Khan Kubrat is the founder of Great Bulgaria, which in the 7th century was located on the territory of modern Ukraine, Russia and the North Caucasus. He came from an ancient clan Dulo. The name of Khan Kubrat literally means "real wolf."
It is about this ruler that will be discussed later.
Biographical Information
The exact dates of the life of Khan Kubrat are unknown. He was supposedly born in 605, grew up and raised in Constantinople, at the imperial court. He was a friend of the Byzantine emperor named Heraclius. According to historians, Kubrat was a Christian who was baptized as early as 12 years old.
It is known that Uncle Kubrat was Organa. It is he who is credited with the initial adoption of Christianity. After his death, Kubrat became the ruler of the Bulgarians. Contemporaries characterized him as an energetic, adroit ruler-warrior. He was married to a Byzantine aristocrat.
In 632, Khan Kubrat rallied the Bulgarian tribes. The capital of the state was Fanagoria. The Great Bulgaria of Khan Kubrat occupied the territory of the Azov and Black Sea steppes. The ruler fought for power among the Turks. He managed to overthrow the yoke of the Avars and create a strong state. Great Bulgaria by force ranked second among European states after Byzantium. The years of the reign of Kurbat Bulgaria - 635-650th.
In 634-641 years. Kubrat entered into a friendly alliance with the Byzantine emperor and received the rank of patrician. This meant that the khan came under the rule of the emperor. There is no information about the spread of Christianity among the Bulgarians, but the fact that the founder of the Tatar people was a Christian remains an indisputable fact.
Some historians also claim that Kubrat later renounced Christianity and returned to the original religion, which was Altai.
Ancient testament
On the building of the Bulgarian parliament, wonderful words are written: "Connection is power." It is believed that this wisdom belongs to Khan Kubrat. It was he who taught his sons that the armful of rods is not easy to break, and therefore it is so important to stick together.
However, the children of Kubrat did not obey their father, and therefore were conquered by the Khazars.
Kubrat himself died in 665.
The fate of the sons
Khan Kubrat, whose biography we are considering, had five sons:
- Batbayan was faithful to his father's will and remained in Bulgaria. But after the conquest of the Khazars was forced to pay tribute to them.
- Kotrag led the Kotrag tribe. Historians believe that both tribes later formed the Volga Bulgaria. Modern Tatars recognize Kotrag as the founder of Tatarstan, many of them consider themselves descendants of the ancient Bulgarians. Indeed, Kazan Tatars and Caucasian Bulgarians have similar languages. And speaking of the great ruler (the father of Kotrag) in their native language, the Tatars would use the phrase “turynda khan Kubrat”, where the first word is translated into Russian as the preposition “o”.
- Asparuh with the Onogondur tribe went to the Danube River. It was he who fought with Byzantium, defeated Constantine IV and founded the state of Bulgaria.
- Coober (or Coover) moved south to modern Macedonia.
- Alcek, the youngest son of Kubrat, went to the territory of modern Italy, where he obeyed the Christian kings.
This was the fate of the five sons of Kubrat, who did not obey his father’s command.
Historical significance and events after
The reign of Khan Kubrat left a significant mark in world history. It was at this time that three social groups formed among the Bulgars: nomads, farmers, and artisans. Unfortunately, the state did not exist for long - only a quarter of a century.
After the death of the khan, the state split, and later fell into decay and was subjugated by the Khazars. It was they who were based in the North Caucasus. However, historians believe that the Khazars and Bulgarians are ethnically close peoples. Nevertheless, the Khazars sought to capture the Sea of Azov with its beautiful pastures and Black Sea ports. With this act, the formation of the Khazar state began. However, this is a completely different story.
Valuable find
In May 1912, a treasure was found in the Ukrainian village of Maloe Pereshchepino, consisting of gold plate, jewelry, and coins. A total of 25 kg of gold items were found, silver - 50 kg. The treasure was sent for storage to the Hermitage of St. Petersburg.
Munich professor Werner cited evidence that the items found belonged to Khan Kubrat. Moreover, part of these wealth went to him from the emperor Heraclius.
Of particular note are the three rings belonging to the Khan. On two of them, monograms were made with the name of Kubrat.
The most valuable item found is a sword 95 cm long and weighing more than a kilogram. It is lined with gold and has glass inlays. Experts say that with such a sword, of course, they did not go into battle. This is a ceremonial item that was used at celebrations. Evidence of this is the manufacture of a sword from gold and the small size of the hilt.
Nowadays, the sword is shown in special cases at rare exhibitions. Unfortunately, he is not in the permanent exhibition of the Hermitage.
Ornaments on the sword, and the method of its manufacture carry it to Iranian traditions. This nuance says a lot about the origin of the ancient Bulgarians as a nation.
Monument
The village where the treasures of Khan Kubrat were found is considered the burial place of the great ruler. In 2001, a monument was erected there. The installation was initiated by the editor of the local newspaper D.I. Kostova. The editorial staff and the deputy of the Ukrainian Rada N. Gaber also took part in the work.
On the 10th anniversary of the opening of the monument in 2011, Ukrainian Bulgarians arrived, representatives of local authorities and Bulgarian officials also attended. The Bulgarian-Ukrainian Museum operates in the village itself, where guests went after the ceremony.
In literature and cinema
The personality of the warrior ruler did not go unnoticed among artists.
Musagit Khabibullin’s historical novel “Kubrat Khan” tells about the events of the middle of the 7th century. The novel shows the aggravated relationship between the Khazars and Bulgarians. The tribal union of the Bulgarians, which was headed by Kubrat, was in a difficult position. The writer narrates by what means the khan saved the state he created.
In 2006, director P. Petkov directed the documentary film “Bulgarians”. In it, the author tries to find answers to questions about who such Bulgarians as an ethnic group, what a great past they conceal in themselves. The key figure in the film is the great Khan Kubrat.