Preslav

Preslav (Bulgarian: Преслав) is a city in Bulgaria in the province of Shumen. It was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972. The ruins of Preslav are located about 20 km southwest of the regional capital of Shumen, and currently constitute a national archaeological reserve.

Geography

It is located at an altitude of 123 m above sea level. n. m. 412 km from the national capital, Sofia.

Demography

According to the 2013 estimate, it had a population of 8,421 inhabitants.

History

The name Preslav is of Slavic origin. It seems that it was a Slavic settlement until its fortification at the beginning of the IX century. The proximity of the Bulgarian state capital, Pliska, led to rapid growth of Preslav during the reigns of the Bulgarian khans Krum and Omurtag. At the time of the coronation of Boris I, in 852, it was an important military center, and the headquarters of the Ichirgu-boil. After the conversion of the Bulgarians to Christianity (864), a large number of churches were built in the city.

The revolt of the pagan nobility of Pliska, led by King Vladimir, was decisive for the future destiny of the city. In 893, Vladimir was dethroned, and the new king, Simeon I, decided to move the capital to Preslav. During the 80 years that followed the city developed rapidly, becoming the center not only of politics and diplomacy, but also of Bulgarian culture, literature and arts. A chronicler mentions that Simeon spent 28 years establishing and building the new capital. Archaeological excavations have shown, however, that the city continued to develop during the 930s and 940s, and reached the peak of its growth and magnificence during the reign of Tsar Peter I.

The most important literary authors in Old Bulgarian worked in Preslav; among them John the Exarch, Constantine of Preslav and Cernorizec Hrabar. It was possibly in the period of splendor of this Preslav Literary School that the Cyrillic alphabet was developed, in the middle of the IX century. The city was also notable for its large ceramic workshops, where artistic vessels, glazed tiles, ceramic icons and iconostases were produced.

The city's fortunes changed considerably in the late 960s, when it was occupied by the kyiv prince Svyatoslav. In the subsequent Russian-Byzantine war, Preslav was sacked and burned by the army of the Byzantine emperor John I Tzimisces. The conquerors seized the city's treasures, including much of Simeon I's valuable library. During the years that followed, the city entered a prolonged period of decline.

It regained some of its importance in Bulgarian politics during the early years of the joint reign of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Peter IV and Ivan Asen I.