Chapter 2·681 – 1018
First Bulgarian Empire
From Asparuh to Simeon the Great — statehood south of the Danube, conversion, literacy, and a golden age of culture.
In 681 Khan Asparuh established a Bulgarian state south of the Danube after defeating Byzantium. This is not myth but a diplomatic and military fact recognized by Constantinople: Bulgaria entered the European political map. The First Bulgarian Empire united Bulgars and Slavs in one political community — the foundation of the people we call Bulgarians today.
Through the eighth and ninth centuries the state expanded and consolidated. Krum fought hard wars with Byzantium; Omurtag built and administered; Boris I accepted Christianity in 864–865 and opened the path to European Christian civilization without erasing Bulgarian identity. Conversion was a strategic choice: church, literacy, and a place among Christian nations.
The golden age under Simeon the Great (893–927) turned Preslav and Ohrid into centers of learning. The disciples of Cyril and Methodius — Clement, Naum, and others — spread Slavic literacy. Bulgaria spoke and wrote a language intelligible across wide Slavic communities. That cultural inheritance is why the Cyrillic script today still carries a Bulgarian imprint in Europe.
The end of the First Empire in 1018, after long wars with Basil II, was a tragedy but not the end of a people. Memory of statehood, faith, and books endured — and would rise again in the Second Empire. For Bulgarians abroad, 681 and the golden age are anchors: we have ancient statehood and our own written culture.
Key moments
- 681
Foundation under Asparuh
Bulgaria is recognized as a state after defeating Byzantium.
- 864–865
Conversion under Boris I
Christianity becomes the state religion.
- 893–927
Simeon’s golden age
Literacy, power, and cultural flourishing.
- 1018
End of the First Empire
Byzantine conquest after long wars.
Figures of the era
- Saint CyrilCreator of the Glagolitic script and missionary among the Slavs.
- Saint MethodiusBrother and companion of Cyril in the Slavic mission.
- Knyaz Boris I MichaelBaptizer of Bulgaria and patron of Slavic literacy.
- Tsar Simeon the GreatRuler of the Golden Age — Preslav, letters, and power.
- Khan AsparuhFounder of the Bulgarian state south of the Danube (681).
- Khan KrumLawgiving ruler; expanded the state and enforced order.
- Khan OmurtagBuilder and administrator; peace with Byzantium and stone inscriptions.
- Khan PresianExtended Bulgarian power toward Macedonia before the conversion.
Medieval Cyrillic manuscripts
Preslav, Ohrid, the letter as art.
The Madara Rider
The Madara Rider — an eighth-century cliff relief and symbol of the First Bulgarian Empire.
The Christianization of Bulgaria
Khan Boris I and a spiritual choice.
Cyril, Methodius, and the alphabet
Cyril and Methodius — Moravian mission, Glagolitic, and roots of Cyrillic.
Simeon’s Golden Age
Tsar Simeon’s Golden Age — Preslav, scribes, and ninth–tenth-century power.
Asparuh and the founding of 681
Khan Asparuh and the peace of 681 — the Bulgarian state south of the Danube begins.