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Khazar Khaganate

Type Object Region East European steppe Time c. 650–969

The Khazar Khaganate was a Turkic nomadic empire active from the 7th to 10th centuries along the lower Volga, North Caucasus, and northern Caspian sh…

Timeline

  1. c. 800–830Volga-Caspian trade route · Volga basinThe Khazar Khaganate controlled trade routes between the Volga and Don, levying tariffs on caravans from the Arab Empire and Byzantium; the city of Atil (Itil) brought together Jewish, Muslim, and Christian merchants, becoming the core of Eurasian steppe trade in the 9th century.
  2. c. 840–880North Caucasus frontier · North CaucasusThe Khazar Khaganate served as a buffer between Byzantium and the Abbasids on the northern slopes of the Caucasus, repeatedly dispatching envoys, and at one point assisted Byzantine emperor Basil I against Arab forces, maintaining the diplomatic balance of the steppe empire.
  3. c. 890–900Upper Dnieper · Dnieper basinVarangians of Kievan Rus' expanded along the Dnieper-Black Sea trade route, beginning to challenge Khazar control of downstream trade, while the southward pressure of steppe tribes such as the Pechenegs further eroded Khazar military superiority.

Sources