Volga Bulgaria or Volga–Kama Bulgaria (sometimes referred to as the Volga Bulgar Emirate ) was a historical Bulgar state that existed between the 9th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama River , in what is now European Russia . Volga Bulgaria was a multi-ethnic state with large numbers of Bulgars , Finno-Ugrians , Varangians , and East Slavs . Its strategic position allowed it to create a local trade monopoly with Norse , Cumans , and Pannonian Avars .
40-429: (Redirected from Silki ) Şilki (pronounced [ʃilˈki] ) or Šilki or Shilki , or possibly Jilki (posthumously Islamized as ˁAbdallāh ; mid 9th to beginning of the 10th century) was a Volga Bulgarian ruler ( iltäbär ). According to the controversial History of Jaˁfar , Şilki was a descendant of Kubrat of " Old Great Bulgaria " (see genealogy below) according to
80-691: A centre of agriculture and handicraft. Pontic%E2%80%93Caspian steppe The Pontic–Caspian Steppe is a steppe extending across Eastern Europe to Central Asia , formed by the Caspian and Pontic steppes. It stretches from the northern shores of the Black Sea (the Pontus Euxinus of antiquity) to the northern area around the Caspian Sea , where it ends at the Ural-Caspian narrowing, which joins it with
120-557: A general Arabic term for Slavic people . Other researches tie the term to the ethnic name Scythian (or Saka in Persian ). Over time, the cities of Volga Bulgaria were rebuilt and became trade and craft centres of the Golden Horde . Some Volga Bulgars, primarily masters and craftsmen, were forcibly moved to Sarai and other southern cities of the Golden Horde. Volga Bulgaria remained
160-534: A green field, with a scarlet banner, on which the cross is also silver; the shaft is gold." A large part of the region's population included Turkic groups such as Sabirs , Esegel , Barsil , Bilars , Baranjars , and part of the obscure Burtas (by ibn Rustah ). Modern Chuvash claim to descend from Sabirs , Esegels , and Volga Bulgars . Another part comprised Volga Finnic and Magyar ( Asagel and Pascatir ) tribes, from which Bisermäns probably descend. Ibn Fadlan refers to Volga Bulgaria as Saqaliba ,
200-500: A large force of Rus' for an even larger campaign against the Bulgars. The Bulgars would send entreaties and proposals for peace but these were all rejected. Yuri travelled with his army to Omut where further entreaties for peace were received from the Bulgars however these were still rejected. However, by the time Vasilko Konstantinovich of Rostov arrived, Yuri accepted an offer of gifts and agreed to adhere to an earlier peace treaty with
240-557: A part of the Ulus Jochi , later known as the Golden Horde . 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. Volga Bulgar language was a Turkic language. The only extant member of the Oghuric group that is still spoken today
280-575: A red banner." Over time, the colour of the shield changed to green. In the Manifesto on the full coat of arms of the Empire (1800), the Bulgarian coat of arms is described as follows: "In a green field it has a white Lamb with a golden radiance near its head; in its right front paw it holds a Christian banner." The description of the coat of arms, approved in 1857: "The Bulgarian coat of arms: a silver lamb walking in
320-465: A silver cross; the shaft is gold. The erroneous perception of the beast on the Bulgarian coat of Arms in the Royal Titular as a lamb is explained by the poor quality of the reproduction of the image. In the "Historical Dictionary of Russian Sovereigns ..." by I. Nekhachin (ed. by A.Reshetnikov, 1793), the Bulgarian coat of arms is described as follows: "Bulgarian, in a blue field, a silver lamb wearing
360-486: Is a part of the Palearctic realm , and of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome . The area corresponds to Cimmeria , Scythia , and Sarmatia of classical antiquity . Across several millennia, numerous tribes of nomadic horsemen used the steppe; many of them went on to conquer lands in the settled regions of Central and Eastern Europe , West Asia , and South Asia . The term Ponto-Caspian region
400-634: Is known that the Bulgarian coat of arms figure was used to designate the Bulgarian Kingdom and in the Great Seal of Tsar John IV. The seal was a "lion walking" (which is confirmed by the seals of the Volga Bulgarians found by archaeologists). On the coats of arms and seals of the Russian tsars, the lands of Volga Bulgaria were represented on a green field by a silver walking lamb with a red banner divided by
440-606: Is the Chuvash language . The language persisted in the Volga region up until the 13th or 14th century. Although there is no direct evidence, some scholars believe it gave rise to modern Chuvash language while others support the idea that Chuvash is another distinct Oghur Turkic language. Italian historian and philologist Igor de Rachewiltz noted a significant distinction of the Chuvash language from other Turkic languages. According to him,
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#1733085112649480-629: Is the only Oghuric language that survived and it is the sole living representative of the Volga Bulgar language. Most scholars agree that the Volga Bulgars were initially subject to the Khazar Khaganate. This fragmented Volga Bulgaria grew in size and power and gradually freed itself from the influence of the Khazars. Sometime in the late 9th century, unification processes started and the capital
520-570: Is used in biogeography with reference to the flora and fauna of these steppes, including animals from the Black, Caspian, and Azov Seas . Genetic research has identified this region as the most probable place where horses were first domesticated . The Kurgan hypothesis , the most prevalent theory in Indo-European studies , speculates that the Pontic–Caspian steppe was the homeland of the speakers of
560-507: The Christianization of Kievan Rus' . In 921 Almış sent an ambassador to the Caliph requesting religious instruction. The next year an embassy returned with Ibn Fadlan as secretary. A significant number of Muslims already lived in the country. The Volga Bulgars attempted to convert Vladimir I of Kiev to Islam; however Vladimir rejected the notion of Rus' giving up wine, which he declared
600-712: The Golden Horde invasion. Volga Bulgaria played a key role in the trade between Europe and the Muslim world. Furs and slaves were the main goods in this trade, and the Volga Bulgarian slave trade played a significant role. People taken captive during the viking raids in Western Europe, such as Ireland, could be sold to Moorish Spain via the Dublin slave trade or transported to Hedeby or Brännö in Scandinavia and from there via
640-698: The Kazakh Steppe in Central Asia, making it a part of the larger Eurasian Steppe . Geopolitically, the Pontic-Caspian Steppe extends from northeastern Bulgaria and southeastern Romania through Moldova and eastern Ukraine , through the North Caucasus of southern Russia , and into the Lower Volga region where it straddles the border of southern Russia and western Kazakhstan . Biogeographically, it
680-572: The Kutrigur and Utigur Hunno -Bulgars. These conclusions remain a topic of ongoing debate and controversy among scholars. The Bulgars were an Oghuric people who settled north of the Black Sea . During their westward migration across the Eurasian steppe , they came under the overlordship of Khazars , leading other ethnic groups, including Finno-Ugric and Iranic as well as other Turkic peoples. In about 630 they founded Old Great Bulgaria , which
720-680: The North Caucasian steppes. Interaction with the Hunnic tribes , causing the migration, may have occurred there, and the Pontic–Caspian steppe seems the most likely location. Some scholars propose that the Bulgars may have been a branch or offshoot of the Huns or at least Huns seem to have been absorbed by the Bulgars after Dengizich 's death. Others however, argue that the Huns continued under Ernak, becoming
760-688: The Northern Caucasus of southern Russia , and into the Lower Volga region of western Kazakhstan , to the east of the Ural Mountains . The steppe is bounded by the East European forest steppe to the north, a transitional zone of mixed grasslands and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests . To the south, the steppe extends to the Black Sea, except the Crimean and western Caucasus mountains' border with
800-619: The Proto-Indo-European language . With the scientific advances in DNA genome mapping and the introduction of bioarchaeology , the Kurgan hypothesis is today widely considered to have been validated. The Pontic–Caspian steppe covers an area of 994,000 km (384,000 sq mi) of Central and Eastern Europe , that extends from northeastern Bulgaria and southeastern Romania , through Moldova , and southern and eastern Ukraine , through
840-618: The Samanid slave market in Central Asia and finally via Iran to the Abbasid Caliphate . Slavic pagans were also enslaved by Vikings, Magyars , and Volga Bulgars, who transported them to Volga Bulgaria, where they were sold to Muslim slave traders and continued to Khwarezm and the Samanids, with a minor part being exported to the Byzantine Empire . This was a major trade; the Samanids were
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#1733085112649880-526: The Unzha River which was an important commercial route. In 1220, the Grand Duke Yuri II of Vladimir captured Ustiug and besieged the important Bulgar town of Aşlı . The consequence of this was that Vladimir-Suzdal gained access to Volga Bulgaria's northern trade routes and hindered the means of the Bulgars acquiring fur. The Nikon Chronicle also details that following this, Yuri II began amassing
920-560: The Volga trade route to Russia, where slaves and furs were sold to Muslim merchants in exchange for Arab silver dirham and silk, which have been found in Birka , Wollin and Dublin ; initially this trade route between Europe and the Abbasid Caliphate passed via the Khazar Kaghanate , but from the early 10th century onward it went via Volga Bulgaria and from there by caravan to Khwarazm , to
960-609: The Bulgars that was agreed under the rule of his father, Vsevolod the Big Nest . In September 1223 near Samara an advance guard of Genghis Khan 's army under the command of Uran , son of Subutai Bahadur , entered Volga Bulgaria but was defeated in the Battle of Samara Bend . In 1236, the Mongols returned and in five years had subjugated the whole country, which at that time was suffering from internal war . Henceforth Volga Bulgaria became
1000-498: The Chuvash language does not share certain common characteristics with Turkic languages to such a degree that some scholars consider Chuvash as an independent branch from Turkic and Mongolic. The Turkic classification of Chuvash was seen as a compromise solution for classification purposes. Definition of verbs in Volga Bulgar Volga Bulgars left some inscriptions in tombstones. There are few surviving inscriptions in
1040-571: The Cäğfär Taríxı Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Şilki&oldid=1213546079 " Categories : History of Tatarstan Volga Bulgaria 10th-century monarchs in Europe Hidden categories: Pages with Tatar IPA CS1 Tatar-language sources (tt) Volga Bulgaria The origin of the early Bulgars is still unclear. Their homeland is believed to be situated between Kazakhstan and
1080-502: The Pious and Vsevolod III ), anxious to defend their eastern border, systematically pillaged Volga Bulgarian cities. Under Rus' pressure from the west, the Volga Bulgars had to move their capital from Bolghar to Bilär . From the beginning of the 13th century, the Volga Bulgars were subject to multiple raids from the East Slavic principalities as multiple skirmishes took place for control of
1120-610: The Tatar Encyclopaedia. 2002. Golden, P. B., An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples , Wiesbaden, 1992. Golden, P. B., "Nomads of the western Eurasian steppes: Ogurs, Onogurs and Khazars, in: H. Roemer et al. (eds.), Philologiae Turcicae Fundamenta , III, Berlin, 2001: 282–302. Nurutdinov, F., et al. (eds.), Bahši Iman, Džagfar tarihy , vol. 1, Orenburg, 1993. External links [ edit ] Text of
1160-579: The Volga Bulgar language and its place within the broader Turkic language family. Cases in Volga Bulgar Ivan III was also called the "Prince of Bulgaria". The mention of the Bulgarian land has been present in the royal title since 1490. This refers to Volga Bulgaria. Ivan by the grace of God is the sovereign of all Russia and the Grand Duke of Vladimir, and Moscow, and Novgorod, and Pskov, and Tver, and Yugra, and Prmsk, and Bolgar and others It
1200-693: The Volga Bulgar language, as the language was primarily an oral language and the Volga Bulgars did not develop a writing system until much later in their history. After converting to Islam, some of these inscriptions were written using Arabic letters while the use of the Orkhon script continued. Mahmud al-Kashgari provides some information about the language of the Volga Bulgars, whom he refers to as Bulghars. Some scholars suggest Hunnic had strong ties with Bulgar and to modern Chuvash and classify this grouping as separate Hunno-Bulgar languages. However, such speculations are not based on proper linguistic evidence, since
1240-553: The language of the Huns is almost unknown except for a few attested words and personal names. Scholars generally consider Hunnish as unclassifiable. Numbers and Vocabulary in Volga Bulgar Mahmud al-Kashgari also provides some examples of Volga Bulgar words, poems, and phrases in his dictionary.. However, Mahmud al-Kashgari himself wasn't a native speaker of Volga Bulgar. Despite its limitations, Mahmud al-Kashgari's work remains an important source of information about
Şilki - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-715: The leader Asparukh moved west from the Pontic-Caspian steppes and eventually settled along the Danube River., in what is now known as Bulgaria proper, where they created a confederation with the Slavs , adopting a South Slavic language and the Eastern Orthodox faith. However, Bulgars in Idel-Ural eventually gave birth to Chuvash people. Unlike Danube Bulgars, Volga Bulgars did not adopt any language. The Chuvash language today
1320-486: The main source of Arab silver to Europe via this route, and Ibn Fadlan referred to the ruler of the Volga Bulgar as "King of the Saqaliba " because of his importance for this trade. The Rus' principalities to the west posed the only tangible military threat. In the 11th century, the country was devastated by several raids by other Rus'. Then, at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, the rulers of Vladimir (notably Andrew
1360-624: The north to Baghdad and Constantinople in the south, from Western Europe to China in the East. Other major cities included Bilär , Suar (Suwar), Qaşan (Kashan) and Cükätaw (Juketau). Modern cities Kazan and Yelabuga were founded as Volga Bulgaria's border fortresses. Some of the Volga Bulgarian cities have still not been found, but they are mentioned in old East Slavic sources. They are: Ashli (Oshel), Tuxçin (Tukhchin), İbrahim (Bryakhimov), Taw İle. Some of them were ruined during and after
1400-580: The sea, where the Crimean Submediterranean forest complex defines the southern edge of the steppes. The steppe extends to the western shore of the Caspian Sea in the Dagestan region of Russia, but the drier Caspian lowland desert lies between the steppe and the northwestern and northern shores of the Caspian. The Kazakh Steppe bounds the steppe to the east. The Ponto-Caspian seas are the remains of
1440-485: The tradition that Volga Bulgaria was established by Kubrat's son, Kotrag . Şilki is credited with promoting the unification of the Bulgar tribes in the area, but the events of his reign are obscure or unverifiable. He is sometimes assumed to have initiated the conversion of the Volga Bulgars to Islam. His son Almış , the most famous Volga Bulgar ruler, was a Muslim and received a caliphal embassy led by Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān . Almış
1480-527: Was destroyed by the Khazars in 668. Kotrag , following the death of his father, began to extend the influence of his Bulgars to the Volga River . He is remembered as the founder of Volga Bulgaria. They reached Idel-Ural in the eighth century, where they became the dominant population at the end of the 9th century, uniting other tribes of different origin who lived in the area. However, some Bulgar tribes under
1520-409: Was established at Bolghar (also spelled Bulgar) city, 160 km south of modern Kazan . However, complete independence was reached after Khazaria's destruction and conquest by Sviatoslav in the late 10th century; thus, Bulgars no longer paid tribute to it. Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur named the Volga Bulgar people as Ulak . Volga Bulgaria adopted Islam as a state religion in 922 – 66 years before
1560-1078: Was given the new Muslim name Jaˁfar ibn ˁAbdallāh (i.e., Jaˁfar, son of ˁAbdallāh), which in turn has led to the belief that Şilki bore the Muslim name ˁAbdallāh. However, "son of ˁAbdallāh" was a traditional filiation given to new converts to Islam (like the Mamluks of Egypt), replacing the name of their non-Muslim fathers with the name of the father of the Islamic prophet Muḥammad . Genealogy [ edit ] Kubrat Kotrag Timer (Juraš) – only in History of Jaˁfar Sulabi – only in History of Jaˁfar Ayyar – only in History of Jaˁfar Tat Utyak – only in History of Jaˁfar Kan Qarajar – only in History of Jaˁfar Ugïr Aydar – only in History of Jaˁfar Şilki References [ edit ] "Şilki/Шилки". Tatar Encyclopaedia (in Tatar). Kazan : The Republic of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences. Institution of
1600-410: Was the "very joy of their lives". 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). Bolghar , was a thriving city, rivalling in size and wealth the greatest centres of the Islamic world. Trade partners of Bolghar included from Vikings , Bjarmland , Yugra and Nenets in
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