Bulgarian-Byzantine relations were the relations between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire during more than seven century of mutual coexistence in the Balkans. They were set in 681 with the official recognition of the Bulgarian state by the Byzantines and continued until 1396 when the Second Bulgarian Empire collapsed during the Ottoman invasion, followed by the Byzantine Empire in 1453. Between 1018 and 1185 Bulgaria was occupied by the Byzantines and there were no relations on a state level. Diplomatic contacts existed between Bulgars and Byzantines since the early 7th century before the creation of Bulgaria.

During their existence both countries struggled for domination over the Balkans which resulted in a long succession of Byzantine-Bulgarian wars. Despite their military and ideological rivalry, Bulgaria and Byzantium sometimes cooperated and led allied campaigns. There were often long periods of peace. The existence of Bulgaria in the Balkans provided the Byzantine Empire with a stable neighbour who was able to stop or hold the migrations of the nomadic peoples like Khazars, Pechenegs, Magyars, Cumans and later Mongols from attacking Byzantine territory or at least to reduce the impact of destruction.

Due to the proximity of the Bulgarian state to the Byzantine Empire, the most developed military and economic power in Medieval Europe, it was subjected to important cultural, economic and religious influence by its neighbour. However, despite that proximity Bulgaria managed to preserve and consolidate its own language, traditions and alphabet, as well as fully independent church. Sometimes there was Bulgarian influence over the Byzantine society, such as the Bogomilism. Before the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet and the adoption of the Old Bulgarian, the Bulgarians often used Greek language or the Greek alphabet for memorial inscriptions or in administration. During the Christianization of Bulgaria, Boris I chose to convert according to the Byzantine rites. Later, during the Second Bulgarian Empire many administrative positions and offices were adopted from the Byzantine administration.

History of the Bulgarian-Byzantine relations

Early contacts

The Bulgars took part in the Hun raids on central and eastern Europe and after the disintegration of the Hunnic Empire of Attila following his deaths in 453 they continued to raid the lands of the Eastern Roman Empire along with other nomadic peoples. According to Byzantine and Western chronicles the Bulgars along with the Slavs regularly raided the Byzantine territories to the south of the Danube during the reign of emperor Justinian I (527-565). ^[1]

In the beginning of the 7th century Kubrat, son of a Bulgar ruler was send to Constantinople where he was educated and baptized. He was warmly received by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius because the Byzantines needed allies among the steppe peoples while they were desperately fighting for survival against the Sassanid Persian Empire. ^[2] The Byzantines treated Kubrat with respect and grew up in the imperial palace. When Kubrat returned to his homeland in 632 he managed to unite the Bulgars and established the powerful Old Great Bulgaria ^[3] which was allied with the Byzantine Empire according a treaty in 634. Thus, the Bulgars no longer pillaged Byzantine territory. For his deeds Kubrat received the title patricius which was rarely given to foreigners. ^[4]

Relations before the Christianization of Bulgaria

After the death of Khan Kubrat Great Bulgaria disintegrated and part of the Bulgars led by his third son Asparukh headed westwards and temporarily settled in the area to the north of the Danube delta. For around a decade the relations between the Byzantine Empire and Asparukh's Bulgars were peaceful but the situation changed during a Byzantine-Arab war between 674 and 678 when the Byzantines were unable to defend their northern borders and Asparukh launched a series of invasion in Byzantine territory. ^[5] After the Byzantines managed to defeat the Arabs emperor Constantine IV led a campaign against the Bulgars in the spring of 680 which ended with a complete disaster for the Byzantines after the battle of Ongal. In the next year they had to sign a peace treaty with Asparukh and agreed to pay annual tribute to the Bulgars. That treaty meant the official recognition of the new state under the name Bulgaria. ^[6] For the first time the Byzantines had to acknowledge the formation of a new country in what they thought was indisputable imperial territory. ^[7]

In 704 Justinian II who was deposed nine years earlier and exiled in Crimea turned to the new Bulgarian ruler Tervel for assistance to regain his throne. In return Tervel was promised his friendship, many gifts and the hand of Justinian's only daughter. ^[9] In the next year, supported by a 15,000-strong Bulgarian army, Justinian II entered Constantinople and defeated his rivals. Tervel was officially received in the imperial palace, given the title Caesar and large quantities of gold, silver and silk. Additionally, to Bulgaria was ceded the area called Zagore ^[10] which encompassed roughly the territory of north-eastern Thrace ^[11] between the Balkan mountains, Sliven, Yambol and the Black Sea. That secession marked the first expansion of Bulgaria to the south of the Balkan mountains.

That peace lasted for only three years when Justinian II secured his throne and invaded Bulgaria to retake the lost land but his army was defeat by Terval in the battle of Anchialus (708). The consequent successful Bulgarian raids and the Byzantine instability forced emperor Theodosius III to conclude the important Treaty of 716 which issued the Byzantine-Bulgarian border in Thrace, the amount of the annual tribute which Bulgaria had to receive, the mutual cooperation of surrendering the political refugees and the regulation of trade with state seals.

References

• Andreev, Jordan (1996). The Bulgarian Khans and Tsars (in Bulgarian). Abagar. ISBN  954-427-216-X. {{ cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) ( help)
• Fine, John V. A., Jr.. The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1991 Chapter 6:"Bulgaria after Symeon, 927–1018". pp. 188–200. ISBN  978-0472081493.
• Lang, David Marshal, The Bulgarians: from pagan times to the Ottoman conquest. Boulder, Colo. : Westview Press, 1976. ISBN  0891585303
• Ostrogorsky, George, History of the Byzantine State. tr. (from the German) by Joan Hussey, rev. ed., Rutgers Univ. Press, 1969.
• Runciman, Steven (1930). A history of the First Bulgarian Empire. London: George Bell & Sons. OCLC  832687.
• Treadgold, Warren. A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, 1997, pb. ISBN  0804726302
• Tsanev, Stefan (2006). Bulgarian Chronicles (in Bulgarian). Sofia, Plovdiv: Тrud, Zhanet 45. ISBN  954-528-610-5.
• Zlatarski, Vasil (1971) [1927]. History of the Bulgarian state in the Middle Ages. Volume I. History of the First Bulgarian Empire (in Bulgarian) (2 ed.). Sofia: Nauka i izkustvo. OCLC  67080314.

Footnotes