Preslav
Preslav (
Bulgarian: Преслав) was capital of the
First Bulgarian Empire from
893 to
972. The ruins of the city are situated some 20 kilometres southwest of the regional capital of
Shumen and are currently a National Archaelogical Reserve.
The name of Preslav is clearly of
Slavic origin; apparently it was initially founded and functioned as a Slavic settlement until its fortification at the beginning of the
9th century. The proximity to the then Bulgarian capital of
Pliska led to the fast development and expansion of Preslav during the reign of the Khans
Krum and
Omurtag. By the time of the coronation of Khan
Boris I in
852, Preslav had turned into an important strategic military centre and was the seat of the
Ichirguboil. A number of churches were built in the city after the conversion of the
Bulgarians to
Christianity in
864.
|
Ceramic icon of St. Theodor, Preslav, ca. 900 AD, National Archaelogical Museum, Sofia |
The pagan revolt of the
Pliska nobility led by King
Vladimir in
892 was decisive for the future destiny of the city. In
893 Vladimir was dethroned and the new ruler,
Simeon the Great, decided to move the capital of the state from the still somewhat pagan
Pliska to Preslav. In the following 80 years the city developed rapidly, turning into a centre not only of Bulgarian politics and diplomacy, but also of culture, literature and the fine arts. A chronicler mentioned that it took Simeon 28 years to establish and build up his new capital. Archeological excavations have, however, proved that the city continued to develop also during the
930s and
940s and reached the peak in its growth and magnificence in the middle of the rule of Tsar
Peter I of Bulgaria.
In view of the impressive town planning, the vital economy and the grandeur of buildings like the Round Church and the Royal Palace, Preslav was a true rival of the largest and most important city centres in the western hemisphere. Culturally, it was the centre of the
Preslav Literary School which was founded in Pliska in
886 and was moved to Preslav along with the rest of the court in
893. The greatest Bulgarian writers from the
Old Bulgarian period worked in Preslav, among them
John Exarch,
Constantine of Preslav,
Chernorizets Hrabar. It was probably around the
Preslav Literary School that the
Cyrillic alphabet developed in middle of the
9th century. The city had also large ceramic workshops which produced art ceramics, glazed tiles, as well as ceramic icons and
iconostases.
|
Byzantines attack Preslav |
|
A reconstructed gate of Preslav |
The city's fortune underwent a dramatic downturn at the end of the
960s, when it was occupied by Kievan Prince
Sviatoslav. The ensuing war between Ruthenians and Byzantines left the city burnt and ravaged by the army of
Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimisces. The conquerors took away the treasury, the Bulgarian
Tsar's regalia and a large part of the library of Simeon. Although the city did not lose its importance in the next three hundred years, the neighbouring outskirts and the big monasteries became desolate, the economy lost its vitality and significance.
Preslav regained some of its importance in Bulgarian politics during the first years of the joint rule of the founders of the
Second Bulgarian Empire,
Theodore Peter and
Ivan Asen I. Apparently, Ivan Asen ruled from the centre of the uprising,
Tarnovgrad, whereas his brother and co-ruler Theodore Peter resided in Preslav as a symbol of the renewed statehood of Bulgaria. The strategic advantages of Tarnovgrad were, however, decisive in the long run and the significance of Preslav waned in the course of the 13th century. The
Tatar raids during the
1270s drove away the last citizens of Preslav, along with the protothroned bishop of the city. Some of the surviving refugees built up a village of the same name only two kilometres north from the fortress where the contemporary town of
Veliki Preslav is now situated.
*
Website of the National Historical and Archaelogical Museum Veliki Preslav
