Overview
Boris I made Bulgaria a Christian state. He ruled as khan until his baptism in 864, then as knyaz, and he is the last Bulgarian ruler for whom the khan title is assumed. His decisions on religion and script shaped Slavic Orthodox culture.
Rise to Power
He succeeded his father Presian in 852.
Rule and Achievements
- Fought the Franks, Serbs, Croats and Byzantium in the 850s with mixed results
- Was baptised early in 864 with Emperor Michael III as godfather, taking the name Michael, and crushed a revolt of the boyars in 865, executing fifty-two of them
- Negotiated with both Rome and Constantinople; in 870 the Bulgarian church was made an autonomous archbishopric under Constantinople
- In 886 welcomed Clement, Naum and other disciples of Cyril and Methodius, who founded schools of Slavonic letters
Legacy
He abdicated in 889 and entered a monastery. In 893 he returned to depose his son Vladimir, who had tried to restore the old religion, and placed his younger son Simeon on the throne. He died on 2 May 907 and is venerated as a saint.