The Rise of Great Preslav: From Military Camp to Imperial Capital

The story of Great Preslav, the magnificent capital of Bulgaria’s First Empire under Tsar Simeon I (893–927), begins humbly as a strategic military outpost. Established around 800 AD by Khan Krum as a training ground for Bulgar cavalry, its location—92 meters above sea level on an open plain—seemed militarily vulnerable. Yet its advantages were undeniable: the Kamchia River provided fresh water, while the Balkan Mountains to the south offered iron and coal deposits critical for weaponry and construction.

When Boris I (r. 852–889) expanded the settlement, he laid the groundwork for its future grandeur. But it was his son Simeon—educated in Constantinople and steeped in Byzantine imperial ambition—who transformed Preslav into a Slavic Constantinople. In 893, he relocated Bulgaria’s capital from Pliska, just 30 km away, and launched a 28-year building campaign, declaring it the “Third Rome” after the original Rome and Byzantium. By the 10th century, Preslav rivaled Constantinople as Eastern Europe’s largest city, a sprawling metropolis of 7 square kilometers with dual defensive walls separating the aristocratic inner city from the outer commercial districts.

Architectural Splendor: A Slavic Mirror of Constantinople

Simeon’s vision for Preslav was unabashedly Byzantine. Like Constantinople, the city boasted concentric defensive walls—though only the inner limestone ramparts (3 meters thick, 10 meters high) survive today. The Royal Palace complex, adorned with gold-leaf mosaics and 24 marble columns, stood beside the 12-columned Royal Church, both symbols of divinely sanctioned power.

The crown jewel was the Golden Round Church, originally built by Boris I as St. John’s Church. Simeon’s lavish reconstruction—with its gilded onion domes, red-glass windows depicting saints, and a circular sanctuary 10.5 meters in diameter—became the Slavic world’s largest church. Archaeological finds like enameled spindle whorls inscribed with women’s names attest to widespread literacy, while imported Byzantine glazed ceramics and Arab coins reveal Preslav’s cosmopolitan trade networks.

The Preslav Literary School: Cradle of Slavic Culture

Beyond its physical grandeur, Preslav became the intellectual heart of the Slavic world. The Preslav Literary School, relocated from Pliska in 893, trained scholars in Cyrillic script—developed earlier by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Under figures like Constantine of Preslav (who translated Greek theological works) and Bishop John the Exarch (a multilingual scholar), the school:

– Translated Byzantine texts into Old Church Slavonic
– Produced original works like Constantine’s Alphabet Prayer
– Operated a scriptorium that copied manuscripts with intricate initials

The monk Chernorizets Hrabar penned On Letters, defending Slavic literacy against Greek purists. Some speculate “Hrabar” was Simeon himself—a testament to the tsar’s scholarly engagement.

Military Triumphs and Diplomatic Chess

Simeon’s reign marked Bulgaria’s zenith. His victories over Byzantium—particularly the 917 Battle of Achelous, where 6,000 Bulgarians annihilated a Byzantine army—forced Emperor Romanos I to pay annual tribute. Preslav’s treasury overflowed with Byzantine gold, yet curiously, no Bulgarian coins have been found. Historians debate whether Simeon relied on foreign currency or if his mint remains undiscovered.

The tsar’s ambition to become “Emperor of Bulgarians and Romans” nearly succeeded in 913 when Patriarch Nicholas crowned him basileus in Constantinople. Though Byzantine factions later rejected this, Simeon’s title “Tsar” (Caesar) endured, influencing later Slavic monarchies.

Decline and Rediscovery

After Simeon’s death in 927, Preslav gradually declined. The 12th-century Second Bulgarian Empire shifted its capital to Veliko Tarnovo, and Mongol raids in 1278 left the city in ruins. Modern excavations since the 19th century have revealed:

– The Round Church’s geometric floor mosaics
– A ceramic icon of St. Theodore—Europe’s oldest glazed pottery
– Over 400 Cyrillic inscriptions

Today, Preslav’s archaeological park offers glimpses of medieval Bulgaria’s golden age, when a Slavic kingdom dared to challenge Byzantium’s cultural and political hegemony. The city’s legacy endures in Bulgaria’s Cyrillic alphabet, Orthodox traditions, and national identity—a testament to Simeon’s vision of a Slavic “Third Rome.”