[1][2] After the triumph at Achelous, Simeon I demanded that Byzantines recognize him not only as Emperor of the Bulgarians, which they already did in 913, but also of the Romans.
[1] At the convocation of all Bulgarian bishops they elected one of their numbers, Leontius, a Patriarch of Bulgaria.
[2][4] Zlatarski notes that before 917 and immediately after the battle of Achelous, the Patriarch of Constantinople Nicholas Mystikos did approach the Archbishop of Bulgaria to try to impact Simeon I but since then Mystikos never addressed the head of the Bulgarian church, most likely because he did not recognize his title – another indirect fact in support of this theory.
[5] Historian John Fine deems Zlatarski's theory plausible, arguing that Simeon I was capable of creating his own Patriarchate since he did not hesitate to call himself Emperor of the Romans and to demand that the Byzantine recognize him as such.
[6] He believes that the council could have taken place at any time between 914 and 925, but notes that the Bulgarian Patriarchate was not mentioned in pre-927 sources.