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| 913 |
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| Symeon, taking advantage of the dynastic troubles in the empire, advanced to Constantinople, but withdrew with many presents and the promise that the young emperor, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, should marry one of his daughters. Symeon evidently hoped to attain the crown for himself, but was frustrated by the seizure of power by Zoë. He thereupon made war (914), raiding into Macedonia, Thessaly, and Albania. But the Patzinaks, instigated by the Greeks, invaded and occupied Wallachia (917), while Symeon defeated the Greeks near Anchialus (917). In 918 Symeon defeated the Serbs, who had also been aroused by the empress. | 1 |
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| 919–24 |
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| Symeon four times advanced to the Hellespont and Constantinople, but was unable to take the city because of his lack of a fleet. In 924 he had an interview with Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and finally made peace. | 2 |
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| 925 |
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| Symeon proclaimed himself emperor of the Romans and the Bulgars. The Greek emperor protested, but the pope recognized the title. | 3 |
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| 926 |
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| Symeon set up Leontius of Preslav as a patriarch. | 4 |
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| 926 |
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| Conquest and devastation of Serbia. | 5 |
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| 927–69 |
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| Peter, the son of Symeon, a pious, well-intentioned, but weak ruler, who married the granddaughter of Romanus Lecapenus. Peace with Constantinople was maintained, the Greek emperor recognizing the Bulgar ruler as emperor and acknowledging the Bulgarian patriarchate. Bulgaria was, during this period, occupied by the constant threat from the Magyars (raids in 934, 943, 958, 962) and the Patzinaks (great raid of 944). Internally the period seems to have been one of unrest and religious ferment (founding of monasteries; St. John of Rila; beginning of the Bogomil heresy, c. 950, a dualistic creed possibly inspired by the Paulicians settled in the Thracian region by the Byzantine emperors). | 6 |
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| 967 |
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| Invasion of Bulgaria by Sviatoslav and the Russians. Tsar Peter roused the Patzinaks, who attacked Kiev in 968 and forced Sviatoslav to withdraw. | 7 |
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| 969–72 |
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| Boris II. The reign was filled with the second invasion of Sviatoslav, who took Preslav and captured Boris and his family (969). The Greeks, in alarm, sent an army against him and defeated him at Arcadiopolis (970). In 971 Emperor John Tzimisces attacked the Russians by land and sea. He took Preslav and destroyed it, besieged Sviatoslav at Dristra on the Danube, and finally forced him to evacuate Bulgaria. Boris was obliged to abdicate, and the patriarchate was abolished. | 8 |
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| 976–1014 |
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| Samuel, son of a governor of one of the western districts, which had been unaffected by the Russian invasion, set himself up as ruler. He soon expanded his domain to Sofia, and reestablished the patriarchate (ultimately fixed at Okhrid, which was the center of the new state). | 9 |
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| 986–89 |
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| Samuel took Larissa after several annual raids into Thessaly. In the east he extended his power to the Black Sea. | 10 |
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| 996–1014 |
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| The campaigns of Basil II (Bulgaroktonos, Slayer of the Bulgarians) against Samuel. Basil proceeded to reduce one stronghold after another. Samuel avoided open battle as much as possible, but throughout suffered from the defection of his leaders, who were bribed with attractive offers from the emperor. The crowning defeat of the Bulgarians at Belasitsa (1014) and the sight of his 15,000 blinded warriors brought on Samuel's death. | 11 |
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| 1014–16 |
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| Gabriel Radomir (or Romanus), the son of Samuel. He tried to make peace, but was murdered by his cousin | 12 |
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