During the 9th and 10th century, Belgrade was part of the medieval Bulgarian state, but very little is known about that period. It is, however, known that in historical documents the city was called Alba Bulgarie or Alba Bulgarica. The Bulgarian medieval state experienced its rise in the 9th century. The Bulgarian army conquered Belgrade in 827, which had prior to the conquest been ruled by Franks. Bulgarians had around that time associated their ecclesiastical organization with Constantinople, which caused the intervention of Pope John VIII. In his letter to Bulgarian prince Boris, he claims that a certain Sergius was illegally appointed bishop of Belgrade, which is the first recorded mention of the Slavic name of the city – Belgrade. It is assumed that Belgrade was briefly under Byzantine authority during the reign of emperor John I Tzimiskes, but with the creation of Samuel’s state Belgrade had once again found itself within the borders of the Bulgarian empire. The Bulgarian reign of Belgrade ended in 1018. It’s known that in 1230 Belgrade had once again found itself under Bulgarian authority, but Bulgaria permanently lost all control over Belgrade just 2 years later.
Translated by Filip Šuica
