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Isbul () (
fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
820s–830s) was the '' kavhan'', or first minister, of the
First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh of Bulgaria, Asparuh, moved south to the northe ...
during the reigns of Omurtag, Malamir and Presian I. Appointed to the ''kavhan'' office under Omurtag, Isbul was a
regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
or co-ruler of the underage Malamir and his successor Presian. Under Malamir and Presian, Isbul headed Bulgaria's successful campaigns against the Byzantines in southern
Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
and eastern Macedonia, which led to a significant territorial expansion of the Bulgarian realm. As a co-ruler of Malamir, Isbul also financed the construction of a water conduit in the capital
Pliska Pliska ( , ) was the first capital of the First Bulgarian Empire during the Middle Ages and is now List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, a small town in Shumen Province, on the Ludogorie plateau of the Danubian Plain (Bulgaria), Danubian Plain, 20 ...
. As second-in-command, Isbul held enormous power and wealth, and was unusually often mentioned beside the name of the ruler in inscriptions. Due to his merits, Isbul has been described as an architect of medieval Bulgarian statehood by historians.


Biography

The office of the ''kavhan'' was a hereditary title in the First Bulgarian Empire, monopolised by the members of the tentatively known "Kavhan family".Андреев (1999), p. 175 In order to accede to that position, Isbul must have belonged to the Kavhan family, which is indirectly evidenced by his Bulgar name.Fine, p. 109 Historian Plamen Pavlov theorises that Isbul may have begun his career under the ruler
Krum Krum (, ), often referred to as Krum the Fearsome () was the Khan of Bulgaria from sometime between 796 and 803 until his death in 814. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper a ...
(r. 803–814), and by the time of Krum's son Omurtag (r. 815–831), Isbul was already an influential noble. As he is referred to as a ''kavhan'' and regent of the next ruler, Malamir (r. 831–836), it is conjectured that he had been appointed to the office at some point during Omurtag's rule.Бакалов The earliest record of Isbul is the stone epigraph known as the Malamir Chronicle, which states that Malamir "ruled together with ''kavhan'' Isbul". Malamir was the youngest son of Omurtag and must have been considered too young to rule by himself, so that a regent had to be appointed. Omurtag specified Malamir as his heir because his eldest son,
Enravota Saint Enravota () or Voin (Воин, "warrior") or Boyan (given name), Boyan (Боян) was the eldest son of Omurtag of Bulgaria and the first Bulgarian Christianity, Christian martyr, as well as the earliest Bulgarian saint to be canonized. Born ...
, was a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
.Андреев (2004), p. 66 The Byzantines hoped to take advantage of Bulgaria's instability at the time, caused by the presence of the underage Malamir on the throne, and broke the long-lasting peace established with the Byzantine–Bulgarian Treaty of 815, which they had initially reaffirmed upon Malamir's accession. In 836, Isbul was in charge of the Bulgarian forces which repulsed the Byzantine invasion and proceeded to raid into Byzantine territory.Curta, p. 165 As part of this campaign, Isbul and Malamir captured the
Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...
fortresses of Probaton (near
Adrianople Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
) and Bourzidon.Бешевлиев, p. 77 After conquering these two fortresses, the Bulgarian troops reached Philippopolis. As the defence forces of the city had fled, Isbul and Malamir entered negotiations with the population in order to persuade them to cede the fortress.Ziemann, p. 337 Pavlov is of the opinion that the war ended with a continuation of the peace of 815. He believes that
Byzantine Emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...
Theophilos (r. 829–842) was forced to make concessions to Bulgaria, which may have included the incorporation of Philippopolis and its close surroundings into the Bulgarian Empire. During his time as co-ruler and ''kavhan'' of Malamir, Isbul financed the construction of a water conduit ( aqueduct) or
fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...
in
Pliska Pliska ( , ) was the first capital of the First Bulgarian Empire during the Middle Ages and is now List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, a small town in Shumen Province, on the Ludogorie plateau of the Danubian Plain (Bulgaria), Danubian Plain, 20 ...
, which he donated to Malamir. That construction was the occasion for a great feast, which the ruler organised, and for gifts to the nobility, all of it testifying to Isbul's affluence. In the source about the construction, Isbul is hailed alongside Malamir: "May God let the God-appointed ruler live a hundred years together with the ''kavhan'' Isbul". Normally, such blessings were only directed at the ruler, and this is the only case from the First Bulgarian Empire which references another person. The inscription also mentions Isbul's old age at the time.Бешевлиев, p. 35 After the surprise death of Malamir in 836, the Bulgarian throne passed to Presian I (836–852), who too was likely underage.Андреев (2004), p. 69 As evidenced by the Presian Inscription from
Philippi Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...
, Isbul retained his position as ''kavhan'' and his decisive influence in the Bulgarian court. In 837, the Slavic tribe of the Smolyani (''Smolenoi''), who inhabited the lower Nestos (Mesta) River and Western Thrace near
Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
, rose against their Byzantine rulers. The inscription of Philippi mentions large-scale Bulgarian activity in the lands of the Smolyani. The Bulgarian forces were led by Isbul, as well as the '' ichirgu-boil'' (commander of the capital garrison) and the head priest.Ziemann, p. 339Андреев (1999), p. 176 As the inscription is damaged, it is unclear who Presian and Isbul supported in that conflict.Ziemann, p. 340Бешевлиев, p. 85 However, during this campaign the Bulgarian army conquered most of Macedonia including Philippi, where the inscription was found.Андреев (1999), p. 318 From that point on, Isbul disappears from the sources, and there is no information about the date and circumstances of his death.


Assessment and legacy

In his biography of Isbul, Pavlov underlines his "extraordinary merits for the development of the Bulgarian state" and describes him as "one of the architects of medieval Bulgarian statehood during the years of its rise".
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n historian Florin Curta emphasises the similarity of Isbul's role to that of 8th-century Mayors of the Palace in the Frankish lands under the
Merovingian dynasty The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...
. Isbul Point on
Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...
of the
South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...
,
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
, was named in honour of ''kavhan'' Isbul by the
Antarctic Place-names Commission The Antarctic Place-names Commission was established by the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute in 1994, and since 2001 has been a body affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bulgaria), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. The Commis ...
of
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. Isbul also features as a character in Aleksandar Raychev's
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
''Khan Asparuh'', which debuted at the Ruse Opera House in 1981. In the opera, however, Isbul is erroneously described as the ''kavhan'' of the first Bulgarian ruler,
Asparuh Asparuh (also ''Ispor'' or (rarely) ''Isperih'') was а Bulgar Khan in the second half of the 7th century and is credited with the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681. Early life The '' Nominalia of the Bulgarian Khans'' states ...
.


References


Sources

* * * * * * * {{cite book, last=Бешевлиев, first=Веселин, authorlink=Veselin Beshevliev, title=Прабългарски епиграфски паметници, trans-title=Bulgar Epigraphic Records, year=1981, publisher=Издателство на Отечествения фронт, location=София, language=Bulgarian, oclc=8554080 Medieval Bulgarian nobility 9th-century Bulgarian people 8th-century births 9th-century deaths Regents of Bulgaria Bulgarian people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars Medieval Bulgarian military personnel