Kavkhan (title)
Encyclopedia
The kavhan was one of the most important officials in the First Bulgarian Empire
. According to the generally accepted opinion, he was the second most important person in the state after the Bulgarian
ruler. He had a number of responsibilities and concentrated huge power and authority. The kavhan was a commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian army
and one of the primary diplomats in the state. He was a member of the Bolyar Counsel and one of the most important advisers to the Bulgarian ruler; the kavhan was sometimes his regent or co-ruler. The kavhan was a high magistrate and substitute to the ruler when the latter is absent from the capital. He is also attributed to have been a judge.
It is assumed that there was a prominent bolyar family in Bulgaria from which the kavhan was chosen generation after generation - the so called "kavhan kin". The title was therefore hereditary and for life. According to most historians the title outlived the First Empire which was conquered by Basil II
in 1018. The last person who had the prerogatives and responsibilities of a kavhan was Georgi Voiteh
, an initiator of the uprising of Peter III (Constantine Bodin) in 1072.
During the reign of Samuil the kavhan was Domecian. During the Second Bulgarian Empire
the title was not used.
Another famous kavhan is Peter
who carried out three missions in Rome
and one in Constantinople
during the reign of Boris I
. The most prominent kavhan, as well as the one with most merits for Bulgaria was Isbul
. He occupied that position during the reign of three Khans
: Omurtag
(814-831), Malamir
(831-836) and his nephew Presian (836-852). His merits include the reconstruction of Pliska as a beautiful capital during Omurtag, the completion of the new centralized state administration. He ordered an action to catch the Byzantine
spies. He was among the main initiators of the 30-year peace treaty of 815 which was very favourable and useful for Bulgaria. Isbul commanded the Bulgarian armies in successful campaigns against the Byzantines in southern Macedonia
.
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
. According to the generally accepted opinion, he was the second most important person in the state after the Bulgarian
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
ruler. He had a number of responsibilities and concentrated huge power and authority. The kavhan was a commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian army
Medieval Bulgarian Army
The medieval Bulgarian army was the primary military body of the First and the Second Bulgarian Empires. During the first decades after the foundation of the country, the army consisted of a Bulgar cavalry and a Slavic infantry. The core of the Bulgarian army was the heavy cavalry, which consisted...
and one of the primary diplomats in the state. He was a member of the Bolyar Counsel and one of the most important advisers to the Bulgarian ruler; the kavhan was sometimes his regent or co-ruler. The kavhan was a high magistrate and substitute to the ruler when the latter is absent from the capital. He is also attributed to have been a judge.
It is assumed that there was a prominent bolyar family in Bulgaria from which the kavhan was chosen generation after generation - the so called "kavhan kin". The title was therefore hereditary and for life. According to most historians the title outlived the First Empire which was conquered by Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
in 1018. The last person who had the prerogatives and responsibilities of a kavhan was Georgi Voiteh
Georgi Voiteh
Georgi Voiteh was a 11th century Bulgarian aristocrat from Skopje and the organizer of a major uprising against the Byzantine rule. He was from a Kavkhan family....
, an initiator of the uprising of Peter III (Constantine Bodin) in 1072.
During the reign of Samuil the kavhan was Domecian. During 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...
the title was not used.
Another famous kavhan is Peter
Peter (diplomat)
Peter was a relative of knyaz Boris I who was in charge of diplomatic missions during the Christianization of Bulgaria. His position in the Bulgarian administrative hierarchy is unknown but it has been suggested that he had the title kavhan, i. e...
who carried out three missions in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and one in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
during the reign of Boris I
Boris I of Bulgaria
Boris I, also known as Boris-Mihail and Bogoris was the Knyaz of First Bulgarian Empire in 852–889. At the time of his baptism in 864, Boris was named Michael after his godfather, Emperor Michael III...
. The most prominent kavhan, as well as the one with most merits for Bulgaria was Isbul
Isbul
Isbul was the kavhan, or first minister, of the First Bulgarian Empire during the reigns of Omurtag, Malamir and Presian I...
. He occupied that position during the reign of three Khans
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
: Omurtag
Omurtag of Bulgaria
Omurtag was a Great Khan of Bulgaria from 814 to 831. He is known as "the Builder".In the very beginning of his reign he signed a 30-year peace treaty with the neighboring Eastern Roman Empire which remained in force to the end of his life...
(814-831), Malamir
Malamir of Bulgaria
Malamir was the ruler of Bulgaria 831–836.Malamir was a son of Omurtag and a grandson of Krum. His name may be of Slavic origin, and is claimed to be the first Bulgar khan to possess a Slavic name; however another theory is that it was an Iranian name, as there is an Iranian city named Malamir...
(831-836) and his nephew Presian (836-852). His merits include the reconstruction of Pliska as a beautiful capital during Omurtag, the completion of the new centralized state administration. He ordered an action to catch the 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...
spies. He was among the main initiators of the 30-year peace treaty of 815 which was very favourable and useful for Bulgaria. Isbul commanded the Bulgarian armies in successful campaigns against the Byzantines in southern Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
.