4. Altynoba – the first ancient bulgarian state

After the funeral of Attila, his sons began a struggle for the inheritance of the father against the subject Germanic tribes. The main and major part of the inheritance was the subject peoples of Huns. It was decided to divide them by lot. This decision caused the indignation of king Ardaric, an ally and adviser of Attila for many years. The indignation grew into enmity. In 453 in Pannonia, near the present river Netava (left influent of Sava), ensued a battle between Huns and their allies, on the one hand, and Gepids on another. The battle lasted a long time. The fate was favorable to Gepids. In the fight, a senior son of Attila Illak (Ellak) was killed, a favorite of the powerful father. Illak’s brothers Tingiz and Bel - Kermek took cover in the military camp and held a defense for two years. However, in 455 they were compelled to negotiate. Gepid king Ardaric agreed to let Tingiz and Bel - Kermek out from the siege, with the Bulgars, but the soldiers of the other peoples had to surrender to captivity.

The Bulgars were famed for the bravery and swiftness of their attacks. They were armed with huge bows with long arrows, red copper knives, nets and ropes.“Bulgars were skilful in throwing at full gallop a noose or a net on the enemy” (6; 77).

Tingiz and Bel-Kermek went with the Bulgars from Pannonia (present Hungary) to the mouth of the Dnieper. However, on the way there they fell in an ambush set by Galidjians (the Norsemen - Scandinavians, belonging to German peoples(5; 42)). Tingiz was killed in fight. To inspire the Bulgars, Bel - Kermek“ordered to raise as a banner a red staff (Tarvils - M.Z.) with a half moon on the pole” (1; 14). Bulgars broke through the encirclement and left to Lower Dnieper.

The events described above resulted in rather essential changes: the new large movement of peoples began, Gepids took the plains of Pannonia on the banks of the Tisza, the territory between the Danube, the river Olt and the Carpathian mountains.

The Hun people Sadagariem settled in Little Scythia (nowadays Dobrudja) and Lower Misia (right banks of Danube, between Danube and Balkan mountains, down to the river Iskyr, the right influent of the Danube). The fourth son of Attila, Ernak with other Hun peoples settled here also.

Two other sons of the Attila, Emnetzur and Ultzindur, led the Ultzindzur and Ultzingur peoples from the territory of the Crimean peninsula to the right bank of Danube. In other words, they broke to the territory of Byzantiumand settled between modern city Vidin and the mouth of the river Olt. In the 6th c. the above peoples were known as Sacromontisii and Fossatisii(2; 120).

Bel-Kermek settled in the Nothern Crimean steppes between the Crimean isthmus and the mouth of the Dnieper (Danapr, the Huns called it Var, and Bulgars - Buri-Chai) with the Bulgars. After securing the territory, Bel - Kermek proclamed the creation of the princedom (Beylik) of Altynoba, i.e. The Golden Headquarters or Golden Camp. It was named in memory of Attila’s siege of Altyn Bash, i.e. Rome (Altyn Bash - Golden Head or Golden Cupolas). Bel - Kermek proclaimed himself a Baltavar. The word “Baltavar”, which before that meant the tamga of the Dulo clan, now began to mean “aleader” (complete translation - “Lord Of Princes”).

Thus, in the second half of the 50s of the 5th c., in the territory between the mouth of the Dnieper and the Crimean isthmus appeared a first state formation of ancient Bulgars, the princedom of Altynoba. Its founder was the third son of Attila, Bel-Kermek.

Soon after the declaration of the creation of the princedom of Altynoba, from Pannonia (from the part between Danube and Lower Sava) came other Hun peoples, Ultzinzurs, Bittugurs and Bardors, who then reunited with the Bulgars.

Thus, after the death of Attila (453), a part of the Huns left for the territory of Italy, another went to the Balkan peninsula, a third remained in Pannonia, on the left bank of Danube. However, at the end of the 50s - the beginning of 60s of the 5th c. many Hun peoples returned to the Northern Pontic, Nothern Meotia and Kuban steppes. The Bulgars settled in the Northern Pontic, and closely related Khots settled in the lower course of Don, Utigs - in the lower and middle course of the Kuban. The Bulgars began to hold a prevailing position in the regions of the Northern Caucasus, Meotia and Northern Pontic. The events of the 60s - 70s of the 5th c. accelerated the movement of the Bulgars in this direction.

In the 60s of the 5th c., when Bel-Kermek was still alive, the Northern Pontic steppes were invaded by Sabir-Huns. Avars drove them out from the regions of Semirechye (1; 15). Avars were a Hunnic people who remained in Mongolia. The Sabir-Huns pushed the other Huns to the regions of Transcaucasia, others were pushed to Northern Dagestan, where they were accepted by Dagestany Bulgars. A third part of Huns was accepted by Bel-Kermek and resettled on the territory of the princedom of Altynoba (1; 15).

The Murdas (Burtas) people living south of the Oka united with Sabirs. Bel- Kermek married a daughter of the Masgut (Bashkurt) ruler.

The successor to Bel-Kermek, his senior son Djurash, nicknamed Masgut, expanded the territorial limits of the Altynoba princedom. In the winter of 498 - 499 he defeated Byzantian troops and retained the left bank of the Danube. For a good service a prince of the Sabirs gave him the territory between the Danube (Sula) and Crimean peninsula (Djalda).

After the death of Djurash, his son Tatra became Baltavar, i.e. the ruler of Bulgars. He became known by his successful campaigns against the Byzantian empire.

During the rule of Tatra's son Boyan-Chelbir, two important events took place which influenced the history of the Bulgars.

First, the Avars, forced out from Semirechye by the Khazar Tьrks, came to Northern Caucasus and Nothern Pontic steppes (1; 15). The Sabirs sought Boyan-Chelbir for an alliance. Boyan-Chelbir found an original solution for the situation. He fraternized with the Avar Khagan (emperor) Tubdjak. Boyan-Chelbir named his son Tubdjak, i.e. by the name of the Avar ruler. The Avar ruler took the name Boyan.

Secondly, Bulgars were divided into two groups. The son of Boyan-Chelbir, Atrak, was installed as a ruler of the Dagestany Bulgars (Burdjans). They began to be named Ak-Bulgars, i.e. Eastern Bulgars. “…Bulgars called west “Kara”, east - “Ak”, north - “Kuk”, and south - “Sara” or ”Sary” (1; 16). The Bulgars remaining under the leadership of the Baltavar Boyan-Chelbir began to be called Kara - Bulgars, i.e. Western Bulgars. The Kara - Bulgars became dependent from Avar Khagans. All this took place in the period between 559 and 565 AD.

Accordingly, the princedom (Beylik) of the western Bulgars began to be referred to as Kara-Bulgar, and eastern Bulgars - as Ak-Bulgar (1; 16).

In 590 Boyan-Chelbir died. His son Tubdjak became Baltavar of Kara –Bulgars. He fought on the side of Avars against Byzantines and their Slav subordinates, whom Bulgars called Ulchi (Ulichi, Ulchilar). The Bulgarian Baltavar resettled up to 200 thousand Ulchis on the northern borders of the Kara - Bulgar princedom. They were settled in the region of Carpathian mountains (Bulgars called these mountains Uchuly - “Three Sons”) and on the Dnieper (Burichai) (1; 16). They began to be called Anchi (Anchylar). The word “anchi” meant “frontier guard” or “boundary men”. So, Anchis are the Slavs, resettled by Bulgars in the Carpathians and on Dnieper.

In 605 Baltavar Tubdjak of the Kara-Bulgar died. His senior son Bu-Yurgan became Baltavar of the Kara-Bulgars. His name in the Greek sources is given in the form Organ, and S. Shamsi and I. Izmailov give another form, Uragan, in the book “Volga Bulgaria stories for children” (Kazan, 1995).

Bu-Yurgan (Yurgan is a name of one of Sabirian clans) was a giant and“renowned for such unusual strength, that he was nicknamed Ar-Buga” (1;16), i.e. a giant bull of legendary force. Bu-Yurgan did not remain on the Baltavar throne of the Kara - Bulgar for long. Under an agreement with the Avars, the Kara - Bulgars were obliged to participate in the military campaigns of the Avar Khagan. Soon after Bu-Yurgan obtained the position of Baltavar, the Avar Khagan organized a campaign against Byzantium. When the joined forces of the Avars and Bulgars surrounded one of the Byzantian cities, Avarian Khagan first sent the Anchis to storm, and then Bulgars. However, Byzantines entered reserves into the battle and withstood the Avars. The Khagan accused the Bulgarian Baltavar Bu-Yurgan of this setback. The Khagan removed Bu-Yurgan from the Baltavar position and ordered to set his younger brother Alburi on the throne. This decision had far-reaching consequences.

Literature and note

1. Bakhshi Iman. Djafgar tarikhy. Collection of Bulgarian annals. Vol.1. - Orenburg, 1993.

2. Jordanes. The origin and deeds of the Goths. /Translation, comment E.Ch. Skrjinskoi. - M., 1960.

3. Gumilev L.N. Millennium around Caspian. - M., 1993.

4. Ammianus Marcellinus. History. Vol. III. Book. XXXI.

5. Skrynnikov R.G.. Wars of Ancient Rus. // Historical questions. 11-12.-1995.-Pages24-37.

6. Amedei Tieri. The Huns after Attila. // Homeland Notes. Year seventeenth. Volume XCVIII. - SPb., 1855.

1.1. Huns and ancient Bulgars were similar at a genetic level and were closely related.

1.2. The Bulgars, and peoples closely related to them, for several centuries belonged to the Hun ethnosystem. Later, Huns joined the ancient Bulgarian ethnosystem. This circumstance influenced significantly the history of the Bulgars and resulted in a significant variety within the ancient Bulgarian ethnosystem. As the “ethnosystem” concept is one of the key categories for understanding the ethnic history of the ancestors of the modern Tatar people, the changes that took place in the ancient Bulgarian ethnosystem should be properly understood.

1.3. The history of the Tatar people and the history of all its ancestors are examined by us as a single and integral process of development. In this integral historical process we isolate the basic stages. The essential factor is the statehood of the Tatar people and its ancestors. According to this convention the historical development of Sumerian statehood is considered as an initial stage, Hun statehood as a second, ancient Bulgarian as a third, statehood of the Volga Bulgars - the fourth, the statehood of the Kipchak Kaganate Tatars as a fifth, the statehood of the Kazan Tatars as the sixth stage.

The present phase of study ought to highlight and trace the second and third stages in the existence and development of the statehood of the Tatar people’s historical ancestors.