By the time the Jews arrived in Khazaria, white and black Khazars lived quite amicably in this provincial state. White Khazars- This is the ruling caste of professional warriors from the Slavic-Aryans. Black Khazars- these are Turkic tribes who came to the lower reaches of the Ra River (Itil - Volga) from the depths of Asia, as refugees from Ancient China. They left their homeland following the Dinglin tribes, their allies in the struggle for independence against the ancient Chinese. In principle, the black Khazars are representatives of yellow peoples with an admixture of black ones. They had pitch black hair, black eyes and dark skin. This is what gave rise to the name – Black Khazars, because in comparison with the fair-haired and blue-eyed Slavic-Aryans, they looked very dark.
One way or another, Khazaria existed as a multinational state-province in which Whites and Yellows coexisted peacefully. Just like with all your neighbors. The Great Silk Road passed through the Khazar Khaganate, this is exactly what the Persian Jews from the tribe of Simon liked very much.
Jews from Persia and Byzantium
First, Mazdakite Jews appeared in Khazaria, and very soon they were joined by anti-Mazdakite Jews expelled from the Byzantine Empire.
Mazdakite Jews. At the beginning of the 6th century AD. In the Persian Empire, under the vigilant leadership of Exarch Mar-Zutra, the Jews organized the first revolution under the slogans of Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood (these events are better known as the uprising of the Vizier Mazdak). The ruling caste was destroyed - the White Persians - the descendants of the Slavic-Aryans, who created the Persian Empire. They were declared "enemies of the people" and their wealth was expropriated, which was divided between the poor Jews and the Jewish leaders. But such “justice” and “equality” were not appreciated by the Persian poor and the remnants of the Persian nobility. They organized a counter-revolution, and in Summer 6038 from S.M.Z.H. (529 AD) Kavad was overthrown, and the vizier Mazdak was brutally executed, along with his supporters who could be found. However, the Mazdakite Jews managed to leave the “country of social equality and brotherhood” they had created, along with the looted wealth of the Persian nobility, and settled in Khazaria.
Anti-Mazdakite Jews- These are the rich Jews of Persia who opposed Mazdak. But “for some reason” the Jewish revolutionaries did not touch them, but simply expelled them from Persia along with their wealth. Anti-Mazdakite Jews asked for refuge from the “Persian Revolution” from the emperor of the Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire). The Romans accepted the anti-Mazdakite Jews and, it would seem, the latter should at least be grateful to the Roman Empire. But the Jewish “gratitude” turned out to be very strange:
“The Jews who found salvation in Byzantium should have helped the Byzantines. But they helped in a rather strange way. Making secret agreements with the Arabs, the Jews opened the gates of the cities at night and let in the Arab soldiers. They slaughtered the men and sold the women and children into slavery. The Jews, buying up slaves cheaply, resold them at a considerable profit for themselves. The Greeks could not like this. But, deciding not to make new enemies for themselves, they limited themselves to inviting the Jews to leave. Thus, a second group of Jews appeared in the lands of the Khazars - the Byzantine one."
Judean Khazar Khaganate
Main trade routes through the Khazar Khaganate:
1. The Silk Road from China to Northern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (through the Roman Empire).
2. Trade route from Great Biarmia and Siberia to the South, through Constantinople to the Middle East and Africa.
3. Trade route from Africa through the Middle East to the North and East.
4. Trade route from northern European countries.
The next Night of Svarog was approaching - a time desired by the Jews, when they could easily “press” the necessary “buttons” of human animal nature and, manipulating this, achieve their cherished goal - the accumulation of capital. That is why by the 7th century AD. first the Mazdakite Jews, and then the anti-Mazdakite Jews, came to Khazaria “by chance.” “Poor” wanderers without a homeland began to implement their next grandiose plan.
The first “echelon” in the Jewish offensive against the still unsuspecting Khazaria was Institute of Jewish Brides. The Jews gave their most beautiful sisters, daughters, and sometimes their own wives, to the highest nobility of Khazaria as wives, concubines, or sex slaves. Jewish women gave birth to children for the Khazar nobility, who, according to Jewish laws, were Jews, were raised by their mothers, like Jews, ACCORDING TO JUDIAN TRADITIONS, but inherited their position in the social system of Khazaria from their fathers. In Khazaria, as elsewhere in the lands of the Slavic-Aryan Empire, nationality was determined by father. Thus, among the Khazar nobility, children were born from Jewish women who received after their fathers not only property, but also THEIR POSITION. This is exactly what the “wise men of Zion” needed. Children born from mixed marriages with Jewish women occupied a high position in the Khazar hierarchy, and contributed to their relatives in obtaining trading rights.
Gradually, there were so many Jews on their mother’s side among the highest nobility of Khazaria that they began to directly interfere with the Khazar traditions. First in Summer 6239 from S.M.Z.H. ( 730 AD) one of the leaders named Bulan restored Judaism among his fellow Jews, and then in Summer 6308 from S.M.Z.H. ( 799 AD) a direct descendant of Bulan, the Khazar military leader Obadiah, carried out a coup d'etat and turned the Kagan into an obedient puppet. Power passed completely into the hands of the Jewish king(bek), and Judaism became the state religion of Khazaria. Obadiah, with the help of mercenaries - the Pechenegs and the Guzes - unleashed a bloody civil war. After a long civil war with the invaders, the Khazar Turks were defeated. Some of them were slaughtered along with their wives and children, the other part left their homeland and settled on the territory of modern Hungary. After the victory, the Khazar Jews imposed a heavy tribute on ordinary Khazars, turned into real powerless slaves, prohibited, on pain of death, from having weapons and learning how to use them. Once again, the Jews “thanked” the people who had provided them with refuge in a very unique way.
“The Jews, unlike the Khazars, by the 9th century. actively involved in the then international trade system. The caravans that went from China to the West belonged mainly to Jews. And trade with China in the 8th-9th centuries. was the most profitable occupation. The Tang Dynasty, trying to replenish the treasury that was emptying due to the maintenance of a large army, allowed silk to be exported from the country. The Jewish caravans went to China for silk... Then the caravans crossed the Yaik River and went to the Volga. Here, rest, plentiful food and entertainment awaited tired travelers. Beautiful Volga fish and fruits, milk and wine, musicians and beauties delighted the caravaners. And the Jewish traders who ruled the economy of the Volga region accumulated treasures, silks, and slaves. Then the caravans went further, ending up in Western Europe: Bavaria, Languedoc, Provence, and, having crossed the Pyrenees, they ended the long journey with the Muslim sultans of Cordoba and Andalusia ... "
* L.N. Gumilev "From Rus' to Russia". Chapter II. Slavs and their enemies.
In Summer 6472 (964 AD) Prince Svyatoslav defeated the Judean Khazar Khaganate. The capital of Khazaria - Itil - was destroyed to the ground, the key fortresses of Khazaria were taken. The Jews left the borders of modern Russia. The lands of the Bulgars, Burtases, Yases and Kasogs, dependent on the Kaganate, were also crushed. But as an inheritance from the Khazar Kaganate the Jews were left with trading posts, which by the time the Kaganate was defeated, in most cases had already turned into shadow states within states and had a powerful influence on the economy and politics of the countries in which they were located.
One way or another, it was thanks to Svyatoslav that the Dark Forces were not able to completely enslave the Russian land at the very beginning of the Night of Svarog.
*Based on materials from books by Levashov N.V.
Khazar Khaganate, early feudal state formation that arose in the mid-7th century. in the territory of the Lower Volga region and the eastern part of the North Caucasus as a result of the collapse of the Western Turkic Kaganate (see. Turkic Khaganate ). The capital of Kh. until the beginning of the 8th century. there was the city of Semender in Dagestan, and then the city of Itil on the Lower Volga. In the 2nd half of the 7th century. the Khazars subjugated part of the Azov Bulgarians, as well as Savirov in coastal Dagestan; Albania Caucasian became a tributary of Kh. By the beginning of the 8th century. The Khazars owned the Northern Caucasus, the entire Azov region, most of the Crimea, as well as the steppe and forest-steppe territories of Eastern Europe to the Dnieper. In 735, the Arabs invaded the lands of Kh. through the Caspian Passage and Daryal and defeated the army kagan . The Kagan and his entourage adopted Islam, which, however, became widespread only among part of the population of the Kaganate. In the 1st half of the 8th century. part of the Khazars of Northern Dagestan adopted Judaism. The main type of economic activity of the population of the Kh. k. remained nomadic cattle breeding. Agriculture and horticulture developed in the Lower Volga valley. The capital of the Kaganate, Itil, became an important center of crafts and international (including transit) trade. In the Don-Donets interfluve, in connection with the resettlement of part of the North Caucasian Alans there, settled settlements arose. The formation of early feudal relations began. Actual power in the state was concentrated in the hands of local Khazar and Bulgarian feudal lords, and the Kagan turned into a revered but powerless ruler.
During the 8th century. Kh. K. maintained strong relations with Byzantium, which contributed to the spread of Christianity. She was allowed to create a metropolis on the territory of Kh., which included 7 dioceses. At the end of the 8th - beginning of the 9th centuries, Obadiah, who became the head of the Kaganate, declared Judaism the state religion. At the end of the 9th century. The Northern Black Sea region was captured Pechenegs and expelled (895) the Magyars, dependent on H.K., to the Danube. Byzantium, interested in weakening the Kaganate, began to incite the nomads surrounding them against the Khazars. But the main force opposing the HK was the Old Russian state. Back in the 9th century. Russian squads penetrated into the Caspian Sea. In 913-14 and 943-44, Russian troops passed through Khazaria and devastated the Caspian coast. In the 60s 10th century Russian prince Svyatoslav Igorevich made a campaign against the Volga and defeated Kh. k. The towns were ruined. Itil, Semender, the city of Sarkel was captured. The attempt of the Khazars in the 2nd half of the 10th century was unsuccessful. save the situation with the help of Khorezm. At the end of the 10th century. HK ceased to exist.
Lit.: Artamonov M.I., History of the Khazars, L., 1962; Pletneva S. A., From nomads to cities, M., 1967; Zakhoder B.N., Caspian Code of Information about Eastern Europe, vol. 1-2, M., 1962-67; Pletneva S. A., Khazary, M., 1976.
Jewish Kaganate... a strange and unexpected formulation, isn’t it? We are used to talking about the “Khazar Khaganate”, but did the Jews really have such a concept – i.e. among the Jews?
Here we should start by clarifying one misunderstanding. The fact is that “Jews” is not an ethnic term at all, i.e. this word is not the name of a people. The mistake is due to the fact that we are accustomed to saying “Jews”, meaning “Jews”, but this is incorrect: the ethnic term is “Jews”, and “Jews” is a designation of religion. True, this mistake can be called natural: Judaism, like most ancient religions, is “attached” to the Jewish people. An important point in this religion is the idea that the Jewish people are chosen by God. But in principle, there are no obstacles to representatives of other nations, and even nations as a whole, becoming Jews. This is exactly what the Khazars did - the same Khazars against whom the prophetic Oleg was going to “take revenge.”
Initially, the Khazars were a nomadic tribe. In the middle of the 7th century. They defeated the Bulgars, some of whom migrated across the Danube, and the rest recognized the supremacy of the Khazars. The ruler of the Khazars takes the title of kagan. In the nomadic hierarchy this was the highest title - “khan of khans”. From this time on, we can already talk about a state - the Khazar Kaganate.
This state included the territory of the Ciscaucasia, the Middle and Lower Volga region, the northwestern part of modern Kazakhstan, the east of Crimea, the Azov region and the steppe to the Dnieper River. Of course, initially this state was pagan, but in the second half of the 8th century. A remarkable event concerning the religious life of the Khazars takes place here.
According to legend, a dispute was held between adherents of three religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism... remember? “The Tale of Bygone Years”, Prince Vladimir receives clergymen of different religions, each of whom describes the merits of his faith, and the prince, weighing all their advantages and disadvantages, decides which religion to introduce in Rus'... It is difficult to say whether there was such a dispute - and us, and the Khazars - but there was definitely a choice, since it was inevitable: the development of the state requires a unifying principle, a pagan religion with its ancestral and tribal deities cannot become one... to unify the country, a monotheistic religion is needed, the question is which one.
What gave Rus' the preference given by Prince Vladimir to Christianity is known. If we talk about the short term, we were talking about an alliance with Byzantium, the most powerful state of that era. But the Khazar authorities relied on another monotheistic religion - Judaism.
Why Judaism? Most likely, this was due to the fact that a large number of Jews lived in the territory that the Khazars controlled, including the territory of modern Dagestan, where they came from. Scientists are still arguing how deeply Judaism penetrated into Khazar society - whether only the “power elite” accepted it or ordinary people did it too, how it interacted with Khazar paganism...
But overall we can say that this was not the right step. The idea of the chosenness of Jews occupies too large a place in Judaism so that it could become a unifying principle for another people. And the Jews at that time had long lost their statehood. The main task of Judaism was to preserve identity while living among other peoples, and not to strengthen the state - and Judaism failed to cope with this task. In the middle of the 10th century. The Khazar Kaganate as a state ceased to exist.
state in the mid-7th - late 10th centuries. led by the Kagan. The capital is Semender, from the beginning of the 8th century - Itil. At the beginning of the 8th century. included the territories of the North Caucasus, the Azov region, most of the Crimea, steppe and forest-steppe territories up to the Dnieper. Traded with the peoples of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Transcaucasia, etc. Believers - Jews, Muslims, Christians. In 964-965 it was defeated by Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich.
Excellent definition
Incomplete definition ↓
KHAZAR KAGANATE
early feudal state education that arose in the middle. 7th century on the territory Lower Volga region and eastern parts of the North Caucasus as a result of the collapse of the Western Turkic Kaganate (see Turkic Kaganate). The Turk remained at the head of the Kh. Ashina dynasty. The capital of the Kaganate until the beginning. 8th century there was the city of Semender in Dagestan, and then the city of Itil (on the Lower Volga). In the 2nd half. 7th century The Khazars subjugated some of those who were part of the state. the unification of the Great Bulgaria of the Azov Bulgarians (some of them, after the defeat, went to the Middle Volga, and the rest - beyond the Dnieper to the Danube), as well as the kingdom of the Savir Huns in coastal Dagestan; Caucasian Albania became a tributary of X. K. Byzantium established an alliance with X. K. (concluded with the Western Turkic Khaganate against Sasanian Iran), directed against the established in the 2nd half. 7th century in Transcaucasia of the Arab Caliphate. To the beginning 8th century The Khazars owned the North. The Caucasus, the entire Azov region, b. part of Crimea (taken from Byzantium), as well as the steppe and forest-steppe territories of the East. Europe to the Dnieper. At the same time, they waged a fierce struggle with the Arabs for the possession of Transcaucasia, repeatedly raided there, but were unable to establish themselves there. In 735, the Arabs invaded the lands of the Kh. K. through the Caspian pass and Daryal, defeating the army of the Kagan (the title of the head of the Kh. K.). The Kagan and his entourage were forced to convert to Islam (that is, actually submit to the Arabs), which, however, became widespread only among part of the population of the Kh. K., and the Kagan himself and his entourage soon abandoned it. With the center of X. moving to Nizh. On the Volga, agriculture and horticulture are developing in its valley, and in the capital of the Kaganate, Itil, crafts and trade are developing. The city has become an important international center. (transit) trade, which brought X. large incomes. In the Don-Donetsk interfluve, in connection with the resettlement of part of the North Caucasus there. Alans, settled settlements arise, cities are revived on the Taman and Kerch Peninsulas. Although the main type of household activities of the population of X. k. nomadic cattle breeding remains, the process of disintegration of clan orders accelerates, and an early feud takes shape. relationship. As a result of the defeat inflicted by the Arabs on the Kagan's army, the authority of the Turkic dynasty in the Khaganate Empire fell. Actual power in the state is concentrated in the hands of local Khazar and Bulgarian feudal lords, and the kagan turns into a revered but powerless ruler. During the 8th century. X. K. maintained strong relations with Byzantium, which contributed to the spread of Christianity. She was allowed to create on the territory. X. k. church. organization (metropolis), which included 7 dioceses, including the diocese in Itil, which provided Byzantium. influence in X. k. In connection with the great international. the role of X. K. the question of his state. religion had an important political meaning. The Arabs tried unsuccessfully to establish Islam there, and Byzantium - Christianity. The Khazars did not associate themselves with the church. ties neither with the Caliphate nor with Byzantium. In the 1st half. 8th century (c. 731) part of the Khazars North. Dagestan adopted Judaism (Jews expelled from Sasanian Iran and, later, from Byzantium settled in Northern Dagestan), including a certain prince. Bulan. In con. 8 - beginning 9th centuries one of his descendants, Obadiah, became the head of the X. c. and declared Judaism state. religion. The coup he carried out caused discontent among other Khazar princes. A long and stubborn struggle began, during which the rebels called for help from the Magyars from across the Volga, and Obadiah hired the Ghuz nomads. The uprising was suppressed, the Magyars were pushed back beyond the Dnieper, and the surviving rebels (kabars) left with them. The Crimean Goths, who came under the rule of Byzantium, and certain other peoples who had previously paid tribute to the Khazars (including the Dnieper Slavs) took advantage of the turmoil in the Khazars. During these years, the Sarkel fortress was built on the Don, intended to protect the market. path from 3. to Itil. In con. 9th century all in. The Pechenegs broke through the Black Sea region and expelled (895) the Magyars dependent on the X. K. into the Danube region. The Black Sea and Don steppes came under the rule of the Pechenegs. Byzantium, interested in further weakening the Kaganate, took advantage of this. She began to set the nomadic tribes surrounding them against the Khazars. But ch. The force that opposed X. k. was Old Rus. state Back in the 9th century. rus. squads penetrated into the Caspian Sea, disrupting trade along the Caspian-Volga route, which was important for the Khazars. In 913/914 and 943/944 Russian. troops passed through Khazaria and devastated the Caspian coast. In 964/965 Rus. Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich made a campaign on the Volga and defeated X. k. The towns were ruined. Itil and Semender and the city of Sarkel was captured. The Khazars' attempt in the 2nd half was unsuccessful. 10th century save the situation with the help of Khorezm, at the cost of accepting Islam, i.e., subordination to Khorezm. Weakened internal contradictions and will devastate. invasions of nomadic peoples (Pechenegs, Guzes), defeat 964/965, towards the end. 10th century X. k. ceased to exist. Lit.: Artamonov M.I., History of the Khazars, L., 1962; Pletneva S. A., From nomads to cities, M., 1967; Zakhoder B.N., Caspian Code of Information about Eastern Europe, vol. 1-2, L., 1962-67; Kokovtsov P.K., Jewish-Khazar correspondence in the 10th century, Leningrad, 1932; Dunlop D. M., The history of the Jewish Khazars, Princeton (N.Y.), 1954. M. I. Artamonov. Leningrad.