Bigger Bulgarian Empire?

Hey, I don't really know much history of non-Russian East Europe, but I was wondering; is it possible for Bulgaria, at any time during their empirical history, to capture and defeat Byzantium? And is it possible for them to conquer as much land as the Byzantine Empire? If so, could they stop the Seljuks from rising up as a Anatolian power?
 
Hey, I don't really know much history of non-Russian East Europe, but I was wondering; is it possible for Bulgaria, at any time during their empirical history, to capture and defeat Byzantium? And is it possible for them to conquer as much land as the Byzantine Empire? If so, could they stop the Seljuks from rising up as a Anatolian power?

Constantinople, Constantinople, Constantinople.

As for stopping the Seljuks: No more of a chance than the Byzantines, take that as you will.
 
If they capture Constantinople (which is very hard), the Bulgarian rulers would quickly crown themselves as Emperor and assimilate very quickly to the Greek-dominant Byzantine culture, alienating their Slavic subjects in the long term.
 
I like the idea of the II Empire pulling this and conquering the whole Balkans, but not bothering with Anatolia at all. That would make Constantinople a golden appendage rather than the empire's centre, which would remain at Tarnovo.

No idea about the POD, but the Mongols not stirring shit up would help a little (maybe as a knock-effect, the Seljuks survive, get the whole of Anatolia and expand in the Middle East, but not in Europe - I think the first Ottoman venture in Europe was a bit unlikely).
 
If they capture Constantinople (which is very hard), the Bulgarian rulers would quickly crown themselves as Emperor and assimilate very quickly to the Greek-dominant Byzantine culture, alienating their Slavic subjects in the long term.

This. The best way to get a larger Bulgaria is to have it expand northwards into modern Romania and Hungary, and properly integrate those areas, perhaps during a period of peace with the ERE. Bulgaria conquering Constantinople marks the end of a distinctly Bulgarian state.
 
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