Toktu ( bg, Токту) was the ruler of
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
between 766 and 767.
[R. J. Crampton (2005). ''A Concise History of Bulgaria''. On the page 270, a list of the rulers of Bulgaria is given.]
The Byzantine chronicler,
Patriarch Nikephoros, records that Toktu was "a Bulgarian, and a brother of Bayan". Although this suggests that Bayan was a man of some importance, nothing more is definitely known about Toktu's basis of support. Toktu is assumed to have been a member of that faction of the Bulgarian nobility which advocated a hostile policy towards 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 ...
. However, before Toktu managed to implement any recorded policy, he was faced with a rebellion and attempted to flee the country. Unlike his predecessor
Sabin, Toktu tried to flee northwards, but was caught and killed together with his brother Bayan and their supporters near the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
.
The 17th century Volga Bulgar compilation ''
Cäğfär Taríxı The ''Cäğfär Taríxı'' ( Tatar Cyrillic: Җәгъфәр тарихы, pronounced ; Russian: Джагфар Тарихы, in English generally ''Djagfar Tarikhy,'' via the Russian transliteration of the Volga Tatar name; Tatar language for ''His ...
'' (a work of disputed authenticity) represents Azan Tokta (i.e., Toktu) as the son of the otherwise unattested Kermek, who was a son of the former Bulgarian monarch Suvar (i.e.,
Sevar of Bulgaria
Sevar ( bg, Севар) was a ruler of Bulgaria in the 8th century.
The Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans states that Sevar belonged to the Dulo clan and ruled for 15 years. According to the chronology developed by Moskov, Sevar would have reign ...
).
See also
*
History of Bulgaria
The history of Bulgaria can be traced from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria to its formation as a nation-state, and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin. The earliest evidence of hominid occupation d ...
*
Bulgarians
Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe.
Etymology
Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely unders ...
References
* Mosko Moskov, ''Imennik na bălgarskite hanove (novo tălkuvane)''. Sofia, 1988.
* Jordan Andreev, Ivan Lazarov, Plamen Pavlov, ''Koj koj e v srednovekovna Bălgarija''. Sofia, 1999.
* (primary source), Bahši Iman, ''Džagfar Tarihy'', vol. III, Orenburg 1997.
{{Bulgarian monarchs
8th-century births
767 deaths
8th-century murdered monarchs
Murdered Bulgarian monarchs
8th-century Bulgarian monarchs