Kubrat

Kubrat (Chouvrt, possibly meaning Uarian or Uar Father) was born in 605 and became a signifcant Bulgar ruler in 635.

A later legend describes Kubrat as a descendant of Attila the Hun. Actually, he was of the house of Dulo, Dub or Duba. His signet ring found at his burrial mound was inscribed with Chouvr(a)Tou patr(i)k(iou) (the old Bulgar form of his name has no 'a' present) indicating the status he had achieved in the Byzantine world.

Kubrat was endorsed by his uncle the Gokturk Sibir-Khan Mokhodu as the first king of the Onogurs at about the time the western Turkic Khaganate collapsed. Under his and his son Bayan's rule, Bulgaria grew to stretch from the Danube to the Volga rivers. In 619 CE he arrived as hostage in Constantinople and was soon baptized. His maternal uncle Organa (also Organ or Ornag) acted as regent over his tribe the Unogundur until he was old enough to rule. Kubrat established peace with the Byzantine Empire, due to his respect for Byzantine culture.

After Kubrat's death (some time between 641 & 668), Bezmer (also called Bezmes Bayan and Batbayan) inherited his rule, but soon other relatives led factions of the once great empire in secession. By comparing the Bulgarian legend of the Silver Stag with its counterpart the Hungarian legend of the Wonderous Stag, we find the circumstances leading to the division. Unlike the Bulgars, who were helped by an allegorical beautiful stag, apparently a people who the early Magyars felt very closely associated with sought blood but failed because they were not familiar with the waters of the area, even so, female hostage taking by these people occurred in the process and the events contributed to the establishment of Danube Bulgaria.

The first secession, called Kotrags after the tribes he led, moved up the Volga and found the state of Great Bulgaria. Then Ultzindur or Balkor led a rebel Kouber tribe into Pannonia only to break away and move south. Asparukh, moved southwest from what later became Ukraine with his Horde to join these Bulgars south of the Danube and eventually founded the state of Bulgaria there. Emnetzur, who was based in Pannonia sought refuge from the ensuing chaos for his Altsikurs in the west with the Lombards.