{"version":2,"locale":"en","id":"story.boris-baptism-864","hasFind":true,"slug":"boris-baptism-864","url":"/en/stories/boris-baptism-864/","topic":"Boris I and Christianisation","title":"Boris I: the cost of a new faith","summary":"Boris adopts Christianity. A revolt and questions to Rome follow. Two decades later, disciples of Cyril and Methodius help people learn the new faith in Slavonic.","cover":{"title":"Boris I: the cost of a new faith","subtitle":"Baptism, revolt and negotiations in the ninth century","hook":"What changed when Boris was baptised?","summary":"Boris adopts Christianity. A revolt and questions to Rome follow. Two decades later, disciples of Cyril and Methodius help people learn the new faith in Slavonic.","takeaway":"The ruler’s baptism began a long change. It needed negotiations, teachers and books. It also brought loss of life."},"sortYear":864,"firstActivity":4,"epoch":{"id":"epoch.tsardom1","styleId":"tsardom1","sortOrder":5,"title":"First Bulgarian Tsardom","dateLabel":"681–1018","eraShort":"First Tsardom","slug":"tsardom1","fill":"#A68A68","ink":"#221616","raised":"#B39C7F","dark":"#786546"},"epochId":"epoch.tsardom1","placeShort":"Pliska","date":"864–865","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-cutout-480.216573bb.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-cutout-960.216573bb.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-cutout-1159.216573bb.avif","w":1159}],"dominant":"#bc8e48","h":1088,"w":1159,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-cutout-960.216573bb.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-cutout-960.216573bb.webp","id":"asset.bor.michael-coin-cutout","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. Both sides of a gold coin of Michael III with Theodora, struck around 843–856. This is not a coin of Boris.","objectCaption":"Michael III coin","caption":"","kindLabel":"Photo","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 2.5","attribution":"Photo: Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed. Original object","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed. Original object","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_III_with_Theodora_sb1687.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/"},"scenes":[{"id":"boris-baptism-864.s1-choice","number":1,"kind":"narrative","title":"Boris chooses a new faith","body":"A gold coin shows Michael III, ruler of Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire. At baptism Boris also takes the name Michael. But why does he choose Christianity?\n\nChristians already live in his lands. One historical explanation is that a shared faith could unite different people. It could also win recognition from Christian neighbours. Boris may also have held a personal religious conviction. We cannot know all his thoughts.\n\nLater Byzantine accounts connect his conversion with war, famine and peace talks.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-480.c89b682f.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-960.c89b682f.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-1600.c89b682f.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#d3ae6e","h":729,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-960.c89b682f.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-michael-coin-960.c89b682f.webp","id":"asset.bor.michael-coin","alt":"Both sides of a gold coin of Michael III with Theodora, struck around 843–856. This is not a coin of Boris.","objectCaption":"Michael III coin","caption":"","kindLabel":"Photo","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 2.5","attribution":"Photo: Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5. Unmodified. Processed image. Original object","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5. Unmodified. Processed image. Original object","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_III_with_Theodora_sb1687.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":31.280625,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.boris-baptism-864.boris-baptism-864.s1-choice","duration":31.403,"src":"/audio/en/boris-baptism-864/s1-choice.15b8c61f.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.north"},{"id":"src.bor.pbe"},{"id":"src.bor.annals"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-michael-coin"}]},{"id":"boris-baptism-864.s2-church-centres","number":2,"kind":"map","title":"Letters between three cities","body":"Pliska is Boris’s capital. Constantinople is the capital of Byzantium. Its patriarch is a senior church leader. Rome has the pope, the leader of its church. Both cities take part in negotiations over Bulgaria’s church.\n\nBoris’s baptism is commonly placed in 864–865. The exact year remains disputed. He takes the name Michael, like the Byzantine emperor. Photius, the patriarch in Constantinople, writes about faith and a Christian ruler’s duties.\n\nWho will choose the people who lead Bulgaria’s church?","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"The Great Basilica at Pliska belongs to Bulgaria’s Christian history, later than the Madara relief.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.madara.pliska-basilica","name":"Pliska — Great Basilica","latitude":43.39861111,"longitude":27.13888889,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":50,"sourceIds":["src.madara.wikidata.basilica","src.madara.georgiev.pliska","src.pli.coord.q5598716","src.bor.coordinates-pliska"],"short":"Pliska","guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/place/#great-basilica-pliska","slug":"madara.pliska-basilica","url":"/en/map/#madara.pliska-basilica"},{"note":"Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.asp.constantinople","name":"Constantinople","latitude":41.01224,"longitude":28.976018055555553,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":5000,"sourceIds":["src.asp.coord.constantinople","src.asp.council681","src.asp.todorovski2024","src.sim.coordinates.constantinople","src.sim.leszka2011","src.ind.coordinates-istanbul","src.ind.protocols","src.bor.coordinates-constantinople","src.kal.coordinates.constantinople"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"asp.constantinople","url":"/en/map/#asp.constantinople"},{"note":"Boris sent questions to Rome about Christian belief and church government.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bor.rome","name":"Rome","latitude":41.893055555556,"longitude":12.482777777778,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":6000,"sourceIds":["src.bor.coordinates-rome","src.kal.coordinates.rome"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bor.rome","url":"/en/map/#bor.rome"}],"map":{"light":{"src":"/assets/maps/story-cf2fb71c1a6568d4.jpg?v=436ab4efa4","w":2048,"h":786,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[]},"dark":{"src":"/assets/maps/story-cf2fb71c1a6568d4-dark.jpg?v=b130298691","w":2048,"h":786,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[]},"places":[{"note":"The Great Basilica at Pliska belongs to Bulgaria’s Christian history, later than the Madara relief.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.madara.pliska-basilica","name":"Pliska — Great 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Empire.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.asp.constantinople","name":"Constantinople","latitude":41.01224,"longitude":28.976018055555553,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":5000,"sourceIds":["src.asp.coord.constantinople","src.asp.council681","src.asp.todorovski2024","src.sim.coordinates.constantinople","src.sim.leszka2011","src.ind.coordinates-istanbul","src.ind.protocols","src.bor.coordinates-constantinople","src.kal.coordinates.constantinople"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"asp.constantinople","url":"/en/map/#asp.constantinople","number":2,"x":86.66266,"y":69.75013,"inside":true,"viewX":86.66266,"viewY":69.75013},{"note":"Boris sent questions to Rome about Christian belief and church government.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bor.rome","name":"Rome","latitude":41.893055555556,"longitude":12.482777777778,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":6000,"sourceIds":["src.bor.coordinates-rome","src.kal.coordinates.rome"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bor.rome","url":"/en/map/#bor.rome","number":3,"x":13.33734,"y":56.1376,"inside":true,"viewX":13.337340000000001,"viewY":56.1376}],"extent":[-1.50215277777775,-0.21832004064505853,2.811655034722194,1.6688662941008388],"orientation":[{"name":"Sofia","kind":"town","x":61.526,"y":43.537,"viewX":61.526,"viewY":43.537},{"name":"Plovdiv","kind":"town","x":67.854,"y":52.359,"viewX":67.854,"viewY":52.359},{"name":"Varna","kind":"town","x":81.944,"y":35.365,"viewX":81.944,"viewY":35.365},{"name":"Burgas","kind":"town","x":79.934,"y":46.573,"viewX":79.934,"viewY":46.573},{"name":"Ruse","kind":"town","x":73.279,"y":25.436,"viewX":73.279,"viewY":25.435999999999996},{"name":"Veliko 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A churchman stands beside him. The artist shows the ceremony but did not witness it. The manuscript was made in Sicily in the twelfth century, centuries after Boris.\n\nAccording to one legend, a painting of the Last Judgement frightened Boris and turned him towards Christianity. The Last Judgement means God’s final judgement of humankind in Christian belief. The legend does not establish why Boris made his decision.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-480.d2b54604.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-960.d2b54604.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-1600.d2b54604.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#e4cc92","h":2400,"w":1752,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-960.d2b54604.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-960.d2b54604.webp","id":"asset.bor.skylitzes","alt":"Folio 68v, a twelfth-century manuscript. A later depiction of baptism, not an eyewitness portrait.","objectCaption":"Folio 68v, a twelfth-century manuscript. A later depiction of baptism, not an eyewitness portrait.","caption":"Folio 68v, a twelfth-century manuscript. A later depiction of baptism, not an eyewitness portrait.","kindLabel":"Drawing","kind":"artwork","visibleKind":"Drawing","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Unknown medieval artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Unknown medieval artist. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Document scan","attributionParts":[{"text":"Unknown medieval artist. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Document scan","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MadridSkylitzesFol68v.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-facial-chronicle-480.4780cc1d.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-facial-chronicle-813.4780cc1d.avif","w":813}],"dominant":"#b4ac81","h":1500,"w":813,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-facial-chronicle-813.4780cc1d.webp","w":813}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-facial-chronicle-813.4780cc1d.webp","id":"asset.bor.facial-chronicle","alt":"Illustrated Chronicle, book 13, page 414. A sixteenth-century depiction; it does not prove that Photius personally baptised Boris.","objectCaption":"Illustrated Chronicle, book 13, page 414. A sixteenth-century depiction; it does not prove that Photius personally baptised Boris.","caption":"Illustrated Chronicle, book 13, page 414. A sixteenth-century depiction; it does not prove that Photius personally baptised Boris.","kindLabel":"Drawing","kind":"artwork","visibleKind":"Drawing","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Unknown Russian manuscript artists, sixteenth century · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Unknown Russian manuscript artists, sixteenth century. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Document scan","attributionParts":[{"text":"Unknown Russian manuscript artists, sixteenth century. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Document scan","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Facial_Chronicle_-_b.13,_p.414_-_Photios_baptising_king_of_Bulgars.gif","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"hbor-font","x":0.515,"y":0.516,"title":"The font","body":"The vessel around Boris’s body identifies the ceremony as baptism. The drawing does not prove what the real font looked like.","sourceIds":["src.bor.photo-skylitzes","src.bor.bne2024"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"hbor-cleric","x":0.437,"y":0.495,"title":"The churchman","body":"This figure reaches towards the head of the person being baptised. The image alone does not establish who performed the historical ceremony.","sourceIds":["src.bor.photo-skylitzes"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"hbor-writing","x":0.562,"y":0.31,"title":"Text and image","body":"Lines of Greek writing surround the miniature. This is a page of historical narrative, not a surviving document signed by Boris at baptism.","sourceIds":["src.bor.photo-skylitzes","src.bor.bne2024"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":31.08325,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.boris-baptism-864.boris-baptism-864.s3-baptism-image","duration":31.189,"src":"/audio/en/boris-baptism-864/s3-baptism-image.c48d0ab5.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.bne2024"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-skylitzes"},{"id":"src.bor.pbe"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-facial-chronicle"},{"id":"src.bor.curta2019"}]},{"id":"boris-baptism-864.a1-image-evidence","number":4,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: what can the picture establish?","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.bor.image-evidence","kind":"single_choice","prompt":"How should we use the miniature, the small drawing in the Madrid Skylitzes?","sourceIds":["src.bor.bne2024","src.bor.photo-skylitzes"],"items":[{"id":"opt-later-image","label":"As a later depiction of the baptism."},{"id":"opt-eyewitness","label":"As an eyewitness drawing from the ninth century.","whyWrong":"The artist worked centuries after the baptism."},{"id":"opt-exact-face","label":"As an image made with Boris as the sitter.","whyWrong":"A later image cannot establish the living ruler’s facial features."}],"explanation":"The manuscript dates from the twelfth century. It shows how a later artist represented the event.","correctItemId":"opt-later-image","sources":[{"id":"src.bor.bne2024"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-skylitzes"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":5.204625,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.boris-baptism-864.boris-baptism-864.a1-image-evidence","duration":5.333,"src":"/audio/en/boris-baptism-864/a1-image-evidence.0592d68e.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.bne2024"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-skylitzes"}]},{"id":"boris-baptism-864.s4-revolt","number":5,"kind":"narrative","title":"Boris punishes the rebels","body":"Under 866, a chronicle, a record of events by year, describes a revolt against Boris. According to the papal reply, his opponents thought the new law bad and wanted another ruler.\n\nThe chronicle says Boris kills 52 leaders. The papal reply reports their children killed with them. The total death toll is unknown. Lower-ranking participants are spared.\n\nBoris asks the pope whether he has sinned. Pope Nicholas I condemns killing innocent children. He urges Boris to admit his sin and seek forgiveness.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-480.d2b54604.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-960.d2b54604.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-1600.d2b54604.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#e4cc92","h":2400,"w":1752,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-960.d2b54604.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-skylitzes-960.d2b54604.webp","id":"asset.bor.skylitzes","alt":"Folio 68v, a twelfth-century manuscript. A later depiction of baptism, not an eyewitness portrait.","objectCaption":"Folio 68v, a twelfth-century manuscript. A later depiction of baptism, not an eyewitness portrait.","caption":"Folio 68v, a twelfth-century manuscript. A later depiction of baptism, not an eyewitness portrait.","kindLabel":"Drawing","kind":"artwork","visibleKind":"Drawing","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Unknown medieval artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Unknown medieval artist. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Document scan","attributionParts":[{"text":"Unknown medieval artist. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Document scan","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MadridSkylitzesFol68v.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":32.39516666666667,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.boris-baptism-864.boris-baptism-864.s4-revolt","duration":32.512,"src":"/audio/en/boris-baptism-864/s4-revolt.268b0fab.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.annals"},{"id":"src.bor.nicholas"}]},{"id":"boris-baptism-864.s5-rome","number":6,"kind":"narrative","title":"Boris sends envoys","body":"In 866 Bulgarian envoys take their questions to Rome. Pope Nicholas I sends Formosus and Paul. They are bishops, churchmen who oversee churches and priests within an area.\n\nThe Bulgars also ask for their own patriarch. Nicholas gives no final answer. He insists on Rome’s involvement in appointing the church head.\n\nNegotiations continue. In 870 Bulgaria’s church receives an archbishop, a senior bishop, under Constantinople’s authority. He is promised considerable autonomy, meaning freedom to manage church affairs.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-nicholas-print-480.38e2b4c5.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-nicholas-print-960.38e2b4c5.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-nicholas-print-1285.38e2b4c5.avif","w":1285}],"dominant":"#ababab","h":1600,"w":1285,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-nicholas-print-960.38e2b4c5.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-nicholas-print-960.38e2b4c5.webp","id":"asset.bor.nicholas-print","alt":"Printed portrait of Pope Nicholas I, a 1910 reproduction of a drawing.","objectCaption":"Later print from the Library of Congress collection. It does not establish the pope’s appearance in the ninth century.","caption":"Later print from the Library of Congress collection. It does not establish the pope’s appearance in the ninth century.","kindLabel":"Drawing","kind":"artwork","visibleKind":"Drawing","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Unidentified drawing artist; Library of Congress · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Unidentified drawing artist; Library of Congress. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Printed reproduction of a drawing","attributionParts":[{"text":"Unidentified drawing artist; Library of Congress. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Printed reproduction of a drawing","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolaus_I_PP_Romanus_LCCN98508493.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-wide-480.b649023f.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-wide-960.b649023f.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-wide-1600.b649023f.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#917968","h":1057,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-wide-960.b649023f.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-wide-960.b649023f.webp","id":"asset.bor.basilica-wide","alt":"Modern photograph of the Great Basilica. The tall arcade is restored; this is not an intact ninth-century church.","objectCaption":"Modern photograph of the Great Basilica. The tall arcade is restored; this is not an intact ninth-century church.","caption":"Modern photograph of the Great Basilica. The tall arcade is restored; this is not an intact ninth-century church.","kindLabel":"Photo","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Athens, Greece · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY 2.0","attribution":"Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Athens, Greece / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Unmodified. Processed image. Site today","attributionParts":[{"text":"Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Athens, Greece / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Unmodified. Processed image. Site today","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Great_Basilica_Klearchos_2.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-columns-480.22e4dab8.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-columns-960.22e4dab8.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-columns-1600.22e4dab8.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#828587","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-columns-960.22e4dab8.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-basilica-columns-960.22e4dab8.webp","id":"asset.bor.basilica-columns","alt":"Great Basilica, Pliska, in 2007. Low stone remains in front of a restored wall with arches. Individual masonry phases have not been established here.","objectCaption":"Great Basilica, Pliska, in 2007. Low stone remains in front of a restored wall with arches. Individual masonry phases have not been established here.","caption":"Great Basilica, Pliska, in 2007. Low stone remains in front of a restored wall with arches. Individual masonry phases have not been established here.","kindLabel":"Photo","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Svilen Enev · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Svilen Enev / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image. Site today","attributionParts":[{"text":"Svilen Enev / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image. Site today","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Basilica_in_Pliska_4.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"Boris sent questions to Rome about Christian belief and church government.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bor.rome","name":"Rome","latitude":41.893055555556,"longitude":12.482777777778,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":6000,"sourceIds":["src.bor.coordinates-rome","src.kal.coordinates.rome"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bor.rome","url":"/en/map/#bor.rome"},{"note":"Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.asp.constantinople","name":"Constantinople","latitude":41.01224,"longitude":28.976018055555553,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":5000,"sourceIds":["src.asp.coord.constantinople","src.asp.council681","src.asp.todorovski2024","src.sim.coordinates.constantinople","src.sim.leszka2011","src.ind.coordinates-istanbul","src.ind.protocols","src.bor.coordinates-constantinople","src.kal.coordinates.constantinople"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"asp.constantinople","url":"/en/map/#asp.constantinople"},{"note":"The Great Basilica at Pliska belongs to Bulgaria’s Christian history, later than the Madara relief.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.madara.pliska-basilica","name":"Pliska — Great Basilica","latitude":43.39861111,"longitude":27.13888889,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":50,"sourceIds":["src.madara.wikidata.basilica","src.madara.georgiev.pliska","src.pli.coord.q5598716","src.bor.coordinates-pliska"],"short":"Pliska","guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/place/#great-basilica-pliska","slug":"madara.pliska-basilica","url":"/en/map/#madara.pliska-basilica"}],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":34.438541666666666,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.boris-baptism-864.boris-baptism-864.s5-rome","duration":34.56,"src":"/audio/en/boris-baptism-864/s5-rome.eb1be2a7.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.annals"},{"id":"src.bor.nicholas"},{"id":"src.bor.pbe"},{"id":"src.bor.curta2019"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-nicholas-print"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-basilica-wide"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-basilica-columns"},{"id":"src.bor.restoration"}]},{"id":"boris-baptism-864.s6-teachers","number":7,"kind":"narrative","title":"Clement reaches Boris","body":"In 886 disciples of Cyril and Methodius find refuge in Bulgaria. Cyril and Methodius are teachers who spread Christianity in Slavonic.\n\nA later Life, an account of a saint’s life, describes Clement arriving with two companions. They reach Boris in Pliska through Belgrade. They were expelled from Great Moravia, a medieval state in Central Europe.\n\nBoris sends Clement to teach in the southwestern regions. The disciples train priests in Old Church Slavonic. This is the language of early Slavonic books, different from modern Bulgarian.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-clement-icon-480.1a562264.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-clement-icon-960.1a562264.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-clement-icon-1129.1a562264.avif","w":1129}],"dominant":"#985c1d","h":1600,"w":1129,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-clement-icon-960.1a562264.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-clement-icon-960.1a562264.webp","id":"asset.bor.clement-icon","alt":"Icon dated by Commons to the thirteenth–fourteenth century. A later religious depiction of Clement, not a lifetime portrait.","objectCaption":"Icon dated by Commons to the thirteenth–fourteenth century. A later religious depiction of Clement, not a lifetime portrait.","caption":"Icon dated by Commons to the thirteenth–fourteenth century. A later religious depiction of Clement, not a lifetime portrait.","kindLabel":"Drawing","kind":"artwork","visibleKind":"Drawing","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Unknown icon painter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Unknown icon painter. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Icon","attributionParts":[{"text":"Unknown icon painter. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Icon","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Clement_of_Ohrid_(icon,_13th-14th_century).jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-zograf-codex-480.96a86875.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bor-zograf-codex-768.96a86875.avif","w":768}],"dominant":"#ceced0","h":1024,"w":768,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bor-zograf-codex-768.96a86875.webp","w":768}],"src":"/media/asset-bor-zograf-codex-768.96a86875.webp","id":"asset.bor.zograf-codex","alt":"Manuscript page with Glagolitic writing. Commons identifies Luke 14:19–24. The folio number is unknown.","objectCaption":"Later manuscript with Glagolitic writing. The folio shown in this image is unidentified. This is not a book proven to have belonged to Clement.","caption":"Later manuscript with Glagolitic writing. The folio shown in this image is unidentified. This is not a book proven to have belonged to Clement.","kindLabel":"Archive","kind":"archive","visibleKind":"Archive","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Unknown manuscript maker; reproduction creator unidentified · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Unknown manuscript maker; reproduction creator unidentified. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Document scan","attributionParts":[{"text":"Unknown manuscript maker; reproduction creator unidentified. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image. Document scan","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kodex.Zograf.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"The later Life describes passage through Belgrade. The exact route is not reconstructed.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bor.belgrade","name":"Belgrade","latitude":44.81777777777778,"longitude":20.456944444444446,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":3000,"sourceIds":["src.bor.coordinates-belgrade","src.bor.curta2019"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bor.belgrade","url":"/en/map/#bor.belgrade"},{"note":"The Great Basilica at Pliska belongs to Bulgaria’s Christian history, later than the Madara relief.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.madara.pliska-basilica","name":"Pliska — Great Basilica","latitude":43.39861111,"longitude":27.13888889,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":50,"sourceIds":["src.madara.wikidata.basilica","src.madara.georgiev.pliska","src.pli.coord.q5598716","src.bor.coordinates-pliska"],"short":"Pliska","guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/place/#great-basilica-pliska","slug":"madara.pliska-basilica","url":"/en/map/#madara.pliska-basilica"}],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":35.564708333333336,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.boris-baptism-864.boris-baptism-864.s6-teachers","duration":35.669,"src":"/audio/en/boris-baptism-864/s6-teachers.201bcf7a.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.curta2019"},{"id":"src.bor.petrovski2016"},{"id":"src.bor.zograf"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-clement-icon"},{"id":"src.bor.photo-zograf-codex"}]},{"id":"boris-baptism-864.a2-order","number":8,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: from baptism to teachers","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.bor.order","kind":"sequence","prompt":"Put these four events in order, earliest first.","sourceIds":["src.bor.petrovski2016","src.bor.annals","src.bor.curta2019"],"items":[{"id":"ev-baptism","label":"Boris is baptised"},{"id":"ev-rome","label":"Envoys go to Rome"},{"id":"ev-archbishop","label":"Bulgaria’s church receives an archbishop"},{"id":"ev-disciples","label":"Disciples find refuge in Bulgaria"}],"explanation":"Baptism comes before the embassy to Rome. The archbishopric is established before the disciples arrive. The dating differences do not change this order.","correctOrderIds":["ev-baptism","ev-rome","ev-archbishop","ev-disciples"],"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.petrovski2016"},{"id":"src.bor.annals"},{"id":"src.bor.curta2019"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.7882083333333334,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.boris-baptism-864.boris-baptism-864.a2-order","duration":3.883,"src":"/audio/en/boris-baptism-864/a2-order.c23e0d05.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.petrovski2016"},{"id":"src.bor.annals"},{"id":"src.bor.curta2019"}]},{"id":"boris-baptism-864.a3-match","number":9,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: who does what?","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.bor.match","kind":"matching","prompt":"Match each person to the action described in the story.","sourceIds":["src.bor.pbe","src.bor.nicholas","src.bor.petrovski2016"],"items":[{"id":"m-boris","label":"Boris","pairedLabel":"Takes the name Michael at baptism."},{"id":"m-photius","label":"Photius","pairedLabel":"Writes from Constantinople about faith"},{"id":"m-nicholas","label":"Nicholas I","pairedLabel":"Answers the Bulgarian questions from Rome."},{"id":"m-clement","label":"Clement","pairedLabel":"Teaches in the southwestern regions"}],"explanation":"These actions belong to different people. The church leaders in Rome and Constantinople are neither the Bulgarian ruler nor Clement the teacher.","sources":[{"id":"src.bor.pbe"},{"id":"src.bor.nicholas"},{"id":"src.bor.petrovski2016"}],"columns":["Person","Role"]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.695291666666667,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.boris-baptism-864.boris-baptism-864.a3-match","duration":3.797,"src":"/audio/en/boris-baptism-864/a3-match.dad3686f.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bor.pbe"},{"id":"src.bor.nicholas"},{"id":"src.bor.petrovski2016"}]}],"minutes":4,"sources":[{"year":1960,"url":"https://www.promacedonia.org/libi/2/LIBI_2.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Hincmar of Reims; Georg Heinrich Pertz (Latin editor); Страшимир Лишев (Bulgarian translation)","id":"src.bor.annals","title":"Annales Bertiniani: entries for 864 and 866","container":"Латински извори за българската история II. София: БАН","pages":"286–288","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"864 promise to become Christian; 866 entry places baptism in preceding year; rebellion, 52 leading men executed, others released; embassy to Rome. Do not turn 52 leaders into 52 complete clans or total victims."},"authors":["Hincmar of Reims; Georg Heinrich Pertz (Latin editor); Страшимир Лишев (Bulgarian translation)"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"container":"bg"}},{"year":2024,"url":"https://www.bne.es/es/noticias/bne-expone-skylitzes-matritensis-tras-investigacion-pionera-campo-patrimonio-bibliografico-espanol","institutionOrAuthor":"Biblioteca Nacional de España","id":"src.bor.bne2024","title":"La BNE expone el Skylitzes Matritensis tras una investigación pionera en el campo del patrimonio bibliográfico español","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Sicilian, probably Palermo, twelfth-century manufacture of Madrid Skylitzes. The baptism miniature is later art, not a ninth-century eyewitness image."},"authors":["Biblioteca Nacional de España"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","container":""},{"year":2019,"url":"https://www.anticabibliotecarossanese.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Curta-Florin.-Eastern-Europe-in-the-Middle.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Florin Curta","id":"src.bor.curta2019","title":"Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages (500–1300)","container":"Brill’s Companions to European History. Leiden/Boston: Brill","volume":"19","pages":"198–209","doi":"10.1163/9789004395190","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Military pressure; baptismal naming; dating limits of Ballsh inscription; church negotiations and 870 settlement; Theophylact’s account of disciples reaching Belgrade and Pliska. Modern synthesis, not an eyewitness."},"authors":["Florin Curta"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","isPdf":true},{"year":1960,"url":"https://www.promacedonia.org/libi/2/LIBI_2.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Nicholas I; Ernst Perels (Latin edition); Димитър Дечев (Bulgarian translation, reprinted)","id":"src.bor.nicholas","title":"Responsa Nicolai I papae ad consulta Bulgarorum (866), letter 99","container":"Латински извори за българската история II / Fontes Latini Historiae Bulgaricae II, eds. И. Дуйчев, М. Войнов, Б. Примов, С. Лишев. София: БАН","pages":"65–125","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Baptism and resistance as reported by Boris through the papal reply; death of leaders and children, lesser participants spared; papal criticism; persuasion and social exclusion; hierarchy and Roman ordination."},"authors":["Nicholas I; Ernst Perels (Latin edition); Димитър Дечев (Bulgarian translation, reprinted)"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":null,"url":"https://sourcebooks.web.fordham.edu/basis/866nicholas-bulgar.asp","institutionOrAuthor":"Nicholas I; William L. North (translator and introduction)","id":"src.bor.north","title":"The Responses of Pope Nicholas I to the Questions of the Bulgars A.D. 866 (Letter 99)","container":"Fordham University, Internet Medieval Sourcebook","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Existing Christians before Boris; possible motives (unity, legitimacy, personal belief); contacts with Louis the German; translation aid."},"authors":["Nicholas I; William L. North (translator and introduction)"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":2001,"url":"https://pbe.kcl.ac.uk/data/D19/F58.htm","institutionOrAuthor":"John Robert Martindale (editor); King’s College London","id":"src.bor.pbe","title":"Boris 1","container":"Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire I (641–867), online database","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Reign 852–889; Michael name; famine and war in Byzantine narrative; painting tradition (not a precise locator for fear causing baptism); Roman embassy and bishops; letter of Photius. The database’s earlier 863/864 chronology is retained as an alternative, not harmonised silently."},"authors":["John Robert Martindale (editor); King’s College London"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":2016,"url":"https://slovene.ru/ojs/index.php/slovene/article/view/207","institutionOrAuthor":"Boban Petrovski","id":"src.bor.petrovski2016","title":"St. Clement of Ohrid, Khan/kniaz Boris-Mikhail and Kniaz/tsar Simeon: Historical Aspects","container":"Slověne = Словѣне. International Journal of Slavic Studies","volume":"5","issue":"2","pages":"10–53","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"864/865 baptism; disciples arriving 885/886; Slavonic worship and training local clergy; interpretive model of a Slavonic Project. No endorsement of disputed bishopric locations."},"authors":["Boban Petrovski"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Basilica_in_Pliska_4.JPG","institutionOrAuthor":"Svilen Enev","id":"src.bor.photo-basilica-columns","title":"File:Old Basilica in Pliska 4.JPG","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Image identity, visible features and free-licence statement; no support for unseen event details."},"authors":["Svilen Enev"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Great_Basilica_Klearchos_2.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Athens, Greece","id":"src.bor.photo-basilica-wide","title":"File:The Great Basilica Klearchos 2.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Image identity, visible features and free-licence statement; no support for unseen event details."},"authors":["Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Athens, Greece"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Clement_of_Ohrid_(icon,_13th-14th_century).jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Unknown medieval icon painter; reproduction creator not supplied","id":"src.bor.photo-clement-icon","title":"File:Saint Clement of Ohrid (icon, 13th-14th century).jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Image identity, visible features and free-licence statement; no support for unseen event details."},"authors":["Unknown medieval icon painter; reproduction creator not supplied"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Facial_Chronicle_-_b.13,_p.414_-_Photios_baptising_king_of_Bulgars.gif","institutionOrAuthor":"Anonymous Russian manuscript illuminators, 1560-1570s Facial Chronicle (Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible) (in 10 volumes: pdf, pdf with translation)Public domain image","id":"src.bor.photo-facial-chronicle","title":"File:Facial Chronicle - b.13, p.414 - Photios baptising king of Bulgars.gif","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Image identity, visible features and free-licence statement; no support for unseen event details."},"authors":["Anonymous Russian manuscript illuminators, 1560-1570s Facial Chronicle (Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible) (in 10 volumes: pdf, pdf with translation)Public domain image"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_III_with_Theodora_sb1687.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Classical Numismatic Group (CNG)","id":"src.bor.photo-michael-coin","title":"Michael III with Theodora: gold solidus, c. 843–856","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-11-04","supports":{"en":"Image and description of the gold coin; photograph licence."},"license":"CC BY-SA 2.5","authors":["Classical Numismatic Group (CNG)"],"accessed":"2026-11-04"},{"year":1910,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolaus_I_PP_Romanus_LCCN98508493.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Unidentified print maker; Library of Congress (provider)","id":"src.bor.photo-nicholas-print","title":"File:Nicolaus I PP Romanus LCCN98508493.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Image identity, visible features and free-licence statement; no support for unseen event details."},"authors":["Unidentified print maker; Library of Congress (provider)"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MadridSkylitzesFol68v.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"from the Middle Ages, unknown","id":"src.bor.photo-skylitzes","title":"File:MadridSkylitzesFol68v.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Image identity, visible features and free-licence statement; no support for unseen event details."},"authors":["from the Middle Ages, unknown"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kodex.Zograf.JPG","institutionOrAuthor":"Unknown manuscript maker; reproduction creator not supplied in Commons API","id":"src.bor.photo-zograf-codex","title":"File:Kodex.Zograf.JPG","container":"Wikimedia Commons; reported reproduction of J. 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No practical visitor information is used."},"authors":["Регионален исторически музей — Шумен"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","container":""},{"year":2017,"url":"https://offnews.bg/kultura/giokin-restavratciata-na-goliamata-bazilika-v-pliska-ia-obezlichava-i-657980.html","institutionOrAuthor":"ГИОКИН (Гражданска инициатива за опазване на културно-историческото наследство), open letter; reproduced by OFFNews","container":"OFFNews, reproduction of an open letter","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","id":"src.bor.restoration","title":"ГИОКИН: Реставрацията на Голямата базилика в Плиска я обезличава и маргинализира","supports":{"en":"The visible high masonry must not be represented as a wholly surviving ninth-century church. 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