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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    9 views47 pages

    Bury Khazars

    Uploaded by

    Mehmet Tezcan
    Khazars

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 47
    CHAPTER XIIT THE EDIE OF THE KHAZARS AND THE PEOPLES ov THE NoRTIE § 1. The Khazars ‘Ar the beginning of the ninth contury the Eastern Empire had two dependencies, remote and isolated, which lived outside the provincial organization, and were governed by their own magistrates, Venice and Cherson. We have seen how Venice, in the reign of Theophilus, virtually became independent of Constantinople; under the same Emperor, the condition of Cherson was also changed, but in a very different sense—it was incorporated in the provincial system. The chief value of oth cities to the Empire was commercial; Venice was an intermediary for Byzantine trade with the West, while Cherson ‘wos the great centre for the commerce of the North. And both cities lay at the gates of other empires, which were both an influence and a menace. If the poople of the lagoons had to defend themselves against the Franks, the Chereonites had as ‘good reason to fear the Khazars, In the period with which we are concerned, it is probable that the Khan of the Khazars was of little less importance in the view of the Imperial foreign poliey than Chatles the Great and his successors ‘The marriage of an Emperor to the daughter of a Khazar king had signalised in the eighth century that Byzantium had interests of grave moment in this quarter of the globe, where the Khazars had formed a powerful aud onganized state, exercising control or influence over the barbarous peoples which surrounded therm ‘Their realm extended ftom the Caucasus northward to the Volga and far up the lower reaches of that river; it included on sncr THE KHAZARS 403 the basin of the Don, it reached westward to the banks of the Dnieper, and extended into the Taurie Chersonese. Tn this empire Were included peoples of various raco—the Iner Bulgarians, the Magyars, the Burdis, and the Goths of the Crimea; while the Slavonic state of Kiev paid a tribute to the Chagan. ‘The Caucasian range divided the Khazars from Iberia, and the depandencies of the Caliphate; towards the Black Sea their neighbours were the Alans and the Abasgi; the Dnieper bounded their realm on the side of Great Bulgaria; in the north their neighbours were the Bulgarians of the Volga, tnd in the east the Patzinaks All these folks came within the view of Byzantine diplomacy; some of them were to play an important part in the destinies of the Eastern Empire, ‘The capital of the ruling people was situated on the Gaspian Sea, at the mouths of the Volga, and was generally known as Itil! It was a double town built of wood. The ‘western town was named Saryg-shar, or Yellow City, in which the Chagan resided during the winter ; over against it was the eastorn town of Chamlich or Khazarin, in which wore tho quarters of the Mohammadan and the Scandinavian merebante, Chamlich seems to have lain on the eastern bank of the eastern branch of the river, while Saryg-shar was built on the island ‘and on the western shore of the westem mouth, the two portions being connected by a bridge of boats; so that Iti is sometimes described as consisting of three towns? The island vwas covered with the fields and vineyards and gardens of the Chagan. ‘Three other important towns or fortresses of the Khazars lay between Ttil and the Caspian gates. Semender wns situated fb the mouth of the Terek stream at Kizliar® It was a place rich in vineyards, with a considerable Mohammadan population, "The namo of the. Volga ‘The Tiga ater we ea gh the (Weston wo ; tara Busan Soe Westby Snel, fh a "tn' ata and Yb Padhlan speek “allel of ewo town ot part ofthe (RE tes ld aise fer denguaan tho sutra a8 Ha ‘pce iL i). Waster lena (Sprenger 0-07) ber as hat the Iter mane gee tite try abd acen the Tel was Seksio (G57 agp, and Be snes i tho lands "Tala age 258 og. Sgro with te Lala of deco hers" Westberg, analy, i 2 py. 400 EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE cvtar. xu who lived in wooden houses with convex roofs.” ‘The fortress of Belenjer, which lay on the lower course of the Sulek, on the road which leads southward from Kizlinr to Petrovak,? seems to have played some part in the earlier wars between the Khazars and the Saracens? Farther south still was the town of Tari, on the road to Kaiakend and the Caspian gatos The Arabio writers to whom we owe much of our knowledge of Khazaria suggest picture of agricultural and pastoral prosperity. ‘The Khazars were extensive sheep-farmers;® their towns were surrounded by gardens and vineyards ; they were rich in honey and wax ; and had abundance of fish. “The richest pastures and most productive lands in their country were known 1 the Nine Regions, and probably lay in the modern districts of Kuban and Ter’ The king and his court wintered in Itil, but in the spring they went forth and encamped in the plains” According to oue report, the Chagan had twenty-five wives, ‘each the daughter of a king, and sixty conoubines eminent for their beauty. Each of them had @ house of her own, a québa covered with teakwood, surrounded by a large pavilion, and each was jealously guarded by a eunuch who kept her from being seen® But at a later period a Chagan boasts of his queen, her maidens, and eunuchs, and we are left to wonder whether polygamy had been renounced or was deliberately concealed? ‘The Chagan himeelf seems to have taken no direct share in the administration of the state or the conduct of war.” His sacred person was almost inaccessible; when he rode abroad, all those who saw him prostrated themaelves on the ground and did not rise till he had passed out of sight. On his death, a great sepulchre was built with twenty chambers, suspended af inland tu deribo rt gaa rf aly omy ley e bargant, reyes 8) which war Gotned nase eh eal sa"t2, atcha mye St tua Upfet rp X's they keto fhe dls {eremoe by a ince wo was 8 Jew Ulwonds tho land St the Ala ee SEPdiead tothe’ Ghagone “iis below” Gnst Dea 28 ele to © pero attr tafcouversion "Gk Gard 9 itd. {odudten sey tie dr cs en pra 8, werent we in ie iy a: 2 For the evidence oot Marque, Maabarh "2a the op aa rites os Macauart, Ghagan wished to embrace on ef is ok wit Soman sensory her eanach tok: he a an Wostberg, sh Ad then recondusted hers eaten opt 12 Berchet 2. ster THE KHAZARS 409 over a streaia, 90 that neither devils nor men nor worms might be able to penetrate it. ‘The mausoleum was called paradise and those who deposited his body in one of its recesses were put to death, that the exact spot in which he was laid might never be revealed. A rider who passed it by dismounted, and did not remount until the tomb could be no longer seen. When a new Chagan ascended the throne, a silk cord was bound tightly rountl his neck and he was required to declare how long he wished to reign; when the period which he mentioned had elapsed, he was put to death. But it is uncertain how far we can believe the curious stories of the Arabic travellers, from whom these details are derived.? ‘We have no information at what time the active authority of the Chagan was exchanged for this divine nullity, or why he was exalted to position, resembling that of the Emperor of ‘Japan, in which his existence, and not his goverument, was considered essential to the prosperity of the State. ‘The labours of government were fulfilled by a Bog or vieeroy.? who com- manded the army, regulated the tribute, and presided over the administration, He appeared in the presence of the Chogan with naked feet, and lit a torch; when the torch had burnt out he was permitted to take his seat at the right hand of the monarch. When evil times befell, the people held ‘the Chagan responsible and called upon the Beg to put him to death ; the Bog sometimes complied with their demand? ‘The commander of an army who suffered defeat was cruelly treated: his wife, children, and property were sold before hhis eyes, and he was either executed or degraded to menial rank ‘The most remarkable fact in the civilisation of this Turkish people was the conversion of the Chagan and the upper rank of society to Judaism, ‘The religion of the Hebrews had exercised a profound influence on the ereed of Islam, and it hnad been a basis of Christianity ; it had won seattered prose 4 Tn Padhlan, ib 592508 We ix xaydvor deer eal 6 nix Kafupas called "by -Avsbic walters the Ichsd (leke 8 eal réy errosmnaly, which ee (Gurdis,” x-"Barthold, 1203 cha, could corrst sven without dhe right {in Rusts "it'shad, p. Afarguaet, foading fo Cont 7h 12), ba Foal tan sh. "Gp Masai (Sprenger), ‘at. 26). But he was probably own as the bulttan, see below, p. $10. 206, 0 1 sas, 2. 411. * Goasi, De adm. imp. 178; 8 vip + Tn Pela, 1, 689, 406 EASTERN ROMAN ESMPIR ena. xu Iyeer; but the conversion of the Khazars to she undilwal religion of Jehovah ie unique in history. ‘The date of this trent las been cleputed, and the evidence rariouslyaerigs ito the ist half of che eighth century or to the beginuing ofthe ith? ‘There ean be no question that tho ruler was actuated by. politic motives. in ‘adopting Judaism, To. embrice Mohammadanism would have made him the spiritual dependent of the Calighe, who attempted to press their faich on the Khazars, ant in Christianity lay the danger of his becoming an ecslevasticl vasalof the Roman Empire, adsiom was a reputable religion with sacred books whieh both Chrstign and Mohammadan respected; it elevated him above the heathen turberians, and secured him againt the interference of Caliph or Emperor But he did not adopt, along with eireumeision, the intolerance of the Jewish cult. He allowed the maas of his people to abide in their heathendom and worship their idols? ‘The circumstances of the conversion are as uncertain as the date, Joseph, the Chagan whose Hebrew letter to the Rabbi Chista of Cordova in the tenth eontary is preserve, states that the Romen Emperor and the Caliph, whom he respectively styles the King of Edom and the King of the Ishmaelites, sent embs laden with rich gifts and accompanied by theological sages, to induce his ancestor to embrace their civilisations, The prince found a learoed Israelite and sot hin to dispute with the foreign sous! ‘When he saw that they could in the mrt of that ine, he afta (iba ata city ich dopa on ak Gee mote atone {eltia a Mei a tne sear catetere expe Sy MEe! ewig te cane Sasa at seee tel demothan somes Gi nek an to's fom’ ie obamegigy on sudlieg Sahat urs le Ui Griie’ eet yas eo ep es ial SAR bent Set TATE See SNe) prone agence Reema Maes mee ane eens Hing Taettetna Feta is isl hte att eae 8 the esSoont HF etait, Snes delet a he aa Sete Nae ones sic, pc 2: oti seer. THE KHAZARS 401 not agree on a single point, he said, “Go to your tents and return on the third day.” On the morrow, the Chagan sent for the Christian and asked him, “Which is the better faith, that of Israel or that of Islam?” and he replied, “ ‘There is no Jaw in the world like that of Israel.” On the second day the Chagan sen¢ for the learned Mohammadan and said, “Tell me the truth, which Inw seems to you the better, that of farael or that of the Christians?” And the Moharomadan replied, “ Assuredly that of Israel.” ‘Then on the third day the Chagan called thom all together and said, “ You have proved to me by your own mouths that the law of Israel is the best and purest of the three, and I have chosen it.”? ‘The truth underlying this tradition—which embodies the actual relation of Judaism to the two other religions—seems to be that endeavours were made to convert the Chagans both to Christianity and to Islam. And, as a matter of fact, in the reign of Leo IIL the Caliph Marwan attempted to force the faith of Mohammad upon the Khazars, and perhaps succoeded for a moment. He invaded their land in 4D. 737, and marching by Belenjer and Semender, advanced to til.” The Chagan was at his mercy, and obtained peace only by consent- ing to embrace Islam? As Irene, who married the Emperor Constantine V., must have been the daughter or sister of this ‘Chagan, it is clear that in this period there were circumstances tending to draw the Khazars in the opposite directions of Christ and Mohammad. And this is precisely the period to which the evidence of the Letter of Joseph seems to assign the conversion to Judaism, We may indeed suspect that Judaism was first in possession—a conclusion which the traditional 1 an go oo Bac Ir aut tah cate cher micanatee ations plocophical religions fommupt religion: He' aeat” for workin the frm ofa dilogue betrees Gen en, uno, aon oy ing ofthe Koaar a» Sewth STowiah aisles ing, tabbL “It bas bean tranaatad Tat resense, edited agli “by 'H. Wiehld. (Judah ls ht Er, Palade, spud Marquart, Sire feivol te bave iit poisoned on bis stge 12" The orasionof Marwan wc he Jey en sre gel ran eapetonaf Kha ing jn avn. 700 penetrated to Adar. eligi “it's clef that the sans yen 408 EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE cae, sit story unintentionally suggests’ ‘The Jewish influence in Khizaria was due to the encouragement given by the Chagans to Hebrew merchants? Of the Jewish port of Tamatarkha more ‘vill be said presently; and we may notice the Jewish population at Jundax, a town in the Caucasus, which was governed ia the ninth century by a relation of the Chagan, ‘who is said to have prayed impartially with the Moslems on Friday, with the Jews on Saturday, and with the Christions on Sunday? Somewhat later in the eighth century a princess of the Khazara marvied the Saracen governor of Armenia, and there ‘was peace on the southern frontier till the reign of Harun al- Hashid* In 4.0. 798 another marriage alliance was arranged between a daughter of the Chagan and one of the powerful family of the Barmecides. ‘The ledy died in Albania on the way to her bridal, and the officers who were in charge of her reported to her father their suspicion that she had been poisoned. ‘The suggestion infuriated the Chagan, and in the following year the Khazars invaded Armenia, by the Gates of Derbend, and returned with an immense booty in captives® ‘Then Haran’s son, Mamun, carried his arms victoriously into the land of the Khazars* § 2 The Subjects and Neighbours of the Khazars ‘The Khazars had never succeeded in extending their lordship over their neighbours the ALANS, whose territory extended from the Caucasus to the banks of the river Kuban and was bounded ou the west by the Euxine. The Alans, who een a ea cab eth cn a tage 2 Joseph the ‘abont_ 340, larquart, ib. 6. ean Tatteeernt assay Meta te BUSA E ee pubes coe Be Mose ya i rt, 2 Te aa cor ei Gren et ete ae aah sae ta foe Ear ue cre oe {fof the Slava, to the capital of | hamatn” {It is natural to aren ECAR ae Hee an ee Be Ee i Se ster. SUBJECTS AND NEIGHBOURS OF KIAZARS 409 have survived to the present day under the name of the Ossetians, were a mainly pastoral people; their army consisted in cavalry; and they bad a fortress, which was virtually mpregnable, at the so-called Alan-gete of the Caucasus or Pass of Dariel! ' We are told that the habitations of the people were 80 close together that when a cock crowed in one place hhe was answered by all the cocks in the rest of the kingdom. ‘At some time before the tenth century the king adopted Christianity, but the mass of his eubjects remained heathen? He received his Christianity from Constantinople, and the Emperors appropriated to him the special title of eousiastes? Between the Alans and the Khazars were the habitations of the Sanms, a heathen people whose name does not come into the annals of Byzantium. North of the Alans, between the rivers Kuban and Don, the territory of the Khazars extended to the shores of the Macotic lake? and at the mouth of that: water they possessed ‘the important town of Tamatarkha, the modern Taman, which had arisen close to the ancient Phanagoria, over against. the city of Bospores on the other side of the straits. ‘The com- mercial importance of Tamatarkha, which had a lange Jewish population, will claim our attention presently. Bosporos itelf, the ancient’ Pantikapaion, was under the control of the Khazars, and the Tetraxite Goths, who occupied the greater part of the Crimea, were subject to their sway. ‘The Gothic capital, Doras, had been taken by the Khazars before 4.D. 787, and in the following years the Goths, under the leadersbip of their bisbop, had made an attempt to throw off the yoke of their powerful neighbours” 1 Por dewsiption of the Alans, ste 4 Of the Sarrs an account Ie get and thes 187 dsr by Th Hal ad Ga CS ara Sprengen, 434 fog.) derived rom thar eommon ninth aarp canta source. ‘Atte ae’ dogtayer ( ‘ear- “¥ The eutry had been the habits. Hiay (has “Are vote cll the on afte Gegure’s the, vee ‘eee of Fuh ene eho Tern Se ood partot which Sargdarteomnests phone ot MeGedgas mameGueCcoldiaatan Aiter'vbe aicth ssestacy we, heat ‘othing more of this people, but thelr ‘facandats may bare awn th {pig af wo pais ier stakoy, Pa Bs. Pet team Gui, 11, "The bao spiral ach of the Emperors ok was iaken prisoner, but succeed (Geonhsercd fade rive) in cacnping to Amastris 410 EASTERN ROMAN ESIPIKE nar xut North of the Don and extending to the banks of the Dnieper were the tents and hunting-grounds of the Macvans or Hungarians! ‘The continnous history of this Finnish people, who lived by hunting and fishing, begins in the ninth contury, and if we think we can recognise it under other names in the days of Attila and the early migrations, oar conclusions faze more or loss speculative. Tt is, however, highly probable that the Magyars had lived or wandered for centuries in the regions of the Volga, had bowed to the sway of the great Hun, tand had been affected by the manners of their ‘Turkish neigh- ours’ ‘They spoke a tongue closely akin to those of the Finns, the Ostyaks, the Voguls, and the Samoyeds, but it is likely that even before the ninth century it had been modified, in its vocabulary, by Turkish influence’ A branch of the people penetrated in the eighth century south of the Caneasus, and settled on the river Cyrus, east of Tiflis and west of Partay, where they were known to the Armenians by the name of Sevorlik or “Black children.” * ‘These Black Hungarians, in the ninth century, destroyed the town of Shamkor, and the governor of Armenia repeopled it with Khazars who had been converted to Islam (4.0, 854-855)* On the northern shore of the Sea of Azov, and extending towards the Dnieper, was the land of the Toner or Back Boicantans? which thus lay between the Magyars and the 2 ore but, it wae profoundly medited by (Gorda, ot) sr, Werte ‘Tarkieh‘Thewell-kaownablestempt 20 ange Bet 24 vgn, or Vambiey to prove that it 9a Gp. ait 3051, £14) panes ‘riginaly # Turki tongue (i Bis stisas beiween the’ Don ‘and the mayyeroh sniete) bas oot eonvinged ban, but his faterprotation has me, nor has it pereuaded Marguart, ‘ogu tuted by Wester ‘rho has pertinea obarvations ou the pagina 98 p14. Kure. abjeet (9) mi tion of Hegino in lg "* Goastanting, Cer. 657 cle rate of lsription wich stranosrbed — Seyerrat ro» Lepore (lp. Eeprany ira larguat) rex Nyon pape weil Marquart expos adore Akatrira (ep. Priscuy fr. 8 in dogahay sid in De am. inp. 16800 BHO. iv. 89; Jordanes, Oa 0, 6) tw the cld aaae ofthe lungatiany, at and the Uaigucs (on et 40a7e)s but “the Yower Sevorik(op i 39°30) So the inportant work of My Kémst, ondie, children, Ho conalders only Royle iain or: Armen eanermato 0 to felony re fies Ugrane [ete fe the npn o ode ot Sug WP fn" B.Z A 01-202, vill x. 2, § 66, im Migue, P62, 619-10, 384) in fly diehssed “Te Tkowte "1" For thin wshevethogoed anthort ‘ends thom with the Unig of Hsladhur who calls the Sevordi “op. Marquee, 53. The tas of | Seats Marquart th 90. the Hongaran lnaguage was Uren, See shove, n BT. sur. SUBJECTS AND NEIGHBOURS OF KHAZARS 40. Goths, The lower Dnieper scems to have formed the western boundary of the Khazar Erapize, but their influence extended up that river, over some of the Eastern Slavs The Slavs yowud Kiev! peid at one time tribute to the Chagen, who perhaps ensured them against the depredations of the Magyars. On the central Volga was the extensive territory of the BuRnAs? who were subject to the Khazars, and formed a barrier against the Outer Bulgarians, their northern neighbours, ‘whose dominion lay on the Volge and its tributary the Kama, ineluding the modern province of Kasan? If the Burdas served the Khazars as barrier against the northern Bulgarians, they were also useful in helping to hold the Parzaxs in check. This savage people possessed a wide dominion between the Volga and the Ural; their neighbours were, to the north-west the Burdis, to the north the Kipchaks, to the east the Uzes, to the south-west the Khazars It would seem that some of their hordes pressed early in the ninth century, west of the Volge, into the basin of the Don, and becaine the formidable neighbours of the most easterly Slavonic tribos* § 8. The Russians and their Commerce Such, in the early part of the niuth century, was. the general chart of the Turkish Empire of the Khazars, their clients, and their neighbours. Before wo consider the import of this primitive world for the foreign policy of the Roman Empire, it is necessary to glanee at yet another people, which vwas destined in the future to form the dominant state in the region of the Buxine and which, though its home still lay beyond tbs lige gor lor, p12 fhuty (O19 a 38. Cp ontnt im: Sing 78 men~ Manu (Sprenget) £1, sod soe Ms tions iat Kisr war calod Saibains quar alhe So 986° (ii hs na ten tice ex "Sp at ehiat town, Bolg, (he Bulgar could sal down Shs eigen eo han threw mocks 2 Gia'rsibien Bs) Lsprelebly Hier, and Werterg (0: « Forthebeapdariest the Patsloaks 42ifwoeld Yad et the texts Chagas." assrding to the sury Arabi sourst "i Rasta and Gordisy 168 ary, SF the moth sentary seo Westherg, or the orthography are. Westberg, anal. i. 10 ang, Bet igb12ai8 K. anal, 1a He-dstinguiohes the The’ Paizinaks “ot” Pechenegs were Boards fom the Mordvine, and shows Known to the Slavs ax the olve, thet the iver Burdismeane the the name they bear in the Chrouile cantal cour of tie Volga, not a of Ponce Nestor, 4B EASTERN KOMAN EMPIRE cutar, sun the horizon of Constantinople and Itil, was already known to those cities by the ways of commerce. ‘The Russians or Ras were Scandinavians of Fasten Sweden who, crossing the Baltic and sailing into the Gulf of Finland, bad settled oa Lake Tmen, where they founded the island town, known as Novgorod, the Holmgard of Icelandic Saga, at the point where the river Volkhov issues from the northern waters of the lake! They were active traders, and they monopolized all. the trafic of north-eastern Europe with the great capitals of the south, Constantinople, Baghdad, and Iti Their chief wares were the skins of the castor and the black fox, swords, and men. ‘The Slavs were their natural prey;? they used to plunder them in river expeditions, and often enrry them off, to be transported and sold in southern lands. Many of the Slavs used to purchase immunity by entering into thoir service. The Russians did not till the soil, and consequently when a sox was born, his father, with a drawn sword in his hand, addressed the infant: “I leave thee no inheritance; thou shalt have only what thou winnest by this sword.” ‘They were, in fact, a settlement of 2 The following ssomant of the Dead. inp, 19), south of Novgorod, ‘usslens and their conmeroeia derived Shoei? the Viale, on ftom the esr Arebiesouree ao fom the river Ok, south ef Mosvow the the samemiat. lator book of thn Radimishoh on the Sluideted by West. brigin of th Resslons (ts Py, the ie terete al "The, hoary Phat they + Me (Bpanepira, th 10), Ietween the vers Pet and Dine? othe Tiers, of the Daesar a epneatwn aigy ver Seen ae S Gerke make English reader should com’ Clnstanns OS, 268) nH) The th by Vasa, in biol age, it the Russians were (Crimeas), sit) as Luchane, whom he considers « Goths, and that'Pay ir corruption of portion of the Rrivite ‘Te loaltes rangered0u may be montioned ae 4 Urhece tlbee sre usinly determined agent Dy the: dato in ‘Psoudo Nestor” Soe “tue general aiepastion of the farther Schaar, fe tet. 3 Slavonic fi ‘hem, ase the kvl ey ‘4s the Hasslans found the relevant articles in Lagots Inde Have teen aa felows: ta his Okronue de Nestor (apergah Constantine, ster. it THE RUSSIANS AND THEIR COMMERCE 418 military mervhants—it is said their numbers were 100,000— living by plunder and trade, ‘They had a chief who received 4 fithe from the merchants. ‘The Russian traders carried their wares to the south by two river routes, the Dnieper and the Volga. The voyage down the Dnieper sas beset by some difficulties and dangera* The boats of the Russians were canoes’ and were renewed every year. ‘They rowed down as far as Kiev in the boats of the last season, and here they were met by Slavs, who, daring the winter had out down trees in the mountains and made new boats, which they brought down to the Dnieper and sold to the merchants, ‘The gear and merchandise were tran- shipped, and in the month of June they sailed down to the fort of Vytitshev,' where they waited till the whole flotilla ‘was assembled ‘South of the modera Ekaterinoslay the ‘Dnieper forces its way for some sixty miles through high walls of granite rock, and descends in a succession of waterfalls which offer a tedious obstacle to navigation® ‘The Slavs had their ‘own names for these falls, which the Russians rendered into Norse, or instance, Vinyi-prag’ was translated Literally by Barw-fors, both names meaing “billowy waterfall”? and this “force "is still called Volnyi, “the billowy.” In’ some cases the navigators, having unloaded the boats, could guide them through the fall; in others it was necessary to transport them, fas well as their freights, for a considerable distance. This passage could not safely be made except in a formidable com- 2 he Arabi writers designate him Cherngow, Vyshegrad, and ‘Teiutsa fe Ohacen ofthe Hains and so he (Lith) butt sonata wheter seven oro (waters eee dors of which Constantine. en ind per neg is to Lewis "the fllowing account ie derived {om Coustentina, De adm, tmp. ‘Though som ns when the Beiinmoed Sof he Durer iF Nong fer eure al th sees secrminelaes Ren been explained, some with oureainty, * pootena, one planker” after olabi, by Thomsen op ‘eer, The uame sill exists, Laat Thole dauble names sre ope * Gonotatine apr thatthe mer. of the mort important iam in the Tame wt only Gem Nevgorsl, overwhchuing eridence fr the fact, ‘nt sho from Milisiska (Smoleusk), thal the Husstans wore Seasdinevians, a EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE tear xt pauy; a small body would have fallen a prey to predatory nomads like the Hungarians and the Patzinaks On reaching the Black Sea, they could coast westwards to Varna and Mesembria, but their usual route was to Cherson, ‘There they supplied the demands of the Greek merchants, and then rounding the south of the peninsula, reached the Khazar town cof Tamatarkha, where they could dispose of the rest of their merchandise to the Jewish traders, who in their turn could transport it to Itil, or perhaps to Armenia and Baghdad. But the Russians could algo trade directly with Ttil and Baghdad ‘The Volga carried them to Ttil, where they lodged in the astern Lown; then they embarked on the Caspian Sea and sailed to various ports within the Saracen dominion ; some- times from Jurjan they made the journey with camels to Baghdad, where Slavonic eunuchs served as their interpreters, This commerce was of high importance both to the Emperor and to the Chagan, not only in iteelf, but because the Emperor levied a tithe at Chereon on all the wares which passed through to Tamatarkha, and the Chagan exacted the same uty on all that passed through Chamlich to the dominion of the Saracens The identity of the amount of the duties, ten per cent, was the natural result of the conditions. § 4 Imperial Policy. ‘The Russian Danger ‘The first principle of Imperial policy in this quarter of the world was the maintenance of peace with the Khazars ‘This was the immediate consequence of the geographical position of the Khazar Empire, lying as it did between the Dnieper and the Caucasus, and thus approaching the frontiers of the two powers which were most formidable to Byzantium, the Bulgarians and the Saracens. From the seventh century, when Hetuclius had sought the help of the Khazars against Persia, to the tenth, in which the power of Ttil declined, this was the constant policy of the Emperors. ‘The Byzantines ‘and the Khazars, moreover, had a common interest, in the development of commerve with Northern Europe; it was to the advantage of the Empire that the Chagan should exerci an effective eontrol over his barbarian neighbours, that his {influence should be felt in the basin of the Duieper, and that sacr.v /MPERIAL POLICY IN THE NORTH a this route should be kept fiee for the trade of the north. Tt is not improbable that attempts hall been made to convert the Khazars to Christianity, for no means would have beew nore efficacious for securing Byzantine influence at Thi. ‘The Chagans were not impressed by the religion of Christ; Dut it was at least © matter for satisfaction at Byzantium that they remained equally indifferent to the religion of ‘Mohammad. While the relations of Constantinople and Itil_ were generally peaceful, there were, however, possibilities of war. The two powers were neighbours in the Crimea, We have seen how the sway of the Khazars extended over the Crimean Goths and the city of Bosporos or Kerch, and it was their natural ambition to extend it over the whole peninsula, and annex Cherson. ‘The loss of Cherson, the great commercial port and market-place in the north-east, would have been a sensible blow to the Empire ‘There were other forts in the peninsula, in the somewhat mysterious Roman territory or frontier which was kmown as the Xlimata or Regions! The business of defence was left, entitely to the Chersonites; there was no Imperial officer or Imperial troops to repel the ‘Khazars, who appear to have made raids from time to time. But Imperial diplomacy, in accordance with the system which hhad been elaborated by Justinian, discovered another method of checking the hostilities of the Khazars. The plan was to cultivate the friendship of the Alans, whose geographical position enabled them to harass the march of Khazar army fo the Crimea and to make reprisals by plundering the most fertile parts of the Khazar country. Thus in the ealeulations of Byzantine diplomacy the Alans stood for a check on the Khazars? : ‘The situation at Cherson and the movements in the 2 ope omeaning, De adm mp century, Dea tn 80, bi wan 0p, 100g. tn ents of the spoaly applicable tn the eighth or Rifartnt Gottas «pe fort was Slo Gobstanton laa pola oat Gale gwar Gone Hak, tis fe that hw Bick Dugan ena te Fight onthe ‘Wert Seed vagunt the Khasare (@. 61) eee ia tent Heel the Collie and aa the Une (G0) who, Sewerer Tein Doras Seo Weathers att Wer oto tc horn of enter oft the Frogiionts (Zap. imp. 4k inthe ninth eantary. The Patzinaks ‘Nani v. 2,190) pre 83200 Would “have ‘bean Availabe, if the ‘thie principle’ of pally is statad Emperors had Tad cause to'pyvosch ty Constantine VIL. "in the tenth thom a6 EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE cntar. xi surrounding countries must have covstantly engaged the attention of the Imperial government, but till the reign of ‘Theophilus no important event is recorded. ‘hie Emperor received (c. 4.0, 833) an embassy from the Chagon and the Beg or chief minister of the Khazars, requesting him to build a fort for them close to the mouth of the Don,’ and perhaps thie fort was only to be the most important part of a long line of defence extending up that river and connected by a fosse swith the Volga? ‘Theophilus agreed to the Chagan's proposal, He entrusted the execution of the work to an officer of spatharo-candidate rank, Petronas Kamateros, who sailed for Cherson with an armament of ships of the Imperial flet, where he met another contingent of vessels supplied by the Katepano or governor of Paphlagonia.” The troops were re-embarked in ships of burden, which bore them through the straits of Bosporos to the spot on the lower Don where ‘this stronghold was to be built. As there was no stone in the place, kilns were constructed and bricks were prepared * by embedding pebbles from the river in a sort of asbestos The fort was called in the Khazar tongue Sarkel, or White House, and it was guarded by yearly relays of three hundred ‘When Petronas returned to Constantinople he laid a report of the situation before the Emperor and expressed his opinion ‘that there was grave danger of losing Cherson, and that the best means of ensuring its safety would be to supersede the local The aoswont will be found in begin where, the line of the Don Constantine, De adin imp. 171 eq.m sled, "Tue tery of Uspensid that ‘Gods Th 152 egy. The date aves ta Sarkal wae baile for the Emp, nat to'siom after rh, 852; for in Gont. forthe Keats, aod in the reign of Tae Bad tie eleration ct fon Hae VL, 6 S08 An. (ropa to the Patriarchate is dated; thea, the Kietlaia Starina, May and June 2°27, proplcie age recoded ielatieg 1860) has’ fund no. aderente! it to John; then ¢. 28 10 émdrrs xpi was answered by Vacil'evakiy in the (Cig the following Jar") thoe © Zhurnal’ min, mar prose Ok 189, Were with the Saree aad vard HD op ere cate Ris'omiay "3 nn, on ring hen oie sie noite vip Regen (De Tor the poution of Satel, soe dec fage Clemens cspeted esting en a “Tact Sp (i) a a wat Bye tint “the Khacar eoce ure means found the: Poplagnton ipitdedthemsver iy “ca, chlttle” aly thee ‘rough fer ofthe i eas (ltr taighbourng peoples 268 rake cslprrs 8 card 2a. who. sugges apiom Searrisery Dv tn Expy founecied with a viele line of do: 97 where ra leclerly an ener for fGnces Ifa, theforse would probably (Chute Phe Wy has panera) sec THE RUSSIAN DANGER az magistrates and commit the authority to a military governor.) The adviee of Petronas was adopted, and he was. himelf appointed the fst governor, with the title of“ Stretégos of the Klimata."* The magistrates of Cherson were not deposed, but were subordinated to the stratégos. Ta attempting io discover the menning and motives of these transactions we must not lose sight of the close chrono- logical connexion between the service rendered by the Greeks to the Khazars, in building Sarkel, and the institution of the strstdgos of Chergoo, The latter was due to the danger of Tosiag the city, bot we are wot told from what quarter the city was threatened, “Tt is evident that the Khazars at the fame moment felt the need of defence ageinst some new and fpecial pel. ‘The foriifcation eamnot have, beca. simply designed against their neighbours the Magyars and the Patzinaks; for the Magyars aad Patzinaks had. boon their neighbours long. We ean hardly go wrong in supposing that fhe Khazars and the Chersonites were, menaced. by the same danger, and that its gravity bad been bronght, home both to the Emperor and to the Khazar ruler by some recent occurrence, The jeopardy which was impending over the Bixine lands rst be soaght at: Novgorod Te was not likely thet the predatory Scandinavians would te content with the gains which they earaod. as peuceful merchants in the eouth, ‘The riches of the Greek towne on the Euxine tempted their cupidity, and in the reign of Theophilas, if not before, they seem to have dosconded as pirates into the waters of that sea," to have plundered the ‘coasts, perhaps venturing into the Bosphoras, and especially to fen of desi Lie Yastera (who Kassie the texts tare eer ete yp ie wet eile ei SO Rema auing heme aee | sePetaaltadfGaet peruse Sacra Saat he eh al Monies) est reef es wero tanting Beeieat Sapeus iat ths Be Sa lates net, Ea ge adhe for hore, arly 4.8 April, Lk Ha): Sa open untae Meat, dono tye, ip ell sued acme cn Seeaaw'a Wis Wists 7, mains dopa” Ea e 2 Sheetakor, op, fhe dabaer os EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE have attacked the wealthy and well-walled city of Amastris, which was stid to have been saved by a miracle, We also hear of an expedition against the Chersonese, the despoiling of Cherson, and the mintealous escape of Sugdaia' Such host- ings of Russian marauders, a stalwart and savage race, provide a complete explanation of the mission of Petronas to Cherson, of the institution of a stiatgos there, and of the eo-oper of the Greeks with the Khazars in building Sarkel. In view of the Russian attack on Amastris, it is significant that the governor of Paphlagonia assisted Petronas; and we may conjecture with some probability that the need of defending the Pontic coasts against a new enemy waa the motive which led to the elevation of this official from the rank of katepano to the higher status of a stratégos ‘The timely measures adopted by Theophilus were efficacious, for the safety of Cheron, That outpost of Greek life was ultimately to fall into the hands of the Russians, but it remained Imperial for another century and a half; and when it passed from the possession of Byzantium, the sacrifice was not too dear @ price for perpetual peace and friendship with the Russian state, then becoming a great power. Some years after the appointment of the stratégos of Cherson, Russian envoys arrived at the court of Theophilus (ap. 838-889). Their business is not recorded; perhaps they came to offer excuses for the recent hostilities against the Empire. But they seem to have dreaded the dangers of the homeward journey by the way they had come. ‘The Emperor was dispatching an embassy to the court of Tewis the Pious. He committed the Russians to the care of the ambassadors, and in his letter to Lewis requested that sovran to facilitate their return to their own country through Germany? foted that the Rossiang were also 8 anger for ‘Trepanus (Trebizond), 2 sh ontropdt for” trade between, Soran at Scan Ggshaats ae a Strange, Eastern Caliphate. 136), be 852; but t though wo’ donot hear ‘that they chronicles for this period ave uatrunt: suka Te ‘worthy. Peeudo-Nestor, for instance, "Besides the Life of Stephen, seo places the accession of Michael TIL the patage of tho Russian Chronicle a 8 of Novgorod (A.m. 6360) quoted by "drm, ert, 2.0, 889. Theombassy Mural Chem, ye 426-427 (na 842). acivad st the cour of Lewis im Avel ‘ARussian band ofNovgorodians,under or May. Itiequls poate that thse of St Stophen. The date e060 would suet TUE RUSSIAN DANGER a9 Tn their yettlemont at Novgorod, naar the Baltic, the ‘usinnw wore far away from tho Black Sea, to the shores of which their traders journeyed laboriously year by year. But they were soon to form a new settlement on the Dnieper, which brought themn within eagy reach of the Kuxine and the Danube. ‘The occupation of Kiev is one of the decisive events in Russian history, and the old native chronicle assigns it to the year 862. If this date is right, the capture of Kiev was preceded by one of the boldest marauding expeditions that the Russian adventurers ever undertook. In the month of June, a. 860," the Emperor, with all his forces, was marching against the Saracens. He had probably gone far* when he received amazing tidings, which recalled him with all speed to Constantinople. A. Ttussian hhost had sailed across the Buxine in two hundred boats entered the Bosphorus, plundered the monasteries and suburbs on its banks, and overrun the Islands of the Princes ‘The in- habitants of the city were utterly demoralised by the sudden horror of the danger and their own impotence. ‘The troops (Tagmata) which were usually stationed in the neighbourhood of the city were far away with the Emperor and his uncle;! and the fleet was absent, Having wrought wreck and rain in Rassiane belonged to «diferent com. Tym, are fn peract acconlance, The arity to "En ‘slotad tacked ficr"mui for the elede ae hereon end Photiay rometiad) 8} end. 82; Sion" (le, Gr. Blo) Joann! venir incon (Con, Garg. od. Marat, 27 ‘vers Slaw. “yevermudve "Phe dat ofthe Rumianexpeinon 728) Sl, 100, roves (which usd abe sedi ine 800) f2T* Th Maver. 7a Sa teem aky ir Be feb Sorat ented. (ie at." seh, Games, end Sieen {ows chronicle (rom Jekitn Ceasar to ¢ Niven, Vol. Jym, 296.-° The imam TL) pad by Oumeat, Yel ato. Sxt fpecbie Danna tg cumenk, Ngee "Bun, bavieg. cone tbeeagh vaatives Mer (Brae 6 the Bevin to the Stanon (Bosphar) (Ghent, 160d Tho pa pi ter pliner ll the past and lt {net rita ye {he Monataiea vere h Inlands sround Byzsntia, Patriarch, then 4 Terobiatho danger. se tans of Dard nna ly Oory pl P 20 EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE the suburbs, the barbaviaus prepared to attack the city, Ab this crisis it was perhaps not the Prefect and the ministers entrusted with the guardianship of the city in the Bmperoy’s absence who did most to meet the emergency. ‘The learned Patriarch, Photins, rose to the ovcasion; he undertook the task of restoring the moral courage of his fellow-citizens. If the sermons which he preached in St. Sophia were delivered as they were waitten, we may suspect that they can only have been appreciated by the most educated of his congregation. ‘His copious rhetoric touches all sides of the situation, and no priest could have made better nse of the opportunity to inculeate the obvious lesson that this peril was a punishment for sin, and to urge repentance’ He expressed the general feeling when he dvwelt on the incongruity that the Imperial city, “queen of almost all the world,” should be mocked by a band of slaves, @ meau and barbarous erowd? But. the populace was perhaps more impressed and consoled when he resorted to the ecclesiastical magic which had been used ceffcaciously at previous sieges ‘The precious garment of the Virgin Mother was borne in procession round the walls of the city;* and it was believed that it was dipped in the waters of the sea for the purpose of raising a storm of wind No storm arose, but soon afterwards the Ruscians began to retreat, and perhape there were not many emong the joyful citizens who did not impute their relief to the direct inter- vention of the queen of heaven. Photius preached a sermon of thanksgiving as the enemy were departing ;* the miraculous deliverance was an inspiring motive for his eloquence, Tt would be interesting to know whether Photius re- “i bis test sermon, om £0) sl ofthe Virgin the peachr i cuitad tina trata cir Sas cere tel ane Sea nes tance Tete) Gaeta Jahrb, J. das ktassische Aliertum, xi. — ously represents tie Exporor us 1909, pTasyouggeats thes this address OUI, Fepresénts the Emperor as pros: ‘may have been delivered on June 23. re rae a Soe a as Sinem cs corg whi Pom A arn fl gt Sn ig ae ma Ria tS eee ce en eat oe Basileus? where are the armies? the Photius represents the Russians as re- Bega rhombi e e ciked brates cpanel GeO as tn sect hose SiMmedimen sietata’steter anh SOME GEL otal “atm sa, the Bere aga ict ge ayatle Se ya hk gt BP akse ner. tv THE RUSSIAN DAN 421 jarded the ceremony which he had conducted as a powerful neans of propitiation, or rather valued it as an effiacious sedative of the public excitement. Me and all who were not Uiinded by superstition knew well that the eaase which led to the suflden retreat of the enemy was simple, and would have suffied withont any snpernatnral intervention. It is evident that the Russians became aware that the Emperor and his army were at hand, and that their only safety lay in flight? But they had delayed too long. Michael and Bardas had Ihurried to the scene, doubtless by foreed marches, and they inst have intercepted the barbarians and their spoils in the Bosphorus, ‘There was a tattle and a rout;? it is possible that igh winds aided in the work of destruction? ‘The Russians had chosen the moment for their surprise astutely. ‘They must have known beforehand that the Emperor had made preparations for a campaign in full force against the Saracens But what about the fleet? Modern historians have made this episode a text for the reprosch that the navy had been allowed to fall into utter decay. We have seen, on the contrary, that the Amorians had revived the navy, and the impunity which the barbarians enjoyed ‘until the arrival of the Emperor must be explained by the ‘absence of the Imperial fleet. And, as a matter of fact, it was absent in the west, The Sicilian fortress of Castrogiovanni had been captured by the Moslems in the previons year, and a fleet of 300 ships had been sent to Sicily." The possibility of an attack from the north did not enter inte the calculations of the government. It is clear that. the Russians must have been informed of the absence of the fleet, for otherwise they would never have ventured in their small boats into the jaws of certain death. 2 This sobvionsy the tr explana- jetare; but posiiy on rcsving the tion of the madden sora Wah ‘ee he al dc be to om ieganspontaneounly, bore chs dunt io the Bomphoras Two ICE iapmeaie to "aceepe Cerland’siambie™ poems ou the ‘Church of ‘iow cha the butlowar ought daring Blacheragey ana. Pat 120, 12, the procession, perhaps in sight of the most probably refer to the rent of the peng penis Hemidnes Ch. Tai, vee 10,12 : sweknowne more than 73680 rxraca tals barrio tuo gees inthnon Samet Shnean Sohn cbreie rl Nea et hen, exis the tetructon entirely tothe where Stamler alc. misses the ‘Rincon stom, How be tan free pth propo Biche fimperor operated aguint tie Cp derand, oct outs of thtenenes weesnoniy ean: ¢ Secaleve, R37, a2 EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE evan xu ‘The episode was followed by an unexpected trivimph for Byzantium, less important in its imuediate results than as tun augury for the future. ‘The Northmen sent ambassadors to Constantinople, and—this is the Byzantine way of putting it —besought the Emperor for Christian baptism. We tanuot say which, or how many, of the Russian settlements were represented by this embassy, but the object must have been to offer amends for the recent raid, perhaps to procure the deliverance of prisouers It is certain that some of the Russians agreed to adopt Christianity, and the Patriarch Photius could boast (in AD. 866) that a bishop had been sent to teach the race which in cruelty and deeds of blood left all other peoples far behind? But the seed did not fall on very fertile ground, For upwards of a hundred years we hhear no more of the Christianity of tho Russians. The treaty, however, which was concluded between 4.0. 860 and 866, led probably to other consequences. We may surmise that it led to the admission of Norse mercenaries into the Imperial fleet a notable event, because it was the beginning of the famous Varangian® service at Constantinople, which was ultimately to include the Norsemen of Seandinavia as well as of Russia, and even Englishmen, Tt has been already observed that the attack upon Constantinople happened just before the traditional date of fa far more important event in the history of Russia—the foundation of the prineipality of Kiev. According to the old Russian chronicle Rurik was at this time the ruler of all the Scandinavian settlements, and exercised sway over the northern Slavs and some of the Fins. Two of his men, Oskold and Dir, set out with their families for Constantinople, ‘and, coming to the Dnieper, they sew a castle on a mountain. On enquiry they learned that it was Kiev, and that its inhabitants paid tribute to the Khazars, They settled in the place, gathered many Norsemen to them, and ruled over the 4, 1 'HI8, The _ + The connolation of Vorangian ie tole ped came ead Wo Mae on Sateen ‘al rptiw octu. Mabie geographer Fedo Neto, firs onesie doyandonce, call the Bale «the Varangien Sen? politcal endehin. Whe other Ta Kekaumenos (a. Valera ogre te Cont Th 6 STtenstedt 87 Harald Hasdradas "Under Leo Vi. (tn. 902) there of the knperor af Vs swore 700'Parinthe Meo (Constantine, + Peoudu Nester, xv fe 10, er goth * Scandinavian Same serv THE RUSSIAN DANGER 433 neighbouring Slavs, even as Ruxik ruled at Novgorod. Some twenty yeara later Rurik’s son Oleg came down and put Oskold and Dir to death, and annexed Kiev to his sway. It soon overshadowed Novgorod in importance, and became the capital of the Russian state. It has been doubted whether this story of the founding of Kiev is historical, but the date of the foundation, in chronological proximity to A.D. 860, is probably correct! § 5. The Magyars The Russian peril had proved a now bond of common Interet betmeen the Empire and the Khazars, and during the reign of Michael (hefore 4.p. 862)? as we have seen, a Greck nniteionary, Consiantine the Philosopher, made n vain attempt to convert them to Christianity.’ ‘About this tine a displacement oocored in the Khazar Brupire which was destined to lend to grave consequences not only for the countries of the Euxine but for the history of Europe. At the time of Constantine's visit to the Khazars, the home of the Magyars was still in the country between the Diieper and the Don, for either in the Crimea ite or on his joumey to Tei, which was probably by way of the Don, his party tras attacked by a bend of Magyar’ A year or tio Inter the Magyar people crosed the Daleper. " Pade Nests date ls 6379 the ebay of Rost, see sore, jae carircai Eien Tess iRise eh “hates ie thezieemanen Bee NinhuistcontdandDiiheuast ig Daphne goto a sreatcony hi on iy rons "wl adel "tsned GRGRRAIEE igen Sas fe AIRS wwe take to Haas Gieretea cara ene c( steal mrayraoblryie sugges (regia fiuth inthe Dorado Nestor tuition, S4heve sla one “he ifweda at pete act dt Kiev was founded shorily byfre'a.m, a Ago as a setlement iudepoudent at See shove, ps $04 Xe fd Ht the icy Ruslans —¢ Vita Goustetin, . 8. ‘take ple, wean understand the | tack’ ofthe Hlangarian is ‘troumatanee of the conversion. Tt before Constantine (c8) start fisher Riv oniywheacegeel he cont of ho Bhat whieh iaptim, and when the pognasot Nove hee sai to have. mailed by the fod esine and slew tients fon yours Macotie""T¢ thin order of eveita fo ea, Cough ne ay svuate we, mist supp Wat the sonjctore tat tras not wiped out, Magyar made an incusou Into, t Someta oti esgaon'” Galas si perhepe he snedent "The" posterior mit fs usualy gsnrrel i che berry ofthe Goths given as A. 865 (Che atest date for See Appendis 8 am EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE couar xut ‘Phe eause of this migration was the advance of the Patzinaks from the Volga. We may guess that they were pressed westward by their Eastern neighbours, the Uzes; we are told that they made war upon the Khazars and were de- foated, and were therefore compelled to leave their own land and occupy that of the Magyars’ ‘The truth may be that they made an unsuccessful attempt to settle in Khazaria, and then turned their arms against the Magyar people, whom they drove beyond the Dnioper? The Patzinaks thus rose above the horizon of the Empire and introduced a new element into the political situation. They had no king; they were ‘organized in eight tribes, with tribal chiefs, and each tribe was subdivided into five portions under subordinate leaders. When a chief died he was succeeded by a first cousin or a first cousin’s son ; brothers and sons were excluded, so that the chieftainship should be not confined to one branch of the family ‘The Magyars now took possession of the territory lying between the Dnieper and the lower reaches of the Pruth and the Seret‘—a country which had hitherto belonged to the dominion of the Khans of Bulgaria. They were thus close to the Danube, but the firs use they made of their new position was * cuntagtne, De dm. np 68, iin mid to be eld srk ofp brane we Ge ibe” Raveanae™ SE he Lab NS hae tt ema, i Fotpis tthe wa ft Dotepet ee eau nth Hop = Gia the niga S7"ino OA), weeks Digan Varia Sores det fee Ga ey wie Sey 2nd tne ag ipa ed by ear tod (Big) Bao (yee Ware i tat hya, ofr Roc, the PGmandee ye that » portion Hn (Yah al be Sheet of she agate icy eae? ES ir elas ha a es ipeclly apne fhe Vage—tie “Armenia (see above “Tul” Zep Constantine, oe 16 sgt owaterediars, ie Marque na fl nd amo ae en i UNSDAS EMreaph Ace fee ‘ths sountey. was elled (by the amateur Weateng Coal anpeete or Pinas, of bth) 4a) explain Reto nae AcefBome Constantine i8"i60 et Glorophy’ a Toro Mes ns he Suppesea, that in Com stating 16, he ra ening I WS), ard wal Keates, and p08 br oat Koss (whee flere teome tobe an‘cro inthe test, that Adsl and’ Wun wre aterpative ay cal Key tro rive, la incon’ names (eel the nego of tent Wired moran) and TH thle Dales si sect. THE MAGVYARS 436 not against Bulgaria! In a.p, 862 they showed how far they could strike by invading territories in central Europe which acknowledged the domiuion of Lawis the German,’ the first of that terrible series of invasions which were to continue throughout a hundred years, util Otto the Great won hiserush- ing victory at Augsburg. If we an trust the accounts of their enemies, the Magyars appear to have been a more terrible scourge than the Huns. It was their practice to put all males to the sword, for they believed that warriors whom they slew would be their slaves in heaven they put the old women to death ; and dragged the young women with them, like animals, to serve their lusts? Western writers depict the Hungarians of this period as grotesquely ugly, but, on the other hand, Arabic authors describe them as handsome. We may reconcile the contradiction by the assumption thet there ‘were two types, the consequence of blending with other races. ‘The original Finnish physiognomy had been modified by mixture with Tranian races in the course of many generations, during which the Magyars, in the Caucasian regions, hed pursued their practice of women-lifting* Up to the time of their migration the Magyars, like the Patzinaks, had no common chieftain, but among the leaders of their seven tribes* one seems to have had a certain pre- eminence, His name was Lobedias and he had married « noble Khazar lady, by whom he had no children, Soon after the crossing of the Dnieper, the Chagan of the Khazars, who still claimed the rights of swzerainty over them, proposed to the Magyars to create Lebedias ruler over the whole people. ‘The story is that Lebedias met the Chagan—but we must interpret this to mean the Beg—at Kalancha in the gulf of Perekop? and refused the offer for himself, but suggested 2 ther attack on the Sls of Kiev Megeé (=Maggar), Kartygamatn, wf, Gems Rare eC qua dated Tod: Reon, Signy. 12; Margoart ope 34 Pin dent tncnat) sed ct hort antea Mis opal Sie rosie ire 6 1. 205, 208) thinks ees with Hed of ing Bla. Histitlewas, per Hem the Notary of Pee een ea aa sigs See Ih Hasty dns. Sangall, 2, * Constantine, (aca. Ser ints drocran ous Keke * This hypothesis Marquart’, op. it, Ht 5 Constantine (op. it, 172) gives the “naman of Ske fibers” Meké, ce Rea, 208, Bargusr, $3. 420 EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE coven xt Salmutees another tribal chief, oF his son Axpad. The Magyars declared in favour of Arpad, and he was elevated on f shield, according to the custom of the Khazars, and re- coguized as king. In this way the Khazars instituted king ship among the Magyars, But while this account may le true so far as it goes, it furnishes no reason for such ant im portant innovation, and it is dificolt. to see why the Khazar government should havo taken the initiative. We shall probably be right in conneoting the change with another fact, Which had a decisive infence on Magyar history. Among the Turks who composed the Khazar people, there was a tribo— or tribes—Known as the Kabars, who were remarkable for their strength and Inavery. About this time they rase against the Chagan; the revolt was erushed ; and those who escaped death fled across the Dnieper and were received and adopted by the Magyars, to whose seven tribes they were added as an eighth. - Their bravery and skill in war enabled them to take a leading part ia the counsels of the nation. We are told that they taught the Magyare the ‘Turkish language, and in the tenth contury both Magyar and Turkish were spoken in Hungary? ‘The result of this double tongue is the mixed character of the modern Hungarian language, which has supplied specious argument for the two opposite opinions ‘as to tho ethnical afinition of the Magyars® We may suspect that the idea of introducing kingship was due to the Kabars, and it has even been conjectured that Axpad belonged to this ‘Turkish people which was now permanently incorporated in the Hungarian nation. 3 Almus in the Hungarian chon: sojeet throughout, and gossquenty igen arpatdate tec Appeals oe hworon Sabot ape ‘Grove tensa that Levent, Arps Coating e117 Vio tom was ruler of the faba ean 1i0jexplnine ta scwpt thin strit interpretation of angen he grata el sue tat he *, Subj ofthe verb (crear

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