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 family Dulo. The name of Khan Kubrat literally means "real wolf".
It is this ruler that will be discussed further.
Biography
The exact dates of the life of Khan Kubrat are unknown. He was supposedly born in 605, grew up and was brought up in Constantinople, at the imperial court. He was a friend of a Byzantine emperor named Heraclius. As historians say, Kubrat was a Christian who was baptized at the age of 12.
It is known that Organa was Kubrat's uncle. It is he who is credited with the initial adoption of Christianity. After his death, Kubrat began to rule the Bulgarians. Contemporaries characterized him as an energetic, dexterous warrior ruler. He was married to a Byzantine aristocrat.
In 632 Khan Kubrat rallied the Bulgarian tribes. Phanagoria became the capital of the state. 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 was second in strength among European states after Byzantium. Years of governmentKurbat by Bulgaria - 635-650th.
In 634-641. Kubrat entered into a friendly alliance with the Byzantine emperor and received the rank of patrician. This meant that the khan fell under the dominion 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
Wonderful words are written on the building of the Bulgarian Parliament: “Connection is strength”. It is believed that this wisdom belongs to Khan Kubrat. It was he who taught his sons that it is not easy to break a bunch of rods, 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 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 by the Khazars, he was forced to pay tribute to them.
- Kotrag led the Kotrag tribe. Historians believe that both tribes later formed 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 (father of Kotrag) in his nativelanguage, the Tatars would use the phrase "turynda khan Kubrat", where the first word is translated into Russian as the preposition "o".
- Asparuh with a tribe of Onogondurov went to the Danube River. It was he who fought with Byzantium, defeated Constantine IV and founded the state of Bulgaria.
- Kuber (or Kuver) moved south to present-day Macedonia.
- Altsek, the youngest son of Kubrat, went to the territory of modern Italy, where he submitted to the Christian kings.
This was the fate of the five sons of Kubrat, who disobeyed their father's command.
Historical significance and events since
The reign of Khan Kubrat left a significant mark on world history. It was at this time that three social groups formed among the Bulgars: nomads, farmers and artisans. Unfortunately, the state did not last long - only a quarter of a century.
After the death of Khan, the state split, and later fell into decay and was conquered by the Khazars. It was they who settled 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 \u200b\u200bAzov with its beautiful pastures and Black Sea ports. From this act began the formation of the Khazar state. However, this is a completely different story.
A valuable find
In May 1912, a treasure was found in the Ukrainian village of Maloe Pereshchepino, consisting of gold dishes, jewelry, and coins. In total, 25 kg of gold items were found, 50 kg of silver items. The treasure was sent for storage inHermitage of St. Petersburg.
Munich Professor Werner provided evidence that the items found belonged to Khan Kubrat. Moreover, he got some of these riches from Emperor Heraclius.
A particularly noteworthy find are three rings that belonged to the khan. Two of them were monogrammed with the name of Kubrat.
The most valuable item found is a sword 95 cm long and weighing over 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 in celebrations. Evidence of this is the manufacture of the sword from gold and the small size of the hilt.
Today, the sword is shown on special occasions at rare exhibitions. Unfortunately, it is not in the permanent exhibition of the Hermitage.
The ornaments on the sword, and the method of its manufacture, refer 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 initiator of the installation was the editor of the local newspaper D. I. Kostova. Editorial staff and deputy of the Ukrainian Rada N. Gaber also took part in the work.
Ukrainian Bulgarians came to the 10th anniversary of the opening of the monument in 2011, representatives of local authorities and Bulgarian officials were also present. In the village itself there is a Bulgarian-Ukrainian museum, where the guests wentafter the ceremony.
In literature and cinema
The personality of the warrior ruler did not go unnoticed among artists either.
The historical novel by Musagit Khabibullin "Kubrat Khan" tells about the events of the middle of the 7th century. The novel shows the tense relations between the Khazars and the Bulgarians. The tribal union of the Bulgarians, headed by Kubrat, was in a difficult position. The writer tells how the khan saved the state he created.
In 2006 director P. Petkov made a documentary film "Bulgarians". In it, the author tries to find answers to questions about who the Bulgarians are as an ethnic group, what a great past they hide in themselves. The key figure of the film is the great Khan Kubrat.
