First Bulgarian Empire
Also known as Danube Bulgaria
medieval Bulgar-Slavic and later Bulgarian state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD.
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The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval state in Southeastern Europe that emerged in the 7th century and lasted until the 11th century, formed through the mixing of Bulgar and Slavic peoples and cultures. It matters because it was one of the major powers of medieval Eastern Europe and laid important cultural and political foundations for Bulgaria as a nation.
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Article
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern and southeastern Central Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after a group of Bulgars, led by Asparuh, moved south to the northeastern Balkans, and secured Byzantine recognition and their right to settle south of the Danube by defeating – possibly with the help of local South Slavic tribes – the Byzantine army led by Constantine IV. During the 9th and 10th century, Bulgaria reached the height of its power and stretched from the Danube Bend to the Black Sea and from the Dnieper River to the Adriatic Sea, becoming a major power capable of competing with the Byzantine Empire.
As the state solidified its position in the Balkans, it entered into a centuries-long interaction, sometimes friendly and sometimes hostile, with the Byzantine Empire. Bulgaria became Byzantium's primary threat to its north, resulting in several wars. The two powers also enjoyed periods of peace and cooperation, most notably the alliance during the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, where the Bulgarian army broke the siege and destroyed the Arab army, thus preventing an Arab invasion of Southeastern Europe. Byzantium had a strong cultural influence on Bulgaria, which also led to the eventual adoption of Christianity in 864. After the disintegration of the Avar Khaganate, Bulgaria expanded its territory northwest to the Pannonian Plain. Later the Bulgarians confronted the advance of the Pechenegs and Cumans, and achieved a decisive victory over the Magyars, forcing them to settle permanently in Pannonia.