Years ago, the Avar Khanate rose to prominence: from scratch to new glory.
The Avar Khanate, rebuilt on the stage of history by the elite of the nomadic peoples of the East. When the Rouran Kingdom was hit hard by the Turks, the remnants resolutely embarked on a journey westward, and finally found a new home on the banks of the Volga River.
Along the way, absorbing the forces of the Vaal Huns and other tribes, they advanced to the border of the Alans at a turning point between the end of 557 and the beginning of 558. Subsequently, they established close ties with the Eastern Roman Empire and became allies hand in hand.
After 567, they conquered the Hungarian plain and founded the famous Avar Khanate, which grew into a powerful force in the Middle Ages.
When the Avars set foot on the European continent, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, they experienced the glory and loneliness of the Byzantine Empire for the first time. Eager to find a path to prosperity, they humbly implore the kings of their allies, the kingdoms of Alan, for guidance to lead them to the land of abundance.
Immediately adjacent to Byzantium, Lazika was then led by the valiant general Justinian as the guardian of Lazika. The leader of the Alan, Salosus, was keenly aware of the plight of the Avars and quickly informed General Justinian of the situation, who then reported the crucial information to the supreme ruler Justinian.
In the middle of the 6th century, the Byzantine Empire was in a difficult situation both internally and externally due to protracted conquests. In 1542, an appalling outbreak of the Black Death in Egypt spread to the capital, Constantinople, and even Emperor Justinian contracted the disease, which nearly shook the throne and deepened his suspicions that he no longer trusted his warlike generals.
At the same time, the empire had to withstand frequent invasions by the Slavs, Bulgars, and remnants of the Xiongnu, and its national strength was severely damaged. Faced with a new threat, Justinian saw a turning point and decided to use external forces, with the help of nomads, to deal with internal and external troubles.
In 558, Kandih, the first emissary of the Avars, set foot in Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, for the first time, heralding a strange alliance that was about to take place.
When the Avar envoy Kandih showed it to Justinian"Mighty"When he made demands for alliances, gifts, and territory, the diplomatically savvy emperor did not respond directly to land issues, but subtly shifted the focus with vague promises.
Despite this, Candih was satisfied with Justinian's generous giveaway. Even more interestingly, the two sides reached a tacit understanding: the Byzantine Empire expected the friendship of the Avars and was even willing to use their strength against a common enemy.
However, for the Avars, the actual benefits of this agreement may not be as rich as they thought. Imagine if he were Justinian, would he easily go all the way to ask for help, and still seem so natural?
In the remnants of the Xiongnu Empire after the 5th century, the nomadic peoples of the Black Sea coast were divided into two tribes, Kutigar and Utigar. However, the cunning tactics of Byzantium turned them against each other.
The Kutigars lost the conflict in 548 and turned their resentment to Byzantium. In the following winter of 558-559, Zabgan led the Kutigars in a campaign of revenge against Byzantium.
Faced with this attack, Byzantium was forced to recall the valiant Belisarius to fight. In order to unite against a common threat, Byzantium sent an emissary, Valentine, with a large sum of money, to lobby the Avars to join the battle.
Justinian's diplomatic skills were ingenious, making good use of the contradictions between hostile forces and skillfully sowing discord in order to strengthen himself invisibly. However, the wheels of history do not always turn as intended.
With Byzantine tribute and formidable cavalry, the Avars succeeded in expanding their territory and harvesting the land and booty they needed to survive, which became a solid cornerstone of their subsequent expansion.
In December 561, the death of the Frankish king Lothar I gave the Avars an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. This was followed by a storm in 562, and the Avars marched like arrows into Gaul.
In the face of this invasion, the valiant king of the kingdom of Ostrasia Sigibert did not hesitate to gather his army and rise to the battle. The fierce Battle of Thuringia was staged in the same year, when the Avar offensive was ruthlessly routed, and they had to retreat to the Black Sea coast.
In 565, the fall of Justinian the Great ushered in a new era for Justinian II, and in the same year, Beyan Khan of Avar ascended to the throne with great talent.
Aware that this was an opportunity to restore diplomatic relations, he sent an envoy to Byzantium, hoping to emulate the generosity of the previous emperor Justinian, and to ask for a place to live.
However, Justin II resolutely rejected their demands, and he understood the way of survival of the Avars and decided to terminate the original tribute**. This decision led to the loss of trust in Byzantium by the Avars, who were bogged down in their wanderings.
In their quest for survival and wealth, the Avars made an assault on eastern Francia, and in the winter of 566 they marched directly into the territory of West Gibert. Despite Sigibert's valiant battle, the result was defeat and capture.
The Avars, who valued loot over killing, made peace with Boyan and proposed to Sigibert: "As a common ally, you cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that our supplies are on the verge of depletion, and that our soldiers are struggling with hunger; As long as you can provide enough supplies to help us evacuate, we promise to leave immediately after three days.
After this battle, the Avars not only returned with great successes, but also established a strong alliance with the Franks. The strategic significance of this victory was that it served as a passport to remove obstacles in the way of the Avars' expansion.
In 567, they were confined to the Black Sea coast, the eastern Carpathians, and the north of the Danube, but after about 568, they crossed the Carpathian Mountains and conquered the fertile basins of the west, firmly controlling most of the upper and lower Pannonia, and even the middle reaches of the Danube were included in their rule, and their territorial territory was expanded unprecedentedly.
Under the rule of the Avars, Beyan established a new center of power in the Hungarian hinterland, like Attila, and restored the glory of the ancient Turkic-Mongol Empire. As a result, Byzantium became increasingly close to the Avar Khanate, working hand in hand, and Byzantium even sent skilled craftsmen to build Byzantine-style lavish baths, palaces, and spectacular bridges over the Sava River.
However, behind this superficial cooperation, there was a strategic coveting of the city of Sirmum by the Khan of Boyan, whose frequent targeting revealed its irreplaceable military value.
The shadow of war loomed over in early 582, and as the supply chain broke, the city fell into an abyss of starvation, the Byzantine army was overwhelmed, and even Bishop Solomon showed anxiety in the moment of the decisive battle.
When Tiberius learned of the crisis, he decisively sought a peaceful solution and sent an emissary, Theognes, to negotiate key negotiations with the Avar Khanate, offering to evacuate the inhabitants safely in exchange for the city's freedom.
However, Boyan Khan did not let up, insisting on demanding the arrears of tribute for the past three years and demanding the arrest of the fugitive criminals. With regret, Tiberius made concessions at the end of his life, while his successor, Maurice, reluctantly accepted the humiliating pact, and in the end, the city tragically fell.
Far from stopping the Avars' greed, the original Byzantine weakness ignited an even greater flame of aggression. The leader of Boyan began to demand more harshly, and he tried to restart the offensive under the pretext of raising the tribute, trying to increase it from 80,000 gold coins to 100,000 gold.
However, in the face of the endless greed of the Avar Khanate, Emperor Maurice firmly refused. This became the trigger for them, and in May 583, they captured Sinjdunum in a lightning lightning, and Irilicum was plundered into a frenzy, and the Avars expanded unbridled to the Black Sea coast, showing an insatiable plundering ambition.
In the autumn of around 583, Maurice sent Elpidius and Comentioros to the territory of Avar on a mission to seek a peace treaty.
However, the successive victories of the Avars emboldened the Khan of Boyan and not only refused to sign the agreement, but also threatened the army with the imminent approach of the Great Wall. Although the initial negotiations ended unpleasantly, the calm between the two countries remained for the time being.
In the spring of 584, Elpidius again stepped forward and proposed a new round of negotiations, demanding that the Khan of Beyan also send an envoy to Byzantium to speak directly with Maurice.
During this diplomatic campaign, Tagitius accompanied Elpidius to Constantinople as an Avar emissary. Eventually, the two sides sat down to renegotiate, and the Byzantines agreed to raise the 80,000 gold coins originally paid to the Avars to 100,000 per year, reaching a new agreement.
After the withdrawal of the Lombards, Pannonia was almost dominated by the iron-fisted rule of the Avars. At this stage, the Avar Khanate was at the critical end of its rise, and through a series of battles, they skillfully digested the revolt of the local peoples.
By the 80s of the 6th century, the Avars had successfully achieved their stated goals, and they had established themselves in Pannonia, and after more than ten years of hard work, they had the extraordinary strength to challenge the Byzantine Empire.
The glorious days of Bayan Khan came when he succeeded in retaking strategic fortresses in Central Europe from the Avar Khanate and reaping a large Byzantine tribute, which made his prestige skyrocket.
However, at this time, Byzantium was in the midst of a protracted war with Persia and had no time to think about anything else. The Danube was like a natural barrier separating the tranquility of the two worlds, and for the Byzantines, peace and stability on the border were particularly precious, and almost became their most desired goal at the moment.
The greedy claws of the Avar Khanate tore through the peace of the border, and their frenzied pursuit of wealth led to chaos on the invasion. The sights of looting and burning in Byzantine lands were so appalling that it was impossible to sit idly by.
Thus, the horn of confrontation sounded, and the decisive battle came. We won, but that's just the beginning. After the defeat in Thrace, Boyan turned his attention to stormy Italy, where internal strife and decline among the Lombards provided an opportunity for new challenges.
The military movement of the Avars to move south alongside the Lombards prompted the Byzantine Empire to adjust its strategy and opt for an alliance with the Franks to counter the common threat.
In the cold winter of 590, the two powers reached an alliance agreement. However, when Byzantium was in turmoil for 600 years, they had to put their offensive against the Avars on hold and give the khanate a temporary respite.
By the summer of 601, a mistake in his decision-making led to the deprivation of military power in the hands of his incompetent brother Peter. This misstep presented the Khan with an opportunity to turn the tide.
In Winter 602, a decision by Morris sounded the death knell of his reign. He demanded that Peter's army survive the cold winter on the north bank of the Danube and that he would take action against Avar and the Slavs.
However, this military strategy instead ignited the discontent of the soldiers, which eventually led to a deadly mutiny. In order to calm the situation, Morris sent eight emissaries, including Phocas, but unexpectedly this became an opportunity for Phocas to usurp power.
The coronation of Phocas marked the end of Priscus' brief glory as the once solid defensive line along the Danube was once again torn apart by the Avar League, plunging the Balkans into turmoil.