# Boris I Abdicates (889)

URL: https://allhistories.com/bulgaria/timeline/889-boris-i-abdicates
Location: Pliska
Themes: Rulers & Successions

In 889, after a reign of 36 years, Boris I retired to a monastery and handed the throne to his eldest son, Vladimir-Rasate, probably the only one of his sons born before the conversion. Seals reading "Michael the Monk, archon of the Bulgarians" suggest that Boris never fully gave up power. Vladimir broke with his father's pro-Byzantine policy, concluding an alliance with the East Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia against Great Moravia in 892. He is chiefly remembered for trying to restore paganism: churches were destroyed and clergy persecuted, which some historians see as a reaction against Byzantine influence.

## Why it matters
Vladimir's pagan reaction was the last serious attempt to reverse the Christianisation of Bulgaria, and its failure led directly to the decisive Council of Preslav.

Ruler at the Time: [Vladimir Rasate](https://allhistories.com/bulgaria/rulers/vladimir-rasate)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Vladimir of Bulgaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_of_Bulgaria)
- [Wikipedia — Boris I of Bulgaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_I_of_Bulgaria)
- [Wikipedia — Council of Preslav](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Preslav)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Boris I Abdicates](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Boris+I+Abdicates)
- [Wikipedia — First Bulgarian Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Bulgarian_Empire)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Bulgarian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Bulgarian_history)