The Bulgarian Origins
of the Cyrillic Alphabet

Today, more than 250 million people around the world use the Cyrillic alphabet. It is one of Europe’s most important writing systems and serves as the official script of countries such as Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine and Serbia.

Yet despite its enormous cultural importance, the origins of Cyrillic continue to spark debate in parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. One of the most controversial questions is whether Cyrillic can rightfully be described as a Bulgarian alphabet.

Historical evidence strongly supports this connection.

Most international historians and academic institutions associate the development and early spread of the Cyrillic alphabet with the First Bulgarian Empire and its literary centers in Preslav and Ohrid.

What Is the Cyrillic Alphabet?

The Cyrillic alphabet is a Slavic writing system developed and standardized during the 9th–10th centuries within the First Bulgarian Empire for the Slavic-speaking peoples of the Eastern Orthodox world. Today it is used in more than 50 languages.

Since Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, Cyrillic officially became the EU’s third alphabet after Latin and Greek

Countries That Use Cyrillic Today

Modern Cyrillic alphabets are used in:

Bulgaria
Russia
Ukraine
Belarus
Serbia
North Macedonia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia
and many other countries.

Before Cyrillic: The Creation of the Glagolitic Script

Before Cyrillic existed, Saints Cyril and Methodius created the Glagolitic alphabet during the 9th century.

Their mission aimed to translate Christian texts into a Slavic language understandable to local populations in Great Moravia.

This distinction is extremely important historically:

Cyril and Methodius created Glagolitic.
Cyrillic was later developed and standardized within medieval Bulgaria.

Why Medieval Bulgaria Became the Center of Slavic Literacy

After political opposition in Great Moravia, the disciples of Cyril and Methodius found refuge in the First Bulgarian Empire under Prince Boris I.

This became one of the turning points in Slavic cultural history.

Bulgaria adopted Christianity officially in 864 AD and urgently needed a literary and religious tradition in the Slavic language rather than Greek. This created the conditions for the rise of major literary centers.

The Role of Tsar Simeon the Great

During the reign of Simeon I, medieval Bulgaria experienced what historians often call a “Golden Age” of literature and culture.

It was during this period that Cyrillic spread rapidly and became the official literary script of the Bulgarian state.

The Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools

The two most important centers connected to the development of Cyrillic were the Preslav Literary School and the Ohrid Literary School.

Both existed within the political and cultural framework of the First Bulgarian Empire.

The Preslav Literary School and the Development of Cyrillic

Many historians associate the earliest development of Cyrillic with the Preslav Literary School in northeastern Bulgaria.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Cyrillic alphabet was developed during the 9th–10th century for Slavic-speaking peoples.

Multiple academic sources directly connect the early Cyrillic script with Preslav in the First Bulgarian Empire.

The earliest datable Cyrillic inscriptions have also been discovered in the Preslav region.

The Ohrid Literary School

The Ohrid Literary School, led by Saint Clement of Ohrid, became another major center of Slavic literacy.

Today, Ohrid is located in North Macedonia, which is one reason modern political disputes exist. However, during the 9th and 10th centuries, Ohrid was part of the First Bulgarian Empire.

UNESCO itself describes the Ohrid literary school as one of the first great centers spreading writing and education throughout the Slavic world.

Archaeological Evidence From Bulgaria: The Earliest Cyrillic Inscriptions

One of the strongest historical arguments connecting the Cyrillic alphabet with medieval Bulgaria comes from archaeology itself.

Some of the oldest preserved Cyrillic inscriptions ever discovered have been found in northeastern Bulgaria — particularly in the regions surrounding Pliska and Preslav, the political and cultural centers of the First Bulgarian Empire during the 9th and 10th centuries.

Archaeological discoveries from places such as:

Pliska
Preslav
Ravna
Provadia
Varna
Kavarna
Durankulak

demonstrate that early Cyrillic writing was already actively used across medieval Bulgaria shortly after the adoption of Christianity and the rise of the Bulgarian literary schools.

These inscriptions date from approximately the late 9th to the early 10th century and are considered among the oldest surviving examples of Cyrillic writing in the world.

One of the most important discoveries is the famous inscription dated to 921 AD, found in Bulgaria and often described by historians as one of the earliest securely dated Cyrillic inscriptions ever discovered.

The geographical concentration of these inscriptions around Pliska and Preslav is highly significant historically.

During this exact period:

Pliska served as the early capital of Bulgaria,
Preslav became the cultural and literary center of the empire,
and the Preslav Literary School emerged as one of the main centers associated with the development and standardization of the Cyrillic script.

This archaeological evidence supports the broader historical consensus that medieval Bulgaria played the central role in transforming Slavic literacy into a structured literary and religious tradition that later spread across Eastern Europe.

Unlike later political interpretations, stone inscriptions and manuscripts provide physical historical evidence that cannot easily be separated from their original medieval Bulgarian context.

Was Cyrillic Created in Bulgaria?

Most international historians and academic references associate the development and standardization of Cyrillic with medieval Bulgaria.

Wikipedia’s overview of the Cyrillic script summarizes the mainstream academic position clearly:

“The Early Cyrillic alphabet was developed during the 9th century AD at the Preslav Literary School in the First Bulgarian Empire.”

The Bulgarian government’s official historical overview also states:

“At the end of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th century a second Bulgarian alphabet is developed in Preslav, the Cyrillic alphabet.”

Timeline of the Cyrillic Alphabet

863 — Glagolitic created
864 — Bulgaria adopts Christianity
886 — disciples arrive in Bulgaria
893 — Preslav literary reforms
921 — oldest inscription
10th century — spread to Kievan Rus
2007 — Cyrillic becomes EU alphabet

The Earliest Cyrillic Manuscripts

Some of the oldest surviving examples of Cyrillic writing have been discovered in present-day Bulgaria, providing important historical evidence for the early development of the alphabet within the First Bulgarian Empire.

Among the most significant artefacts is the Enina Apostle — an Old Bulgarian manuscript dating from the 10th–11th century. Preserved today in Bulgaria’s National Library “St. Cyril and Methodius”, it is considered one of the oldest preserved Cyrillic manuscripts connected to the early Bulgarian literary tradition.

The manuscript is written in ancient Cyrillic script and also contains several preserved Glagolitic initials. Historians view this as important evidence of the transition from the earlier Glagolitic tradition to the widespread use of Cyrillic in medieval Bulgaria.

Oldest known Cyrillic inscription in the world was discovered in Bulgaria.

Another important historical fact is that the oldest known Cyrillic inscription in the world, dating back to 921 AD, was also discovered in Bulgaria. This inscription provides physical and chronological evidence that some of the earliest documented Cyrillic writing emerged within the cultural and political framework of the First Bulgarian Empire.

These manuscripts and inscriptions are among the strongest surviving historical proofs connecting the rise of Cyrillic literacy with medieval Bulgaria and its literary schools in Preslav and Ohrid.

How Cyrillic Spread From Bulgaria to the Slavic World

From Bulgaria, the Cyrillic script later spread north and east across the Slavic world.

Historical sources describe how Old Church Slavonic written in Cyrillic was transmitted from Bulgaria to Serbia and Kievan Rus during the 10th century.

This process transformed Bulgaria into the cultural center of Slavic Orthodox literacy during the Middle Ages.

Why the Cyrillic Alphabet Is Sometimes Disputed Between Bulgaria and North Macedonia

The origins of Cyrillic remain politically sensitive in the Balkans today.

The main reason is geographical: the Ohrid Literary School is located in present-day North Macedonia, while Bulgaria emphasizes that Ohrid belonged to the medieval Bulgarian state during the period when Cyrillic was developed and spreading across the Slavic world.

Most international historians and academic institutions associate the rise of Cyrillic literacy with the First Bulgarian Empire, particularly through the literary centers of Preslav and Ohrid. During the 9th and 10th centuries, the region of Ohrid functioned politically, culturally and religiously within medieval Bulgaria, long before the modern Macedonian state or modern Macedonian national identity existed.

Because of this, many Bulgarian historians argue that modern attempts to separate the Ohrid Literary School from medieval Bulgaria are historically inaccurate and apply modern national concepts to a period when such identities did not yet exist.

International references such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, UNESCO and numerous academic historians consistently connect the spread and standardization of Cyrillic with medieval Bulgaria and its literary schools.

The Vladimir Putin Statement and the International Controversy

On May 24, 2017, Vladimir Putin stated that the Slavic alphabet came to Russia “from Macedonian soil.”

The statement caused strong reactions in Bulgaria, where historians and institutions viewed it as historically misleading.

“The creation of literacy happened due to the will, and participation, of the Bulgarian state and it is hardly a coincidence that the Bulgarian ruler Boris I is present in all ancient Bulgarian books as Boris-Mihail – the Baptizer, who introduced the faith and literacy,” Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterinaa Zahaieva wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

The controversy largely stems from confusion between:

modern North Macedonia,
and the medieval political reality of the First Bulgarian Empire.

During the 9th–10th centuries, the Ohrid Literary School functioned within medieval Bulgaria, long before the modern Macedonian state existed ( Independence referendum – 8 September 1991) .

What International Sources Say About the Origins of Cyrillic

Several respected international institutions and reference works connect Cyrillic with medieval Bulgaria.

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Britannica defines Cyrillic as a writing system developed during the 9th–10th century for Slavic-speaking Orthodox peoples.

UNESCO

UNESCO recognizes the Ohrid Literary School as one of the earliest major Slavic educational and literary centers

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress research materials discuss the transmission of Old Church Slavonic and Cyrillic traditions from Bulgaria into the wider Slavic world.

Academic Historians

Modern academic references consistently associate early Cyrillic with:

the Preslav Literary School,
medieval Bulgaria,
and the First Bulgarian Empire.

Can Cyrillic Be Called the Bulgarian Alphabet?

From a historical and cultural perspective, there are strong arguments for calling Cyrillic a Bulgarian alphabet.

This does not mean that Bulgarians are the only people who use or shaped Cyrillic over the centuries. However:

the script was developed and standardized within medieval Bulgaria,
Bulgaria became the first state to officially adopt it,
and Bulgaria served as the center from which Cyrillic spread to the wider Slavic Orthodox world.

Because of this, phrases such as:

“Bulgarian alphabet”
“alphabet developed in medieval Bulgaria”
or “Bulgarian Cyrillic tradition”

are historically defensible and widely supported by international scholarship.

Why 24 May Is So Important in Bulgaria

Every year on May 24, Bulgaria celebrates:

the Day of Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture.

It is one of the country’s most respected national holidays because it honors:

literacy,
education,
culture,
and Bulgaria’s contribution to European civilization.

The holiday reflects a deeply rooted Bulgarian belief summarized in the famous phrase:

“We too have given something to the world.”

Historical Context and Modern Debates Around Cyrillic

The historical debate surrounding the origins of the Cyrillic alphabet demonstrates how important the cultural legacy of medieval Bulgaria remains even today.

The core historical facts accepted by most historians are relatively clear:

the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius found refuge in the First Bulgarian Empire;
Boris I created the conditions necessary for the development of Slavic literacy;
the Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools became the main centers where the Cyrillic tradition was developed, standardized and spread;
and from Bulgaria, Cyrillic later reached Kievan Rus and the wider Orthodox Slavic world.

Over the decades, different academic traditions have used terms such as “Old Church Slavonic” instead of “Old Bulgarian language.” Bulgarian historiography, however, emphasizes that the earliest literary and state form of this language developed within medieval Bulgaria itself.

Modern disputes surrounding Cyrillic are often influenced by contemporary national interpretations and political context. Nevertheless, historical sources, early manuscripts, archaeological discoveries and international academic research consistently connect the early development and spread of Cyrillic with the First Bulgarian Empire.

Cyrillic did not emerge abstractly “somewhere in the Slavic world.” It was shaped, standardized and transformed into a state and literary script in medieval Bulgaria before later spreading across much of Eastern Europe and the Orthodox world.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Cyrillic Alphabet

Was the Cyrillic alphabet created in Bulgaria?

Yes. Most historians connect the development and early standardization of the Cyrillic alphabet with medieval Bulgaria, especially the Preslav Literary School during the First Bulgarian Empire.

Did Cyril and Methodius create the Cyrillic alphabet?

Saints Cyril and Methodius created the Glagolitic script. Cyrillic was developed later by their disciples and followers within the cultural and political framework of medieval Bulgaria.

Why is Cyrillic called the Bulgarian alphabet?

Cyrillic can be called the Bulgarian alphabet because it was developed, established and spread from the First Bulgarian Empire through major literary centers such as Preslav and Ohrid.

What were the Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools?

The Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools were major medieval Bulgarian cultural centers where Slavic literacy, religious texts and the Cyrillic writing tradition were developed and spread.

Why is there a dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia?

The dispute exists mainly because Ohrid is located in present-day North Macedonia. Historically, however, during the 9th and 10th centuries, Ohrid was part of the First Bulgarian Empire.

How did Cyrillic spread to Russia and other Slavic countries?

Cyrillic spread from medieval Bulgaria to Kievan Rus, Serbia and other Slavic lands through religious texts, church culture and the influence of Old Church Slavonic literature.

How many people use Cyrillic today?

Today, more than 250 million people around the world use Cyrillic in countries such as Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus, North Macedonia and others.

Why is May 24 important in Bulgaria?

May 24 is celebrated in Bulgaria as the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture. It honors literacy, education and Bulgaria’s historic contribution to Slavic civilization.

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