TSAR Simeon Street is not, as many may think, named after exiled monarch Simeon Saxe-Coburg, so often in the news today for his efforts to enter Bulgarian politics.

The name commemorates one of the greatest rulers of Bulgaria - Tsar Simeon, widely known as Simeon the Great because it was during his reign that the country enjoyed its greatest territorial and cultural might.

Simeon took the crown in 893 when he had just turned 27. He replaced his brother Vladimir Rassate, who was deposed and blinded on the orders of their father Boris I, for his efforts to reconvert the country to paganism.

Initially, Boris I planned to make Simeon, his third son, head of the Bulgarian Church. He sent him to the famous Magnaur Academy in Constantinople, attended by the children of Byzantine nobles.

Simeon's rule was defined by two main goals: to remove the political and religious influence of Byzantium and to make Bulgaria a powerful rival of the centuries-old empire.

The new Bulgarian ruler had been in power for a matter of days when his abilities and determination were first tried by the Byzantine emperor Leo VI when he replaced Constantinople with Thessaloniki as the site of the market for Bulgarian goods. This led to considerable losses and Bulgarian merchants were also subject to higher taxes.

Simeon sought a solution to the problem through diplomatic channels but to no avail. Eventually the Bulgarian ruler declared war on Byzantium in 924. Many historians consider this lengthy conflict as the first one in Europe fought for economic reasons.

The Bulgarian army invaded Thrace and struck several heavy blows against the Byzantine troops. This gave rise to a feud between Bulgarians and Byzantines that lasted decades - until the end of Simeon's rule. Eventually in 896 after a considerable victory by the Bulgarian army, the Byzantine emperor had to bid for peace. The market was returned to Constantinople and the empire had to pay annual tribute to Bulgaria.

After a series of battles, Simeon pushed the border of the Bulgarian state very close to Thessaloniki, some 20km from the town.

His ultimate dream was to merge the two states and create a Bulgaro-Byzantine empire with the Bulgarian ruler on the emperor's throne.

In 913 his troops even reached close to the capital of the empire. Simeon's banner flew before the gates of Constantinople. As a result he received the blessing of the Byzantine patriarch and the title of tsar of Bulgaria.

The Byzantine emperor, however, was bitterly unhappy about Bulgaria's victories. He gathered an army from all his available troops and sent it into Bulgaria. He formed a strong anti-Bulgarian coalition and persuaded Hungary, Serbia and the Pecheneg tribes to invade Bulgaria simultaneously.

The Bulgarian and Byzantine armies met in August 917 near the river of Aheloi, close to the Black Sea. In the furious battle that ensued, Simeon used clever manoeuvering and his army managed to surround the enemy and defeat them. At this news, the anti-Bulgarian coalition quickly disintegrated. The Hungarians and the Pechenegs refused to invade the Bulgarian territories. Serbia was defeated by the Bulgarian troops and its territory annexed to Bulgaria.

After the battle at Aheloi, Tsar Simeon proclaimed the Bulgarian church a patriarchate and himself an emperor and autocrat of the Romans. Now he possessed the power over southeast Europe, with the exception of Constantinople, which still remained unconquered.

The military victories were not Simeon's sole achievements. Bulgaria was not only the most powerful Slavic state in Europe but it also experienced great cultural and educational growth. Newly erected palaces and churches adorned the capital, which the contemporaries called Great Preslav. The highly educated ruler became a patron of arts and letters. This development of Bulgarian culture became widely known as the Golden Age in the history of the Bulgarian state.

Simeon's dream of conquering the Byzantine capital was never realised. He died of a heart attack in May 917 while preparing a campaign against Constantinople.