Slavs took to the path of Christianity and the state in the IX-XI. But at the end of VII century. in the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula there were the first Bulgarian kingdom - the state that united the local settlers and Southern Slavs, Bulgarians. During the VIII-IX centuries. was gradually mix of Turkic Bulgars and Slavs in one nation. Finally it ended with the adoption of 864, the Christian population of Bulgaria from the Byzantines. By rule of Simeon the Great (893-927 years) Bulgaria has increased almost to the size of Byzantium. A more permanent war exhausted and Bulgaria caused its decline. In 1018 the first Bulgarian kingdom was conquered by the Byzantine Empire.
In 818, on the Morava River, where the tribe lived Moravians, there was one of the oldest Slavic countries - Great Moravia. Rome and Constantinople launched a brutal rivalry, trying to attract to the Moravians, his faith. Originally Moravians baptized in the Roman sample units francs. Later, in 863 was, at the request of Prince Rostislav sent a Byzantine emperor in Moravia preachers brothers Cyril and Methodius. To make the new faith understand the Slavs, they created the first Slavonic alphabet (Glagolitic letters) and translated the Gospel. After the death of their brethren in the persecution of German students clergy left the country. At the end of IX century. Great Moravia disintegrated after some time and much of its territory captured by the Hungarians.
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