Everything about Volga Bulgars totally explained
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For other uses, see Bulgaria (disambiguation).
Volga Bulgaria or
Volga-Kama Bolghar, is an historic state that existed between the
7th and
13th centuries around the confluence of the
Volga and
Kama rivers in what is now
Russia. Today, both the Republics of
Tatarstan and
Chuvashia are considered to be descendants of Volga Bulgaria.
Origin
First-hand information on Volga Bulgaria is rather sparse. As no authentic
Bulgar records have survived, most of our information comes
from contemporary
Arabic,
Persian,
Indian or
Russian sources. Some information is provided by excavations.
It is thought that the territory of Volga Bulgaria was originally settled by
Finno-Ugric peoples. The
Turkic Bulgars moved from the
Azov region in about AD
660, commanded by
Kotrag,
Kubrat's son. They reached
Idel-Ural in in the
8th century, where they turned to the people dominant it the end of the 9th century and united other tribes of different origin, which lived in the area. Some Bulgar tribes, however, continued westward and after many adventures settled along the
Danube River, in what is now known as
Bulgaria proper, where they merged with the
Slavs, adopting a
South Slavic language and the
Eastern Orthodox faith.
Most scholars agree that the Volga Bulgars were subject to the great
Khazarian Empire. Sometime in the late 9th century unification processes started, and the capital was established at
Bolğar (also spelled Bulgar) city, 160 km south from modern
Kazan. Most scholars doubt, however, that the state could assert independence from the Khazars until the latter were annihilated by
Svyatoslav of Rus in
965.
Maps
Rise
A large part of the region's population was
Turkic and included
Bulgars,
Suars,
Barsil,
Bilars,
Baranjars and part of
Burtas (by
ibn Rustah). Modern
Chuvashes and
Kazan Tatars descend from the Volga
Bulgars (with more or less significant admixtures of
Finno-Ugric and
Kipchak Turkic populations, respectively). Another part comprised Finnic and Magyaric (
Asagel and
Pascatir) tribes, from which
Bisermäns and
Tatars probably descend.
Islam was adopted as the state religion in the early tenth century, under
Almış.
Ibn Fadlan was dispatched by the
Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir in 922/3 to establish relations and bring
qadis and teachers of
Islamic law to Volga Bulgaria, as well as help in building a fort and a mosque.
Tengriism and other religions, however, continued to be practiced.
Commanding the
Volga River in its middle course, the state controlled much of
trade between Europe and Asia prior to the
Crusades (which made other trade routes practicable). The capital,
Bolghar, was a thriving city, rivalling in size and wealth with the greatest centres of the Islamic world. Trade partners of Bolghar included from
Vikings,
Bjarmland,
Yugra and
Nenets in the north to
Baghdad and
Constantinople in the south, from Western Europe to
China in the East. Other major cities included
Bilär,
Suar (Suwar),
Qaşan (Kashan) and
Cükätaw (Juketau). Modern cities
Kazan and
Yelabuga were founded as Volga Bulgaria's border fortresses.
Some of the Volga Bulgarian cities still haven't been found, but they're mentioned in Russian sources. They are:
Aşlı (Oshel), Tuxçin (Tukhchin), İbrahim (Bryakhimov), Taw İle. Some of them were ruined after and during the Mongol invasion.
The Russian principalities to the west posed the only tangible military threat. In the 11th century, the country was devastated by several Russian raids. Then, at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, the rulers of
Vladimir (notably
Andrew the Pious and
Vsevolod III), anxious to defend their eastern border, systematically pillaged Bulgarian cities. Under Slavic pressure from the west, the Bulgars had to move their capital from
Bolghar to
Bilär.
Decline
1223 near
Samara an advance guard of
Genghis Khan's army under command of
Uran, son of
Subutai Bahadur, entered Volga Bulgaria but was defeated
battle of Samara Bend. In
1236, the
Mongols returned but it took them five years to subjugate the whole country which at that time was suffering from internal war. Henceforth Volga Bulgaria became a part of the Ulus
Jochi, later known as the
Golden Horde. It was divided into several principalities; each of them became a vassal of the Golden Horde and received some autonomy. By the 1430s, the
Khanate of Kazan was established as the most important of these principalities.
Further Information
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