Kutrigures

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The Kutriguren were a late antique riding people living on the Black Sea in the 6th century.

The Kutriguren are mentioned several times in late antique sources of the 6th century, for example in Pseudo-Zacharias (i.e. in the extended version of the church history of Zacharias of Mytilene ), Prokopios , Agathias and Menander Protektor . They seem to have been closely related to the Utigurs .

The origin of the Kutriguren is disputed in research. Classicist historians often anachronistically referred to them simply as " Huns ". But this says nothing about their origin, since this term, like " Skythe " before , was often only a stylistic device used by late antique historians to designate peoples in the Pontic steppe area north of the Black Sea. The main source for them is Prokopios (8th book of his histories ), who, however, gives a strongly legendary description of their origins. It is therefore questionable whether they really descended from the remnants of Hunnic groups. In research, they are sometimes equated with the proto- Bulgarians, sometimes clearly differentiated from them.

In the middle of the 6th century the Kutriguren became historically tangible for the first time. Around 550 the Gepids asked the Kutrigures for help in their fight against the Lombards . At this time they also came into contact with the Eastern Roman Empire . Although they received annual money from the emperor in Constantinople , they repeatedly advanced into Eastern Roman territory; on the other hand, Kutrigures also served in the Eastern Roman military, e.g. B. A certain Sinnion fought as an officer under Belisarius .

Prokopios reports that the Kutrigurs then attacked Eastern Roman territory before they were persuaded to withdraw by attacks by the Utigurs or by imperial assurances. In the years 558/59, however, they attacked again under their leader Zabergan , penetrated as far as Greece and even operated in the vicinity of the capital Constantinople. Emperor Justinian I appears to have made an agreement with them, but the sources do not give precise details. Obviously the withdrawal of the Kutriguren had to be bought with gold. In other sources, these attackers are also referred to as Huns, Slavs, or Bulgarians.

Justinian then formed an alliance with Sandilch, a leader of the Utigurs. The Utigurs attacked the Kutrigurs and both groups appear to have weakened greatly in the ensuing battles. The Avars , who had also only appeared in Ostrom's field of vision a few years earlier, took advantage of this situation to subdue most of the remaining Utigurs and Kutrigurs in 560. In the Avar service, the Kutrigures invaded Dalmatia around 568. Kutriguren are also mentioned in the sources as advisors to the Avar Khagan ; in the following years, however, they largely disappeared from the sources. They were probably absorbed by the Avars and Bulgarians, without their exact relationship to the Bulgarians being clear. It is not clear whether remnants of the Kutriguren on the Don River joined Kubrat in the early 7th century .

literature

  • Walter Pohl : The Avars. A steppe people in Central Europe 567–822 AD. 2nd edition Beck, Munich 2002 (edition used here); 3. Edition. Munich 2015, ISBN 978-3-406-68426-5 .
  • Alexander Sarantis: Justinian's Balkan Wars. Campaigning, Diplomacy and Development in Illyricum, Thace and the Northern World AD 527-65. Francis Cairns, Prenton 2016.
  • Samuel Szádeczky-Kardoss: Kutrigoroi. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Supplementary volume XII, Stuttgart 1970, Sp. 516-520.
  • Daniel Ziemann: From wandering people to great power. The emergence of Bulgaria in the early Middle Ages (Cologne historical treatises; vol. 43). Böhlau, Cologne a. a. 2007, ISBN 978-3-412-09106-4 , pp. 95-103 (also dissertation, University of Frankfurt / M. 2002).

Remarks

  1. ^ Cf. Walter Pohl: The Avars. Munich 2002, p. 21ff.
  2. ^ Prokopios, Historien , 8, 5.
  3. ↑ Cf. in general on the hypotheses Samuel Szádeczky-Kardoss: Kutrigoroi. In: RE Supplement XII, Sp. 519f.
  4. ↑ cf. Daniel Ziemann: From wandering people to great power. Cologne u. a. 2007, pp. 95f.
  5. ↑ On diplomatic contacts cf. Alexander Sarantis: Justinian's Balkan Wars. Campaigning, Diplomacy and Development in Illyricum, Thace and the Northern World AD 527-65. Prenton 2016, pp. 301ff.
  6. ^ Prokopios, Historien , 8, 18f.
  7. ↑ Agathias, Historien , 5, 13ff.
  8. ↑ On these events see Alexander Sarantis: Justinian's Balkan Wars. Campaigning, Diplomacy and Development in Illyricum, Thace and the Northern World AD 527-65. Prenton 2016, p. 336ff .; Daniel Ziemann: From wandering people to great power. Cologne u. a. 2007, p. 98ff.
  9. ↑ Alexander Sarantis: Justinian's Balkan Wars. Campaigning, Diplomacy and Development in Illyricum, Thace and the Northern World AD 527-65. Prenton 2016, pp. 346-348.
  10. ↑ Walter Pohl: The Avars. Munich 2002, p. 21.
  11. ↑ Daniel Ziemann: From wandering people to great power. Cologne u. a. 2007, p. 102.
  12. ↑ So Samuel Szadeczky-Kardoss: Kutrigoroi. In: RE Supplement XII, Sp. 518.