Abstract:

The Bulgarians appeared as part of the Hunnic hordes in the Eastern European steppes. The early history of the Volga Bulgarian is usually associated with the Ogur tribes, which occupied the territory from Central Mongolia to Northern Kazakhstan. Starting from the end of the 5th century, we find the Pro-Bulgar alliance, formed into a single nation of Onogurs, Utigurs and Kutrigurs, on the vast expenses of the Black Sea-Caspian steppes, as well as in the North Caucasus, in the Danube and in the Balkans. As part of the Western Turkish Khaganate, by the 630s, they gained independence and created their own state headed by Khan Kubrat - Great Bulgaria. The authors deal with the topic of contacts of the Volga Bulgars with the southern nomadic people. After the collapse of the Great Bulgaria of Khan Kubrat and during the existence of the Khazar Khaganate, there were continuous migrations of Bulgarians to the Middle Volga, where the Volga Bulgaria state was formed. The Volga Bulgars closely contacted the Pechenegs and Kipchaks-Cumans, who played a significant role in the formation of the ethnos, language and culture of the modern Tatars of the Volga region and the Urals.