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Foundation of the Bulgar Khanate
In 681 CE, Bulgar leader Asparuh defeated Byzantine forces on the lower Danube;…
Timeline
- 670–680South bank of the Danube · BulgariaBulgar leader Asparuh led his people westward from the Volga region, crossed the Danube into the Byzantine Empire's frontier zone, allied with local Slavic tribes, and established a stronghold on the lower Danube, posing a serious threat to Byzantine rule in the Balkans.
- 680–681Lower Danube · BulgariaByzantine Emperor Constantine IV personally led a large army against the Bulgars but was ambushed and defeated on the lower Danube. The Byzantine were forced to retreat, unable to expel Bulgar power, and lost control of the northern Balkans.
- 681Plastara · BulgariaThe Byzantine and the Bulgars concluded a peace treaty formally recognizing their independence and promising annual tribute. Asparuh founded the First Bulgarian Khanate south of the Danube, with its capital at Plastara, and Bulgar military nobility gradually merged with the Slavic populace.
Sources
- The Making of Bulgaria — Dimitri Obolensky (1985)
- History of the Byzantine State — George Ostrogorsky (1969)