AHistoryIndependent states
The Danube Bulgar State (681-1018)
The state founded by Asparuh Khan in the Balkans that rivalled Byzantium for three centuries; over time the Turkic Bulgars became Slavic.
Kubrat's son Asparuh led part of the Bulgars to the mouth of the Danube. In 680-681 he defeated a Byzantine army, and the empire had to accept a Bulgar state south of the Danube. The capital was Pliska, and the rulers bore the titles khan and kanasubigi.
Khan Tervel helped Byzantium during the Arab siege of Constantinople in 717-718. Khan Krum (803-814) greatly enlarged the state. In 864 Boris adopted Christianity; Slavic writing spread after that and the language of the state gradually became Slavic.
A note on origin: the state was founded by Turkic Bulgars, but most of its people were Slavs, and in time the Bulgars merged into them. Today's Bulgaria takes its name from these Turkic tribes. In 1018 the Byzantine emperor Basil II brought the state to an end.
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Updated: November 10, 2026