Who are Bulgars? Slavs that are not Slavs?
Bulgarians speak a Slavic language and belong to Slavic nations. But they are a little different from other Slavs in the Balkans. Why? The answer lies in their ancient history.
Historians have their own way of naming empires. We usually label them with the hindsight and the luxury of knowing their future. Today, the Bulgarians proudly remember the First Bulgarian Empire that withstood for years against the mighty Byzantium, the aggressive politics of East and West Francia, and even the terrifying Arabian expansion.
But let us start with a question:
Who were the Bulgars?
One of the first Slavic states was not founded by the Slavs, which is a paradox. Yet, the Bulgars today clearly are a Slavic nation. Bulgarian is a Slavic language, and they use a script rooted in an Old Church Slavonic script invented by Constantine for his Slavs in Moravia. Slavs were excellent in spreading their influence and assimilating even the proudest of their conquerors. These usually acquired Slavic names in a century at the latest. It worked like this in Bulgaria or Kyivan Rus; only the Avars kept their distance. There must have been something alluring about the Slavic culture, explicitly alluding to nomads and raiders who wished to settle down.
The Bulgars came to Bulgaria, probably from Central Asia, as a loose federation of tribes. They entered the Balkan peninsula around the fifth century when they raided the province of Thrakya. Historians believe they moved from their homeland under the pressure of Huns. Even before they arrived, they had divided the tribe into two branches, while Byzantium cleverly used one against the other.
Unlike the Slavs, the Bulgars in the Avar Khaganate enjoyed an elite position. When the crisis struck the Khaganate in 631, the Bulgars fought against the native Avars for leadership of this empire. Nonetheless, the Bulgars lost, left the Khaganate, and were massacred by the Bavarians.
This branch of Bulgars died out. But the second branch went in a different direction.
The First Bulgarian Empire
The first state followed the usual model.
An able warrior accustomed to the Roman way of life with Roman education. In the East - Byzantine education.
He used the empire's help when they needed to weaken their enemies, Avar's in this case.
With his death, his realm fell apart until someone came later to unite the tribes.
The able warrior was Kubrat (?-668), who lived in Byzantium for a particular time. He learned Greek, accepted baptism, and became an educated man. With the help of his Byzantine allies, he rid his brethren of the oppression of a Turcik tribe threatening them in the East and liberated the Balkan Bulgars from the Avars. Then, he established the first state. He died in 651, and the structure disintegrated into the old tribal loyalties without serious battles.
But Kubrat's followers managed to unite the tribes again, and in 681, we can talk about a loose federation of tribes united under one rule. This federation would evolve and form a firm empire later on. The tribes in this conglomerate had reason to remain together. They had powerful enemies. Unlike the Slavs in Central Europe, the Bulgars struggled with the Avars and had to wage war against the Byzantine Empire.
Yet, the Byzantines had a new enemy, which might be the only reason they allowed Bulgarians to exist.
The followers of Mohammed began their expansion from the Arabian Peninsula. Unlike the Bulgars, who could be left to live, the Arabs were relentless. Thus, Byzantium had no time and energy to deal with the Bulgars.
Bulgars and the Slavs
The First Bulgarian State was a place where Bulgars and Slavs lived together. Bulgars were the rulers, but Slavs did not suffer in a subordinate position like under Avar's rule. The settlers created a symbiosis with the feisty raiders who protected them. Marriages between the two ethnics were often. Bulgars were a minority in their state. Most people were of either Slavic origin or old Romanized Thracian ancestry.
The top caste of the state was made of Bulgars. The ruler named himself Khan and surrounded himself with his company of the best Bulgar warriors. The Khan's court was positioned in Pliska, a former Slavic village. Over time, the Slavic population formed its own elites that slowly but surely came to the Khan's court in greater numbers and mingled with the Bulgarian elites. The Bulgarians who settled and learned agriculture assimilated with the settled Slavs.
So, unlike the Avars, the Bulgars learned to live like the nations around them. They slowly accepted the Slavic language and culture as they forgot their Bulgarian elitism.
Bulgars differ from other nations on the Balkans even today because a completely different nation founded the state.
The ancient origins of nations answer questions we ask today. The Bulgars are not the only ones. Why do the Serbs and Croats have different religions? Who has the right to rule over Kyiv? Read my latest book about the ancient Slavic origins and learn all the answers, together with the stories of my Slavic ancestors.