John Exarch (
John the Exarch, also transcribed
Joan Exarch,
Joan Ekzarh; ) was a medieval
BulgarianThe history of Bulgaria as a separate country began in 681 AD. After Old Great Bulgaria disintegrating due to Khazar expansion from the east, one of the Bulgar leaders Asparuh crossed south of the Danube, into the territory of present-day Bulgaria, and defeated the armies of the Byzantine Empire...
scholar, writer and translator, one of the most important men of letters working at the
Preslav Literary SchoolThe Preslav Literary School was the first literary school in the medieval Bulgarian Empire. It was established by Boris I in 885 or 886 in Bulgaria's capital, Pliska...
at the end of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th century. Evidence about his life is scarce but his literary legacy suggests an excellent knowledge of
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
. It is generally assumed that John Exarch received his education at one of the
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
literary schools.
John Exarch’s literary work includes a number of translations of medieval Byzantine authors, the most important of which is the translation of
On Orthodox Christianity by Byzantine theologian
John of DamascusSaint John of Damascus was an Arab Christian monk and priest...
(ca.
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John Exarch (
John the Exarch, also transcribed
Joan Exarch,
Joan Ekzarh; ) was a medieval
BulgarianThe history of Bulgaria as a separate country began in 681 AD. After Old Great Bulgaria disintegrating due to Khazar expansion from the east, one of the Bulgar leaders Asparuh crossed south of the Danube, into the territory of present-day Bulgaria, and defeated the armies of the Byzantine Empire...
scholar, writer and translator, one of the most important men of letters working at the
Preslav Literary SchoolThe Preslav Literary School was the first literary school in the medieval Bulgarian Empire. It was established by Boris I in 885 or 886 in Bulgaria's capital, Pliska...
at the end of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th century. Evidence about his life is scarce but his literary legacy suggests an excellent knowledge of
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
. It is generally assumed that John Exarch received his education at one of the
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
literary schools.
John Exarch’s literary work includes a number of translations of medieval Byzantine authors, the most important of which is the translation of
On Orthodox Christianity by Byzantine theologian
John of DamascusSaint John of Damascus was an Arab Christian monk and priest...
(ca. 895). He is also the author of several original works and compilations, the most important whereof is the compilation
Шестоднев (
Shestodnev). The compilation includes parts of the works of several Byzantine authors, most notably Basilius the Great, as well as original parts which give valuable first-hand evidence about the Bulgarian Empire under
Simeon ISimeon I the Great ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe...
(893 – 927). John Exarch describes the royal palace and the Bulgarian ruler that includes information about his attire, the boyars, the social stratification of the Bulgarian society and like matters.
See also
- History of Bulgaria
The history of Bulgaria as a separate country began in 681 AD. After Old Great Bulgaria disintegrating due to Khazar expansion from the east, one of the Bulgar leaders Asparuh crossed south of the Danube, into the territory of present-day Bulgaria, and defeated the armies of the Byzantine Empire...
- Preslav Literary School
The Preslav Literary School was the first literary school in the medieval Bulgarian Empire. It was established by Boris I in 885 or 886 in Bulgaria's capital, Pliska...
- Simeon I of Bulgaria
Simeon I the Great ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe...