Dulo
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Khans_Dulo_of_Bulgaria.jpg/200px-Khans_Dulo_of_Bulgaria.jpg)
TheDuloclan was a ruling dynasty of theBulgars,[1]who were ofTurkicorigin.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]It is generally considered that their elite[9]was related to theHunsand theWestern Turkic Khaganate.[10]Particularly, it is said that the Dulo descended from the rulers ofOld Great Bulgaria.[11]This state was a centralized monarchy from its inception, unlike previous Hunno-Turkic political entities, which were tribal confederations.[12]
The royal family and rulers ofOld Great Bulgaria(632–668) and the first half of theFirst Bulgarian Empire(681–1018), in their prince lists (Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans) claimed through descent from Attila through Irnik, possiblyAttila's attested sonErnak.[1][13]During the pagan period, the succession of clan leadership was based on traditions brought over to the Balkans from theEurasian Steppe,which include the rulers' divine ancestry.[14]At the head of the clan was theKhan,who reigned as the head of state, military leader, and probably high priest of the Bulgar god,Tangra.[12]
Research history
Most of what is known about the clan is written in theNominalia of the Bulgarian khans.TheNominalialists as the first ruler mythicalAvitohol,who lived 300 years and descended from the Dulo clan.[15]Josef Marquart and many other historians identified Avitohol withAttilathe Hun.[16][17]Steven Runcimanconsidered the connection possible, but suspicious and unimportant if the link betweenIrnik-Ernak is confirmed.[18]Runciman considered the name Avitohol meaningless and its biblical origin more convincing.[19]He considered that the missionaries were spreadingOld Testamentstories around theEurasian Steppes,as well the story ofJapheth,the ancestor of Eurasian people, which easily modifies into the Latin nameAvitus(ancestral; grandfather) and TurkishAwit(ancestor) it derives from.[20]Runciman considered Avitohol to be a distant mythological ancestor.[21]Ivan Biliarsky considers that both Avitohol and Irnik were only mythic figures of the historical personalities.[17]According to him theNominaliashows that the clan memory and genealogy important to Central Asian peoples was likewise significant to the Bulgars, as well the cosmological understanding of the history, as the Avitohol and Irnik were mentioned in the category of thecreatorandfounder,the mythological divineancestor-creatorrepresented in the reincarnation of the cultural hero within time cycles.[17][22]Jean W. Sedlar considered the Attila connection justly doubtful, and argued the possibility of a steppe dynasty which produced Hunnic rulers like Attila may have also produced rulers for the Bulgars.[23]
The second listed ruler is Irnik, who lived 150 years and also descended from the Dulo clan.[24]It is generally considered that in theNominaliaunder Irnik was considered the third son of Attila,Ernak.[25][17]Vasil Zlatarskithought the identification between Irnik and Ernak pointless, and they were two different persons and families.[26]Zlatarski pointed out, which points Runciman considered to be indisputable;[27]if Irnik was Ernak, then both Ernak and Attila belonged to the Dulo clan, whereas, actually, no source mentions Dulo clan in connection with them;[26]according to theNominaliaIrnik ruled from 437, i.e. several years before the death of Attila in 453, which is impossible.[28]Due to be assigned a reign of 150 years, Runciman considered the inaccuracy of the date of accession as venial mistake.[18]
Kurt (Kubrat;c. 632–665), a member of the clan, revolted against thePannonian Avarsand founded theOld Great Bulgariaon the territory of modernUkraine.[1]During the second half of the 7th century his sons split up the Bulgar royal family and spread over Europe, from theVolga riverto the shadow ofMatesemountains:Bezmer(Ukraine),Kotrag(Volga Bulgaria),Kuber(Balkan Macedonia),Asparukh(Danube Bulgaria) andAlcek(Sepino,Bojano,Isernia).[29]In theNominaliathe Bezmer (c. 665–668) was the last Dulo ruler on the northern side ofDanuberiver (of the Old Great Bulgaria), while the Asparukh (c. 681–701) was the first from the southern side of the river (First Bulgarian Empire). He was followed byTervel(c. 700–721), and the last ruler of Bulgaria from the Dulo clan,Sevar(c. 721–737). According toTheophanes,in 761 or 762 the Bulgars "rose up, killed their hereditary lords and set up as their king an evil-minded man calledTeletzes,who was 30 years old ".[30]Historians usually interpreted the testimony as evidence of a massacre of the previous dynasty (the Dulo clan), and the rise of a new leader with no connection to the previous regime.[30][6]
Origin
The exact origin is obscure.[1]Some researchers consider that the origin of the clan most probably was Turkic.[6][31][8]This proposition was suggested byMikhail Artamonov,[32]and was prompted byLev Gumilev(1967), implying there may be made an association of the Dulo clan with the fiveDuolu(or To-lu) tribes of theWestern Turks.[32]TheFirst Turkic Khaganate(552–581) was during theGöktürk civil war(581–593) divided into Western and Eastern Khaganate. The Western was led byOnoq(ten arrows), the five Duolu and fiveNushibitribes.[32]Many modern historians consider that the first historical Bulgar ruler Kubrat belonged to the Dulo clan of the Western Turks - the so-called allianceOnogursBulgars.[33][34][35][36]
Some historians have even identified the Western qaghanMoheduo(Külüg Sibir) withOrgana,the maternal uncle of Kubrat.[6][37]Accurately or not, it still points to the rivalry between the Bulgars, led by Kubrat from the Dulo clan, and theKhazars,led by theAshinaclan.[30][37]
Omeljan Pritsakfurther considered the connection of the name of Dulo clan with the name of the oldXiongnuruling house đồ cácTuge(inOld Chinesed'o-klâk).[36][8]This association could further prove the link between Xiongnu and Huns (as well Huns and Bulgars).[36][38]Peter B. Goldensurmises that the Xiongnu tribal surname Độc CôDugu(<d'uk-kuo) or đồ cácTuge(<d'o-klâk) possibly reflects underlyingTurkic*Tuğquor *Tuğlağ"tribe of thetuğ?"[39]yet still considers the Turkic association as speculative.[32]
Mercia MacDermottclaimed that the Dulo clan had the dog as its sacred animal.[40]MacDermott considered that the Bulgarian expression preserved to this day "he kills the dog", in the meaning "he gives the orders", is a relic of the time when the Dulo Khan sacrificed a dog to the deityTangrain the name of the whole community.[40]
Some modern Bulgarian scholars, the most prominent of them, namely Peter Dobrev, argued that the Turkic names of the animals in theBulgar calendar(also found in theNominalia) show that the Turkic peoples had borrowed these words from the Iranian language (Bulgars). However, according toRaymond Detrez,this theory is rooted in the periods of anti-Turkish sentiment in Bulgaria, and is ideologically motivated.[41]As such the proto-Bulgar language (of the group which established the state of Bulgaria), was claimed to be of Iranian language although it is generally accepted it was Turkic ofOghuricbranch and related to modernChuvash.[41]
Aleksandar Burmovnoted that the medieval writers under various names mentioned Huns and Bulgars, and some authors mentioned them as separate ethnic categories.[citation needed]The cases of mi xing information for Bulgars and Huns in some authors, as well as possible rapprochement of the names Avitohol – Attila and Irnik – Ernak, do not give reason to draw a line of equality between the two ethnic groups.[citation needed]According to Burmov there is no historical evidence that the Bulgars and Huns lived in the same territory.[citation needed]Burmov, Peter B. Golden,Gyula Némethand Panos Sophoulis concluded that claiming of Attilid descent shows the intermingling of European Huns elements with newly arrived Oğuric Turkic groups, as the number of evidence of linguistic, ethnographic and socio-political nature show that Bulgars belonged to the group of Turkic peoples.[6][8][35]
Etymology
B. Zhivkov emphasized thatDuoluandNushibiwere tribal confederations, and not ruling dynasties.[37]B. Simeonov derivedDulufrom Turkicdul/tul(big, powerful, giant; war horse), and sawDuloas partly Slavicized form.[32]Simeonov derived*Dullufrom Old Hunnicdul + lu(mounted, horseman),[32]yet according toPeter B. Golden,no such Hunnic word is attested.[32]According toG. Clauson,Old Turkictuldenotes "widow, widower".[32]Golden, citingLajos Ligeti(1986), wondered if Dulo resulted from Slavicism of Turkic titleYula.[42]Even so, all hypotheses P. B. Golden considers for now as speculative.[32]
Legacy
Dulo HillonLivingston Island,nearAntarctica,is named after the Bulgarian ruling dynasty Dulo.[43]
References
Notes
- ^abcdFine, John V. A. Jr.(1991) [1983].The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century.Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. pp. 66, 300.ISBN0-472-08149-7.
- ^Bowersock, G. W.; Brown, Peter; Grabar, Oleg (1999).Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World.Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.ISBN0-674-51173-5.OCLC41076344.
- ^Luttwak, Edward (2009). "Bulghars and Bulgarians".The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire.Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.ISBN978-0-674-05420-2.OCLC648760614.
- ^Kim 2013,p. 68.
- ^Raymond Detrez, Pieter Plas, Peter Lang, 2005, p. 29
- ^abcdeSophoulis, Panos (2011).Byzantium and Bulgaria, 775–831.Brill. pp. 92, 147–148, 71, 111.ISBN9789004206960.
- ^Denis Sinor (1990).The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia.Cambridge University Press. p. 261.ISBN0521243041.
- ^abcdSanping Chen (2012).Multicultural China in the Early Middle Ages.University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 97.ISBN978-0812206289.
- ^Pohl 1998.
- ^Golden, Peter B.(2011).Studies on the Peoples and Cultures of the Eurasian Steppes.Editura Academiei Române; Editura Istros a Muzeului Brăilei. pp. 143–144.ISBN9789732721520.
- ^World and Its Peoples: Greece and the Eastern Balkans.New York: Marshall Cavendish. 2010. p. 1474.ISBN9780761478836.
- ^abHupchick, Dennis (2017).The Bulgarian-Byzantine Wars for Early Medieval Balkan Hegemony: Silver-Lined Skulls and Blinded Armies.Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 9.ISBN9783319562056.
- ^Kim 2013,p. 59, 142.
- ^Biliarsky, Ivan (2011).Word and Power in Mediaeval Bulgaria.Leiden: BRILL. p. 218.ISBN9789004191457.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 11, Book I.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 12, Book I.
- ^abcdBiliarsky, Ivan (2013).The Tale of the Prophet Isaiah: The Destiny and Meanings of an Apocryphal Text.Brill. pp. 255–257.ISBN9789004254381.
- ^abRunciman 1930,p. 280, Appendix III.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 11–12; 281, Book I; Appendix III.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 11–12, 281, Book I.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 281, Appendix III.
- ^Biliarsky, Ivan (2011).Word and Power in Mediaeval Bulgaria.Brill. p. 218.ISBN9789004191457.
- ^Sedlar, Jean W. (2011).East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500.University of Washington Press.ISBN9780295800646.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 11–12, Book I.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 11–12, 280–281, Appendix III.
- ^abZlatarski 1918,p. 79–80.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 280–281, Appendix III.
- ^Zlatarski 1918,p. 80.
- ^Runciman 1930,p. 2–24, Book I.
- ^abcCurta, Florin(2006).Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250.Cambridge University Press. pp.79,85.ISBN9780521815390.
- ^Sinor, Denis (1990).The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia.Cambridge University Press. p. 261.ISBN0521243041.
- ^abcdefghiGolden, Peter B.(2012),Oq and Oğur~Oğuz*(PDF),Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies, Rutgers University, pp. footnote 37, archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2015-04-19
- ^Brook, Kevin Alan (2006).The Jews of Khazaria.Rowman & Littlefield.p. 13.ISBN9781442203020.
- ^Curta, Florin; Kovalev, Roman (2008).The Other Europe in the Middle Ages: Avars, Bulgars, Khazars and Cumans.Brill. p. 288.ISBN9789004163898.
- ^abGolden, Peter B.(2003).Nomads and Their Neighbours in the Russian Steppe: Turks, Khazars and Qipchaqs.Ashgate/Variorum. p. 71.ISBN9780860788850.
- ^abcKim 2013,p. 59.
- ^abcZhivkov, Boris (2015).Khazaria in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries.Brill. pp. 50, 52–53.ISBN9789004294486.
- ^Antonio Carile (1995).Teoderico e i Goti tra oriente e occidente.Longo. p. 28.ISBN978-88-8063-057-9.
- ^Golden, Peter B. (1992) An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples. p. 58
- ^abMacDermott, Mercia(1998).Bulgarian Folk Customs.Jessica Kingsley Publishers.pp. 21–22.ISBN9781853024856.
- ^abRaymond Detrez(2005).Developing Cultural Identity in the Balkans: Convergence vs. Divergence.Peter Lang. p. 29.ISBN9789052012971.
- ^Golden, Peter B. (2005) "Khazarica: Notes on Some Khazar Terms", inTurkic Languages,ed. Lars Johanson, Harrassowitz Verlag, p. 215
- ^Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica:Dulo Hill.
Sources
- Zlatarski, Vasil N.(1918).Medieval History of the Bulgarian State, Vol I: History of the First Bulgarian Empire, Part I: Age of Hun-Bulgar Domination (679-852)(in Bulgarian). Sofia: Science and Arts Publishers, 2nd Edition (Petar Petrov, Ed.), Zahari Stoyanov Publishers, 4th Edition, 2006.ISBN954-739-928-4.
- Pohl, Walter(1998),"Conceptions of Ethnicity in Early Medieval Studies",in Lester K. Little; Barbara H. Rosenwein (eds.),Debating the Middle Ages: Issues and Readings,Blackwell Publishers, pp. 13–24
- Runciman, Steven(1930).A History of the First Bulgarian Empire.G. Bell & Sons, London.
- Kim, Hyun Jin(2013).The Huns, Rome and the Birth of Europe.Cambridge University Press.ISBN9781107009066.