Balgitzin ( el, Βαλγίτζιν ''Valgítzin''; died 704), in the account of
Theophanes the Confessor, was the
Khazar tudun of
Phanagoria during the sojourn of
Justinian II in that town. He was dispatched, along with
Papatzys, by
Busir Khagan
Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...
to kill Justinian in 704, after Busir was bribed by
Tiberius III. Justinian's Khazar wife
Theodora warned him in advance and Justinian escaped by sea, but not before murdering both Papatzys and Balgitzin.
Some scholars, notably
Peter B. Golden
Peter Benjamin Golden (born 1941) is an American historian who is Professor Emeritus of History, Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University. He has written many books and articles on Turkic peoples, Turkic and Central Asian Studies, ...
, have speculated that Balgitzin is not a proper name but rather a title, identical with ''
Baliqchi''.
Sources
*
Peter B. Golden
Peter Benjamin Golden (born 1941) is an American historian who is Professor Emeritus of History, Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University. He has written many books and articles on Turkic peoples, Turkic and Central Asian Studies, ...
. ''Khazar Studies: An Historico-Philological Inquiry into the Origins of the Khazars''. Vol. 1. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1980.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balgitzin
7th-century births
704 deaths
Khazar people
Medieval Crimea