Abstract
Despite the fact that rulers of early medieval, pre-Christian Bulgaria were undoubtedly khans ('khana'), a number of scholars, from Mark Whittow to Peter Golden, prefer to refer to Bulgaria as a khaganate. As Bulgaria was a de facto khaganate from the early ninth century onwards, substituting Bulgars for Avars was no poetical license. The title of khagan is therefore a hint at Bulgaria's position within the pair of peoples that, since Methodius of Pathara, defined the barbarian empire. From an eleventh-century perspective, Bulgaria may have appeared as both a steppe empire and a Christian kingdom. But after 1018, such a perspective could only be called political nostalgia. The unknown authors of the Bulgarian apocalyptic texts skillfully manipulated several sources and combined them in such a way as to bring out the imperial idea using the theme of the succession of the four kingdoms. Keywords: Christian Empire; khaganate; pre-Christian Bulgaria; steppe empire
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
