The Battle of Ongal took place in the summer of 680 in the Ongal area, an unspecified location in around the Danube delta near the Peuce Island, present-day Tulcea County, Romania. The battle had an enormous significance and influence not only for Balkan but also for European history with the creation of the First Bulgarian kingdom. In 632, Khan Kubrat united the Bulgars into the state of Old Great Bulgaria along the coasts of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. Kubrat spent his early life at the Byzantine Empire imperial palace in Constantinople. He became Christian and was given the Roman noble title of Patrician. His or Organa's conversion to Christianity is placed circa 619 AD. It seems that young Kubrat was part of the pre-planned coalition, initiated by Heraclius or Organa, against the Sasanian–Avar alliance. This coincides with other alliances by Heraclius with steppe peoples, all in the interest of saving Constantinople. Kubrat, in 635, according to Nikephoros I, "ruler of the Onoğundur–Bulğars, successfully revolted against the Avars and concluded a treaty with Heraclius". The state Old Great Bulgaria was formed. Kubrat died "when Konstantinos was in the West", somewhere during the reign of Constans II (641–668). According to Nikephoros I, Christian Byzantine writer and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Kubrat instructed his five sons (Batbayan, Kotrag, Asparukh, two others unmentioned are considered to be Kuber and Alcek) to "never separate their place of dwelling from one another, so that by being in concordance with one another, their power might thrive". However, the loose tribal union broke up under internal tensions and especially Khazars pressure from the East. After Kubrat death in the 660s his sons divided his kingdom amongst themselves. Batbayan, the eldest son, inherited the throne in Poltava but was defeated by and submitted to the rule of his ambitious relative Cozarig (Kotrag) who had undermined the state's unity by leading his Don-Volga Khazars (Kutrigs) in expansion campaigns extending his empire to the north where Volga Bulgaria would eventually remain. Kotrag was according to Nikephoros I of Constantinople a "son" of Kubrat of the Dulo clan of Bulgars. The Chronicle of Michael the Great calls him Kazarig. Following the death of his father, he began to extend the influence of his Bulgars to the Volga river. He is remembered as the founder of Volga Bulgaria. Volga Bulgaria, or Volga–Kama Bulghar, was a historic Bulgar state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers, in what is now European Russia. Kubrat's son and appointed heir Batbayan Bezmer moved from the Azovregion in about AD 660, commanded by the Kazarig Khagan Kotrag to whom he had surrendered. They reached Idel-Ural in the eighth century, where they became the dominant population at the end of the 9th century, uniting other tribes of different origin which lived in the area. Most scholars agree that the Volga Bulgars were subject to the Khazarian Empire until the mid 10th century, when the Bulgars no longer paid tribute to them. The threat from Khazaria was completely gone after Khazaria's destruction and conquest by Sviatoslav in the late 10th century, after which Volga Bulgaria grew greatly in size and power.
Kuber was a Bulgar leader who according to the Miracles of Saint Demetrius led in the 670s, a mixed Bulgar and Byzantine Christian population, whose ancestors had been transferred from the Eastern Roman Empire to the Syrmia region in Pannonia by the Avars 60 years earlier. According to a scholarly theory, he was a son of Kubrat, brother of Khan Asparukh and member of the Dulo clan. Kubrat's (unnamed) fourth son, who left the Pontic steppes after his father's death around 642, became "the subject of the [Khagan] of the Avars in Avar Pannonia and remained there with his army", according to the Byzantine scholar, Theophanes the Confessor. Kuber was the ruler of a mixed population in the former Roman province of Pannonia Secunda, including the descendants of the prisoners of war whom the Avars had captured in the Balkan Peninsula and settled around Sirmium. He was made governor by the khagan. They preserved their Christian traditions, although their ancestors had been taken to the Avar Khaganate about 60 years before Kuber's appointment. They preserved their Christian traditions, although their ancestors had been taken to the Avar Khaganate about 60 years before Kuber's appointment. The Sermesianoi did not cease to dream of their return to their ancestors' homes. Taking advantage of his subjects' feelings, Kuber rose up in open rebellion against the Khagan "in our times", according to the Miracles of Saint Demetrius. Modern historians say that Kuber's rebellion occurred in the 670s or early 680s. Around 70,000 Sermesianoi joined him and departed for the Byzantine Empire. The khagan attempted to hinder their migration, but they routed the Avars in five or six battles and crossed the river Danube. Kuber and his people moved as far as the region of Thessaloniki. He decided to settle together with the Sermesianoi in a plain and sent his envoy to the Byzantine Emperor, whom the Miracles of Saint Demetrios did not name, to request his permission. The emperor gave his consent and ordered the nearby Slavic tribe of the Dragovites to supply Kuber and his people with food. However, Kuber's people still wanted to go back to their ancestral homes and started to disperse. Fearing of the decline of his power base, Kuber asked the emperor to forbid the Sermesianoi to leave the plain and to confirm Kuber's position as their ruler. His request seems to have been rejected, because he attempted to seize Thessaloniki, taking advantage of a civil war in the city. However, Saint Demetrius unmasked Kuber's agents who tried to open the gates of Thessaloniki, hindering him from entering the city, according to the saint's hagiography.
Alcek or Alzeco was allegedly a son of Kubrat and led the Altsikurs to Ravenna that later settled in the villages of Gallo Matese, Sepino, Boiano and Isernia in the Matese mountains of southern Italy. After the collapse of Old Greater Bulgaria, some of the Bulgars, led by Alzeco, thought to be a son of Khan Kubrat, settled in the lands of the Longobard Kingdom. Paul the Deacon places a settlement in his history of the migration of the Bulgars in the area of the Duchy of Benevento. Under the leadership of Alzeco, the Bulgars (called "Vulgars" by Paul) came to Italy in Benevento, where they settled in the Molise region. Alzeco gained permission from the King of the Lombards, Grimoald, to settle in the area of Ravenna. Eventually they were sent south into the Duchy of Benevento, where Alzeco was granted the rule of their settlements with the Longobard (Italian) title of gastald.
The third son Asparuh marched westward and settled in the Ongal area on the eastern banks of the Danube. Eventually the Avars fought back and after Asparuh consolidated his rule they launched an attack against the Byzantine lands to the south. During that time Byzantium was at war with the muslim Arabs who had recently besieged the capital Constantinople. However, in 680 the Byzantines defeated the Arabs and concluded a peace treaty. After this success the emperor Constantine IV was free to move against the Bulgars and led an army against Asparuh. In the meantime the Bulgar leader made an alliance with the Seven Slavic tribes for mutual protection against the Byzantines and formed a federation. The Seven Slavic tribes or the Seven Slavic clans were a union of tribes in the Danubian Plain, that was established around the middle of the 7th century and took part in the formation of the First Bulgarian Empire together with the Bulgars in 680−681. Since its establishment it faced attacks of the Byzantine Empire. The Bulgars crossed the Danube and in the 670's they have concluded an alliance with the local union. Theophanes writes that the Bulgars became masters of the Slavs. Slavic union recognized the sovereignty of Khan Asparukh and together, in the spring of 681, they won a major victory over the Byzantine troops. In the late 7th century the Seven tribes were assigned the defence of the newly established Bulgar Khanate's western and northwestern border (the Iskar River) against Avar raids, as well as some of the passes of the Balkan Mountains, whereas the Severi, whose possible participation in the union is not clear, would guard the eastern part of the mountains. The Seven Slavic tribes, together with other Slavic tribes of the Bulgarian Empire, gradually formed the Bulgarian ethnicity in the 9th century due to the Christianization of Bulgaria under Boris I and the preceding administrative reforms that deprived them of their autonomy and self-government. The Bulgars were less numerous and therefore gradually assimilated into Slavic culture, until by the 10th century they had adopted the Slavic language, with the Bulgar language going extinct in the kingdom.
In 680, Constantine IV led a combined land and sea operation against the invaders and besieged their fortified camp in Dobruja. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization. Over time the cavalry arm became more prominent as the legion system disappeared in the early 7th century. The official language of the army for centuries continued to be Latin but this would eventually give way to Greek as in the rest of the Empire, though Latin military terminology would still be used throughout its history. Tactics, organization and equipment had been largely modified to deal with the Persians. The Romans adopted elaborate defensive armor from Persia, coats of mail, cuirasses, casques and greaves of steel for tagma of elite heavy cavalrymen called cataphracts, who were armed with bow and arrows as well as sword and lance. Large numbers of light infantry were equipped with the bow, to support the heavy infantry known as scutarii (shield men) or skutatoi. These wore a steel helmet and a coat of mail, and carried a spear, axe and dagger. They generally held the center of a Roman line of battle. Infantry armed with javelins were used for operations in mountain regions.
The early Bulgars were a warlike people and war was part of their everyday life, with every adult Bulgar obliged to fight. The early Bulgars were exclusively horsemen: in their culture, the horse was considered a sacred animal and received special care. The permanent army consisted of the khan's guard of select warriors, while the campaign army consisted practically of the entire nation, assembled by clans. In the field, the army was divided into right and left wings. During the first decades after the foundation of the country, the army consisted of a Bulgar cavalry and a Slavic infantry. The core of the Bulgarian army was the heavy cavalry, which consisted of 12,000–30,000 heavily armed riders. The Bulgars were well versed in the use of stratagems. They often held a strong cavalry unit in reserve, which would attack the enemy at an opportune moment. They also sometimes concentrated their free horses behind their battle formation to avoid surprise attacks from the rear. They used ambushes and feigned retreats, during which they rode with their backs to the horse, firing clouds of arrows on the enemy. If the enemy pursued disorganized, they would turn back and fiercely attack them. According to contemporary historians, the Bulgars "could see in the dark like bats" and often fought at night. The army had iron discipline, with the officers vigorously checking if everything was ready before a battle. For a horse that was undernourished or not properly taken care of, the punishment was death. The soldiers were under threat of a death penalty when having a loose bow-string or an unmaintained sword; or even if riding a war horse in peacetime. The infantry of the newly formed state was composed mainly of Slavs, who were generally lightly armed soldiers, although their chieftains usually had small cavalry retinues. The Slavic footmen were equipped with swords, spears, bows and wooden or leather shields. However, they were less disciplined and less effective than the Bulgar cavalry.
According to the Chronicles of Nikephoros I of Constantinople: "The infantry moved in battle lines towards the so called Onglos at the Danube and the fleet was ordered to anchor nearby. The Bulgars, seeing the dense and numerous lines, became desperate, fled in the aforementioned fortification and prepared themselves for defence. In the next 3-4 days nobody of them dared to show up and the Romans did not seek a battle because of the swamps. The filthy people, seeing the Roman weakness, recovered themselves and became bolder. The emperor suffered from a fit of gout and had to return to Messembria to take baths, leaving his generals to start the fighting and to engage them in a battle if they leave their fortifications. Otherwise, to put them under siege and to check their advances. The cavalry, however, spread the rumour that the emperor was deserting them, and fled on their own, without being chased by anybody. The Bulgars, seeing this, attacked and chased them and killed most of them by swords, and many were wounded. And after chasing them up to the Danube, they crossed it." The Bulgars had built wooden ramparts in the swampy area near the Peuce Island. The marshes forced the Byzantines to attack from a weakened position and in smaller groups, which reduced the strength of their attack. With continuing attacks from the ramparts, the Bulgar defense eventually forced the Byzantines into a rout, followed up by the Bulgar cavalry. Many of the Byzantine soldiers perished. According to popular belief, the emperor had leg pain and went to Nessebar (Greek : Mesimbria) to seek treatment. The troops thought that he fled the battlefield and in turn began fleeing. When the Bulgars realised what was happening, they attacked and defeated their discouraged enemy. After the victory, the Bulgars advanced south and seized the lands to the north of Stara Planina (Greek : Aimos). In 681 they invaded Thrace defeating the Byzantines again. Constantine IV found himself in a dead-lock and asked for peace. With the treaty of 681 the Byzantines recognised the creation of the new Bulgarian state and were obliged to pay annual tribute to the Bulgarian rulers, which was greatly humiliating for the Byzantine empire which managed to defeat the Sassanid Persians and the Ummayads Arabs. This battle was a significant moment in European history, as it led to the creation of a powerful state, which was to become a European superpower in the 9th and 10th century along with the Byzantine and Frankish Empires.
Asparuh's victory led to the Bulgarian conquest of Byzantine Moesia and the establishment of some sort of alliance between the Bulgars and the local Slavic groups. As Asparuh commenced to raid across the Balkan (Aimos) mountains into Byzantine Thrace in 681, Constantine IV decided to cut his losses and conclude a treaty, whereby the Byzantine Empire paid the Bulgars an annual tribute. These events are seen in retrospect as the establishment of the Bulgarian state and its recognition by the Byzantine Empire. In later tradition Asparukh is credited with building the major centers of Pliska and Drăstăr, as well as at least one of the Bulgarian limes walls from the Danube to the Black Sea. The multi-tribal and hegemonic character of the Bulgarian state in the first century or two after its establishment is readily apparent.
The Bulgars were superior organisationally and militarily and came to dominate politically the new state but there was cooperation between them and the Slavs for the protection of the country. The Slavs were allowed to retain their chiefs, to abide to their customs and in return they were to pay tribute in kind and to provide foot soldiers for the army. The Seven Slavic tribes were relocated to the west to protect the frontier with the Avar Khaganate, while the Severi were resettled in the eastern Balkan Mountains to guard the mountain passes to the Byzantine Empire. The number of Asparuh's Bulgars is difficult to estimate. Vasil Zlatarski and John Van Antwerp Fine Jr. suggest that they were not particularly numerous, numbering some 10,000, while Steven Runciman considers that the tribe must had been of considerable dimensions. The Bulgars settled mainly in the north-east, establishing the capital at Pliska, which was initially a colossal encampment of 23 km2 protected with earthen ramparts. To the north-east the war with the Khazars persisted and in 700 Khan Asparuh perished in battle with them.
Bulgaria a cultural and spiritual centre of Slavic Europe through most of the Middle Ages. As the state solidified its position in the Balkans, it entered into a centuries-long interaction, sometimes friendly and sometimes hostile, with the Byzantine Empire. Bulgaria emerged as Byzantium's chief antagonist to its north, resulting in several wars. The two powers also enjoyed periods of peace and alliance. Byzantium had a strong cultural influence on Bulgaria, which also led to the eventual adoption of Christianity in 864. The Bulgarian state existed before the formation of the Bulgarian people. Prior to the establishment of the Bulgarian state the Slavs had mingled with the native Byzantine Greco-Thracian population. The official language written in the pagan (First) Bulgarian kingdom before the Christianity (864) was Greek due to the great influence of Byzantine Empire which had official language Greek. Also Thracians spoke Greek. Bulgaria of Danube was created in Byzantine land and local population was Thracians speaking Greek or Latin for centuries.
Πηγή : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ongal
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Slavic_tribes
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga_Bulgaria
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotrag
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuber
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcek
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine–Bulgarian_wars
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparuh_of_Bulgaria
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Bulgarian_Empire
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