BORIS I OF BULGARIA

First Christian ruler of Bulgaria 852 to 889; d. May 7, 907. During the reign of Boris I of Bulgaria, Christianity was introduced among the Slavs and Bulgars of bul garia and the Bulgarian Church was first established. An ambitious and energetic ruler, Boris realized the importance of bringing his people within the community of Christian nations, but he hesitated to accept Christianity from the Byzantine patriarchate under the auspices of the Byzantine Empire, the traditional rival of Bulgaria. Instead, he wanted to secure complete independence from the jurisdiction of Constantinople for the Bulgarian Church, and with this in view, he began negotiations with Rome and the Frankish Empire.

In 864, Byzantine military pressure compelled him to accept Baptism from Constantinople with the Emperor michael iii as godfather, but Constantinople's refusal to grant autonomy to the Bulgarian Church prompted Boris to turn to Pope nicholas i in Rome in 866 to ask for bishops and missionaries. In 870 he returned to Constantinople, and in 880, Rome and Constantinople reached an agreement that recognized Roman jurisdiction over the Bulgarian Church.

Political events and the remoteness of the area prevented Rome from exercising effective authority over missionary activities in Bulgaria, and they remained largely in the hands of the Byzantine clergy. In 885 Boris welcomed to Bulgaria the clergy of the Slavic rite expelled from Moravia after the death of Methodius in 884 (see cyril and methodius, ss.). Their missionary work, conducted in the vernacular, was very successful among the Bulgarian Slavs and was an effective counterpoise to Byzantine influence.

In 889 Boris resigned the throne in favor of his son Vladimir (889–893), but the pagan reaction with which

Vladimir seems to have been in sympathy forced Boris to return to power. Having suppressed the rebellion and deposed Vladimir, he replaced him with his other son, Symeon (893–927). After that Boris returned to his monastery, where he died in 907.

Bibliography: v. n. zlatarski and n. stanev, Geschichte der Bulgaren, 2 v. (Leipzig 1917). s. runciman, A History of the First Bulgarian Empire (London 1930). f. dvornik, Les Slaves, Byzance et Rome au IX^e Siècle (Paris 1926); The Slavs: Their Early History and Civilization (Boston 1956).

[o. p. sherbowitz-wetzor]