Kanasubigi

Kanasubigi (Greek: ΚΑΝΑΣΥΒΙΓΙ), possibly read as Kanas Ubigi or Kanas U Bigi, was a title of the early Bulgar rulers of the First Bulgarian Empire. Omurtag (814–831) and his son Malamir (831–836) are mentioned in inscriptions as Kanasubigi.[1][2]

The title khan for early Bulgarian rulers is an assumed one, as only the form kanasubigi or "kanasybigi"[3] is attested in stone inscriptions. Historians presume that it includes the title khan in its archaic form kana, and there is a presumptive evidence suggesting that the latter title was indeed used in Bulgaria, e.g. the name of one of the Bulgars' ruler Pagan occurs in Patriarch Nicephorus's so-called breviarium as Καμπαγάνος (Kampaganos), likely an erroneous rendition of the phrase "Khan Pagan".[4] Among the proposed translations for the phrase kanasubigi as a whole are lord of the army, from the reconstructed Turkic phrase *sü begi, paralleling the attested Old Turkic sü baši,[5] and, more recently, "(ruler) from God", from the Indo-European *su- and baga-, i.e. *su-baga (an equivalent of the Greek phrase ὁ ἐκ Θεοῦ ἄρχων, ho ek Theou archon, which is common in Bulgar inscriptions).[6] Another presumption is that the title means the great khan.[7] This titulature presumably persisted until the Bulgars adopted Christianity.[8] Some Bulgar inscriptions written in Greek and later in Slavonic refer to the Bulgarian ruler respectively with the Greek title archon or the Slavic title knyaz.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Николов, Г., Централизъм и регионализъм в ранносредновековна България (края на VII – началото на XI в.), Академично издателство „Марин Дринов“, София 2005, ISBN 954-430-787-7, с. 107.
  2. ^ Гюзелев, В., Кавханите и ичиргу-боилите на българското ханство-царство (VII – XI в.), Фондация Българско историческо наследство; Пловдив 2007, ISBN 978-954-91983-1-7, с. 40, 61;
  3. ^ Florin Curta, Roman Kovalev, “The” Other Europe in the Middle Ages: Avars, Bulgars, Khazars and Cumans ; [papers ... Presented in the Three Special Sessions at the 40th and 42nd Editions of the International Congress on Medieval Studies Held at Kalamazzo in 2005 and 2007], BRILL, 2008, p. 363, ISBN 9789004163898
  4. ^ Източници за българската история . Fontes historiae bulgaricae, VI. Fontes graeci historiae Bulgaricae. БАН, София. p. 305 (in Byzantine Greek and Bulgarian). Also available online
  5. ^ Veselin Beševliev, Prabylgarski epigrafski pametnici - 5
  6. ^ "Digital object identifier - Early Medieval Europe, vol. 10, issue 1, pp. 1-19, March 2001 (Article Abstract)". doi:10.1111/1468-0254.00077. S2CID 154863640. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Élisabeth Malamut, À propos des formules protocolaires concernant les Bulgares dans le Livre des Cérémonies: réception et correspondance In: La diplomatie byzantine, de l’Empire romain aux confins de l’Europe (Ve-XVe s.); pages: 129–155; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004433380_007
  8. ^ Sedlar, Jean W,. East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500, p. 46
  9. ^ Manassias Chronicle, Vatican transcription, p. 145, see Battle of Pliska

Bibliography

  • Hanswilhelm Haefs, Das goldene Reich der Pamir-Bulgaren an Donau und Wardar (p. 120), ISBN 3-8334-2340-4