Kubrat ( el, Κοβρᾶτος, Kούβρατος; bg, Кубрат ) was the ruler of the
Onogur–
Bulgars
The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region during the 7th century. They became known as nomad ...
, credited with establishing the confederation of
Old Great Bulgaria
Old Great Bulgaria or Great Bulgaria (Medieval Greek: Παλαιά Μεγάλη Βουλγαρία, ''Palaiá Megálē Voulgaría''), also often known by the Latin names ''Magna Bulgaria'' and ''Patria Onoguria'' (" Onogur land"), was a 7th- ...
in ca. 632. His name derived from the
Turkic words ''qobrat'' — "to gather", or ''qurt'', i.e. "wolf".
Origin
In the ''
Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans'' Kubrat is mentioned as ''Kurt'' (), being a member of the
Dulo clan
The Dulo clan was a ruling dynasty of the Bulgars. The origins of the Bulgars and Dulo clan are not known precisely, and there are many theories about their origin. It is generally considered that they – or at least the elite caste – were in ...
and reigning for 60 years having succeeded
Gostun
Gostun was a regent over the Bulgars for 2 years.
Little else is known about him. It is possible that Gostun is an alternative name of Organa, who according to some Byzantine sourcesJohn of Nikiu, 6th-century historian was a regent over the Bulg ...
of the
Ermi clan.
Bulgars were Turkic nomadic people, who participated in the 5th-century Hunnic confederation. Upon Attila's death, the tribes that later formed the Bulgars had retreated east into the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
-Caspian Steppe. The western Bulgar tribes joined the
Avar Khaganate
The Pannonian Avars () were an alliance of several groups of Eurasian nomads of various origins. The peoples were also known as the Obri in chronicles of Rus, the Abaroi or Varchonitai ( el, Βαρχονίτες, Varchonítes), or Pseudo-Avars ...
, while the eastern Bulgars came under the
Western Turkic Khaganate
The Western Turkic Khaganate () or Onoq Khaganate ( otk, 𐰆𐰣:𐰸:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣, On oq budun, Ten arrow people) was a Turkic khaganate in Eurasia, formed as a result of the wars in the beginning of the 7th century (593–603 CE) after t ...
by the end of the 6th century.
Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor ( el, Θεοφάνης Ὁμολογητής; c. 758/760 – 12 March 817/818) was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy who became a monk and chronicler. He served in the court of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar before taking u ...
called him "king of the Onogundur Huns". Patriarch
Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...
(758–828) called Kubrat "lord of the Onuğundur" and "ruler of the Onuğundur–Bulğars".
John of Nikiu
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
( 696) called him "chief of the Huns". D. Hupchick identified Kubrat as "Onogur", P. Golden as "Oğuro-Bulğar", H. J. Kim as "Bulgar Hunnic/Hunnic Bulgar". According to H. J. Kim the Onogundur/Onogur were evidently part of the Bulgar confederation.
History
![Old Great Bulgaria and migration of Bulgarians](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Old_Great_Bulgaria_and_migration_of_Bulgarians.png)
Kubrat spent his early life at the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
imperial palace in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
. As the 7th-century Byzantine historian
John of Nikiu
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
narrates:
Whether he was a child or a young adult during his time in Constantinople is unclear. The exact time of this event is also unknown but probably coincided with the reign of Emperor
Heraclius
Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was List of Byzantine emperors, Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exa ...
(r. 610–641). His or Organa's conversion to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
is placed circa 619 AD. It seems that young Kubrat was part of the pre-planned coalition, initiated by Heraclius or Organa, against the Sasanian–Avar alliance. This coincides with other alliances by Heraclius with steppe peoples, all in the interest of saving Constantinople.
Kubrat, in 635, according to
Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...
, "ruler of the
Onoğundur–Bulğars, successfully revolted against the
Avars and concluded a treaty with Heraclius". The state
Old Great Bulgaria
Old Great Bulgaria or Great Bulgaria (Medieval Greek: Παλαιά Μεγάλη Βουλγαρία, ''Palaiá Megálē Voulgaría''), also often known by the Latin names ''Magna Bulgaria'' and ''Patria Onoguria'' (" Onogur land"), was a 7th- ...
(Magna Bulgaria) was formed. Kubrat died "when Konstantinos was in the West", somewhere during the reign of
Constans II
Constans II ( grc-gre, Κώνστας, Kōnstas; 7 November 630 – 15 July 668), nicknamed "the Bearded" ( la, Pogonatus; grc-gre, ὁ Πωγωνᾶτος, ho Pōgōnãtos), was the Eastern Roman emperor from 641 to 668. Constans was the last ...
(641–668).
According to Nikephoros I, Kubrat instructed his five sons (
Batbayan,
Kotrag
Kotrag was according to Nikephoros I of Constantinople a son of Kubrat of the Dulo clan of Bulgars. Following the death of his father, he began to extend the influence of his Bulgars to the Volga River. He is remembered as the founder of Volga ...
,
Asparukh
Asparuh (also ''Ispor''; bg, Аспарух, Asparuh or (rarely) bg, Исперих, Isperih) was а ruler of Bulgars in the second half of the 7th century and is credited with the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681.
Early life
...
, two others unmentioned are considered to be
Kuber
Kuber, (also Kouber or Kuver), was a Bulgar leader who, according to the ''Miracles of Saint Demetrius'', liberated a mixed Bulgar and Byzantine Christian population in the 670s, whose ancestors had been transferred from the Eastern Roman Empi ...
and
Alcek Alcek or Alzeco was allegedly a son of Kubrat and led the Altsikurs to Ravenna that later settled in the villages of Gallo Matese, Sepino, Boiano and Isernia in the Matese mountains of southern Italy.
Alzeco should not be confused with the Pan ...
) to "never separate their place of dwelling from one another, so that by being in concordance with one another, their power might thrive". However, the loose tribal union broke up under internal tensions and especially
Khazars
The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...
pressure from the East.
Kubrat's death
The
Pereshchepina Treasure
The Pereshchepina Treasure (russian: Перещепинский клад, uk, Перещепинський скарб) is a major deposit of Bulgar, Sassanian, Sogdian, Turkic and Avarian objects from the Migration Period.
The most valua ...
was discovered in 1912 by Ukrainian peasants in the vicinity of
Poltava
Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...
, in village Malo Pereshchepyne. It consists of diverse gold and silver objects of total weight of over 50 kg from the
migration period
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
, including three rings with monograms, which led scholars to identify the site as Kubrat's grave. The ring A was inscribed in Greek XOBPATOY and ring C was inscribed XOBPATOY ПATPIKIOY, indicating the dignity of ''
Patrikios
The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...
'' (Patrician) that he had achieved in the Byzantine world. The treasure indicates close relation between the Bulgars and Byzantines, e.g. the bracelets were influenced or made by a Byzantine goldsmith. The first treasure coins were issued after 629, by Heraclius, and the last c. 650 AD, by Constans II, which can be associated with the upcoming Khazar conquest.
Kubrat is mentioned in the ''
Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans'', according which his birth is given the sign of the ox (''shegor vechem'') in the
Bulgar calendar. It also says his rule was 60 years. Presuming lifespan is meant, this would place his death in 653 or 665 AD. Thus, the date of Kubrat's death according historical and archaeological sources is placed between 650 and 665 AD. Correspondingly his birth could have been between 590 and 615 if Somogyi's theory is correct.
Legacy
Kubrat Knoll
Kubrat Knoll (Kubratova Mogila \ku-'bra-to-va mo-'gi-la\) is a rocky peak of elevation 140 m at the base of Inott Point, Varna Peninsula on eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It is named after Khan Kubrat, 632- ...
on
Livingston Island
Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...
in the
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...
,
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
is named after Kubrat of Great Bulgaria.
Kubrat was portrayed by
Vasil Mihaylov in the 1981 Bulgarian movie ''
Aszparuh
''Khan Asparuh'' ( bg, Хан Аспарух) is a 1981 three-part Bulgarian historical action and drama film telling the story of Khan Asparuh and the events around the founding of the medieval Bulgarian state in 681 AD. It was shot and release ...
'', directed by
Ludmil Staikov
Ludmil Ivanov Staikov ( bg, Людмил Иванов Стайков; born 18 October 1937) is a Bulgarian film director. He directed six films between 1972 and 1988. His 1972 film ''Affection'' won the Golden Prize at the 8th Moscow Internatio ...
.
Khan Asparuh (1981) Full Cast & Crew - IMDB
/ref>
See also
*Utigurs
Utigurs were Turkic nomadic equestrians who flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe in the 6th century AD. They possibly were closely related to the Kutrigurs and Bulgars.
Etymology
The name ''Ut(r)igur'', recorded as , and , is generally con ...
*Kutrigurs
Kutrigurs were Turkic Eurasian nomads, nomadic equestrians who flourished on the Pontic–Caspian steppe in the 6th century AD. To their east were the similar Utigurs and both possibly were closely related to the Bulgars. They warred with the Byza ...
Annotations
.The rings of Pereschepina treasure have been deciphered in 1984 by the German archaeologust Joachim Werner (archaeologist)
Joachim Werner (23 December 1909 – 9 January 1994) was a German archaeologist who was especially concerned with the archaeology of the Early Middle Ages in Germany. The majority of German professorships with particular focus on the field of t ...
.
References
Sources
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*
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*
*
Further reading
*
*Львова, З.А., 2000. Погребения в Малой Перешчепине и Вознесенке и Кубрат, каган Великой Болгарии. Stratum plus, 5, pp. 145–160.
*Lambrev, K., Легендата за кан Кубрат и неговите синове. Исторически Преглед.
*Георгиев, П., 2001. Столицата на хан Кубрат. Трудове на катедрата по История и богословие (Шуменски университет), 4, pp. 17–39.
*Вернер, И., 1985. Захоронение в Малом Перещепине и Кубрат, хан болгарский. Софийские новости (газета), 5.
*Семёнов, И.Г., 2013. К истории Унногундурского государства. Византийский временник, 72, pp. 45–67.
*Комар, О.В., 2001. Кубрат" і "Велика Булгарія": проблеми джерелознавчого аналізу. Сходознавство.–2001.–Вип, pp. 13–14.
*Zalesskaia, V.N., 2006. Zlatoto na khan Kubrat. Pereshchepinskoto săkrovishte.
*Todorov-Berberski, H., 1997. Great Bulgaria under Khan Kubrat-Some disputed issues from a linguistic perspective (9th century Bulgaria). BULGARIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW-REVUE BULGARE D HISTOIRE, (2-3), pp. 180–204.
*Baba, S.M., 2013. Origin and History of Volga Bulghars: A Study of the Journey from Central Asia to Volga-Ural Region and the Formation of Volga Bulgharia. Journal of Asian Civilizations, 36(1), p. 189.
*1983: Kurt, Kubrat ili Kurt Kubrat urt, Kubrat oder Kurt Kubrat In: Bälgarski Ezik 33. S. 341-342.
External links
The Pereshchepina Treasure
Kubrat Ring at Hermitage Museum
{{Authority control
Year of death unknown
Monarchs of the Bulgars
Christian monarchs
7th-century Christians
7th-century monarchs in Europe
7th-century Bulgarian monarchs
Patricii
Turkic rulers
Dulo clan