Peter I of Bulgaria

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Peter I
Петър І
Tsar of Bulgaria
Seal of Emperor Peter I with Irene Lekapene
Reign927–969
PredecessorSimeon I
SuccessorBoris II
Died30 January 970
SpouseIrene Lekapene
IssueBoris II
Roman
HouseKrum's dynasty
FatherSimeon I
MotherGeorge Sursuvul' sister

Peter I (

Kiev itself. Traditionally seen as a weak ruler who lost land and prestige, recent scholarship challenges this view, emphasizing the empire's affluence and internal peace. Considered a good ruler during the Middle Ages, his name was adopted by later leaders trying to restore Bulgarian independence under Byzantine rule
to emphasize legitimacy and continuity.

Early reign

Peter I was the son of Simeon I of Bulgaria by his second marriage to the sister of George Sursuvul. Peter had been born early in the 10th century, but it appears that his maternal uncle was very influential at the beginning of his reign. In 913 Peter may have visited the imperial palace at Constantinople together with his older brother Michael. For unspecified reasons, Simeon had forced Michael to become a monk and had named Peter as his successor.

To prove himself a worthy successor to his father both at home and in the eyes of foreign governments, Peter began his reign with a military offensive into

autocephalus status of the Bulgarian patriarchate, while the payment of an annual tribute to Bulgaria by the Byzantine Empire was renewed.[1]

Revolts and incursions

The initial successes of Peter's reign were followed by several minor setbacks. Around 930, Peter faced a revolt led by his younger brother Ivan, who was defeated and sent into exile in Byzantium. Soon afterwards

Italian Bishop Liutprand of Cremona
, but he apparently posed no threat to Peter's authority.

Perhaps taking advantage of these challenges to Peter's rule, the

Magyars, who had been defeated and forced into Pannonia by his father in 896. Perhaps after an initial defeat, Peter came to terms with the enemy and now used Magyar groups as his allies against Serbia. Various Magyar clans and chieftains appear to have begun to settle in what was still Bulgarian territory north of the Danube, where they may have become Bulgarian federates, enjoying independence from the Árpád dynasty. This arrangement paved the way for the eventual loss of the region to the Magyars, although that happened over the half-century following Peter's death. Peter apparently allowed these groups to cross Bulgaria and raid Byzantine territories in Thrace and Macedonia
, perhaps as an underhanded reaction against Byzantine support for the Serbian rebellion.

Domestic rule

Peter I presided over a long and relatively peaceful reign, albeit one poorly illuminated by foreign or native sources. In spite of the challenges he encountered soon after his accession and the critical situation at the very end of his life, Peter's Bulgaria appears to have been prosperous and increasingly well organized, with an administrative apparatus noted by foreign travelers and confirmed by the numerous finds of imperial seals. Peter was particularly generous towards the Church, which he endowed lavishly throughout his reign. The emperor's generosity reached such an extent that it was seen as a corrupting factor by even Orthodox clerics, like

Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople
.

Conflict with Byzantium and Rus

Main article: Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria

Relations with the Byzantine Empire worsened after the death of Peter's wife in the mid-960s. Victorious over the

Sviatoslav Igorevich
to arrange a Rus attack against Bulgaria from the north.

The Death of Emperor Peter I.

Sviatoslav readily launched a campaign with a vast force of 60,000 troops, routed the Bulgarians on the Danube, and defeated them in a battle near Silistra, seizing some 80 Bulgarian fortresses in 968. Stunned by the success of his ally and suspicious of his actual intentions, Emperor Nikephoros II hastened to make peace with Bulgaria and arranged the marriage of his wards, the underage emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII, to two Bulgarian princesses. Two of Peter's sons were sent to Constantinople as both negotiators and honorary hostages. In the meantime Peter managed to secure the retreat of the Rus forces by inciting Bulgaria's traditional allies, the Pechenegs, to attack Kiev itself.

In spite of this temporary success and the reconciliation with Byzantium, Bulgaria faced a new invasion by Sviatoslav in 969. The Bulgarians were defeated again, and Peter suffered a stroke, which led him to abdicate and become a monk. He died on 30 January 970.

Reputation

Compared with the military success of his father's reign, Peter has been traditionally considered a weak ruler, who lost lands and prestige, allowed his military forces to decline while his country was ravaged by foreign invaders, and turned Bulgaria into a Byzantine satellite governed by Byzantine agents in the persons of his empress and her retinue. This view has been questioned by more recent scholarship, which emphasizes the affluence and internal peace enjoyed by Bulgarian society during his long reign, re-evaluates the relationship between Bulgaria and its semi-nomadic neighbors (Magyars and Pechenegs), and questions the allegedly sinister role of Romanos' granddaughter and her retinue.

Peter Delyan and Constantine Bodin
adopted the royal name of Peter in their attempts to regain the throne from the Byzantines).

Family

By his marriage to

Maria Lakapena
(renamed Eirene), Peter I had several children, including:

  • Plenimir
  • Boris II, who succeeded as emperor of Bulgaria in 969
  • Roman
    , who succeeded as emperor of Bulgaria in 977

Notes

  1. ^ Fine, pp. 160–161
  2. ^ Runciman, A history of the First Bulgarian Empire, p. 185
  3. OCLC 1078891613.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )

References

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Regnal titles
Preceded by
Emperor of Bulgaria

927–969 		Succeeded by
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