The First Bulgarian Empire under Simeon I the Great (893–927 CE) was the most powerful phase of medieval Bulgaria, shaped by the ruler’s ambition to claim imperial authority rivaling Byzantium. A union of Bulgars and Slavs that had adopted Christianity under Boris I in 864, Bulgaria expanded territorially and culturally during Simeon’s reign. Simeon was the first Bulgarian ruler to use the title tsar (from Latin caesar), reflecting his aspiration to equal the Byzantine emperor. In 913, he was crowned “Emperor and Autocrat of all Bulgarians and Romans” by the Orthodox Patriarch outside Constantinople, though this recognition was short-lived and fueled decades of war with the Byzantine Empire.
Simeon’s reign was marked by almost constant conflict. Victories at Anchialos (917) and other battles made Bulgaria the dominant power in the Balkans, while its influence extended north into the Pannonian Plain after the collapse of the Avar Khaganate. This expansion, however, exposed Bulgaria to the migrations of the Pechenegs, Cumans, and Magyars, adding new external pressures. At the same time, Simeon’s court at Preslav became a vibrant center of Slavic Orthodox culture, producing literature, art, and architecture that symbolized the empire’s “Golden Age.” Though Simeon’s dream of seizing Constantinople remained unfulfilled, his reign left a legacy of political power and cultural flourishing unmatched in the First Bulgarian Empire.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2022, December 21). Map of the First Bulgarian Empire under Simeon the Great. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16836/map-of-the-first-bulgarian-empire-under-simeon-the/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the First Bulgarian Empire under Simeon the Great." World History Encyclopedia, December 21, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16836/map-of-the-first-bulgarian-empire-under-simeon-the/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the First Bulgarian Empire under Simeon the Great." World History Encyclopedia, 21 Dec 2022, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16836/map-of-the-first-bulgarian-empire-under-simeon-the/.
