Khan Omurtag

Khan Omurtag (814 - 831). In the inscriptions, Omurtag is portrayed as the son of Khan Krum. Its name translates to "round," "thick," but according to others it means "eagle."
After his establishment on the throne, Khan Omurtag rejected the peace proposals of the Byzantine emperor Leo Petit. In 814 it became a decisive battle between the two armies. The Romans won a great victory and Khan Omurtag began peace negotiations. The 30-year contract has 11 chapters (clauses), but only 5 of which are known from the Suleimankyoj inscription of Khan Omurtag. It regulates the borders between the two countries. An important issue is the issue of the exchange of captives and border populations. The compromise reached allows the situation to be restored before the war in 815.

Against the return of the captured Byzantines, Emperor Leo V is obliged to allow the Slavs from the border territories remaining in Byzantium to move to Bulgaria. Peace with Byzantium enables Khan Omurtag to direct his troops against the Khazars in the northeast. Khan Krum is still deploying Byzantine captives in Bessarabia today to guard the border against Khazar attacks.
During the reign of Khan Omurtag, the western boundaries of the Bulgarian state consisted of lands along the Morava River. From the city of Srem to the north to the present-day Budapest, the Danube divides Bulgaria from the empire of the Franks. Conquered by Khan Krum, these territories are protected by Khan Omurtag. Peaceful relations with Byzantium enable Khan Omurtag to devote time and strength to construction. It restores the capital Pliska by turning the Khan's avenue, surrounded by a mound and wooden stakes, into a typical early-medieval two-part city. It encloses the inner city with a stone wall, 2.6 m wide and 10-12 m high, with four gates and towers. In addition to housing for the Khan's family, a throne palace was erected there. New residential neighborhoods have been built in the outer city. Khan Omurtag builds a bridge and fortress on the river Ticha (near the present village of Khan Krum), and builds a new palace on the river Danube. In honor of this event, a special column was erected on an artificial hill in the middle of the road from Pliska to the Danube.
The inscription on it in short lines characterizes the state thinking of Khan Omurtag and the Bulgarian rulers after him. The numerous inscriptions from the pagan period of the First Bulgarian Kingdom testify to the strong state tradition of the Proto-Bulgarians. With Khan Omurtag, it acquires a new quality. The idea of statehood reflects not only the Bulgarian present. It is already forward-looking.


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