The Madara Rider, also known as the Madara Horseman, is a magnificent historical monument situated in northeastern Bulgaria. This relic, carved into a 100-meter-high cliff, dates back to the late 7th century. The Madara Rider is unique, being the only such relief found in Europe from the Early Middle Ages. It depicts a horseman thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse’s feet. An eagle is shown flying in front of the horseman, and a dog runs after him.
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a significant medieval state that played an essential role in European history during the early Middle Ages. Established in 681 CE when the Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants, the empire stretched from the Black Sea to the Adriatic Sea at its zenith. The First Bulgarian Empire’s capital was Pliska, later moved to Preslav, where it became a center of Slavic culture and literature. The empire was known for its military prowess and formidable resistance against the Byzantine Empire, establishing itself as a major power in southeastern Europe.
During its existence, the First Bulgarian Empire saw the spread of Christianity, becoming the state religion in 865 under Prince Boris I, who played a crucial role in establishing the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. This change facilitated the cultural and spiritual unity of the nation. The empire is also famed for the development of the Cyrillic alphabet, created by the saints Cyril and Methodius and refined by their disciples, which helped spread literacy and education. Over the centuries, internal strife, military defeats, and external pressures weakened the state, leading to its absorption by the Byzantine Empire in 1018. Nonetheless, the legacy of the First Bulgarian Empire endures in Bulgarian national identity and the Eastern Orthodox Church.