Bulgarian Empire History
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Covers The Empire That Beat Byzantium, Bulgaria Between Byzantium and Europe, Simeon and the Golden Age and more.
“Bulgarian Empire History” is a 4-lesson course at Teen level, created with soclever, a personal AI teacher. Each lesson takes a few minutes and ends with a check-in question; finish the curriculum and you can take a certificate test to earn a diploma. Try the first lesson without an account — or make your own course on any topic.
What you'll learn
- The Empire That Beat Byzantium. How did a kingdom born in the steppes of Central Asia end up forcing the greatest empire in medieval Europe to pay it tribute?
- Bulgaria Between Byzantium and Europe. Byzantine Constantinople pulled Bulgaria south and east. Western European kingdoms pulled it north and west.
- Simeon and the Golden Age. By 925, Tsar Simeon I controlled more Balkan territory than anyone had in decades—so much that Constantinople itself, the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire, felt the pressure.
- From Glory to Ottoman Rule. In 1371, at the Battle of Maritsa, Ottoman forces crushed a coalition of Balkan kingdoms—including Bulgarian ones—near present-day Greece. It wasn't a surprise invasion.
Lesson 1: The Empire That Beat Byzantium
How did a kingdom born in the steppes of Central Asia end up forcing the greatest empire in medieval Europe to pay it tribute?
When the Bulgars crossed the Danube River around 680 CE under Khan Asparukh, they were raiders, not empire-builders. But they settled in what is now Bulgaria and absorbed the Slavic population already living there. Within generations, this fusion created something new: a state that spoke Slavic, adopted Christianity, and organized itself like its neighbors—but kept the military discipline and ambition of its steppe ancestors.
By the 9th century, the First Bulgarian Empire controlled the Balkans and was expanding. Simeon I, who ruled from 893 to 927, became the turning point. He had studied in Constantinople itself, understood Byzantine power from the inside, and refused to bow to it. His armies defeated Byzantine forces repeatedly. At one point, Simeon even demanded the Byzantine emperor recognize him as a fellow emperor—not a vassal, but an equal.
The Byzantine Empire was still the wealthiest, most sophisticated power in Europe. Yet Bulgaria forced it into treaties, extracted payments, and carved out a sphere where Byzantine authority simply didn't apply. For a few decades, Bulgaria was the dominant force in the eastern Mediterranean world.
So what happened to that steppe kingdom? It learned that beating Byzantium once and beating it forever are two different things.
Questions this course answers
What happened when the Bulgars crossed the Danube River around 680 CE?
When the Bulgars crossed the Danube River around 680 CE under Khan Asparukh, they were raiders, not empire-builders, but they settled in what is now Bulgaria and absorbed the Slavic population already living there.
Who was Simeon I?
Simeon I was a ruler who governed from 893 to 927 and became the turning point for Bulgaria, having studied in Constantinople, understood Byzantine power from the inside, and repeatedly defeated Byzantine forces.
When did Bulgaria's First Empire conquer the Balkans?
Bulgaria's First Empire conquered the Balkans in the 9th century, sitting directly between Byzantium to the south and the Catholic kingdoms of Central Europe to the north.
Who chose Orthodoxy for Bulgaria in 865?
King Boris I chose Orthodoxy in 865 rather than Catholicism, tying Bulgaria to Byzantine culture, religious authority, and the empire's administrative methods.
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