Bolgari

Bolgari, also known as Bulgars, refers to an ancient Eurasian people who played a pivotal role in the formation of early medieval states in both the Balkans and the Volga region. Most scholars describe the Bulgars as Turkic-speaking groups that originated on the Pontic-Caspian steppe and began moving into southeastern Europe and the Volga basin in the early middle ages. Over time, Bulgar groups interacted with Slavic populations and other peoples, contributing to the ethnogenesis of modern Bulgarians and related groups.

In the Balkans, Bulgar groups entered the Danube valley in the 7th century and, with Slavic communities, established a lasting political entity known as the First Bulgarian Empire. The state emerged around 681, with initial centers at Pliska and later Preslav. It expanded to become a major regional power, and in 864 Boris I converted the realm to Christianity, an event that shaped its cultural and religious development. The Cyrillic script and a literary tradition that developed in this milieu further linked Bulgar and Slavic cultures, influencing the linguistic and religious landscape of the region.

In the Volga region, Bulgars established Volga Bulgaria, a separate Bulgar polity along the Volga River with its capital at Bolghar (near present-day Kazan). This state flourished from the 9th to the 13th centuries and experienced Islamization in the medieval period. It was eventually absorbed after the Mongol invasions and the shifting political landscape of the Golden Horde.

Legacy: The Bulgars’ interactions with Slavic-speaking communities and their eventual assimilation contributed to the formation of the Bulgarian people and language. The term Bolgari appears in historical and linguistic contexts to refer to this Bulgar heritage, distinct from but linked to the later Bulgarian nation.