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glamour of Constantinople throughout his life, and, although he might have laid the foundations of a solid
empire in the Balkans, his one ambition was to conquer Byzantium and to be recognized as basileus--an
ambition which was not to be fulfilled. His first campaign against the Greeks was not very fruitful, because
the latter summoned the Magyars, already settled in Hungary, to their aid and they attacked Simeon from the
north. Simeon in return called the Pechenegs, another fierce Tartar tribe, to his aid, but this merely resulted in
their definite establishment in Rumania. During the twenty years of peace, which strange to say filled the
middle of his reign (894-913), the internal development of Bulgaria made great strides. The administration
was properly organized, commerce was encouraged, and agriculture flourished. In the wars against the Greeks
which occupied his last years he was more successful, and inflicted a severe defeat on them at Anchialo (the
modern Ahiolu) in 917; but he was still unable to get from them what he wanted, and at last, in 921, he was
obliged to proclaim himself basileus and _autocrat[=o]r_ of all Bulgars and Greeks, a title which nobody else
recognized. He reappeared before Constantinople the same year, but effected nothing more than the customary
devastation of the suburbs. The year 923 witnessed a solemn reconciliation between Rome and
Constantinople; the Greeks were clever enough to prevent the Roman legates visiting Bulgaria on their return
journey, and thereby administered a rebuff to Simeon, who was anxious to see them and enter into direct
relations with Rome. In the same year Simeon tried to make an alliance with the Arabs, but the ambassadors
of the latter were intercepted by the Greeks, who made it worth their while not to continue the journey to
Bulgaria.
In 924 Simeon determined on a supreme effort against Constantinople and as a preliminary he ravaged
Macedonia and Thrace. When, however, he arrived before the city the walls and the catapults made him
hesitate, and he entered into negotiations, which, as usual, petered out and brought him no adequate reward
for all his hopes and preparations. In the west his arms were more successful, and he subjected most of the
eastern part of Serbia to his rule. From all this it can be seen that he was no diplomat, though not lacking in
enterprise and ambition. The fact was that while he made his kingdom too powerful for the Greeks to subdue
(indeed they were compelled to pay him tribute), yet Constantinople with its impregnable walls,
well-organized army, powerful fleet, and cunning and experienced statesmen, was too hard a nut for him to
The Balkans - A History Of Bulgaria--Serbia--Greece--Rumania--Turkey 12
crack.
Simeon extended the boundaries of his country considerably, and his dominion included most of the interior
of the Balkan peninsula south of the Danube and east of the rivers Morava and Ibar in Serbia and of the Drin
in Albania. The Byzantine Church greatly increased its influence in Bulgaria during his reign, and works of
theology grew like mushrooms. This was the only kind of literature that was ever popular in Bulgaria, and
although it is usual to throw contempt on the literary achievements of Constantinople, we should know but
little of Bulgaria were it not for the Greek historians.
Simeon died in 927, and his son Peter, who succeeded him, was a lover of peace and comfort; he married a
Byzantine princess, and during his reign (927-69) Greek influence grew ever stronger, in spite of several
revolts on the part of the Bulgar nobles, while the capital Preslav became a miniature Constantinople. In 927
Rome recognized the kingdom and patriarchate of Bulgaria, and Peter was duly crowned by the Papal legate.
This was viewed with disfavour by the Greeks, and they still called Peter only _arch[=o]n_ or prince (knyaz in
Bulgarian), which was the utmost title allowed to any foreign sovereign. It was not until 945 that they
recognized Peter as _basileus_, the unique title possessed by their own emperors and till then never granted to
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