Boris I of Bulgaria 335936 224294128 2008-07-08T05:27:02Z OrphanBot 621721 Removing [[:Image:183_BG.jpg|image]] with no source information. Such images that are older than seven days may be deleted at any time. <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Boris_I.jpg|Boris I|thumb|250px|right]] --> {{Infobox Monarch | name =Boris I | title =''Knyaz of Bulgaria'' | image =[[Image:Boris I of Bulgaria.jpg]] | caption =St Knyaz Boris I | reign =852&ndash;889 | coronation = | predecessor =[[Presian of Bulgaria|Presian]] | successor =[[Vladimir of Bulgaria|Vladimir]] | consort =Maria | issue =[[Vladimir of Bulgaria|Vladimir]] <br> Gavrail <br> [[Simeon I of Bulgaria|Simeon I]] <br> Evpraksiya <br> Anna | royal house = "[[Krum of Bulgaria|Krum]]'s dynasty", possibly [[Dulo clan|Dulo]] | royal anthem = | father =[[Presian of Bulgaria|Presian]] | mother = | date of birth = | place of birth = | date of death =2 May 907 | place of death =A monastery near [[Preslav]] | buried = |}} '''Boris I''' or sometimes '''Boris-Mihail (Michael)''' ({{lang-bg|Борис I (Михаил)}}), also known as ''Bogoris'' (died [[2 May]] [[907]]) was the ruler of [[Bulgaria]] 852&ndash;889. At the time of his [[baptism]] in 864, Boris was named Michael after his godfather, Emperor [[Michael III]]. == Name and titles == After the official act of conversion to [[Christianity]] Boris adopted the Christian name [[Michael]]. He is sometimes called Boris-Michael in historical research. The only direct evidence of Boris's title are his seals and the inscription found near the town of [[Ballsh]], modern [[Albania]], and at [[Varna]]. There he is called with the Byzantine title "[[Archon]] of Bulgaria", which is usually translated as "ruler", and in 10-11th centuries - also as "Knyaz".<ref>Бакалов, Георги. Средновековният български владетел. (Титулатура и инсигнии), София 1995, с. 144, 146, Бобчев, С. С. Княз или цар Борис? (към историята на старобългарското право). Титлите на българските владетели, Българска сбирка, ХІV, 5, 1907, с. 311</ref> In the Bulgarian sources from that period Boris I is called "Knyaz" and during the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]] - "Tsar".<ref>Бакалов, Георги. Средновековният български владетел..., с. 144-146</ref> In the modern historiography Boris is called with different titles. Most historians accept that he changed his title after the conversion to Christianity. According to them before the baptism he had the title Han<ref>Златарски, Васил [1927] (1994). „История на Българската държава през Средните векове, т.1, ч.2“, Второ фототипно издание, София: Академично издателство „Марин Дринов“, стр. 29. ISBN 954-430-299-9.</ref> or [[Khan (title)|Khan]]<ref name=>[http://www.book.store.bg/c/p-p/m-600/id-5851/12-mita-v-bylgarskata-istoria-bozhidar-dimitrov.html 12 мита в българската история]</ref> <ref name=>[http://www.protobulgarians.com/Statii%20za%20prabaalgarite/albaniya.htm Страница за прабългарите]</ref>, and after that [[Knyaz]]<ref>Златарски, Васил [1927] (1994). „История на Българската държава през Средните векове, т.1, ч.2“, Второ фототипно издание, София: Академично издателство „Марин Дринов“. ISBN 954-430-299-9.</ref> or [[Tsar]].<ref>http://www.infobulgaria.info/interviews.php?lang=1&cat=0&itm=68 Българската християнска цивилизация е обединила 40% от Европа</ref> According to other theory the title Knyaz was used by the Bulgarian rulers since the reign of [[Asparukh of Bulgaria|Asparukh]].<ref>[http://nauka.bg/forum/index.php?s=2dcf4432da1d34c13592d7aa4ad60d6c&act=attach&type=post&id=1611 Гербов, К. Канасубиги е "княз", а не "хан" или "кан" - Омуртаг и Маламир са били князе преди Борис]</ref> == Situation in [[Central Europe]] in the middle of the 9th century == From the beginning of the 9th century commenced a fierce rivalry between the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] in [[Constantinople]] and the [[Catholic Church]] in [[Rome]]. When [[Charlemagne]] was proclaimed Emperor of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] the [[Pope]] broke its political relation with Byzantines and was naturally supported by the [[Franks]]. After the [[Treaty of Verdun]] in 843 the strong and aggressive [[Eastern Francia]] united most of the [[German people]] and began to expand towards [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] populated lands to the east. That expansion was fully supported by Rome which sought ways to extend its influence to the east. As a response [[Mojmír I]] managed to unite some Slavic princes and formed [[Great Moravia]] in 833. His successor [[Rastislav]] fought against the Germans.<ref>К. Грот, Моравия и Мадяры, Петроград, 1881, стр. 108 и сл.</ref> Both states tried to maintain good relation with Bulgaria and its huge military power and tried to make its their ally. == Military campaigns == Boris I was the son and successor of [[Presian|Presian I]] of Bulgaria. In 852 he sent emissaries to the [[Eastern Francia]] to confirm the peace treaty from 845.<ref>Rudolfi Fulden. annales, an. 852</ref>,<ref>Pertz, Mon. Germ. SS, I, p. 367: legationes Bulgarorum Sclavorumque et absolvit</ref> At the time of his accession he threatened the Byzantine with and invasion but his armies did not attack<ref>Genesios, ed. Bon., p. 85—86</ref> and received a small area in [[Strandzha]] to the south-east.<ref>В. Н. Златарски, Известия за българите, стр. 65—68</ref>. Peace treaty, however, was not signed although both states changed temporary delegation.<ref>В. Розен, Император Василий Болгаробойца, Петроград, 1883, стр. 14</ref> In 854 the Moravian Prince Rastislav persuaded Boris I to help him against East Francia. According to some sources, some Franks bribed the Bulgarian monarch to attack Louis.<ref>Dümmler, каз. съч., I, стр. 38</ref> The Bulgarian-Slav campaign was a disaster and [[Louis the German]] scored a great victory and invaded Bulgaria.<ref>Migne, Patrol. gr., t. 126, cap. 34, col. 197</ref> In the same time the [[Croato-Bulgarian Wars|Croats]] waged a war against the Bulgarians. Both peoples had coexisted peacefully to that moment which suggests that the Croats were paid by Louis to attack Bulgaria and distract Boris' attention from his alliance with Great Moravia.<ref>К. Грот, Известия о сербах и хорватах, стр. 125—127</ref> Kanasubigi Boris could not achieve any success and in the both sides changed gifts and settled peace.<ref>Const. Porphyr., De admin, imp., ed. Bon, cap. 31, p. 150—151</ref> As a result of the military actions in 855 the peace between Bulgaria and Eastern Francia was restored and Rastislav was forced to fight against Louis alone. After the death of Vlastimir of [[Rascia]] c.850 the state was divided between his sons. Boris desired to take the opportunity and restore his positions after the unsuccessful actions against the Croats and invaded Rascia. The main aim was to replace the Byzantine influence over the small Slavic state with Bulgarian one but he was defeated once more: the Serbs captured his son [[Vladimir of Bulgaria|Vladimir-Hrasate]] and twelve great [[boyar]]s.<ref> F. Raçki, Documenta historiae Chroatie etc., Zagreb, 1877, p. 359.</ref>,<ref>П. Шафарик, Славян. древн., II, 1, стр. 289. </ref> Boris who was concerned for his son signed peace and gifted the Serbs.<ref>Const. Porphyr., ibid., cap. 32, p. 154-155</ref> In spite of various reverses, Boris succeeded in maintaining the territorial integrity of his realm. == Baptism == For a variety of reasons, Boris became interested in converting to Christianity and undertook to do that at the hands of western clergymen to be supplied by [[Louis the German]] in 863. However, late in the same year, the [[Byzantine Empire]] invaded Bulgaria during a period of famine and natural disasters. Taken by surprise, Boris was forced to sue for peace and agreed to convert to Christianity according to the eastern rites in exchange for peace and territorial concessions in [[Thrace]]. At the beginning of 864 Boris was secretly baptized at [[Pliska]] by an embassy of Byzantine clergymen, together with his family and select members of the Bulgarian nobility.<ref>{{cite book | last =Anderson | first =Gerald H. | title =Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions | publisher =Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing | date =1999 | pages =p. 80 | isbn =0802846807 }}</ref> With Emperor [[Michael III]] as his godfather, Boris also adopted the Christian name Michael.<ref>Anderson, 1999, p.80</ref> Boris' conversion inspired a reaction by his pagan subjects, including many important notables. There are a few versions as to why Boris converted to Christianity. Some historians attribute it to the intervention of his sister who had already converted while being at Constantinople.<ref>Anderson, 1999, p.80</ref> Another story mention a Greek slave in the ruler's court.<ref>Anderson, 1999, p.80</ref> A more mythological version is the one in which Boris is astonished and frightened by an icon of [[Judgement day]] and thus decides to adopt Christianity.<ref>Anderson, 1999, p.80</ref> Conversion to Christianity met great opposition in Bulgaria. In the summer of 855 a group of aristocrats (boyars) started an open revolt.<ref>Anderson, 1999, p.80</ref> Boris ruthlessly suppressed it and executed 52 boyars together with their entire families.[http://promacedonia.org/vz1b/vz1b_3_2.html] Thus the Christianization continued. == Bulgarian Church == <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:183 BG.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Knyaz Boris I sends emissaries to the Byzantine Emperor]] --> At the same time Boris sought further instruction on how to lead a Christian lifestyle and society and how to set up an [[autocephalous]] church from the Byzantine Patriarch [[Patriarch Photius I of Constantinople|Photios]]. Photios' answer proved less than satisfactory, and Boris sought to gain a more favorable settlement from the [[Papacy]].<ref>{{cite book | last =Duffy | first =Eamon | title =Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes | publisher =Yale University Press | date =2006 | pages =p. 103 | isbn =0300115970 }}</ref> Boris dispatched emissaires with a long list of questions to [[Pope Nicholas I]] at Rome in August 866, and obtained 106 detailed answers, detailing the essence of [[religion]], [[law]], [[politics]], [[convention (norm)|custom]]s and personal [[faith]]. The pope temporarily glossed over the controversial question of the autocephalous status desired by Boris for his church and sent a large group of missionaries to continue the conversion of Bulgaria in accordance with the western rite.<ref>Duffy, 2006, p. 103</ref> Bulgaria's shift towards the Papacy infuriated Patriarch Photios who wrote an encyclical to the eastern clergy in 867, in which he denounced the practices associated with the western rite and Rome's ecclesiastical intervention in Bulgaria. <ref>Duffy, 2006, p. 103</ref> This occasioned the [[Photian Schism]], which was a major step in the rift between the eastern and western churches. In Bulgaria the activities of the papal legate Bishop Formosus (later [[Pope Formosus]]) met with success, until the pope rejected Boris' request to nominate Formosus archbishop of Bulgaria. The new [[Pope Adrian II]] refused Boris' request for a similar nomination of either Formosus or Deacon Marinus (later [[Pope Marinus I]]), after which Bulgaria began to shift towards Constantinople once again. At the [[Fourth Council of Constantinople]] in 870 the position of the Bulgarian church was reopened by Bulgarian envoys, and the eastern patriarchs adjudicated in favor of Constantinople. This determined the future of the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]], which was granted the status of an autocephalous archbishopric by the [[Patriarchate of Constantinople]]. Later in the 870s the Patriarch of Constantinople surrendered Bulgaria to the Papacy, but this concession was purely nominal, as it did not affect the actual position of Bulgaria's autocephalous church. == Cyrillic alphabet in Bulgaria == [[Image:250px-Pokrastvane.jpg|250px|thumb|left|The Bulgarians convert to Christianity]] [[Image:182 BG.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Knyaz Boris I]] In 886 Boris' governor of [[Belgrade]] welcomed the disciples of [[Saint Cyril]] and [[Saint Methodius]], who were exiled from [[Great Moravia]] into Bulgaria and sent them on to Boris in [[Pliska]]. Two of these disciples, [[Clement of Ohrid]] and [[Naum of Preslav]] who were of noble Bulgarian origin, set up educational centers in [[Preslav Literary School|Pliska]] and in [[Ohrid Literary School|Ohrid]] to further the development of Slavonic letters and [[liturgy]]. The alphabet that was originally developed by Cyril and Methodius is known as the [[Glagolitic alphabet]]. In Bulgaria [[Clement of Ohrid]] and [[Naum of Preslav]] however created (or rahter compiled) a new alphabet which was called Cyrillic and was declared the official alphabet of the Bulgarian language during an assembly in 893. In the following centuries this alphabet was adopted by other [[Slavic peoples]]. The introduction of Slavic liturgy paralleled Boris' continued development of churches and monasteries throughout his realm. In 889 Boris abdicated the throne and became a monk. His son and successor [[Vladimir of Bulgaria|Vladimir]] attempted a pagan reaction, which brought Boris out of retirement in 893. Vladimir was defeated and blinded, and Boris placed his third son, [[Simeon I of Bulgaria]] on the throne, threatening him with the same fate if he too apostatized. Boris returned to his monastery, emerging once again in c. 895 to help Simeon fight the [[Magyars]], who had invaded Bulgaria in alliance with the Byzantines. After the passing of this crisis, Boris resumed monastic life and died in 907. The location of his retreat, where perhaps he was enterred, is not certain; it may be near Preslav but also in Pliska or in a monastery near [[Varna]] or Ravna. [[St. Boris Peak]] on [[Livingston Island]] in the [[South Shetland Islands]], [[Antarctica]] is named for Boris I of Bulgaria. ==See also== {{commonscat|Boris I of Bulgaria}} *[[Christianization of Bulgaria]] *[[Cyril and Methodius]] *[[Glagolitic alphabet]] == Footnotes == {{reflist|2}} ==References== * Yordan Andreev, Ivan Lazarov, Plamen Pavlov, ''Koy koy e v srednovekovna Balgariya'', Sofia 1999. * John V.A. Fine Jr., ''The Early Medieval Balkans'', Ann Arbor, 1983. ==Resources== * [http://www.bulgaria.com/history/rulers/boris1.html Bulgarian history — Boris I] * [http://www.patriarchate.org/ The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople] {{start box}} {{succession box|before=[[Presian|Presian I]]|title=[[Knyaz of Bulgaria]]|after=[[Vladimir of Bulgaria|Vladimir]]|years=852&ndash;889}} {{end box}} {{Bulgarian monarchs}} [[Category:9th century births]] [[Category:907 deaths]] [[Category:Bulgarian monarchs]] [[Category:Bulgarian saints]] [[Category:History of Bulgaria]] [[bg:Борис I]] [[cy:Boris I, Tsar Bwlgaria]] [[de:Boris I. (Bulgarien)]] [[es:Boris I de Bulgaria]] [[fr:Boris Ier de Bulgarie]] [[ko:불가리아의 보리스 1세]] [[it:Boris I di Bulgaria]] [[mk:Борис I]] [[nl:Boris I van Bulgarije]] [[no:Boris I av Bulgaria]] [[pl:Borys I Michał]] [[ru:Борис I]] [[sk:Boris I.]] [[sv:Boris I av Bulgarien]] [[uk:Борис І Михайло]] [[zh:鲍里斯一世]]