The Little Minaret in Bolghar

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. The 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Kama (река́ Ка́ма is a major river in Russia, the longest left tributary of the Volga and the largest one in discharge in fact it is larger than "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Today, both the Republics of Tatarstan and Chuvashia are considered to be descendants of Volga Bulgaria. Republic of Tatarstan (Респу́блика Татарста́н Татарстан Республикасы|Tatarstan Respublikası is a federal subject of the Russian Chuvash Republic (Чува́шская Респу́блика Чăваш Республики or Chuvashia (ru Чува́шия is a federal subject

Origin

First-hand information on Volga Bulgaria is rather sparse. The Mongol invasion of Rus' was heralded by the Battle of the Kalka River in 1223 between Subutai 's reconnaissance unit and the combined force This article refers to the medieval Turkic state For the Irish rock band see The Golden Horde (band. The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and The Kazan Khanate (Казан ханлыгы|Qazan xanlığı|قازان خانليغى Russian: Казанское ханство tr: Kazanskoe khanstvo The Tsardom of Rus' (Царство Русское was the official name for the Russian state between Ivan IV 's assumption of the title of Tsar (Emperor in 1547 The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Romanovcesar 2 and its gratitive sunlithg sundhie compared themselves ina servantly structure from its parative War and peace in Russia 1796-1825 Catherine II died in 1796, and her son Emperor Paul I (r Economic development The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were times of crisis for Russian nuts Radical revolutionary parties During the 1890s, Russia's industrial development led to a significant increase in the size of the urban Bourgeoisie and the working The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The History of the Soviet Union has roots in the Russian Revolution of 1917. See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed This period of the Soviet Union was dominated by Joseph Stalin, who sought to reshape Soviet society with aggressive economic planning in particular a sweeping collectivization of agriculture The Cold War ensued as the USSR and the United States struggled indirectly for influence around the world The Soviet Union 's collapse into independent nations began early in 1985 With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 the Russian Federation became an independent country This is a timeline of Russian history. To read about the background to these events see History of Russia. Pre-history Human habitation in Tatarstan dates back to the Palaeolithic period Old Great Bulgaria or Great Bulgaria (Стара Велика България Παλαιά Μεγάλη Βουλγαρία in Byzantine chronicles alternative "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. The Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria lasted from 1223 to 1236 This article refers to the medieval Turkic state For the Irish rock band see The Golden Horde (band. The Kazan Khanate (Казан ханлыгы|Qazan xanlığı|قازان خانليغى Russian: Казанское ханство tr: Kazanskoe khanstvo The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and The Kazan Governorate (Каза́нская губе́рния; Tatar: Qazan gubernası / Казан губернасы; Chuvash: Хусан кěперниě Idel-Ural literally means "Volga-Ural" in Tatar.Historically it refers to a short-lived Tatar Republic with its centre in Kazan Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ( TASSR) was part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Republic of Tatarstan (Респу́блика Татарста́н Татарстан Республикасы|Tatarstan Respublikası is a federal subject of the Russian As no authentic Bulgar records have survived, most of our information comes from contemporary Arabic, Persian, Indian or Russian sources. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Some information is provided by excavations.

It is thought that the territory of Volga Bulgaria was originally settled by Finno-Ugric peoples. The Turkic^[1][2] Bulgars moved from the Azov region in about AD 660, commanded by Kotrag, Kubrat's son. The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family The Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) were a seminomadic people probably of Turkic descent originally from Central Asia, Azov (Азо́в a'zof is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just sixteen kilometers from the Sea of Azov Events By Place Europe Slavic principality of Carantania is first mentioned in historical sources See also Kotrags Khan Kotrag was the founder of Idil Bolgar. He was the son of Kubrat who left Great Bulgaria Kubrat or Kurt (Кубрат Χουβρατις was a Bulgar ruler credited with establishing the confederation of Old Great Bulgaria in 632 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. Idel-Ural (Идел-Урал|İdel-Ural Идель-Урал is a historical region in Eastern Europe, in what is today Russia. The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. ^[3] 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. The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian South Slavic languages comprise one of the three geographical groups of Slavic languages (besides West and East Slavic) The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world

Most scholars agree that the Volga Bulgars were subject to the great Khazarian Empire. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. 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. Bolghar (Болгар|Bolğar Пăлхар was the capital of Volga Bulgaria from the 8th to the 15th centuries Kazan (Каза́нь Казан tt Qazan) is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and one of Russia's largest cities Most scholars doubt, however, that the state could assert independence from the Khazars until the latter were annihilated by Svyatoslav of Rus in 965. Sviatoslav I of Kiev ( Old East Slavic: С~тославъ (Свąтославъ Игорєвичь ( Sventoslavŭ Igorevichǐ) Russian: ru Святослав 965 was a year in the 10th century. Events By Place Europe The Khazar fortress of Sarkel falls

Maps

Volga Bulgaria in the Eurasian world of AD 1200

Detailed map of Volga Bulgaria

Rise

The Black Chamber in Bolghar. Bolghar (Болгар|Bolğar Пăлхар was the capital of Volga Bulgaria from the 8th to the 15th centuries

Europe and the Steppes in 700 AD, showing the Volga Bulgars and their neighbors.

A large part of the region's population was Turkic and included Bulgars, Suars, Barsil, Bilars, Baranjars and part of Burtas (by ibn Rustah). The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family The Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) were a seminomadic people probably of Turkic descent originally from Central Asia, The Suars (also known as Suvar) were a Turkic-speaking people probably of Hunnish descent who lived in Eastern Europe in Middle Ages The Baysi / Barsils were a semi- Nomadic Eurasian tribe probably of Turkic linguistic affiliation and possibly identical with the Bagrasik. Bilars were medieval (10th-13th centuries Turkic tribe's commonwealth in the Middle Volga. Baranjars ( Balanjars, Belenjers) were a confederacy of Turkic tribes who flourished in the Early Middle Ages. Burtas or Bortas (plural Bortaslar) were a tribe of uncertain ethnolinguistic affiliation inhabiting the Steppe region north of the Caspian Sea Ibn Rustah (in Persian احمد ابن رسته اصفهانی - Aḥmad ebn Roste Eṣfahānī was a 10th century Persian explorer and geographer born in Rosta Modern Chuvashes and Kazan Tatars descend from the Volga Bulgars (with more or less significant admixtures of Finno-Ugric and Kipchak Turkic populations, respectively). Tatars ( Tatar: Tatarlar/Татарлар sometimes spelled Tartars, are a Turkic -speaking ethnic group or multiple ethnic groups The Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) were a seminomadic people probably of Turkic descent originally from Central Asia, The term Finno-Ugric people is used to describe peoples speaking a Finno-Ugric language. Another part comprised Finnic and Magyaric (Asagel and Pascatir) tribes, from which Bisermäns and Tatars probably descend. Esegels (or Äsägel) were Eurasian nomads, that joined the Volga Bulgaria state and were assimilated to Bolgars. Pascatir is a historical land corresponding to modern Bashkortostan. The Besermyan, Biserman, Besermans or Besermens (бесермяне besermyane singular besermyanin бесерманъёс бисермәннәр|bisermännär Tatars ( Tatar: Tatarlar/Татарлар sometimes spelled Tartars, are a Turkic -speaking ethnic group or multiple ethnic groups

Islam was adopted as the state religion in the early tenth century, under Almış. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Almış (Almas Iltäbär (the end of 9th century – the beginning of 10th was the first Muslim ruler ( Emir) of Volga Bulgaria 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. Ahmad Ibn Fadlān ibn al-Abbās ibn Rašīd ibn Hammād (أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن رشيد بن حماد was a 10th century Arab Muslim The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Al-Muqtadir ( المقتدر) (died 932 was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 908 to 932 Qadi (also known as Qazi or Kazi or Kadi) (قاضي is a judge ruling in accordance with the Sharia, Islamic religious law Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. ^[4] Tengriism and other religions, however, continued to be practiced. Tengriism ( Tengerism, Tengrianism, Tengrianizm, Tengricilik) was the major belief of the Mongols and Turkic peoples before

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). In the Middle Ages, the Volga trade route connected Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea, via the Volga River The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents The capital, Bolghar, was a thriving city, rivalling in size and wealth with the greatest centres of the Islamic world. Bolghar (Болгар|Bolğar Пăлхар was the capital of Volga Bulgaria from the 8th to the 15th centuries 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. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Bjarmaland (also spelled Bjarmland or Bjarmia) was a territory mentioned in Norse sagas up to the Viking Age — and beyond Yugra (Югра was the name of the lands between the Pechora River and Northern Urals in the Russian annals of the 12th&ndash17th centuries as well as Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Other major cities included Bilär, Suar (Suwar), Qaşan (Kashan) and Cükätaw (Juketau). Bilär ( Tatar Cyrillic: Биләр also Bilyar, Bülär, Бүләр was a medieval city in Volga Bulgaria and its capital before the Mongol Suar ( Suwar) was a medieval (9th - 14th century Volga Bulgarian city the capital of Suar Duchy in 948 - 975. Qashan (Кашан|Qaşan was a medieval city in Volga Bulgaria, on the right bank of Kama river from the 12th to the 15th century Cükätaw ( Tatar Cyrillic: Җүкәтау or Juketau (called Zhukotin in Russian chronicles was a medieval Bolgar city during the 10th to Modern cities Kazan and Yelabuga were founded as Volga Bulgaria's border fortresses. Kazan (Каза́нь Казан tt Qazan) is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and one of Russia's largest cities Yelabuga (Ела́буга Tatar: Alabuğa/Алабуга also spelled Alabuga or Elabuga, is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan,

Some of the Volga Bulgarian cities still haven't been found, but they are 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. Vladimir (Влади́мир) is a city in Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway Prince Andrei I of Vladimir commonly known as Andrey Bogolyubsky (Андрей Боголюбский "Andrey the God-Loving" (c Vsevolod III Yuryevich, or Vsevolod the Big Nest (Все́волод III Ю́рьевич Большо́е Гнездо́ (1154 &ndash 1212 was the Under Slavic pressure from the west, the Bulgars had to move their capital from Bolghar to Bilär. Bolghar (Болгар|Bolğar Пăлхар was the capital of Volga Bulgaria from the 8th to the 15th centuries Bilär ( Tatar Cyrillic: Биләр also Bilyar, Bülär, Бүләр was a medieval city in Volga Bulgaria and its capital before the Mongol

Decline

Devil's Tower in Yelabuga, 12th century. Yelabuga (Ела́буга Tatar: Alabuğa/Алабуга also spelled Alabuga or Elabuga, is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan,

Main article: Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria

In September 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. The Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria lasted from 1223 to 1236 Samara (Сама́ра ( Kuybyshev (ru Ку́йбышев from 1935 to 1990 is one of the largest cities in Russia. Genghis Khan ( or;, Chinggis Khaan, ʧiŋgɪs χaːŋ Činggis Qaɣan; 1162–1227 born (meaning "ironworker" was the Mongol founder WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Uran ( Hindi: उरन Urdu: اُرن is a city and Subutai ( Subetei, Subetai, Сүбээдэй Sübeedei; Classic Mongolian Sübügätäi or Sübü'ätäi; 1176–1248 was the primary The Battle of Samara Bend or the Battle of Kernek was the first battle between Volga Bulgaria and the Mongols, probably one of the first 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. The siege of Bilär was a battle for the capital city of the Volga Bulgaria between the Volga Bulgars and the Mongols. Henceforth Volga Bulgaria became a part of the Ulus Jochi, later known as the Golden Horde. Jochi (Зүчи Züchi; also spelled Jöchi and Juchi) (c 1180 &ndash 1227 was the eldest of the Mongol chieftain Genghis Khan This article refers to the medieval Turkic state For the Irish rock band see The Golden Horde (band. 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. The Kazan Khanate (Казан ханлыгы|Qazan xanlığı|قازان خانليغى Russian: Казанское ханство tr: Kazanskoe khanstvo

See also

• Atil
• Balymer
• Bulgaria
• Bulgarism
• Bulgars
• Chuvashia
• Khanate of Kazan
• Khazaria
• Tatarstan
• Qol Ghali

External links

• We are Bulgars, not Tatars (Мы болгары, а не татары), Bulgar National Congress (Russian)
• Volga Bulgars: History and Culture (Волжские Булгары : история и культура) (Russian)

References