Sholu
Sovereignempire

Old Great Bulgaria

632 CE – 668 CE

Quick Facts

Type
Sovereign · empire
Period
632 CE – 668 CE
Duration
36 years
Known Periods
3
Data Confidence
ai_generated

Overview

Old Great Bulgaria (Medieval Greek: Παλαιά Μεγάλη Βουλγαρία, Palaiá Megálē Voulgaría), also often known by the Latin names Magna Bulgaria and Patria Onoguria ("Onogur land"), was a 7th-century Turkic nomadic empire formed by the Onogur-Bulgars on the western Pontic–Caspian steppe (modern southern Ukraine and southwest Russia). Great Bulgaria was originally centered between the Dniester and lower Volga. The original capital was Phanagoria on the Taman Peninsula between the Black and Azov seas. In the mid-7th century, Great Bulgaria expanded west to include Avar territory and was centered on Poltava. During the late 7th century, however, an Avar-Slavic alliance in the west, and Khazars in the east, defeated the Bulgars, and Great Bulgaria disintegrated. Successor states are the First Bulgarian Empire.

Historical Periods

Old Great Bulgaria (633–655)

633 CE – 655 CE

Area: 244,845 km²

Old Great Bulgaria (656–673)

656 CE – 673 CE

Area: 301,290 km²

Old Great Bulgaria (674–681)

674 CE – 681 CE

Area: 62,759 km²

Explore Old Great Bulgaria on the Interactive Map

Watch territories shift, borders change, and history unfold across centuries