Bulanids
Encyclopedia
The Bulanids were the ruling dynasty of the Khazar Khaganate during the 9th century and 10th century CE.
The dynasty is named after Bulan
, who may or may not have been its founder. In other sources (see Schechter Letter
), the founder of the dynasty is named Sabriel
.
Whether the Bulanid rulers were Bek
s or Khagan
s is a matter of some debate. Several kings, such as Bulan
, Obadiah
, Benjamin
, Aaron II
, and Joseph
are described as leading armies, passing legislation, treating with foreign dignitaries, and exercising other powers normally associated with the Bek. However, the Schechter Letter
refers to Sabriel as a Khagan, and to further muddle the issue, no co-ruler is ascribed to any of the rulers of the late 9th century or early 10th century.
Some scholars, such as Omeljan Pritsak
and Mikhail Artamonov
, have envisioned the rise of the Bulanids as a gradual or sudden coup against the ruling Ashina
dynasty by a related, Judaized
clan. Others have connected this hypothetical coup with the revolt of the Kabars. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the Khazars abandoned the dual monarchy some time after their conversion to Judaism and that the later kings ruled alone.
gave the following account of the genealogy of the Bulanids.
The relationship between the Bulanids and earlier Khazar khagans is unknown, as is the issue of whether late Khazar rulers such as David of Taman
and Georgius Tzul
can be connected with this clan.
The dynasty is named after Bulan
Bulan (Khazar)
Bulan was a Khazar king who led the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism. His name means "elk" in Old Turkic. The date of his reign is unknown, as the date of the conversion is hotly disputed, though it is certain that Bulan reigned some time between the mid-700s and the mid-800s. Nor is it settled...
, who may or may not have been its founder. In other sources (see Schechter Letter
Schechter Letter
The "Schechter Letter" was discovered in the Cairo Geniza by Solomon Schechter.-The Letter:The Schechter Letter is a communique from an unnamed Khazar author to an unidentified Jewish dignitary...
), the founder of the dynasty is named Sabriel
Sabriel
Sabriel is a fantasy novel by Garth Nix, first published in 1995. It is the first in his Old Kingdom trilogy, and is followed by Lirael and Abhorsen.-Plot introduction:...
.
Whether the Bulanid rulers were Bek
Bek
Bek or BEK may refer to:*Bek, an alternative spelling of Bey, master*Khagan Bek, the title of the king of the Khazars*Bek Ohmsford, a character in the Shannara series of books*Bruce Eric Kaplan, a cartoonist for The New Yorker...
s or Khagan
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
s is a matter of some debate. Several kings, such as Bulan
Bulan (Khazar)
Bulan was a Khazar king who led the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism. His name means "elk" in Old Turkic. The date of his reign is unknown, as the date of the conversion is hotly disputed, though it is certain that Bulan reigned some time between the mid-700s and the mid-800s. Nor is it settled...
, Obadiah
Obadiah (Khazar)
Obadiah was the name of a Khazar ruler of the late eighth or early ninth century. He is described as coming from among "the sons of the sons" of Bulan, but whether this should be taken literally to mean that he was Bulan's grandson, or figuratively to imply a more remote descent, is unclear...
, Benjamin
Benjamin (Khazar)
A Khazar ruler , mentioned in the Schechter Text and the Khazar Correspondence, Benjamin was the son of the Khazar ruler Menahem and probably reigned in the late ninth and early tenth centuries CE....
, Aaron II
Aaron II (Khazar)
A Khazar ruler during the early 10th century CE, Aaron ben Benjamin was the son of the Khazar king Benjamin. Whether Aaron, like the rest of the Bulanids, was a Khagan or a Bek is an unresolved issue....
, and Joseph
Joseph (Khazar)
Joseph ben Aaron was king of the Khazars during the 950s and 960s.Joseph was the son of Aaron II, a Khazar ruler who defeated a Byzantine-inspired war against Khazaria on numerous fronts. Joseph's wife was the daughter of the king of the Alans.Whether Joseph was the Khagan or the Bek of the...
are described as leading armies, passing legislation, treating with foreign dignitaries, and exercising other powers normally associated with the Bek. However, the Schechter Letter
Schechter Letter
The "Schechter Letter" was discovered in the Cairo Geniza by Solomon Schechter.-The Letter:The Schechter Letter is a communique from an unnamed Khazar author to an unidentified Jewish dignitary...
refers to Sabriel as a Khagan, and to further muddle the issue, no co-ruler is ascribed to any of the rulers of the late 9th century or early 10th century.
Some scholars, such as Omeljan Pritsak
Omeljan Pritsak
Omeljan Pritsak was the first Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and the founder and first director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.-Career:Pritsak began his academic career at the University of Lvov in interwar Poland where he...
and Mikhail Artamonov
Mikhail Artamonov
Mikhail Illarionovich Artamonov Artamonov's scientific career was centered on the Leningrad University, where he was a professor since 1935 and the head of the chair of archeology since 1949. He researched Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements by the Don River, in the North Caucasus and in the Ukraine...
, have envisioned the rise of the Bulanids as a gradual or sudden coup against the ruling Ashina
Ashina
Ashina was a tribe and the ruling dynasty of the ancient Turks who rose to prominence in the mid-6th century when their leader, Bumin Khan, revolted against the Rouran...
dynasty by a related, Judaized
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
clan. Others have connected this hypothetical coup with the revolt of the Kabars. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the Khazars abandoned the dual monarchy some time after their conversion to Judaism and that the later kings ruled alone.
King Joseph's account
The Khazar king JosephJoseph (Khazar)
Joseph ben Aaron was king of the Khazars during the 950s and 960s.Joseph was the son of Aaron II, a Khazar ruler who defeated a Byzantine-inspired war against Khazaria on numerous fronts. Joseph's wife was the daughter of the king of the Alans.Whether Joseph was the Khagan or the Bek of the...
gave the following account of the genealogy of the Bulanids.
- Since [the time of the conversion to Judaism], when my fathers entered into this religion, the God of Israel has humbled all of their enemies, subjecting every folk and tongue round about them, whether Christian, Muslim, or pagan. No one has been able to stand before them to this day [about 960]. All of them are tributary. [But only about ten years later Joseph was defeated by the Russians, 969.] After the days of Bulan there arose one of his descendants, a king ObadiahObadiah (Khazar)Obadiah was the name of a Khazar ruler of the late eighth or early ninth century. He is described as coming from among "the sons of the sons" of Bulan, but whether this should be taken literally to mean that he was Bulan's grandson, or figuratively to imply a more remote descent, is unclear...
by name, who reorganized the kingdom and established the Jewish religion properly and correctly. He built synagogues and yeshivot, brought in Jewish scholars, and rewarded them with gold and silver. [The Jewish scholars could have come from BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.] They explained to him the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, MishnahMishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
, TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and the order of divine services. The King was a man who revered and loved the Torah. He was one of the true servants of God. May the Divine Spirit give him rest! He was succeeded by HezekiahHezekiah (Khazar)Hezekiah ben Obadiah was the ruler of the Khazars, probably in the mid ninth century CE. He was the son of Obadiah, the descendant of Bulan who brought rabbinical scholars to and built yeshivot in Khazaria. Little is known about Hezekiah's reign...
, his son; next to him was MenassehManasseh IMenasseh ben Hezekiah was a Turkic Jewish ruler of the Khazars mentioned in the Khazar Correspondence. He probably reigned in the mid to late ninth century CE. He was the son of Hezekiah, the son of Obadiah. Little is known about his reign...
, his son; next to him was HanukkahHanukkah (Khazar)Hanukkah or Chanukkah ben Obadiah was a Khazar ruler who probably reigned during the mid to late ninth century CE. Hanukkah was the son of Obadiah and succeeded his nephew Menasseh I to the throne. No contemporary records from his reign survive; however, he is known from the Khazar Correspondence...
, the brother of Obadiah; next IsaacIsaac (Khazar)Isaac ben Hanukkah was a Jewish ruler of the Khazars mentioned in the Khazar Correspondence. He probably reigned in the mid to late ninth century CE. Little is known about his reign. As with other Bulanid rulers, it is unclear whether Isaac was Khagan or Khagan Bek of the Khazars, although the...
, his son; afterwards, his son ZebulunZebulun (Khazar)Zebulun or Zevulun ben Isaac was a Jewish Turkic ruler of the Khazars mentioned in the Khazar Correspondence. He probably reigned in the late ninth century CE. Little is known about Zebulun's reign. As with other Bulanid rulers, it is unclear whether he was Khagan or Khagan Bek of the Khazars,...
; then his son Moses [in some editions, Menasseh II]; then his son NisiNisiNisi ben Menasseh or Nisi ben Moses was a Jewish Turkic ruler of the Khazars mentioned in the Khazar Correspondence. He probably reigned in the mid to late 9th century CE. Little is known about his reign. As with other Bulanid rulers, it is unclear whether he was Khagan or Khagan Bek of the...
; then his son Aaron IAaron IAaron ben Nisi was a Turkic Jewish ruler of the Khazars mentioned in the Khazar Correspondence. He reigned around the year 900 CE. Little is known about his reign. As with other Bulanid rulers, it is unclear whether Aaron was Khagan or Khagan Bek of the Khazars, although the latter is more...
; then his son MenahemMenahem (Khazar)Menahem ben Aaron was a Khazar ruler of the late 800s CE. He was the son of Aaron I and the father of Benjamin.-Sources:*Kevin Alan Brook. The Jews of Khazaria. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2006.*Douglas M...
; then his son BenjaminBenjamin (Khazar)A Khazar ruler , mentioned in the Schechter Text and the Khazar Correspondence, Benjamin was the son of the Khazar ruler Menahem and probably reigned in the late ninth and early tenth centuries CE....
; then his son AaronAaron II (Khazar)A Khazar ruler during the early 10th century CE, Aaron ben Benjamin was the son of the Khazar king Benjamin. Whether Aaron, like the rest of the Bulanids, was a Khagan or a Bek is an unresolved issue....
; and I, Joseph, the son of Aaron the King, am King, the son of a King, and the descendant of kings. No stranger can occupy the throne of my ancestors: the son succeeds the father. This has been our custom and the custom of our forefathers since they have come into existence. May it be the gracious will of Him who appoints all kings that the throne of my kingdom shall endure to all eternity.
The relationship between the Bulanids and earlier Khazar khagans is unknown, as is the issue of whether late Khazar rulers such as David of Taman
David of Taman
A purported Khazar ruler of the late tenth century CE who ruled over a Khazar successor-state in the Taman region. David is mentioned in a single document dated AM 4746 which contains a reference to "our lord David, Prince of the Khazars, who lives in Taman." The document in question is of...
and Georgius Tzul
Georgius Tzul
Georgius Tzul was a Khazar warlord against whom the Byzantine Empire and Mstislav of Tmutarakan launched a joint expedition in 1016....
can be connected with this clan.
Resources
- Kevin Alan Brook. The Jews of Khazaria. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2006.
- Douglas M. Dunlop, The History of the Jewish Khazars, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1954.
- Norman GolbNorman GolbNorman Golb is the Ludwig Rosenberger Professor in Jewish History and Civilization at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. He earned his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1954. He joined the faculty of the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati in 1958 before settling at the...
and Omeljan PritsakOmeljan PritsakOmeljan Pritsak was the first Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and the founder and first director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.-Career:Pritsak began his academic career at the University of Lvov in interwar Poland where he...
, Khazarian Hebrew Documents of the Tenth century. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press, 1982.