Bulgarian lands across the Danube
Encyclopedia
In the Middle Ages
the Bulgarian Empire
controlled vast areas to the north of the river Danube
from its establishment in 681 to its fall in 1396. These lands were called by contemporary Byzantine
historians Bulgaria across the Danube. Original information for the centuries-old Bulgarian rule there is scarce as the archives of the Bulgarian rulers were destroyed and little is mentioned for this area in Byzantine or Hungarian
manuscripts.
's death in 668 a large group of Bulgars
followed the third son of the great Khan, Asparukh
who headed westwards. In 670s they settled in the area known as the Ongal to the north of the Danube delta
. From there Asparukh's cavalry in alliance with local Slavs annually attacked the Byzantine territories in the south. In 680 the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV
lead a large army to face the Bulgars but in was defeated in the battle of Ongal
and as a result the Byzantines were forced to acknowledge the formation of new country Bulgaria in the following country. The northern border of the country followed the southern slopes of the Carpathian mountains
from the Iron Gates and reached the Dneper river to the east.
The Bulgarians' main rivals in the area were the Avars
to the west and the Khazars
to the east. The latter were a serious threat: after they crushed the resistance of Kubrat's eldest son, Bayan
they marched westwards. They waged a war against Asparukh who perished in battle fighting the invaders in 700.
To protect their northern borders, the Bulgarians built several enormous ditches which ran throughout the whole length of the border from the Timok
river to the Black Sea
.
In 803 Krum
became Khan. The new energetic ruler pointed his attention to the north-west where Bulgaria's old enemies, the Avars experience difficulties and setbacks against the Franks
under Charlemagne
. Between 804 and 806 the Bulgarian armies fully annihilated the Avars and destroyed their state. Krum took the eastern parts of the Avars Khanate and liberated the local Slav tribes. Bulgaria's territory extended twice from the middle Danube to the north of Budapest
to the Dnester though possession of Transylvania
is debatable.
In 813 Khan Krum seized Odrin and plundered the whole Eastern Thrace. He took 50,000 captivities who were settled in Bulgaria across the Danube.
There is evidence that the Second Bulgarian Empire
ruled at least nominally the Wallachia
n lands up to the Rucăr–Bran
corridor as late as the late 14th century. In a charter by Radu I
, the Wallachian voivode requests that tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
order his customs officers at Rucăr and the Dâmboviţa River
bridge to collect tax following the law. The presence of Bulgarian customs officers at the Carpathians indicates a Bulgarian suzerainty over those lands, though Radu's imperative tone hints at a strong and increasing Wallachian autonomy.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire is a term used to describe two periods in the medieval history of Bulgaria, during which it acted as a key regional power in Europe in general and in Southeastern Europe in particular, rivalling Byzantium...
controlled vast areas to the north of the river Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
from its establishment in 681 to its fall in 1396. These lands were called by contemporary Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
historians Bulgaria across the Danube. Original information for the centuries-old Bulgarian rule there is scarce as the archives of the Bulgarian rulers were destroyed and little is mentioned for this area in Byzantine or Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
manuscripts.
First Bulgarian Empire
After the disintegration of Great Bulgaria following Khan KubratKubrat
Kubrat or Kurt was a Bulgar ruler credited with establishing the confederation of Old Great Bulgaria in 632. He is said to have achieved this by conquering the Avars and uniting all the Bulgar tribes under one rule....
's death in 668 a large group of Bulgars
Bulgars
The Bulgars were a semi-nomadic who flourished in the Pontic Steppe and the Volga basin in the 7th century.The Bulgars emerge after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire in the 5th century....
followed the third son of the great Khan, Asparukh
Asparukh of Bulgaria
Asparuh was ruler of a Bulgar tribe in the second half of the 7th century and is credited with the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 680/681...
who headed westwards. In 670s they settled in the area known as the Ongal to the north of the Danube delta
Danube Delta
The Danube Delta is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania , while its northern part, on the left bank of the Chilia arm, is situated in Ukraine . The approximate surface is...
. From there Asparukh's cavalry in alliance with local Slavs annually attacked the Byzantine territories in the south. In 680 the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV
Constantine IV
Constantine IV , , sometimes incorrectly called Pogonatos, "the Bearded", by confusion with his father; was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685...
lead a large army to face the Bulgars but in was defeated in the battle of Ongal
Battle of Ongal
The Battle of Ongal took place in the summer of 680 in the Ongal area, an unspecified location in around the Danube delta near the Peuce Island...
and as a result the Byzantines were forced to acknowledge the formation of new country Bulgaria in the following country. The northern border of the country followed the southern slopes of the Carpathian mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
from the Iron Gates and reached the Dneper river to the east.
The Bulgarians' main rivals in the area were the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
to the west and the Khazars
Khazars
The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
to the east. The latter were a serious threat: after they crushed the resistance of Kubrat's eldest son, Bayan
Batbayan of Bulgaria
Batbayan was the eldest son of Khagan Kubrat. After Kubrat, Batbayan ruled from Poltava the lands north of the Black Sea and the Azov Sea....
they marched westwards. They waged a war against Asparukh who perished in battle fighting the invaders in 700.
To protect their northern borders, the Bulgarians built several enormous ditches which ran throughout the whole length of the border from the Timok
Timok
-Places:*Timočka Krajina, a region in Serbia*Timok , a river in Serbia and Bulgaria**Beli Timok, a river in Serbia**Trgoviški Timok, a river in Serbia**Svrljiški Timok, a river in Serbia**Crni Timok, a river in Serbia-Other:...
river to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
.
In 803 Krum
Krum of Bulgaria
Krum the Horrible was Khan of Bulgaria, from after 796, but before 803, to 814 AD. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper and from Odrin to the Tatra Mountains. His able and energetic rule brought law and order to Bulgaria and...
became Khan. The new energetic ruler pointed his attention to the north-west where Bulgaria's old enemies, the Avars experience difficulties and setbacks against the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
under Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
. Between 804 and 806 the Bulgarian armies fully annihilated the Avars and destroyed their state. Krum took the eastern parts of the Avars Khanate and liberated the local Slav tribes. Bulgaria's territory extended twice from the middle Danube to the north of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
to the Dnester though possession of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
is debatable.
In 813 Khan Krum seized Odrin and plundered the whole Eastern Thrace. He took 50,000 captivities who were settled in Bulgaria across the Danube.
There is evidence that the Second Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
ruled at least nominally the Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
n lands up to the Rucăr–Bran
Bran, Brasov
Bran is a commune in Braşov County, Romania. It lies at 30 km from the city of Braşov and is composed of five villages: Bran, Poarta, Predeluţ, Şimon and Sohodol...
corridor as late as the late 14th century. In a charter by Radu I
Radu I of Wallachia
Radu I was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia, ....
, the Wallachian voivode requests that tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
Ivan Alexander , also known as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, during the Second Bulgarian Empire. The date of his birth is unknown. He died on February 17, 1371. The long reign of Ivan Alexander is considered a transitional period in Bulgarian medieval history...
order his customs officers at Rucăr and the Dâmboviţa River
Dâmbovita River
Dâmbovița is a river in Romania. It has its sources in the Făgăraş Mountains, on the Curmătura Oticu. The upper reach of the rivers, upstream of the confluence with the Boarcăşu River is also known as Izvorul Oticului River or Oticu River....
bridge to collect tax following the law. The presence of Bulgarian customs officers at the Carpathians indicates a Bulgarian suzerainty over those lands, though Radu's imperative tone hints at a strong and increasing Wallachian autonomy.