The Bulgarian State in 927-969 ― The Epoch of Tsar Peter I

Tsar Peter (927–969), this book’s protagonist, is all too frequently presented in modern scholarship as a weak ruler, devoid of any grander political aspirations, and focused on religious matters—pious, but neglecting the vital interests of his subjects. It was said that during his reign both his court and state became Byzantinized, that 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 devoted to Peter—was written by Bulgarian (Miliana Kaymakamova, Georgi N. Nikolov, Angel Nikolov, and Nikolay Hrissimov) and Polish medievalists (Zofia A. Brzozowska, Miroslaw J. Leszka, Kiril Marinow, and Jan M. Wolski). Thanks to a thorough analysis of the sources and an in-depth knowledge of the literature of the subject, they have constructed a comprehensive and balanced image of the reign of their protagonist and the role he played in the history of medieval Bulgaria.

MIROSLAW J. LESZKA is full professor in the Department of Byzantine History, Faculty of Philosophy and History, University of Lodz. His scholarly interests include imperial power in the early and middle Byzantine periods, the role of women at the court in Constantinople, and especially the history of Bulgaria (seventh- to eleventh-century). He is the author or coauthor of eight books as well as over 160 articles and reviews.

KIRIL MARINOW is an adjunct in the Department of Byzantine History in the Faculty of Philosophy and History at the University of Lodz. He specializes in historical geography and geopolitics of the medieval Balkans, Byzantine military history, and history of medieval Bulgaria, especially its relations with the Byzantine Empire. He has authored or coauthored over seventy multilingual publications on these subjects.