzantine army in the Battle of Anchialus in 917, the Bulgarians laid siege to Constantinople in 923 and 924. The Byzantines eventually recovered, and in 1014, under Basil II "the Bulgar Slayer", a crushing defeat was inflicted on the Bulgarians at the Battle of Kleidion. By 1018, the last Bulgarian strongholds had surrendered to the Byzantine Empire, and the First Bulgarian Empire had ceased to exist. It was succeeded by the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1185.

^ Cameron, Averil (2009). The Byzantines. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1405198332.
^ Davies, Norman (1997). Europe. A History. Oxford University press. ISBN 954-427-663-7.
^ Wickham, Chris (2016). Medieval Europe. Yale University press. ISBN 978-1405198332.
^ Sedlar, Jean W. (2011). East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000–1500. University of Washington Press. p. 424. ISBN 978-0295800646.
^ Fletcher, Richard A. (1999). The Barbarian Conversion: from Paganism to Christianity. University of California Press. p. 338. ISBN 0-520-21859-0.
^ Adrados, Francisco Rodríguez (2005). A History of the Greek Language: from its Origins to the Present. Brill. p. 265. ISBN 90-04-12835-2.
^ Curta 2008, pp. 350–351
^ Florin Curta (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250. Cambridge University Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-521-81539-0.
^ Rashev, Rasho (2008). Българската езическа култура VII–IX в./Bulgarian Pagan Culture VII–IX cтр. 38 (in Bulgarian). Класика и стил. ISBN 978-9543270392.
^ Bakalov, Georgi (2011). Средновековие и съвременност/Middle ages and the modern times, p. 222: original quote in Bulgarian: "В средата на 10 век Българската държавна територия покрива площ от 240 000 кв км., което нарежда Дунавска България сред шестте най-големи европейски държави, наред с Византия, Киевска Рус, Волжка България, Франция и Свещената Римска империя." (in Bulgarian). Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski". ISBN 978-954-07-2935-0.
^ Ziemann 2016.

[The_Byzantines-1] Cameron, Averil (2009). The Byzantines. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1405198332.

[Europe._A_History-2] Davies, Norman (1997). Europe. A History. Oxford University press. ISBN 954-427-663-7.

[Medieval_Europe-3] Wickham, Chris (2016). Medieval Europe. Yale University press. ISBN 978-1405198332.

[4] Sedlar, Jean W. (2011). East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000–1500. University of Washington Press. p. 424. ISBN 978-0295800646.

[5] Fletcher, Richard A. (1999). The Barbarian Conversion: from Paganism to Christianity. University of California Press. p. 338. ISBN 0-520-21859-0.

[6] Adrados, Francisco Rodríguez (2005). A History of the Greek Language: from its Origins to the Present. Brill. p. 265. ISBN 90-04-12835-2.

[7] Curta 2008, pp. 350–351

[8] Florin Curta (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250. Cambridge University Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-521-81539-0.

[Класика_и_стил-9] Rashev, Rasho (2008). Българската езическа култура VII–IX в./Bulgarian Pagan Culture VII–IX cтр. 38 (in Bulgarian). Класика и стил. ISBN 978-9543270392.

[Sofia_[[File:Theoritical_Flag_of_Bulgaria_in_13th_century.png_|_thumb_|_220x124px_|_right]]_University-10] Bakalov, Georgi (2011). Средновековие и съвременност/Middle ages and the modern times, p. 222: original quote in Bulgarian: "В средата на 10 век Българската държавна територия покрива площ от 240 000 кв км., което нарежда Дунавска България сред шестте най-големи европейски държави, наред с Византия, Киевска Рус, Волжка България, Франция и Свещената Римска империя." (in Bulgarian). Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski". ISBN 978-954-07-2935-0.

[FOOTNOTEZiemann2016-11] Ziemann 2016.

First Bulgarian Empire information

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History of Bulgaria

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Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria

Simeon I of Bulgaria

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List of wars involving Bulgaria

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First Empire

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Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria

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History of Bulgaria

Odrysian kingdom 460 BC – 46 AD Roman times 46–681 Dark Ages c. 6th–7th cent. Old Great Bulgaria 7th cent., 632–668 First Bulgarian Empire 681–1018 Christianization Golden Age 896–927 Cometopuli dynasty 968–1018 Byzantine Bulgaria 1018–1185 Second Bulgarian Empire 1185–1396 Second Golden Age 1230–1241 Mongol invasion 1274–1300 Darman and Kudelin 1273–1291 Recovery and expansion 1300–1371 Fragmentation and fall 1371–1396 Vidin Dobruja Lovech Ottoman Bulgaria 1396–1878 Resistance after 1413 National Revival 1762–1878 Early Late Establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate 1870 April Uprising 1876 Liberation War 1877–1878 Third Bulgarian State 1878–present Serbo-Bulgarian War 1885 Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising 1903 Balkan Wars 1912–1913 World War I 1915–1918 World War II 1941–1945 Communist era 1946–1990 Transition era since 1990
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