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THE REIGN of OMURTAG and the TRANSFORMATION of EARLY MEDIEVAL BULGARIA 8.1 Reconstructing Omurtag's Power the Reign of Omurtag

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THE REIGN of OMURTAG and the TRANSFORMATION of EARLY MEDIEVAL BULGARIA 8.1 Reconstructing Omurtag's Power the Reign of Omurtag CHAPTER EIGHT THE REIGN OF OMURTAG AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF EARLY MEDIEVAL BULGARIA 8.1 Reconstructing Omurtag’s Power The reign of Omurtag (ca. 815–831) is commonly viewed as a period of con- siderable growth and prosperity for the Bulgar polity. It was characterized primarily by the strengthening of royal power, political stabilization and the rapid expansion arising from the conquest of territories formerly controlled by the Avars in the western Balkans and the Carpathian basin. Omurtag himself, as ruler, was the central figure of his realm. Although the strong, divinely-sanctioned leadership was already part of the Bulgar political tra- dition, he introduced new ways of expressing monarchical power which not only sharpened distinctions between Bulgaria and Byzantium, but also enhanced the ideological basis of his kingship and transformed relations between himself and the nobility. The evidence of his activities, unlike that of his predecessors, is visible throughout the core lands of the khanate and gives us precious insight into the political and social world of ninth-century Bulgaria. As we have seen in chapter 7, the exact circumstances surrounding Omurtag’s rise to power remain shadowy. It is safe to infer that the sudden death of Krum, as well as the defeat at the hands of Leo V at Mesembria, had created a serious political and military crisis that Omurtag was able to overcome only with great difficulty. The ambiguity of the system of succes- sion in the Bulgar polity undoubtedly exacerbated these problems. Succes- sion could be formally defined as either linear or lateral, but, in effect, any of the sons or brothers of the deceased khan had a legitimate right to succeed him as long as they had enough support among the nobility, especially the leading clan.1 The available evidence seems to suggest that a leadership strug- gle between rival groups—each representing a different member of Krum’s family—was raging in the khanate between 814 and 815. Whereas Dukum, Krum’s brother and immediate successor, evidently enjoyed the support of 1 See Di Cosmo 2002a, 184–185, for the ambiguities of the system of imperial succession in Inner Asian polities, and above 4.2 for Bulgaria. 288 chapter eight his nobles, Dičevg, who took over immediately after Dukum’s premature death, was unable to entrench himself in power to the complete satisfaction of important political and military circles. Opposition to him is likely to have been motivated by the unfavourable outcome of military developments on the Thracian frontier. The defeat at Mesembria in autumn or winter of 814—the first after more than three years of domination in the war against Byzantium—came as a profound shock to the Bulgars, and as a result, the apparently powerful militant wing of the ruling stratum may have challenged Dičevg’s authority. The khan responded by ordering the execution of the archbishop of Adrianople, Manuel, held in captivity since Krum’s Thracian campaign in 813, but this did little to appease his enemies who quickly ral- lied to Omurtag’s side. Dičevg’s deteriorating health was a further cause of concern, and that may have been enough to convince the remaining mem- bers of the military aristocracy to switch their political allegiance to Krum’s son.2 There can be no doubt that the decision-making council (theκόμβεντον of the Greek sources), which must have still yielded considerable power dur- ing times of political crisis, elevated Omurtag to the position of supreme ruler not simply because of his royal line of descent, but because he was regarded as better suited to defend the interests of the Bulgar polity at that particular moment. Once he had obtained power, Omurtag made two important political deci- sions: to continue the war against Byzantium, and to undertake a violent persecution of Christians living in Bulgaria. These measures were arguably essential in allowing the new khan to consolidate his position. His political survival clearly depended on the militant warlike aristocracy; therefore he had little choice but to associate himself with the interests of his supporters. Nevertheless, the nobility was not capable of restraining Omurtag’s powers for long. It is clear that his reign was marked by episodes of despotic behav- iour.3 The construction of palaces and temples, the building of earthworks, the production of stone inscriptions, and, perhaps more characteristically, the orchestration of elaborate public rituals and ceremonies, are all inter- preted as explicit statements of power. It is hardly surprising that no khan is known to have been murdered in pre-Christian Bulgaria after 815. Evi- dently Omurtag was able not only to subordinate the nobility to the central authorities, but also to establish an exclusive right to royal power—a strict 2 See the discussion at 7.1 above. 3 Curta 2006b, 23..
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