View source for Volga Bulgaria

{{Short description|900s–1200s Bulgar state on the Volga River}}
{{About|the historical country on the Volga|the ship that sank in the river|Bulgaria (ship)}}
{{Distinguish|Bulgaria}}
{{Tone|date=May 2025}}{{Infobox country
|native_name = 
|conventional_long_name = Volga Bulgaria
|common_name = Volga Bulgaria
|religion = [[Tengrism]], later [[Sunni Islam]] (after [[Almış|Almish Iltäbär]])
|era         = Middle Ages
|status      = Vassals of the [[Khazars]] (late 9th century-969)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Di Cosmo |first1=Nicola |title=Warfare in Inner Asian History (500-1800) |date=2018 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004391789 |pages=139–140 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UaWODwAAQBAJ&dq=volga+bulgaria+vassal+of+the+khazars&pg=PA139}}</ref>
|event_start = 
|year_start  = late 9th century
|date_start  = 
|event1      = Conversion to [[Islam]]
|date_event1 = 922
|event2      = 
|date_event2 = 
|event_end   = [[Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria|Conquered]] by the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]]
|year_end    = 1240s
|date_end    = 
|p1          = Old Great Bulgaria
|s1          = Mongol Empire
|image_flag  = 
|image_coat  = 
|image_map   = Volga-Bulgaria.jpg
|image_map_caption = 
|capital           = [[Bolghar]]<br/>[[Bilär]]
|common_languages  = [[Bulgar language|Bulgar]]
|government_type   = [[Monarchy]]
|leader1           = [[Şilki]]
|year_leader1      = 9th century
|leader2           = [[Almış]], [[Ahmad ibn Jaʿfar|Ahmad]], [[Mikaʾil ibn Jaʿfar|Mikaʾil]], [[Abdallah ibn Mikaʾil|Abdallah]], [[Talib ibn Ahmad|Talib]], [[Muʾmin ibn Ahmad|Muʾmin I]], [[Muʾmin ibn al-Hasan|Muʾmin II]], [[Shamgun]]
|year_leader2      = 10th century
|leader3           = [[Khaidar]], [[Mukhammad of Volga Bulgaria|Mukhammad]], [[Saʾid of Volga Bulgaria|Saʾid]], [[Baradz]], [[Ibrahim of Volga Bulgaria|Ibrahim]], [[Otyak of Volga Bulgaria|Otyak]], [[Ghabdula Chelbir]], [[Ilham Khan]]
|year_leader3      = 11th-13th centuries
|title_leader      = [[List of rulers of Volga Bulgaria|Ruler]]
|legislature       = 
|category=
|today = [[Russia]]
|demonym=|area_km2=|area_rank=|GDP_PPP=|GDP_PPP_year=|HDI=|HDI_year=}}

'''Volga Bulgaria''' or '''Volga–Kama Bulgaria''' (sometimes referred to as the '''Volga Bulgar Emirate'''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mako |first1=Gerald |title=Volga Bulgar Emirate |journal=The Encyclopedia of Empire |date=2016 |pages=1–3 |doi=10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe009 |isbn=978-1-118-44064-3 |url=https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe009|url-access=subscription }}</ref>) was a historical [[Bulgars|Bulgar]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Shpakovsky|first1=Viacheslav|last2=Nicolle|first2=David|title=Armies of the Volga Bulgars & Khanate of Kazan|date=2013|pages=14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Champion|first1=Timothy|title=Nationalism and Archaeology in Europe|date=2014|page=227}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Koesel|first1=Karrie J.|title=Religion and Authoritarianism: Cooperation, Conflict, and the Consequences|date=2014|pages=103}}</ref> state that existed between the 9th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the [[Volga]] and [[Kama River]], in what is now [[European Russia]]. Volga Bulgaria was a multi-ethnic state with large numbers of [[Bulgars]], [[Finno-Ugric peoples|Finno-Ugrians]], [[Varangians]], and [[East Slavs]].<ref>{{Cite book |editor-first=Timothy|editor-last=Reuter| url=http://archive.org/details/newcambridgemedi0003unse |title=The New Cambridge medieval history |volume=III, c. 900-1024|date=1995 |publisher=Cambridge [England] ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press |page=504 |isbn=978-0-521-36291-7}}</ref> Its strategic position allowed it to create a local trade monopoly with [[Norsemen|Norse]], [[Cumans]], and [[Pannonian Avars]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kEIkDwAAQBAJ&q=Kuban+river+byzantine+empire&pg=PT76|title=A Short History of South East Europe|last=Popovski|first=Ivan|date=2017-05-10|publisher=Lulu Press, Inc|isbn=9781365953941|access-date=2020-10-03|archive-date=2023-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121055515/https://books.google.com/books?id=kEIkDwAAQBAJ&q=Kuban+river+byzantine+empire&pg=PT76|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==

===Origin and creation of the state===
The origin of the early Bulgars is still unclear. Their homeland is believed to be situated between [[Kazakhstan]] and the [[North Caucasus|North Caucasian]] steppes. Interaction with the [[Hunnic tribes]], causing the migration, may have occurred there, and the [[Pontic–Caspian steppe]] seems the most likely location.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Golden |first=Peter B. |url=https://www.academia.edu/12545004 |title=An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples |year=1992 |pages=137}}</ref>

Some scholars propose that the Bulgars may have been a branch or offshoot of the Huns or at least Huns seem to have been absorbed by the Bulgars after [[Dengizich]]'s death.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Maenchen-Helfen |first1=Otto |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CrUdgzSICxcC |title=The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture |last2=Helfen |first2=Otto |date=1973-01-01 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-01596-8 |pages=168 }}</ref> Others however, argue that the [[Huns]] continued under Ernak, becoming the [[Kutrigurs|Kutrigur]] and [[Utigurs|Utigur]] [[Huns|Hunno]]-Bulgars.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kim |first=Hyun Jin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCpncXFzoFgC |title=The Huns, Rome and the Birth of Europe |date=2013-04-18 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-00906-6 |location=2013 |pages=123 }}</ref> These conclusions remain a topic of ongoing debate and controversy among scholars.

The [[Bulgars]] were an [[Oghuric languages|Oghuric]] people{{sfn|Golden|1992|p=253, 256|ps=: "With their Avar and Türk political heritage, they assumed political leadership over an array of Turkic groups, Iranians and Finno-Ugric peoples, under the overlordship of the Khazars, whose vassals they remained." ... "The Bulgars, whose Oguric ancestors ..."}}<ref name="Kim">{{cite book |author=[[Hyun Jin Kim]] |year=2013 |title=The Huns, Rome and the Birth of Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCpncXFzoFgC |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=58–59, 150–155, 168, 204, 243 |isbn=9781107009066}}</ref> who settled north of the [[Black Sea]]. During their westward migration across the [[Eurasian steppe]], they came under the overlordship of [[Khazars]], leading other ethnic groups, including [[Finno-Ugric peoples|Finno-Ugric]] and [[Iranian peoples|Iranic]] as well as other [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] peoples.{{sfn|Golden|1992|p=253, 256|ps=: "With their Avar and Türk political heritage, they assumed political leadership over an array of Turkic groups, Iranians and Finno-Ugric peoples, under the overlordship of the Khazars, whose vassals they remained." ... "The Bulgars, whose Oguric ancestors ..."}} In about 630 they founded [[Old Great Bulgaria]], which was destroyed by the [[Khazars]] in 668. [[Kotrag]], following the death of his father, began to extend the influence of his Bulgars to the [[Volga River]]. He is remembered as the founder of Volga Bulgaria.<ref>{{Cite book |last=MacDermott |first=Mercia |title=Bulgarian folk customs |date=1998 |publisher=J. Kingsley |isbn=978-1-85302-485-6 |location=London Philadelphia (Pa.)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=MEX-M-MRS-1-2-3-PRM-0572 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5270/esa-9ok7lmw |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=MEX-M-MRS-1-2-3-PRM-0572|doi=10.5270/esa-9ok7lmw |url-access=subscription }}</ref> They reached [[Idel-Ural]] in the eighth century, where they became the dominant population at the end of the 9th century, uniting other tribes of different origin who lived in the area.<ref>{{TES|Болгарлар}}</ref>

However, some Bulgar tribes under the leader Asparukh moved west from the Pontic-Caspian steppes and eventually settled along the Danube River.,<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 1992 |title=FFPS NEWS |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s003060530002367x |journal=Oryx |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=176–183 |doi=10.1017/s003060530002367x |issn=0030-6053}}</ref> in what is now known as [[Bulgaria]] proper, where they created a confederation with the [[Early Slavs|Slavs]], adopting a [[South Slavic languages|South Slavic language]] and the [[Eastern Orthodox]] faith. However, Bulgars in [[Idel-Ural]] eventually gave birth to [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]] people. Unlike [[Danube River|Danube]] Bulgars, Volga Bulgars did not adopt any language. The [[Chuvash language]] today is the only [[Oghuric languages|Oghuric]] language that survived and it is the sole living representative of the Volga Bulgar language.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Agyagási |first=K. |date=2020 |title=A Volga Bulgarian Classifier: A Historical and Areal Linguistic Study |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338899820 |journal=University of Debrecen |volume=3 |pages=9 |quote="Modern Chuvash is the only descendant language of the Ogur branch.The ancestors of its speakers left the Khazar Empire in the 8th century and migrated to the region at the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers, where they founded the Volga Bulgarian Empire in the 10th century. In the central Volga region three Volga Bulgarian dialects developed, and Chuvash is the descendant of the 3rd dialect of Volga Bulgarian (Agyagási 2019: 160–183). Sources refer to it as a separate language beginning with 1508"}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite book |last=Marcantonio |first=Angela |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cp-tB08yd2EC&pg=PA167 |title=The Uralic language family: facts, myths and statistics |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2002 |isbn=0-631-23170-6 |page=167}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite book |last=Price |first=Glanville |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=29BAeKHwvuoC&pg=PA88 |title=Encyclopedia of the languages of Europe |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2000 |isbn=0-631-22039-9 |page=88}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite book |last=Clauson |first=Gerard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uJ-7yFXRpiYC&pg=PA38 |title=Studies in Turkic and Mongolic linguistics |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2002 |isbn=0-415-29772-9 |page=38}}</ref>

Most scholars agree that the Volga Bulgars were initially subject to the [[Khazaria|Khazar]] Khaganate. This fragmented Volga Bulgaria grew in size and power and gradually freed itself from the influence of the Khazars. Sometime in the late 9th century, unification processes started and the capital was established at [[Bolghar]] (also spelled Bulgar) city, 160&nbsp;km south of modern [[Kazan]]. However, complete independence was reached after Khazaria's destruction and conquest by [[Sviatoslav I of Kiev|Sviatoslav]] in the late 10th century; thus, Bulgars no longer paid tribute to it.<ref>A History of Russia: Since 1855, Walter Moss, pg 29</ref><ref name="ShpakovskyNicolle2013">{{cite book|first1=Viacheslav |last1=Shpakovsky|first2=David |last2=Nicolle|title=Armies of the Volga Bulgars & Khanate of Kazan: 9th–16th centuries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tKajCwAAQBAJ|date=2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-78200-080-8|page=10}}</ref> [[Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur]] named the Volga Bulgar people as ''Ulak''.<ref name="Makkay">{{citation|last=Makkay|first=János|url=http://www.sznm.ro/acta2008/209_240_makkay.pdf|title=Siculica Hungarica De la Géza Nagy până la Gyula László|trans-title=Siculica Hungarica From Géza Nagy to Gyula László|journal=Acta Siculica|year=2008|pages=209–240|access-date=2016-11-29|archive-date=2018-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920200431/http://www.sznm.ro/acta2008/209_240_makkay.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Conversion to Islam and further statehood===
{{Main|Muscovite–Volga Bulgars war (1376)}}

Volga Bulgaria adopted [[Islam]] as a state religion in 922 – 66 years before the [[Christianization of Kievan Rus']]. In 921 [[Almış]] sent an ambassador to the Caliph requesting religious instruction. The next year an embassy returned with [[Ibn Fadlan]] as secretary. A significant number of Muslims already lived in the country.<ref>Azade-Ayse Rolich, The Volga Tatars, 1986, page 11. Richard Frye, Ibn Fadlan's Journey to Russia, 2005, page 44 gives 16 May 922 for the first meeting with the ruler. This seems to be the official date of the conversion.</ref> The Volga Bulgars attempted to convert [[Vladimir I of Kiev]] to Islam; however Vladimir rejected the notion of [[Rus' (people)|Rus']] giving up wine, which he declared was the "very joy of their lives".<ref>The preaching of Islam: a history of the propagation of the Muslim faith By Sir Thomas Walker Arnold, p. 201-202</ref>

Commanding the [[Volga River]] in its middle course, the state controlled much of [[Volga trade route|trade between Europe and Asia]] prior to the [[Crusades]] (which made other trade routes practicable). [[Bolghar]], was a thriving city, rivalling in size and wealth the greatest centres of the Islamic world. Trade partners of Bolghar included from [[Viking]]s, [[Bjarmland]], [[Yugra]] and [[Nenets people|Nenets]] in the north to [[Baghdad]] and [[Constantinople]] in the south, from Western Europe to [[China]] in the East. Other major cities included [[Bilär]], [[Suar, Volga Bulgaria|Suar]] (Suwar), [[Qashan|Qaşan]] (Kashan) and [[Cükätaw]] (Juketau). Modern cities [[Kazan]] and [[Yelabuga]] were founded as Volga Bulgaria's border fortresses. Some of the Volga Bulgarian cities have still not been found, but they are mentioned in [[East Slavic languages|old East Slavic]] sources. They are: [[Aşlı|Ashli]] (Oshel), Tuxçin (Tukhchin), İbrahim (Bryakhimov), Taw İle. Some of them were ruined during and after the [[Golden Horde]] invasion.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

Volga Bulgaria played a key role in the trade between Europe and the Muslim world. Furs and slaves were the main goods in this trade, and the [[Volga Bulgarian slave trade]] played a significant role. People taken captive during the viking raids in Western Europe, such as Ireland, could be sold to [[Slavery in al-Andalus|Moorish Spain]] via the [[Dublin slave trade]]<ref name="aroundtheworldineightyyears.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.aroundtheworldineightyyears.com/viking-dublin/|title=The Slave Market of Dublin|date=23 April 2013}}</ref> or transported to [[Hedeby]] or [[Brännö]] in Scandinavia and from there via the [[Volga trade route]] to Russia, where slaves and furs were sold to Muslim merchants in exchange for Arab silver ''[[dirham]]'' and silk, which have been found in [[Birka]], [[Wolin|Wollin]] and [[Dublin]];<ref>The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 3, C.900-c.1024. (1995). Storbritannien: Cambridge University Press. p. 91</ref> initially this trade route between Europe and the Abbasid Caliphate passed [[Khazar slave trade|via the Khazar Kaghanate]],<ref>The World of the Khazars: New Perspectives. Selected Papers from the Jerusalem 1999 International Khazar Colloquium. (2007). Nederländerna: Brill. p. 232</ref> but from the early 10th century onward it went via Volga Bulgaria and from there by caravan to [[Khwarazm]], to the [[Samanid slave trade|Samanid slave market]] in Central Asia and finally via Iran to [[slavery in the Abbasid Caliphate|the Abbasid Caliphate]].<ref name="New Cambridge Medieval History 1024. p. 504">The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 3, C.900-c.1024. (1995). Storbritannien: Cambridge University Press. p. 504</ref> Slavic pagans were also enslaved by Vikings, [[Magyars]], and Volga Bulgars, who transported them to Volga Bulgaria, where they were sold to Muslim slave traders and continued to Khwarezm and the Samanids, with a minor part being exported [[Black Sea slave trade|to the Byzantine Empire]].<ref>Korpela, J. (2018). Slaves from the North: Finns and Karelians in the East European Slave Trade, 900–1600. Nederländerna: Brill. p. 62</ref> This was a major trade; the Samanids were the main source of Arab silver to Europe via this route,<ref name="New Cambridge Medieval History 1024. p. 504"/> and Ibn Fadlan referred to the ruler of the Volga Bulgar as "King of the [[Saqaliba]]" because of his importance for this trade.<ref name="New Cambridge Medieval History 1024. p. 504"/>

The Rus' principalities to the west posed the only tangible military threat. In the 11th century, the country was devastated by several raids by other Rus'. Then, at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, the rulers of [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] (notably [[Andrew the Pious]] and [[Vsevolod III]]), anxious to defend their eastern border, systematically pillaged Volga Bulgarian cities. Under Rus' pressure from the west, the Volga Bulgars had to move their capital from Bolghar to [[Bilär]].{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

===Decline===
{{Main|Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria}}

From the beginning of the 13th century, the Volga Bulgars were subject to multiple raids from the East Slavic principalities as multiple skirmishes took place for control of the [[Unzha|Unzha River]] which was an important commercial route. In 1220, the Grand Duke [[Yuri II of Vladimir]] captured [[Veliky Ustyug|Ustiug]] and besieged the important Bulgar town of [[Aşlı]]. The consequence of this was that [[Vladimir-Suzdal]] gained access to Volga Bulgaria's northern trade routes and hindered the means of the Bulgars acquiring fur.<ref name=Zimonyi1992>{{cite journal |last1=Zimonyi |first1=Istvan |title=The Volga Bulghars Between Wind and Water |journal=Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae |date=1992 |volume=46 |pages=347–355 |jstor=23658459 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23658459}}</ref> The [[Nikon Chronicle]] also details that following this, Yuri II began amassing a large force of Rus' for an even larger campaign against the Bulgars. The Bulgars would send entreaties and proposals for peace but these were all rejected. Yuri travelled with his army to [[Omut]] where further entreaties for peace were received from the Bulgars however these were still rejected. However, by the time [[Vasilko Konstantinovich]] of [[Rostov]] arrived, Yuri accepted an offer of gifts and agreed to adhere to an earlier peace treaty with the Bulgars that was agreed under the rule of his father, [[Vsevolod the Big Nest]].<ref name= Zimonyi1992 />

In September 1223 near [[Samara, Russia|Samara]] an advance guard of [[Genghis Khan]]'s army under the command of [[Uran (Mongol Leader)|Uran]], son of [[Subutai|Subutai Bahadur]],{{Disputed inline|Talk page section|date=October 2020}} entered Volga Bulgaria but was defeated in the [[Battle of Samara Bend]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} In 1236, the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]] [[Siege of Bilär|returned]] and in five years had subjugated the whole country, which at that time was suffering from internal war {{citation needed|date=March 2017}}. Henceforth Volga Bulgaria became a part of the Ulus [[Jochi]], later known as the [[Golden Horde]]. It was divided into several principalities; each of them became a vassal of the Golden Horde and received some autonomy. By the 1430s, the [[Khanate of Kazan]] was established as the most important of these principalities.<ref name= Zimonyi1992 />

=== Kazan Khanate ===
{{Main|Khanate of Kazan}}After the destruction of the Volga Bulgaria by the troops of the Tatar-Mongol army in the 13th century, 2/3 of the population was destroyed, mainly the urban elite was killed, the surviving village Bulgars crossed to the right bank of the [[Volga]] to the [[Sviyaga]] River, where at that time some Bulgar tribes lived, and to the right bank of the [[Kama (river)|Kama]] to the [[Kazanka (river)|Kazanka]] River, where they founded an area called in the chronicles as "''Sainov yurt''", which included several cities: Kashan, Kermenchuk, Chally, etc. Later in the [[Kazan Khanate]] it was renamed "''Zureiskaya [[Darugha|Daruga]]''".

In the 15th century, [[Yury of Zvenigorod|Yuri Dmitrievich]], Prince of [[Grand Principality of Moscow|Moscow]], raided the Bulgar region (Sainov Yurt), ravaged and burned the cities of [[Old Kazan]], Kremenchuk, Zhukotin and New Bolgar, and killed the Tsar and Tsarina, as the chronicles report. For about 40 years, [[Old Kazan]] and its adjacent territories stood half-empty, until the fugitive [[Ulugh Muhammad|Ulug-Muhammad]] moved the capital to [[Kazan|New Kazan]] at the mouth of the [[Kazanka (river)|Kazanka]] River, on an elevated, well-defended hill. People from all its outskirts began to gather in the new Kazan, as the chronicles report: [[Muslims]], [[Cheremis]], [[Votyaks]], [[Bulgars]]. Quote from the Kazan History, compiled in 1564-1566:<blockquote>And he went through the surrounding field and climbed over the Volga, and sat down in empty Kazan, Sainov Yurt. There were few living in the city. And the [[Muslims|Sratsyn]] and [[Cheremis]], who somehow lived in the Kazan [[Volost|voloses]], gathered together and came to his aid. And with the poor [[Bulgars|Bulgarians]] who remained from captivity, the Kazanians prayed to him to be an intercessor for troubles, who were from the violence and war of the [[Russians]], and an assistant, and a builder of the kingdom, so that they would not be completely desolate. And they obeyed him.

Original (Old Russian):

И шед полемъ округь и перелѣз Волгу, и засяде Казань пустую, Саиновъ юртъ. Мало было во граде живущих. И собирающися [[Muslims|срацыне]] и [[Cheremis|черемиса]], которые по [[Volost|волостямъ]] казанскимъ нѣкако живяху, и ради ему бывше. И со оставшимися от плѣна [[Bulgars|худыя болгаре]] казанцы и молиша его заступника быти бѣдам, иже от насилиа и воевания [[Russians|рускаго]], и помощника, и царству строителя, да не до конца запустѣют. И повинушася ему.</blockquote>At the same time, the collapse of the [[Golden Horde]] began, which allowed the Kazan Khanate to emerge, into whose vassal possessions and protectorate the Bulgarian lands also fell. In the [[Kazan Khanate]], the controlled and dependent lands were called [[Darugha|Darugas]].

==== The Muscovites siege of Kazan ====
{{Main|Siege of Kazan}}The first contacts of [[Ivan the Terrible]] with the subjects of the Kazan Khanate began in 1546, he diplomatically agreed with the mountain people (Right high bank of the [[Volga]]) and with the princes of the [[Arsky District|Arsk]] and [[Zyuri|Zyurei]] [[Darugha|Daruga]] (Left bank of the [[Volga]]) about an alliance against Khan [[Safa Giray of Kazan|Safa Giray]] who sat on the Kazan throne.

Mountain people are the population of the Mountain side of the Volga of the Kazan Khanate (right high bank), including the [[Cheremis|Mountain Cheremis]] (modern Mari) and the Upper (Mountain) [[Chuvashes]]. These peoples were under the rule of [[Kazan]], but their relations with the Khanate were complicated due to tax oppression and military conflicts.

People of the [[Arsky District|Arsk]] [[Darugha|Daruga]] are the population of [[Arsk]] controlled by the [[Udmurts]].

People of the [[Mamadyshsky District|Zyurei]] [[Darugha|Daruga]] are the population of [[Zyuri]] controlled by the Lower (Meadow) [[Chuvashes]].

According to Russian chronicles, the key moment came in 1551, when [[Ivan the Terrible]] agreed to build the fortress of [[Sviyazhsk]] on the territory of the Mountain Side, inhabited by the upper [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]] and mountain [[Cheremis]]. [[Sviyazhsk]] was built to create a bridgehead for the siege of [[Kazan]], and its construction became an important factor in the subjugation of the local peoples.

It is known that [[Andrey Kurbsky|Andrei Kurbsky]] mentioned it when describing the Russian campaign against Kazan:<blockquote>When they crossed the [[Sura (river)|Sura River]], then the [[Mari people|Mountain Cheremis]] ([[Kozmodemyansk, Mari El Republic|Kozmodemyansk]]), and those who call themselves [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]], they have a special language, began to meet five hundred and a thousand people, because they rejoiced at the arrival of the [[Ivan the Terrible|Moscow Tsar]]: because this city, [[Sviyazhsk]], was built in their land.

Original Old Russian:

Егдажъ преплавишася Суру рѣку, тогда и Черемиса Горняя, а по ихъ, Чуваша зовомые, языкъ особливый, начаша встрѣчати по пяти сотъ и по тысящѣ ихъ, аки бы радующеся цареву пришествію: понеже въ ихъ землѣ поставленъ оный предреченный градъ на Свіягѣ.

— Tales of Prince Kurbsky.</blockquote>The troops of [[Andrey Kurbsky|Andrey Krubsky]] mistakenly perceived the phrase "We are Chuvash" (translated as "We are peaceful residents") as the self-designation of the people, which is why the ethnonym [[Bulgars|Bulgar]] disappears and the ethnonym [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]] (peaceful resident) first appears in the 16th century. The term “yasak Chuvasha” recorded class affiliation: the name “Chyuvasha” (šüäš), according to the authoritative conclusion of the linguist R. G. Akhmetyanov, meant “plowman, farmer”.

However, the peace between them did not last long. In April 1551, the Sviyazhsk governors reported that "the mountain people were rebelling, many had united with the Kazan people again, and there was little truth in them, and great disobedience in them." Soon after, the mountain people "changed everything and betrayed the Russians, and came to the Sviyazhsk city to drive them out." Anti-Moscow rebellions began on the Mountain and Lugovaya sides, in which the Chuvash and Cheremis participated. These uprisings continued until 1557. The Russian government responded with repression: in 1553, for example, 74 Civilian Chuvash, accused of rebellion, were hanged in [[Sviyazhsk]], and their property was handed over to informers. By 1557, after the suppression of resistance, the Chuvash and Mountain Cheremis, who lived on both sides of the Volga, finally became part of the [[Grand Principality of Moscow|Muscovite state]].<blockquote>Translate: The Kazan, former Tatar, Kingdom received its name from its capital city, and it from the name of the [[Kazanka (river)|river Kazanka]] (Kasanska), flowing around it with its winding bed. Kazan was built by [[Perekop]] refugees from [[Taurida]], during the reign of [[Vasily II of Moscow|Vasily II Vasilyevich]] in [[Muscovy (Grand Duchy)|Muscovy]]. [[Vasili III of Russia|Vasily III Ivanovich]] forced it (Kazan) to take [[Tsar]]s for itself, from it (the [[Kasimov Tatars]]). And then, when it (Kazan) began to rebel, he squeezed it with threats of a dangerous war, but did not subdue it. But in 7061 (from the Creation of the World), or in [[1552]] (from the Nativity of Christ), his son, [[Ivan the Terrible|Ivan IV the Terrible]], took Kazan, after a six-month siege, along with it and [[Cheremis]] (Ceremissis), forced them to submit to the rule of Moscow. However, as a reward for the insult, he subjugated to it (Kazan) and to himself the neighboring [[Chuvashia|Chuvash Bulgaria]] (Bulgariam), which he could not stand for its frequent rebellions, so that this country, not accustomed to obedience, would learn to bear foreign rule ([[colonization]]), and he decorated Kazan by establishing in it the [[Metropolitanate]] and the seat of the Chief Metropolitan.

 — Journey to Muscovy of Baron ''Augustin Meyerberg'' and ''Horace Wilhelm Calvucci'', ambassadors of the August Roman Emperor Leopold to the Tsar and Grand Duke [[Alexis of Russia|Alexei Mikhailovich]] in 1661, described by Baron Mayerberg himself.

Original: Казанское, бывшее нѣкогда Татарское Царство, получило названіе отъ своего столичнаго города, а этотъ отъ рѣки Казанки (Kasanska), обтекающей его своимъ извилистымъ русломъ. Казань построена Перекопскими бѣглецами изъ Тавриды, въ княженіе Василія Васильевича въ Московій. Василій Ивановичь заставить ее брать от него Царей себѣ. А потомъ, когда она возмутилась было, онъ стѣенить ее лишеніями опасной войны, однако ж не покорилъ. Но въ 7061 году, отъ С. М., въ 1552 отъ Р. Х., сынъ его, Иванъ, взялъ Казань, послѣ шестимѣсячной осады вместѣ съ ея Черемисами (Ceremissis), заставилъ смириться подъ властью Москвы. Однако жь, въ видѣ вознагражденія за обиду подчинить ей сосѣднюю себѣ Болгарію (Bulgariam), которой терпѣть не мог за частые мятежи, чтобы эта страна, не привыкшая къ покорности, научилась носить чужое иго, и украсиль Казань учрежденіемъ въ ней Митрополіи и мѣстопребыванія Митрополита.</blockquote>Text "Kazan Chronicler" (1560-1565): <blockquote>"And after the capture of [[Kazan]], [[Ivan the Terrible|Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich]] ordered his commanders to go to [[Chuvashia|neighboring Bulgaria]], because of the insult to them, which constantly organized uprisings, and together with them he subjugated the [[Mari El|Cheremis]], because they rose up against his power. And so he conquered them, and burned their cities, and peace was granted to them only under the subordination of his state."

Original Old Russia: «И по взятии Казани царь Иванъ Василіевичь повелѣ воеводамъ своимъ ити на съсѣднюю Болгарію, иже обиду восстаніи чиниша, и съ ними черемисы подъчинити, иже противу власти его сташа. И тако воеваша ихъ, и грады ихъ пожгоша, и миръ имъ дарованъ бысть подъ ярмомъ его державы».</blockquote>Neighboring [[Chuvashia|Bulgaria]] is subordinated separately from the [[Kazan]] Khanate (Kazan Chronicler).

The uprisings continued later:

* First Cheremis War (1552-1557)
* Second Cheremis War (1571-1574)
* Third Cheremis War (1581-1585)
* Dzhan-Gali Uprising (1613-1618)
* Stepan Razin Uprising (1667-1671)
* Pugachev Uprising (1773-1775)
[[File:Бол.печать Ивана Грозного.jpg|thumb|193x193px|Different coats of arms of the possessions of Bulgaria and Kazan on the Great Seal of Ivan the Terrible]]
[[File:Печать Болгарская (Волжская).gif|thumb|The Bulgarian Coat of Arms (Walking Lion) on the Great Seal of Ivan the Terrible]]
[[File:Iohann seal Kazan.gif|thumb|196x196px|Coat of arms of the Kazan Kingdom (the Zilant snake) on the Great Seal of Ivan the Terrible]]
As we see, there is a clear division both by Ivan the Terrible and by various chroniclers that the Kazan lands and the Bulgarian lands are different territorial possessions, since it is directly stated that after the capture of Kazan, Moscow separately subjugated neighboring Bulgaria and separately the Cheremis lands. This is also evidenced by the "Great State Seal of Tsar Ivan the Terrible (16th century)", where the possessions have separate coats of arms: "Seal of the Kingdom of Kazan" and "Seal of Bulgarian". These were different administrative lands.

During the peace negotiations in the summer between Ivan the Terrible, in which representatives of the Chuvash and Mari also participated, the tsar refused to return the Mountain Side, citing that he "took it with a saber before their petition."

The first person to state in writing that the Chuvash originated from the Bulgars was [[Adam Olearius]] (Germany, 17th century), who visited Russia in the 1630s and wrote down his observations about the Chuvash, linking them to the Bulgars based on local legends and stories. The first edition of the book was published in Schleswig, 1647, "Beschreibung der muscowitischen und persischen Reise"("Description of a Journey to Muscovy and Persia"), p.&nbsp;192 (German edition):<blockquote>“The Chuvash, who now live along the Volga, are the remnants of the ancient Bulgarians, who once had a powerful kingdom, but are now under the rule of Moscow”

Original: «Die Tschuwaschen, so jetzt an der Wolga wohnen, sollen die Überbleibsel der alten Bulgaren seyn, welche sonst ein mächtig Königreich gehabt»</blockquote>The second person to assert that the Chuvashes "call themselves Bulgars, just as the Russians call them" was [[Vasily Tatishchev|V.N. Tatishchev]], who personally traveled all over the Volga region and founded the city of Stavropol (now Tolyatti), wrote in his work "Russian History from the Most Ancient Times": Book 1, Part 1, p.&nbsp;156 (in the new edition p.&nbsp;234):<blockquote>“The Chuvash, as they call themselves and the Russians, are ancient Bulgarians who had their dwellings up and down the Volga, but then many of them moved to other places.”

Original: «Чуваши, яко '''сами себя''' и от россиян тако '''зовут, суть болгары''' древние, иже по Волге вниз и вверх жилища свои имели, но потом многие из них в иные места переселились»</blockquote>The next person to connect the Chuvash with the Bulgars was [[Johann Georg Gmelin]] (Germany/Russia, 18th century) "Reise durch Sibirien von dem Jahr 1733 bis 1743" ("Travel through Siberia from 1733 to 1743"), volume 2, Göttingen, 1752, p.&nbsp;87:<blockquote>“The Chuvash, whom I met in the Kazan region, are the descendants of the ancient Volga Bulgars, who have preserved their language” (Travel across Russia, 1733–1743, volume 2).

Original: «Die Tschuwaschen, die ich im Kazanschen Lande angetroffen, sind Nachkommen der alten Wolga-Bulgaren, welche ihre Sprache erhalten haben»</blockquote>Context: Gmelin, a German scholar in Russian service, conducted expeditions along the Volga region and left records about the Chuvash, based on their language and traditions.

Later in 1863, Khusain Faizkhanov, after unsuccessful attempts to translate the epitaphs of the "Volga Bulgars" from the Tatar language, however, paying attention to the Russian assertion about the Bulgar origin of the Chuvash, read the inscriptions based on the data of the Chuvash language, after which he published his work: Three Bulgar gravestone inscriptions. News of the Imperial Archaeological Society. - St. Petersburg, 1863. - Vol. IV. - pp.&nbsp;396–404, table III

==Language==
{{Further|Bulgar language}}

Volga Bulgar language was a [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] language. The only extant member of the [[Oghuric languages|Oghuric]] group that is still spoken today is the [[Chuvash language]]. The language persisted in the Volga region up until the 13th or 14th century. Although there is no direct evidence, some scholars believe it gave rise to modern [[Chuvash language]]<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> while others support the idea that Chuvash is another distinct [[Oghuric languages|Oghur Turkic]] language.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003243809/turkic-languages-lars-johanson-%C3%A9va-csat%C3%B3 |title=The Turkic Languages |year=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781003243809 |editor-last=Johanson |editor-first=Lars |doi=10.4324/9781003243809 |quote="Another Turkic people in the Volga area are the Chuvash, who, like the Tatars, regard themselves as descendants of the Volga Bulghars in the historical and cultural sense. It is clear that Chuvash belongs to the Oghur branch of Turkic, as the language of the Volga Bulghars did, but no direct evidence for diachronic development between the two has been established. As there were several distinct Oghur languages in the Middle Ages, Volga Bulghar could represent one of these and Chuvash another." |editor-last2=Csató |editor-first2=Éva Á}}</ref>

Italian historian and philologist [[Igor de Rachewiltz]] noted a significant distinction of the Chuvash language from other Turkic languages. According to him, the Chuvash language does not share certain common characteristics with Turkic languages to such a degree that some scholars consider Chuvash as an independent branch from Turkic and Mongolic. The Turkic classification of Chuvash was seen as a compromise solution for classification purposes.<ref>''Rachewiltz, Igor de.'' [http://сувары.рф/node/754 Introduction to Altaic philology: Turkic, Mongolian, Manchu] / by Igor de Rachewiltz and Volker Rybatzki; with the collaboration of Hung Chin-fu. p. cm. — (Handbook of Oriental Studies = Handbuch der Orientalistik. Section 8, Central Asia; 20). — Leiden; Boston, 2010. — P. 7.</ref>

'''Definition of verbs in Volga Bulgar'''<ref name=":14">{{cite book |last=Tekin |first=Talât |url=http://kutuphane.akmb.gov.tr/opac/details?id=46293&materialType=BK&query=Volga+Bulgar+Kitabeleri+ve+Volga+Bulgarcas%C4%B1 |title=Volga Bulgar kitabeleri ve Volga Bulgarcası |publisher=Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi |year=1988 |isbn=978-9-751600-660 |place=Ankara |pages=30–38}}</ref><ref name=":34">HAKIMZJANOV, F. S. “NEW VOLGA BULGARIAN INSCRIPTIONS.” Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, vol. 40, no. 1, Akadémiai Kiadó, 1986, pp. 173–77, [http://www.jstor.org/stable/23657681].</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Tenses and moods
!Volga Bulgar
!Examples in words
|-
|Past tense
| -ti/tı, -ri/rı
|''وَلتِ (vel-ti)''
|-
|Past tense 2
| -ruvı/rüvi (<*-dugı), -tuvı/tüvi (<*-tugı)
|''كُوَجڔوُي (küveč-rüvi), بلطُوى (bal-tuvı)''
|-
|Adjective form of verb
| -an/en
|''طَنَان (tan-an), سَوَان (sev-en)''
|-
|Adverb form of verb
| -sa/se
|''بَرسَ (bar-sa)''
|-
|Third person imperative
| -tur/tür
|طَنْطُرْ (tan-tur)
|}
Volga Bulgars left some inscriptions in tombstones. There are few surviving inscriptions in the Volga Bulgar language, as the language was primarily an oral language and the Volga Bulgars did not develop a writing system until much later in their history.<ref>New Volga Bulgarian Inscriptions F. S. Hakimjanov</ref> After converting to Islam, some of these inscriptions were written using [[Arabic alphabet|Arabic letters]] while the use of the [[Old Turkic script|Orkhon script]] continued. [[Mahmud al-Kashgari]] provides some information about the language of the Volga Bulgars, whom he refers to as Bulghars. Some scholars suggest [[Hunnic language|Hunnic]] had strong ties with Bulgar and to modern Chuvash<ref>{{cite journal |last=Pritsak |first=Omeljan |author-link=Omeljan Pritsak |date=1982 |title=The Hunnic Language of the Attila Clan |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41036005 |journal=Harvard Ukrainian Studies |publisher=[[Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute]] |volume=IV |issue=4 |pages=470 |issn=0363-5570 |jstor=41036005 |quote="The language had strong ties to Bulgar language and to modern Chuvash, but also had some important connections, especially lexical and morphological, to Ottoman Turkish and Yakut" |place=Cambridge, Massachusetts}}</ref> and classify this grouping as separate Hunno-Bulgar languages.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pritsak |author-first=Omeljan |title=Turkic-Bulgarian-Hungarian relations |year=1981 |location=Budapest |chapter=The Proto-Bulgarian Military Inventory Inscriptions}}</ref> However, such speculations are not based on proper linguistic evidence, since the language of the Huns is almost unknown except for a few attested words and personal names. Scholars generally consider Hunnish as unclassifiable.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Savelyev |first=Alexander |chapter=Chuvash and the Bulgharic Languages |doi = 10.1093/oso/9780198804628.003.0028 |title= The Oxford Guide to the Transeurasian Languages | editor1=Martine Robbeets | editor2= Alexander Savelyev|date=27 May 2020 |pages=448 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-880462-8}}</ref>{{sfn|Golden|1992|pp=88, 89}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=RÓNA-TAS |first=ANDRÁS |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.7829/j.ctv280b77f |title=Hungarians and Europe in the Early Middle Ages |date=1999-03-01 |publisher=Central European University Press |isbn=978-963-386-572-9 |pages=208|doi=10.7829/j.ctv280b77f }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sinor |first=Denis |title=Studies in medieval inner Asia |date=1997 |publisher=Ashgate |isbn=978-0-86078-632-0 |series=Collected studies series |location=Aldershot, Hampshire |pages=336}}</ref>

'''Numbers and Vocabulary in Volga Bulgar'''<ref name=":34"/><ref name=":14"/><ref name=":2">A Volga Bulgarıan Inscription From 1307 A. Róna-tas</ref><ref name=":02">Unpublished Volga Bulgarian inscriptions A. H. Khalikov and J. G. Muhametshin</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Закиев М. З. Лингвоэтнические особенности волжских булгар — главного этнического корня татар |url=http://bulgarizdat.ru/index.php/book1/article1-1 |access-date=2021-08-24 |website=bulgarizdat.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=31 July 2021 |title=Category:Bulgar numerals – Wiktionary |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Bulgar_numerals |access-date=2021-08-24 |website=en.wiktionary.org }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Proto-Turkic/History of Proto-Turkic language – Wikibooks, open books for an open world |url=https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Proto-Turkic/History_of_Proto-Turkic_language |access-date=2021-08-24 |website=en.wikibooks.org }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Volga Bulgar<ref>{{cite web | url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Bulgar_numerals | title=Category:Bulgar numerals | date=20 June 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bulgarizdat.ru/index.php/book1/article1-1 | title=Лингвоэтнические особенности волжских булгар — главного этнического корня татар | date=14 July 2022 }}</ref><ref name=":2"/>
!Chuvash<ref>{{cite web | url=https://omniglot.com/language/numbers/chuvash.htm | title=Numbers in Chuvash }}</ref>
!Proto-Turkic<ref>{{Cite book |last=Allan R. Bomhard |url=http://archive.org/details/decsy-the-turkic-protolanguage-a-computational-reconstruction-1998 |title=Décsy - The Turkic Protolanguage - A Computational Reconstruction (1998) |pages=70}}</ref>
|-
|one
|'''بر''' (b<sup>i</sup>r)
|пӗр (pĕr)
|''*bīr''
|-
|two
|اک (ek<sup>i</sup>)
|иккӗ (ikkĕ)
|''*ẹki''
|-
|three
|وج (v<sup>e</sup>č)
|виççӗ (viççĕ)
|''*üč''
|-
|four
|تُوات (tüvet)
|тăваттă (tăvattă)
|''*tȫrt''
|-
|five
|بل (b<sup>e</sup>l), بيال (b<sup>i</sup>yel)
|пиллӗк (pillĕk)
|''*bẹ̄ĺ(k)''
|-
|six
|اَلطِ (altï)
|улттӑ (ulttă)
|''*altï''
|-
|seven
|جىَاتِ (cyeti)
|ҫиччӗ (śiččĕ)
|''*yẹti''
|-
|eight
|ڛَكِڔ (sekir)
|саккӑр (sakkăr)
|''*sekiŕ''
|-
|nine
|طُخِڔ (tuxïr)
|тӑххӑр (tăhhăr)
|''*tokuŕ''
|-
|ten
|وان (van)
|вуннӑ (vunnă)
|''*ōn''
|-
|twenty
|جِيِرم (ciyir<sup>i</sup>m)
|ҫирӗм (śirĕm)
|''*yẹgirmi''
|-
|thirty
|وطر (v<sup>u</sup>t<sup>u</sup>r)
|вӑтӑр (văt̬ăr)
|''*otuŕ''
|-
|forty
|حرح (x<sup>ï</sup>r<sup>ï</sup>x)
|хӗрӗх (hĕrĕh)
|''*kïrk''
|-
|fifty
|الو (el<sup>l</sup>ü)
|аллӑ (allă)
|''*ellig''
|-
|hundred
|جُور (cǖr)
|ҫӗр (śĕr)
|''*yǖŕ''
|}
Mahmud al-Kashgari also provides some examples of Volga Bulgar words, poems, and phrases in his dictionary.. However, Mahmud al-Kashgari himself wasn't a native speaker of Volga Bulgar. Despite its limitations, Mahmud al-Kashgari's work remains an important source of information about the Volga Bulgar language and its place within the broader Turkic language family.

'''Cases in Volga Bulgar<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":34" />'''
{| class="wikitable"
!Case
!Volga Bulgar
!Examples in words
|-
|Genitive
| -∅ ''or'' -(ı)n
|''اَغَان (ağā-n), يغقوُتن (yaquut-ın)''
|-
|Accusative
| -ne/na
|''مَسجِذڛَمنَ (mesčidsem-ne)''
|-
|Dative-locative
| -a/e ''and'' -ne/na
|''اِشنَ (iš-ne), بَجنَ (bač-na), جَالَ (čāl-a)''
|-
|Ablative
| -ran, -ren; -tan, -ten
|''ڊنيَاڔَان (d<sup>ö</sup>nyā-ran)''
|-
|Third person possessive
| -i, -ı; -si, -sı
|هِيرِ ''(hīr-i), اِلغِجِڛِ (ılğıčı-sı)''
|}

==Coats of arms of Volga Bulgaria during Tsarist Russia==
Ivan III was also called the "Prince of Bulgaria". The mention of the Bulgarian land has been present in the royal title since 1490. This refers to Volga Bulgaria.<blockquote>Ivan by the grace of God is the sovereign of all Russia and the Grand Duke of Vladimir, and Moscow, and Novgorod, and Pskov, and Tver, and Yugra, and Prmsk, and Bolgar and others<ref>{{Cite book |last=Филюшкин А. И. |title=Титулы русских государей. |publisher=М.; СПб. |year=2006 |location=Санкт Петербург |pages=199 |language=Russian}}</ref></blockquote>It is known that the Bulgarian coat of arms figure was used to designate the Bulgarian Kingdom and in the Great Seal of Tsar John IV. The seal was a "lion walking" (which is confirmed by the seals of the Volga Bulgarians found by archaeologists). On the coats of arms and seals of the Russian tsars, the lands of Volga Bulgaria were represented on a green field by a silver walking lamb with a red banner divided by a silver cross; the shaft is gold.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.heraldicum.ru/russia/titul.htm|title=Титульные гербы|website=www.heraldicum.ru}}</ref> The erroneous perception of the beast on the Bulgarian coat of Arms in the Royal Titular as a lamb is explained by the poor quality of the reproduction of the image.

In the "Historical Dictionary of [[Russian Empire|Russian]] Sovereigns ..." by I. Nekhachin (ed. by A.Reshetnikov, 1793), the Bulgarian coat of arms is described as follows: "Bulgarian, in a blue field, a silver lamb wearing a red banner." Over time, the colour of the shield changed to green. In the Manifesto on the full coat of arms of the Empire (1800), the Bulgarian coat of arms is described as follows: "In a green field it has a white Lamb with a golden radiance near its head; in its right front paw it holds a Christian banner." The description of the coat of arms, approved in 1857: "The Bulgarian coat of arms: a silver lamb walking in a green field, with a scarlet banner, on which the cross is also silver; the shaft is gold."<gallery>
File:Pg371 GREAT SEAL OF MOSCOW 1583.jpg|Coat of arms of the Volga Bulgars on the great state seal of Ivan IV Grozny
File:Бол.печать Ивана Грозного.jpg|Coat of arms of the Volga Bulgars on the great state seal of Ivan IV Grozny
File:Печать Болгарская (Волжская).gif|Bulgarian Seal from the Great Seal of Ivan Grozny
File:Snow Leopard seal.png|Coat of arms of Volga Bulgaria 1672
File:Герб Болгарский. Волжская Болгария.png|Coat of arms of the Volga Bulgars. Tatarnikov K.V. Banners and coats of arms of the regiments of the Russian Army of the reigns of Catherine I and Peter II (1725-1730)
File:1857 г. Герб Болгарский. Волжская Болгария.jpg|Coat of Arms of Bulgaria 1857
File:Герб (Волжско-) Болгарский (1857).gif|Coat of Arms of Bulgaria 1857
File:Russian coat of arms of Volga Bulgaria.gif|Coat of Arms of Volga Bulgaria
File:Болгарская печать (Саадачный покровец, около 1626 год).gif|Coat of arms of Volga Bulgaria 1626
File:Герб Северо-восточные области 1882.gif|Upper right corner coat of arms of Volga Bulgaria
File:Russian coat of arms of Volga Bulgaria 1714.png|Coat of arms of Volga Bulgaria 1714
</gallery>

==Demographics==
A large part of the region's population included [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] groups such as [[Sabir people|Sabirs]], [[Esegel]], [[Barsil]], [[Bilars]], [[Baranjars]], and part of the obscure<ref>'''RUSSIAN''': "По этнокультурному определению буртас в результате двухсотлетнего изучения сложилось множество точек зрения, которые можно объединить в 3 основные: тюркская, аланская и мордовская (наименее распространённая)." Буртасы//Ислам в центрально-европейской части России: энциклопедический словарь / Коллект. автор; сост. и отв. редактор Д. З. Хайретдинов. — М.: Издательский дом «Медина», 2009, С.55. '''ENGLISH''': "According to the ethnocultural definition of Burtas, as a result of two hundred years of study, many points of view have developed that can be combined into 3 main ones: Turkic, Alanian and Mordovian (the least common)." Burtases//Islam in the Central European part of Russia: an encyclopedic dictionary / Collect. author; comp. and otv. editor D.Z. Khairetdinov. - M .: Publishing house "Medina", 2009, p. 55.</ref> [[Burtas]] (by [[ibn Rustah]]). Modern [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]] claim to descend from [[Sabir people|Sabirs]], [[Esegel]]s, and Volga [[Bulgars]].<ref name="chu_enc">{{cite web|title=Volga Bulgaria|url=http://enc.cap.ru/?t=publ&hry=&lnk=556|website=Chuvash Encyclopedia|publisher=Chuvash Institute of Humanities|access-date=20 October 2016}}</ref>

Another part comprised [[Volga Finns|Volga Finnic]] and [[Magyar tribes|Magyar]] ([[Asagel]] and [[Pascatir]]) tribes, from which [[Bisermän]]s probably descend.<ref>[http://www.udmurt.info/library/belykh/beserm.htm К вопросу о происхождении самоназвания бесермян] УДМУРТОЛОГИЯ</ref> Ibn Fadlan refers to Volga Bulgaria as [[Saqaliba]], a general [[Arabic]] term for [[Slavs|Slavic]] [[people]]. Other researches tie the term to the ethnic name [[Scythian]] (or Saka in [[Persian language|Persian]]).<ref>R. Frye, 2005. "Ibn Fadlan's journey to Russia"<!--ISSN/ISBN, author/publisher needed--></ref>

Over time, the cities of Volga Bulgaria were rebuilt and became trade and craft centres of the [[Golden Horde]]. Some Volga Bulgars, primarily masters and craftsmen, were forcibly moved to [[Sarai (city)|Sarai]] and other southern cities of the Golden Horde. Volga Bulgaria remained a centre of agriculture and handicraft.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:East-Hem 1200ad.jpg|Volga Bulgaria in the Eurasian world of AD 1200.
File:Металлургия Волжской Булгарии 13-14 века.JPG|[[Adze]]s, Volga Bulgaria, 13-14 century.
File:Pottery Volga Bulgaria GIM.jpg|Pottery of Volga Bulgaria, 10-14 century.
File:Jewellery 2 Volga Bulgaria GIM.jpg|Necklaces, Volga Bulgaria, 10-14 century.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Bulgarian epigraphic monuments]]
* [[Timeline of Turks (500-1300)]]
* [[Atil]]
* [[Balymer]]
* [[Khanate of Kazan]]
* [[Qol Ghali]]
* [[Siege of Bilär]]
* [[Battle of Samara Bend]]
* [[Tatars]]
* [[Old Great Bulgaria]]
* [[Huns]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Volga Bulgaria}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bulgaria, Eastern|volume=4|last=Kropotkin|first=Peter Alexeivitch|author-link=Peter Kropotkin|page=786|short=1}}
* {{in lang|ru}} Bariev, R(iza) X. 2005. ''[https://bulgarizdat.ru/book2/ Волжские Булгары : история и культура]'' (Volga Bulgars: History and Culture). Saint Petersburg: Agat.

{{Turkic topics}}
{{Russia topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Historical regions in Russia]]
[[Category:Volga Bulgaria| ]]
[[Category:1240 disestablishments in Europe]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 7th century]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 1240s]]
[[Category:Former Islamic monarchies in Europe]]
[[Category:7th-century establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Former monarchies]]