Volga Bulgaria

Formation of Volga Bulgaria marked a new stage of development of statehood of the Turkic peoples. It was the first state union in the Middle Volga region that left a bright trace in the history of the Volga-Ural region peoples. The territory of Volga Bulgaria was far beyond the territory of modern Tatarstan and it included land from the Kazanka river in the North to the Samara Bend in the South. It stretched from the river Sura in the West to the lower reaches of the White and Jayiq rivers in the East and Southeast.

The appearance of the Bulgarians on the territory of the Volga-Kama region was not a simultaneous event. It took a long period of time for them move from areas of Azov, from the territory of Khazaria, after the disintegration of the Great Bulgaria. Before the fall of Khazaria in about 980-s Bulgarians and other tribes were vassals of the Khazar Kaganate.

The Volga Bulgaria was a feudal state and had rather complicated political structure. It was headed by the ruler (Emir), who was engaged in the Supreme military, judicial and civil authority. During Emir rule the extensive administrative apparatus was headed by the vizier, he controlled the military-service and court nobles led by warlords (Hashri). Another important institution was the Congress of freemen, were convened by the Governor for public approval of decision for the most important issues and to show the people's militia - troops (chiru).

Bulgar Emir headed "the kings of earth" - the rulers of individual regions and cities. Next in hierarchy were the representatives of the Tpyjsternbal ruling dynasty (Becks). The largest category in hierarchy "'was the feudal lords of the middle class, who had the title of Khoj psord, master) which was transferred from generation to generation. It is known that professional military-service class Juwars or Yories ("man of ' war") was the warriors, who got lands and then became landowners.

In IXth - beginning of Xth centuries traditions of the Muslim lifestyle penetrated to the region through Central Asia. In 922 Islam became the state religion of formative state. The official acceptance of Islam meant diplomatic recognition of the Volga Bulgaria. The status of independent state also stressed the peace Treaty between the Bulgarian ruler and Kievan Prince Vladimir I signed in 985. This Treaty determined the equitable nature of the relationship. After becoming the part of the Muslim world, Bulgars perceived achievements of its culture, titles, tax system, etc. Then, the Bulgarian ruler, who formerly was known under the Turkic title - elteber, became known as the Emir. So he recognized the nominal vassalage from the Caliph of Bagdad.

The population of Bulgaria was paying traditional for Islamic world taxes - kharaj, jizyah, ushr. Conscription was one of the most important duties of the population.

The highest hierarchy in society was occupied by the dynasty of the rulers of the government, followed by "princes" - the rulers of certain territories and cities, and military noblemen and the Muslim clergy.

The rate of the ruler was one of the most important symbolic signs of power in the Volga Bulgaria, its central place took the tent - Yurt, which was a political and sacred center of the rates, while the rate itself was understood as the center of all the ruler's possessions. With the development of urban culture the rate moved to capital city. The capital of the state in X-th - the first half of the XV-th centuries was Bolgar, and from the middle of XII century it was Bilyar. Another important attribute of the power of the ruler were the banners. They had the form o f rectangular width. Its long side was attached to the flagpole and its top edge was slanted and had two "tails" that were cut in the side of the width.

One of the main symbols of the state was the Turkic runic grapheme, reminiscent of an inverted Cyrillic letter "A" with different designs of inner rails, convergence angle of the long sides and their endings.

Volga Bulgaria after fierce resistance in 1236 was conquered by I he Mongol army and became part of the newly nascent state.

History

In the middle of V century the consolidation of the Turkic tribes began in East Turkestan. As a result, new nation appeared in the historical stage. They were known under the name of Turks, who became the founder of a new immense power called the Great Turkic Khaganate. In the middle of VI-th century the state united all the tribes and peoples inhabiting the steppes of the Eurasian continent - from the Yellow Sea to the Black sea and from the Amu-Darya river to the headwaters of the Ishim river. As a result of strife and external pressure, the state was divided into Western and Eastern khanates in the first half of the VII-lth century. It lasted until the middle of the VIlth century, Traditions of political and administrative organization, laid by Huns, were considerably developed by Turks, The formation of statehood on the territory of Central Asia, southern Siberia and the Volga region may be connected with it. The greatest achievement of that era was the creation of the Turkic runic writing (not later than the end of VIIth century), which spread from the territory of Mongolia, Altai, Upper Yenisei to Don region and the North Caucasus. Widely known runic manuscripts of Turks originated in VI-VII centuries in the valley of the Orkhon river. This significant site was the first that presented the view of nomads on their history.

Orkhon inscriptions mentioned the Union of the Tatar tribes "thirty Tatars", in later sources it was called "nine Tatars". Subsequently, there were several Tatar steppe state in the mountain-steppe zone of Mongolia and Northern China ("Tartar steppe") in the IX-XIIth centuries. They were hostile to each other and held the local Turkic tribes in submission, Later, these Turkic tribes were conquered by the Mongols and become part of the Mongol Empire. As a result of the Western Turkic Khaganate weakening, so some new state appeared on its territory. The Khazar Khaganate was one of them (630-X c) located in the Caspian lowland and Fore-Ciscaucasus. Its rulers considered themselves as direct descendants of the Turkic khagans of the family of Ashin. The Khazar Khaganate was significantly weakened during the Arab-Khazar wars in VIIIth century. It ceased existence after the appearance of Pechenegs – new tribal unions in the steppes of the Volga in the Xth century. Another cause was the defeat by Prince Svyatoslav of Kiev in 965.

Another state - the Great Bulgaria (635- 650-s) - was formed when the Turks lost the control under its Western territories. This state occupied the territory of the Black sea and Azov steppes, the Taman Peninsula and the Kuban area. The Union of tribes, including the Bulgarians, appeared on the territory of Eastern Europe during the Great migration, when the Huns westwarding forced many nomads to leave their lands and move to new territory, They were conquered by the Turks and became part of the Turkic Khaganate, In about 635 Kubrat, who was the chief of the tribe of Bulgarians-Uinogundurs, received the support of Byzantine Empire. He founded the state of the Great Bulgaria. However, after the death of Kubrat the state collapsed, and its territory was occupied by the Khazars, Nevertheless, the Bulgarians did not disappear from the historical arena. The part of the Bulgarians settled in the Damube region, where in 681 the Danube Bulgaria was founded, Moreover, after the disintegration of great Bulgaria, there began gradual migration of Bulgarians to the territory of the Volga-Kama region. Subsequently, there was formed the state of the Valga Bulgaria.