The Bulgarian State in 927-969. The Epoch of Tsar Peter I: № XXXIV

Abstract

Tsar Peter (927-969), the book’s protagonist, is all too frequently presented in modern scholarship as a weak ruler, devoid of any grander political aspirations, focused on religious matters, indeed – pious, but neglecting the vital interests of his subjects. It was said that during his reign both his court and state became Byzantinised, that the central authority was completely helpless in the face of Hungarian raids, and saw the spread of the Bogomilist heresy. According to the Tsar’s critics, it was as a result of his ineffectual rule that Boris II, his son and successor, was unable to defend Bulgaria’s sovereignty in 971. This book – the first monograph in world literature devoted to Peter – was written by Bulgarian (Miliana Kaymakamova, Georgi N. Nikolov, Angel Nikolov, Nikolay Hrissimov) and Polish medievalists (Miroslaw J. Leszka, Kirił Marinow, Zofia A. Brzozowska Jan M. Wolski). Thanks to a thorough analysis of the sources and an in-depth knowledge of the literature of the subject, they constructed a comprehensive and balanced image of the reign of their protagonist, and of the role he played in the history of mediaeval Bulgaria. The research project financed by the National Science Centre. Decision number: DEC-2014/14/M/HS3/00758