Of the Bulgars. From the Eurasian steppe to the Balkans.
- Kevin Alexander
- Oct 16, 2018
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 25, 2018
The history of the Bulgars is a very dynamic and turbulent one, from the rise of their first tribal union to the later advent of the Bulgarian Empire and Volga Bulgaria.
We shall systematically and chronologically follow their path from being steppe nomads to becoming a christian kingdom in this article.
As is the case with all Turkic peoples, the origin of the Bulgars lies in Central Asia, where their history begins.
Being part of the aforementioned peoples, they spoke a Turkic language of the Oghuric branch, of which only a single language survives to this day, the Chuvash language.
4th-5th centuries A.D. The Bulgars first appear as part of the Hunnic alliance
Their earliest history is rather unclear, for now at least, which is a common theme when discussing the steppe nomads. Their presence in Europe, however, is much clearer due to Byzantine sources which documented the relations between the empire and the Bulgars.
Thus, the Bulgars first gain significance during the 4th-5th centuries, when they find themselves as part of the greater union of tribes under the Huns. After the latter's defeats in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains at the hands of Flavius Aetius and his coalition in 451 A.D., and then at the Battle of Nedao in 454. A.D. where a germannic alliance of tribes fought to overthrow Hunnic rule, the vast realm collapsed.
This collapse of Hunnic dominance created a power vacuum in the region, which, despite being soon filled by the Goths, allowed the Bulgars to settle to the north and east of the Black Sea.
5th-7th centuries A.D. Dominance of the Goths. Old Great Bulgaria emerges
After the Hunnic downfall, the Bulgars were often employed as mercenaries in Byzantine service against their enemies. When they weren't in Byzantine service, they found themselves raiding their territories. This practice continued until the mid-6th century, when the Avars swept across their lands, inflicting great damage upon them. This weakened the Bulgars to such an extent that they had to submit themselves to the rule of those who had triggered the Avar migration, possibly the Göktürks, another Turkic group. These, however, returned to the east after failing to pursue and destroy their Avar enemies.
Soon after the departure of the Göktürks, the Bulgars found an opportunity to unite their different tribes, and this happened under the leadership of Khagan/Khan Kubrat, in the early 630s A.D.
630 A.D. - ~660-680 A.D. Old Great Bulgaria. Destruction through the devastating
attack of the Khazars
The newly emerged tribal alliance became a regional power, fighting against the Avars and driving them from Bulgar land. However, this was only possible due to the powerful rule of Khagan Kubrat, and following his death one can observe a common theme with other such steppe alliances: after the death of a powerful leader follows the disintegration of the realm, often under outside pressure.
This outside pressure came under the form of the Khazars, another Turkic tribe from the east, which led a devastating attack on the polity of the Bulgars.
What followed was the rapid destruction of Old Great Bulgaria, which soon divided into five hordes, each headed by one of Kubrat's sons. Three of these had a very brief existence:
-One horde remained in the Pontic Steppe, choosing to surrender to Khazar rule
-Another horde migrated west and was assimilated by the Avars
-The last of these three short-lived hordes sought refuge with the Lombards, where they
entered their service and soon disappeared from history
The two remaining hordes migrated too, one to the north along the Volga river, and one to the south of the Danube river:
-the northern horde under Kotrag settled at the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers, where they formed Volga Bulgaria, which would survive until the 13th century
-the horde of Asparukh migrated towards the Danube river and settled both north and south of it, laying the foundations of the future First Bulgarian Empire.
This is the point where a parallel evolution of the two Bulgar polities start. One would end up slavicised and adopting Christianity, while the other group maintained its turkic identity and adopted Islam.
681-889 A.D. Kingdom of Bulgaria. A new power in the Balkans.
As we previously discussed, Old Bulgaria quickly disintegrated under the Khazar attacks and dispersed into a number of hordes. Arguably the most important of these hordes was Khan Asparukh's horde of about 30.000-50.000 people, which headed west and settled in the Danubian region, both north and south of the river.
The region wasn't empty at that time though, being inhabited by Slavic tribes and possibly by remnants of the Goths and other peoples.
The Bulgar-Slavic relations at first were mixed. Some of the Slavs were attacked and expelled/eliminated, while the rest submitted to their rule.
The two peoples at first lived in separated settlements. One can assume that the Bulgars formed a sort of military elite, dominating the pastoral and agricultural Slavs.
In time these two groups would mingle and intertwine, a process through which the Turkic Bulgars would become throughly slavicised, losing their steppe culture and identity.
803-814 A.D. Khan Krum greatly expands the territory of the Bulgarian Kingdom
A few generations after Khan Asparukh migrated with his horde into the Balkans, the new polity would come under the rule of one who would greatly expand its power and territory: Khan Krum. He would proceed to restore the power of the Bulgars after years of defeats at the hands of the Byzantine Empire.
His reign can be characterized by very hostile external politics towards the Byzantine Empire and by a very great expansion towards the north and south.
As we've seen in the previous article, Krum's Bulgaria delivered the killing blow to the Avar Khaganate together with the Franks, occupying most of their former realm.
After expanding to the north, the Khan turned his gaze to the south, pursuing a very expansive and hostile campaign against the Byzantine Empire.
This campaign lasted for the rest of Krum's reign and life until 814 A.D., and can be marked by a few important battles and events:
811 A.D. Battle of Varbitsa Pass/ Battle of Pliska
After plundering the Bulgar capital Pliska, the army of Emperor Nikephoros I finds itself on the way back to Constantinople. However, a crucial decision is overlooked: sending scouts ahead.
The Bulgars, despite massive initial setbacks, manage to trap the emperor and his army in a valley after hastily gathering all available troops and fighting men (by some accounts even women). The trapped Byzantines, unable to break out of the trap, are slaughtered in a fight that spans more days. The most notable casualties during the battle are the emperor himself and his son, Stauracius. The latter would escape, paralyzed, dying six months later, while his father would lose his head.
813 A.D. Battle of Versinikia. Outnumbered 2 to 1, the Bulgars still manage to rout the Byzantine army. Emperor abdicates
The Byzantine Army finds itself in the vicinity of Adrianople, failing a teste of nerve and morale. For thirteen days they had stood facing off against the Bulgars, no one willing to commit to the battle. Yet on this day, the strategos of Macedonia initiates the attack on Krum's army, confident that the numerical superiority alone would win the day.
However, the attack soon turns into the total rout of the Byzantines, which suffer great casualties.
The emperor himself, Michael I Rangabe, is forced to abdicate and become a monk.
Following Khan Krum's death in the year 814, the wars against the Byzantine Empire came to an end. His successor, Khan Omurtag, struck a peace deal with their long time enemies, ushering in 30 years of peace. This happened because the Byzantines were trying to persuade the Franks to form a coalition against the Bulgars. Feeling threatened, the latter decided to sue for peace. The treaty was concluded by both rulers, and later renewed.
This peace was vital for the Bulgars, because they needed a respite from the hostilities in order to focus on internal affairs. During Omurtag's reign the internal unrest was addressed, as well as the development of infrastructure and necessary repairs due to the devastating campaigns which the Byzantines had undertaken during the reign of Omurtag's predecessor.
From 818 A.D. onward, the Bulgars faced rebellions by the Slavs, who, supported by the Franks, rose up against their rule. After failed diplomacy, an ultimatum was issued, followed by a campaign to reinstate Bulgar rule over the rebellios peoples, as well as minor fighting and skirmishes with the Franks. This resulted in the recognition of their borders, as well as the replacement of the Slavic chiefs with the Khan's own, hand-picked people.
To the north-east there is evidence of military activity and fighting, but it is still unclear if these campaigns were aimed against the Magyars or the Khazars, though the latter option is the more credible.
Later on in the 9th century the Bulgars adopted Christianity due to the influence of the monks Cyril and Methodius, who were welcomed there after fleeing Moravia, the original goal of their mission, due to catholic dominance in that region.
Under Boris I the Bulgars adopted Christianity, ushering in a new era for them. About the new slavic-dominated Bulgarian Empire in a future article.
Volga Bulgaria-Kotrag leades his horde north
As previously covered, the Khazar attacks and campaigns against Old Great Bulgaria prompted the five sons of Khagan Kubrat to take their people and move to different, less perilous regions. One such son of Kubrat, Khan/Khagan Kotrag, led his horde to the north, in the area around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers. This region was inhabited by various Finno-Ugric tribes at that time.
It is here that Kotrag's horder settled, possibly merging with the aforementioned tribes, forming a semi-nomadic confederation, meaning that they retained their way of life as nomads, but also founded two cities, Bolghar and Bilär.
This newly-formed realm found itself situated on major commercial arteries which formed a link between the northern tribes and the southern powers, Byzantium, Baghdad and various Turkic confederacies.
Situated in this very favourable geographic position, Volga Bulgaria soon became a prosperous and dominant power in the region, maintaining its Turkic identity and later on, in 922 A.D. even converting to Islam, like most other tribes.
The polity prospered until the 13th century, when the Mongols started their vast campaigns westward, which mean that the Bulgars were one of their targets.
The first clash took place in 1223 A.D. at the Battle of Samara Bend, where the Bulgars faced a Mongolian vanguard under Subutai Bahadur.
The victory was made possible due to the good strategy employed by the Bulgars, who feigned retreat and then struck their enemy with their main contingent. Paradoxically this meant that the Mongols lost the battle to their own strategy.
This, however, only bought them some time, because their enemies returned thirteen years later, in 1236, and defeated them, incorporating Volga Bulgaria into their vast realm. Soon afterwards it would end up incorporated into the Golden Horde and the Khanate of Kazan, thus ending its prosperous existence.
Thank you for enjoying this article, and stay tuned for the next article about the Magyars.
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