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Bulgarian Empire ц︢рьство бл︢гарское
681–1018 1185–1396/1422
Bulgaria during the reign of Simeon the Great, 10th century
Capital	Pliska (681–893) Preslav (893–972) Skopje (972–992) Ohrid (992–1018) Tarnovo (1185–1393) Vidin (1371–1396/1422)
Common languages	Bulgar, Greek (681–893) Old Bulgarian (893–1018) Middle Bulgarian (1185–1396/1422)
Religion	Bulgarian Orthodox (864–1018) Bulgarian Orthodox (1185–1204) Roman Catholic (1204–1235) Bulgarian Orthodox (1235–1396/1422)
Government	Autocracy
Monarch
• 681–700	Asparukh (first)
• 1397–1422	Constantine II (last)
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Established	681
• Disestablished	1018 1185–1396/1422
ISO 3166 code	BG
Today part of	Countries today  Bulgaria  Albania  Greece  Hungary  Kosovo  Macedonia  Moldova  Montenegro  Romania  Serbia  Turkey  Ukraine

In the medieval history of Europe, Bulgaria's status as the Bulgarian Empire (Bulgarian: Българско царство, Balgarsko tsarstvo [ˈbəlɡɐrskʊ ˈt͡sarstvʊ]), wherein it acted as a key regional power (particularly rivaling Byzantium in Southeastern Europe^[1]) occurred in two distinct periods: between the seventh and eleventh centuries, and again between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. The two "Bulgarian Empires" are not treated as separate entities, but rather as one state restored after a period of Byzantine rule over its territory. Bulgaria is one of the few historic states and nations whose economy and society were never based on slavery, and slavery never played an important role in Bulgarian statehood development and wealth.

First Bulgarian Empire

Kanasubigi Omurtag (814–831)

Not long after the Slavic incursion, Moesia was once again invaded, this time by the Bulgars under Khan Asparukh.^[2] Their horde was a remnant of Old Great Bulgaria, an extinct tribal confederacy situated north of the Black Sea in what is now Ukraine. Asparukh attacked Byzantine territories in Moesia and conquered the Slavic tribes there in 680.^[3] A peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire was signed in 681, marking the foundation of the First Bulgarian Empire on the territory both north and south of the lower course of the Danube River in 681 as an alliance between the ruling Bulgars and the numerous slavs in the area, becoming the oldest still existing Slavic state. The minority Bulgars formed a close-knit ruling caste.^[4] It is usually described as having lasted between 681^[5][6][7] and 1018, when it was subjugated by the Byzantine Empire despite Emperor Samuel's fierce resistance. Tervel of Bulgaria, son of Asparuh, was the Khan at the beginning of the 8th century. In 705 Emperor Justinian II named him Caesar, the first foreigner to receive this title.^[8][9] Tervel played an important role in defeating the Arabs during the Siege of Constantinople in 717–718. During Krum reign in the early 9th century Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper and from Odrin to the Tatra Mountains. His able and energetic rule brought law and order to Bulgaria and developed the rudiments of state organization.^[10][11] Bulgaria gradually reached its cultural and territorial apogee in the 9th century and early 10th century under Prince Boris I and Emperor Simeon the Great, when its early christianization in 864 allowed it to develop into the cultural and literary center of Slavic Europe, as well as one of the largest states in Europe, thus the period is considered the Golden Age of medieval Bulgarian culture. Major event is the development of the Cyrillic script at the Preslav Literary School, declared official in 893, as also was declared the liturgy in Old Church Slavonic, also called Old Bulgarian.^[12][13][14]

Second Bulgarian Empire

The medieval Bulgarian state was restored as the Second Bulgarian Empire after a successful uprising of two nobles from Tarnovo, Asen and Peter, in 1185, and existed until it was conquered during the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans in the late 14th century, with the date of its subjugation usually given as 1396, although some fringe views place it at 1422.^[15] Until 1256, the Second Bulgarian Empire was the dominant power in the Balkans, defeating the Byzantine Empire in several major battles. In 1205 Emperor Kaloyan defeated the newly established Latin Empire in the Battle of Adrianople. His nephew Ivan Asen II defeated the Despotate of Epiros and made Bulgaria a regional power again. During his reign, Bulgaria spread from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and the economy flourished. Under Ivan Asen II in the first half of the 13th century the country gradually recovered much of its former power, though this did not last long due to internal problems and foreign invasions. Bulgarian artists and architects created their own distinctive style. Until the 14th century, during the period known as the Second Golden Age of Bulgarian culture, literature, art and architecture flourished.^[16] The capital city Tarnovo, which was considered a "New Constantinople", became the country's main cultural hub and the centre of the Eastern Orthodox world.^[17] The Empire became tributary to the Golden Horde, a successor state of the Mongol Empire in the 13th to 14th centuries.^[18][19] After the death of Emperor Ivan Alexander in 1371 Bulgaria was split into three countries and in the following decades fell under the domination of the Ottomans. After the Ottoman conquest, many Bulgarian clerics and scholars emigrated to Serbia, Wallachia, Moldavia, and Russian principalities, where they introduced Bulgarian culture, books, and hesychastic ideas.^[20]

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  Tsar Ivan Alexander (1331–1371)
  

  
  

  
  


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  Coat of Arms of Bulgaria
  

  
  

  
  

Maps

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  Bulgaria after its foundation by kanasubigi Asparukh in 681
  

  
  

  
  


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  Map of Bulgaria during its largest territorial extension under Simeon the Great
  

  
  

  
  


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  Map of Bulgaria during the reign of Samuel
  

  
  

  
  


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  Bulgaria under the brothers Peter and Asen
  

  
  

  
  


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  The Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Ivan Asen II
  

  
  

  
  


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  The Second Bulgarian Empire after the death of Ivan Alexander
  

  
  

  
  

See also

• Kingdom of Bulgaria


• History of Bulgaria

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bulgarian Empire.

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  Zlatarski, Vasil N. (2006) [1918]. Medieval History of the Bulgarian State (in Bulgarian). Sofia: Science and Arts Publishers, 2nd Edition (Petar Petrov, Ed.), Zahari Stoyanov Publishers, 4th Edition, 2006. ISBN 978-954-739-928-0.
  


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  Бакалов, Георги; Милен Куманов (2003). Електронна издание – История на България (in Bulgarian). София: Труд, Сирма. ISBN 978-954-528-613-1.
  


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  Делев, Петър; Валери Кацунов; Пламен Митев; Евгения Калинова; Искра Баева; Боян Добрев (2006). История и цивилизация за 11. клас (in Bulgarian). Труд, Сирма.
  


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  Българите и България (in Bulgarian). Министерство на външните работи на България, Труд, Сирма. 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-11-10.
  


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  Fine, John V. A., Jr. (1991). The Early Medieval Balkans. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-08149-3.
  

v t e Topics on the Bulgarian Empire
State	Military	Culture
Origin Bulgars South Slavs Old Great Bulgaria States First Bulgarian Empire (681–1018) Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396/1422) De facto independent Bulgarian states from the Second Empire Tsardom of Vidin (1371–1396/1422) Despotate of Dobruja (Principality of Karvuna) (1337/1346–1413) Administration Aristocracy • Great Boyar Council • Council of Preslav Capitals: Pliska (681–893) • Preslav (893–972) • Skopje (972–992) • Ohrid (992–1018) • Tarnovo (1185–1393) • Nicopolis (1393–1396) • Vidin (1393–1396) Important rulers First Bulgarian Empire Asparukh • Tervel • Krum • Omurtag • Boris I • Simeon I • Peter I • Samuel Second Bulgarian Empire Ivan Asen I • Kaloyan • Ivan Asen II • Konstantin Tih • Michael Shishman • Ivan Alexander Economy Bulgarian coinage Bulgarian economy	Bulgarian army Bulgarian navy Conflicts Byzantine–Bulgarian wars Croatian–Bulgarian wars Bulgarian–Hungarian wars Bulgarian–Latin wars Bulgarian–Ottoman wars Bulgarian–Serbian wars Major battles First Bulgarian Empire Battle of Ongal • Siege of Constantinople • Battle of Marcellae • Battle of Pliska • Battle of Southern Buh • Battle of Achelous • Battle of the Gates of Trajan • Battle of Kleidion • Battle of Dyrrhachium Second Bulgarian Empire Battle of Tryavna • Battle of Adrianople • Battle of Klokotnitsa • Battle of Skafida • Battle of Velbazhd • Battle of Rusokastro • Battle of Chernomen • Siege of Tarnovo • Battle of Nicopolis Major uprisings Uprising of Peter Delyan Uprising of Georgi Voiteh Uprising of Asen and Peter Uprising of Ivaylo Uprising of Konstantin and Fruzhin	Literature Bulgarian literature Glagolitic script Early Cyrillic alphabet Cyrillic script Old Church Slavonic Preslav Literary School Ohrid Literary School Royal charters Prominent writers and scholars: Saint Naum • Clement of Ohrid • Chernorizets Hrabar • Constantine of Preslav • John the Exarch • Evtimiy of Tarnovo • Gregory Tsamblak Art and architecture Architecture of the Tarnovo Artistic School Painting of the Tarnovo Artistic School Famous examples: Madara Rider • Great Basilica • Round Church • Holy Forty Martyrs Church • Boyana Church • Tsarevets • Baba Vida • Cherven Religion Tengrism Slavic Paganism Christianisation Eastern Orthodox Bulgarian Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid Roman Catholic Bogomilism
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