1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,320 After the disintegration of the Gokturk empires, the Uyghurs, and, to a certain extent, the 2 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:16,080 Kyrgyz, created new successor states in Mongolia and the Altai region. 3 00:00:16,780 --> 00:00:21,880 However, even more Turkic states were established in the west, and stretched along the entire 4 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:23,140 Eurasian steppe belt. 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:28,580 Among them was the Khazar Khaganate, ruled by a branch of the western Turkic empire of 6 00:00:28,580 --> 00:00:29,500 the 7th century. 7 00:00:29,780 --> 00:00:35,040 As such, the Khazars were most likely led by members of the legendary Ashina clan of Bumin 8 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:35,960 and Istemi. 9 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:41,980 Within a century, they expanded their territory as far as Kiev in the west, the Volga in the 10 00:00:41,980 --> 00:00:44,300 north, and the Kazakh steppe in the east. 11 00:00:44,780 --> 00:00:50,480 And while the Khazars seemingly remained a nomadic people, their society transformed, as 12 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:55,900 the ruling Khazars converted from Tengrism to Christianity, and later on even to Judaism. 13 00:00:55,900 --> 00:01:00,500 But was the Khazar empire in general thus a Jewish empire, too? 14 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,280 Did the common people also become Jewish? 15 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:07,900 And how credible is the claim of the Jews of Eastern Europe being descendants from the 16 00:01:07,900 --> 00:01:08,420 Khazars? 17 00:01:09,260 --> 00:01:14,680 Before we find out, don't forget to like this video, subscribe, and click on the notification 18 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:16,700 bell so that you won't miss any updates. 19 00:01:17,340 --> 00:01:22,180 Without further ado, let's dive into the fascinating topic of the Khazar Khaganate. 20 00:01:22,180 --> 00:01:44,580 Out of all the successor states of the Gokturks, the Khazar empire was the one located most 21 00:01:44,580 --> 00:01:47,540 westward, on the frontier between Europe and Asia. 22 00:01:47,540 --> 00:01:53,020 Centered between the Volga River and the Caucasus, their history can be traced back to the middle 23 00:01:53,020 --> 00:01:54,120 of the 7th century. 24 00:01:54,780 --> 00:01:59,940 And yet, the creation of Khazar identity is strongly linked to the downfall of the first 25 00:01:59,940 --> 00:02:00,920 Gokturk state. 26 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:07,580 The Gokturks had advanced as far as Ukraine in the year 580 CE, and with the help of the 27 00:02:07,580 --> 00:02:14,280 also Turkic Ogur Federation, even besieged Cherson on the Crimean peninsula, Byzantine territory. 28 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:20,540 Over time, the Byzantines and Turks forged an alliance against their common enemy, the 29 00:02:20,540 --> 00:02:21,920 Sassanid Persian Empire. 30 00:02:22,620 --> 00:02:28,920 In 627, hostilities between Byzantines and Persians culminated, and the Turks intervened 31 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:29,760 into the conflict. 32 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:36,240 The king of the western Gokturks, Tong Yabgu, besieged several cities in Georgia and Armenia, 33 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,520 and sent his general Bori Shad to attack the Persians through Azerbaijan. 34 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:46,980 However, Tong was murdered, and all Turkic armies retreated back to Central Asia amidst political 35 00:02:46,980 --> 00:02:47,580 chaos. 36 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:54,660 By 630, the eastern Gokturk Empire fell into Chinese hands, and the western empire was also 37 00:02:54,660 --> 00:03:00,000 crumbling due to internal conflict between pro-Ashina and anti-Ashina tribes. 38 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:05,820 Tong Yabgu seemingly had plans to annex the newly conquered territories on the Caucasus. 39 00:03:05,820 --> 00:03:10,400 But after his death, the Turkic peoples did not fully retreat from the region. 40 00:03:10,940 --> 00:03:15,000 Indeed, his war against Persia laid the foundation of the Khazar state. 41 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:21,900 By 650, as political anarchy reigned supreme in the east, the Turks in the west reorganized 42 00:03:21,900 --> 00:03:22,440 themselves. 43 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,620 Slowly but steadily, a new Turkic state was formed. 44 00:03:27,420 --> 00:03:32,060 In several medieval sources, the Gokturk armies are being called Khazars. 45 00:03:32,060 --> 00:03:39,800 However, the use of this term for the war between 627 and 629 CE is purely anachronistic. 46 00:03:40,580 --> 00:03:45,760 As the Khazars had become well known as nomadic Turkic rulers of the Caucasus in the 8th century, 47 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:51,320 medieval authors and scholars of that time thought of the Khazars and the Gokturks as congruent. 48 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:53,620 From a certain point of view, they were right. 49 00:03:53,620 --> 00:04:00,560 But the Khazars had surely not been independent prior to the year 630 CE, before the retreat 50 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:02,200 of the Gokturks from the area. 51 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,800 After conquering the lower Volga region to the east, and an area between the Danube and 52 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:13,980 the Dnieper to the west, and subduing the Ogur Union, a properly constituted Khazar Khaganate 53 00:04:13,980 --> 00:04:17,900 emerged between 650 and 670 CE. 54 00:04:17,900 --> 00:04:25,080 It was at this time, interestingly, that the Bulgars, also of Turkic origins, approached 55 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,660 Europe under leadership of Kubrat Khan and founded the first Bulgar Empire. 56 00:04:30,220 --> 00:04:31,860 But more about them in another video. 57 00:04:32,580 --> 00:04:37,840 Being surrounded by several nomadic peoples such as the Bulgars, Magyars, Ogur, and Ogus, 58 00:04:38,300 --> 00:04:41,260 the Khazars were in a peculiar geopolitical situation. 59 00:04:41,260 --> 00:04:47,300 But their military prowess and able leadership helped them establish Khazar hegemony in the 60 00:04:47,300 --> 00:04:47,640 neighborhood. 61 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:53,760 For the next 300 years, the Khazars would reign as the supreme empire of Eurasia. 62 00:04:54,340 --> 00:05:00,300 But with this new location and new neighbors, including many of non-Turkic origin, the society 63 00:05:00,300 --> 00:05:03,660 of the Khazars entered a transformation phase with no return. 64 00:05:03,660 --> 00:05:13,860 Contrary to popular belief, the Khazar state was less centralized than the Gokturk Empire. 65 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:19,720 The Khazar political system was characterized by its dual monarchy, with two main figures 66 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:25,720 ruling the Khazar state, the Khagan and the Bek, the latter also known as Khagan-Bek. 67 00:05:26,220 --> 00:05:31,780 While the actual Khagan held a ceremonial position and was not involved in day-to-day governance or 68 00:05:31,780 --> 00:05:38,300 military decisions, the active ruler was the Bek, who managed state affairs, military strategy, 69 00:05:38,540 --> 00:05:39,720 and diplomatic relations. 70 00:05:40,380 --> 00:05:45,180 This structure was probably developed to balance power among the factions in the Khazar state. 71 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:51,620 The Khagan, or supreme ruler, was the head of the empire, but his power was limited by the 72 00:05:51,620 --> 00:05:52,700 presence of the Bek. 73 00:05:53,280 --> 00:05:56,720 This was the title of a tribal leader before the Gokturk era. 74 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:02,780 With the disappearance of the Gokturk empires, the lesser nobility, with the Beks as their 75 00:06:02,780 --> 00:06:07,400 spokesmen, worked to improve their power within the hierarchy of the steppe belt. 76 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:13,560 The Khazar dual kingship of Khagan be allowed for a certain degree of autonomy of the different 77 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:18,700 regions within the empire, while still maintaining a sense of unity and shared identity. 78 00:06:19,460 --> 00:06:25,000 However, like the Gokturk Empire and many other states in the Eurasian steppe belt, the Khazar 79 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,960 state was originally organized along tribal lines. 80 00:06:28,540 --> 00:06:32,860 The empire was divided into tribes or clans, each with its own chieftain. 81 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:38,800 These tribes could be quite powerful and influential within the state, especially if they had a large 82 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,780 population or were particularly wealthy or militarily strong. 83 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:47,660 Over time, centralization efforts helped to consolidate political power. 84 00:06:48,280 --> 00:06:53,280 As an active ruler, the Bek increasingly took on the characteristics of a conventional monarch, 85 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:55,980 and tribal structures became less important. 86 00:06:56,660 --> 00:07:01,720 This was likely due to the influence of the settled, urbanized societies with which the 87 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:07,640 Khazars interacted, including the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic Caliphates, and the various 88 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,300 Slavic and Germanic kingdoms of Eastern Europe. 89 00:07:11,100 --> 00:07:17,040 The Khazars valued military prowess and were constantly engaged in warfare with neighboring peoples. 90 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:22,420 Therefore, the ability to adapt and respond quickly to changing military and political 91 00:07:22,420 --> 00:07:25,480 situations was crucial to the empire's success. 92 00:07:26,260 --> 00:07:31,740 As skilled horsemen and horse breeders, they were able to maintain a strong cavalry and dominate 93 00:07:31,740 --> 00:07:32,300 in battle. 94 00:07:32,900 --> 00:07:37,280 Indeed, there are many stories of men of Khazar descent taking up arms on behalf of other 95 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,080 states, most notably the Byzantine Empire. 96 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:46,240 But the Khazar army itself was already capable of fending off its neighbors, which included 97 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,620 many Turkic states, tribes, and tribal confederations. 98 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:51,280 But more of that later. 99 00:07:52,180 --> 00:07:57,460 In addition to their military prowess, the Khazars were also known for their trade and commerce. 100 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:02,760 They controlled several important trade routes, including parts of the western Silk Road. 101 00:08:03,380 --> 00:08:06,540 This allowed them to tax goods passing through their territory. 102 00:08:06,540 --> 00:08:12,520 Their geographical location, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, made them a strategic 103 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:15,240 point for trade between east and west. 104 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:21,580 The Khazars also had a strong agricultural sector, producing crops such as wheat, barley, 105 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:22,220 and millet. 106 00:08:22,900 --> 00:08:27,600 This allowed them to sustain their population and provide food for their army and merchants. 107 00:08:28,300 --> 00:08:33,480 This Turkic military power, combined with control of trade routes and a strong agricultural 108 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,560 sector, made them a prosperous and influential empire in Eurasia. 109 00:08:38,180 --> 00:08:40,540 But who were the rulers of the Khazar Empire? 110 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:42,120 Where did they come from? 111 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:47,400 There is evidence that speaks volumes about a possible connection between the Ashina dynasty 112 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:51,920 of the first Gokturk Empire and the Khazar dynasty in the 7th century. 113 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:57,620 Very often, the ethnonym Khazar and Turk is being interchanged. 114 00:08:57,820 --> 00:08:59,080 And there's a reason for that. 115 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:04,420 It seems that the Khazars were an offshoot of the western Turk state. 116 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:07,920 And they were ruled by an Ashina dynasty. 117 00:09:08,460 --> 00:09:10,640 Our sources don't say that flat out. 118 00:09:11,220 --> 00:09:18,680 All of the details that the Arabic sources give regarding Khazar customs and ceremonies and so on, 119 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:23,480 like the installation of the Khagan, is identical to the material that the Chinese sources are 120 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,380 giving about the Kirkturks. 121 00:09:26,300 --> 00:09:29,020 And we know that the Arabs were not reading Chinese. 122 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:31,060 So they were not borrowing this. 123 00:09:31,140 --> 00:09:34,300 This is based on their own observations of this state. 124 00:09:34,540 --> 00:09:41,660 The Khazar ruling house is most probably descended from one of the feuding subgroupings of the Ashina 125 00:09:41,660 --> 00:09:47,560 in the western Turk state that fled, went off towards the west, and founded their own state. 126 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:52,580 And they were known as Turks or as Khazars, and then finally simply as Khazars. 127 00:09:52,660 --> 00:09:55,360 That becomes the more established name. 128 00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:00,100 But the name came to encompass a whole range of peoples, 129 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:04,800 especially a variety of Turkic peoples that had come in prior to that, 130 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:11,020 beginning with peoples that probably moved westward from the Shungnu state in Inner Asia, 131 00:10:11,260 --> 00:10:14,040 becoming the Huns of Iran and Europe, 132 00:10:14,220 --> 00:10:17,380 and then Sabir, various Oguric peoples, 133 00:10:17,700 --> 00:10:20,580 all of these coming together under Khazar rule. 134 00:10:20,940 --> 00:10:22,980 Some of the sources say as much, 135 00:10:23,060 --> 00:10:26,140 that the Khazars were the masters of this people or that people. 136 00:10:26,140 --> 00:10:32,620 The Khazars are, in essence, a branch of the western Turk dynasty with their core tribes 137 00:10:32,620 --> 00:10:35,220 and then other tribes over whom they established. 138 00:10:35,380 --> 00:10:38,460 So it became both an ethnonym and a polytonym. 139 00:10:38,580 --> 00:10:39,600 That is a political name. 140 00:10:42,820 --> 00:10:45,860 One of the most remarkable events in Khazar history, 141 00:10:46,260 --> 00:10:50,180 according to Kevin Allen Brook, author of the book The Jews of Khazaria, 142 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:52,060 was the adoption of Judaism. 143 00:10:52,060 --> 00:10:57,600 Brook points out that the Khazars chose to adopt the standard rabbinical form of Judaism 144 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,280 rather than the beliefs of the Karait sect, 145 00:11:00,700 --> 00:11:04,260 which had been present throughout the Islamic world, especially in Spain, 146 00:11:04,740 --> 00:11:09,580 but also in the Byzantine Empire and later Ottoman Empire until the 16th century. 147 00:11:10,700 --> 00:11:14,920 Archaeological evidence indicates that Jews have lived in the Balkans, in the Caucasus, 148 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:17,320 along the northern shores of the Black Sea, 149 00:11:17,660 --> 00:11:20,660 and in other areas of Eastern Europe since Roman times. 150 00:11:20,660 --> 00:11:24,760 But the most important area responsible for the Khazar conversion 151 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:27,900 were the settlements on the Crimean and Taman peninsulas, 152 00:11:28,300 --> 00:11:30,920 including Kerch, Feodosia, and Annapah. 153 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:35,360 These mostly Greek-speaking Jews were incorporated into the Khazar Empire 154 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:37,080 during the 7th and 8th centuries, 155 00:11:37,660 --> 00:11:40,740 but simultaneously the empire became a safe haven 156 00:11:40,740 --> 00:11:44,220 for a number of persecuted Jews from Europe, but also Asia. 157 00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:46,580 The neighboring Byzantine Empire, 158 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,200 which we should rather call Eastern Roman Empire, 159 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,900 forced baptism several times in the 7th and 8th centuries, 160 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:57,160 which forced many Jews to either adopt Christianity or flee to the north. 161 00:11:58,060 --> 00:12:00,660 One of our primary sources is the Cambridge document, 162 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:03,200 originally titled, Schechter Letter. 163 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,100 It's an anonymous Khazar letter from the Geniza of Cairo, 164 00:12:07,300 --> 00:12:11,760 which discusses several events that included the Eastern Roman and Khazar empires, 165 00:12:12,060 --> 00:12:13,520 as well as the Kievan Rus. 166 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,560 The author implies that at least some Jews entered Khazaria 167 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:20,020 to escape the yoke of the Ido worshippers, 168 00:12:20,380 --> 00:12:23,380 and that those who fled through Armenia to Khazar lands 169 00:12:23,380 --> 00:12:24,960 intermarried with the Khazars. 170 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:28,480 These immigrants soon learned the customs of the Khazars, 171 00:12:28,660 --> 00:12:30,060 and, the letter states, 172 00:12:30,380 --> 00:12:33,660 fought side by side with the Turks against other nations. 173 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:37,020 Another group of Jews fleeing to the Turkic domain 174 00:12:37,020 --> 00:12:38,440 came from Mesopotamia, 175 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,080 which is also mentioned in the Cambridge document. 176 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:45,220 What effect did the migrations have on the Khazar people then? 177 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:47,240 According to Brook's theory, 178 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:50,400 the waves of Jews arriving in the Khazar Empire 179 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,660 encouraged the Khazars themselves to convert to Judaism, 180 00:12:54,100 --> 00:12:57,720 which was indicated by a statement by the Arab historian Dimashki, 181 00:12:58,140 --> 00:12:59,980 written in the year 1327. 182 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,160 This theory suggests that the conversion happened 183 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,400 quote-unquote naturally over time. 184 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:07,400 A second, more popular theory 185 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,100 is that the Khazar elite converted to Judaism 186 00:13:10,100 --> 00:13:11,480 in an effort to preserve 187 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:13,420 the political independence of the empire 188 00:13:13,420 --> 00:13:16,480 from the Christian, Byzantine, and Muslim Arab empires. 189 00:13:17,020 --> 00:13:18,340 The goal would have been 190 00:13:18,340 --> 00:13:20,340 to keep the balance of power in the region. 191 00:13:21,020 --> 00:13:23,400 As the Khazars were geopolitically situated 192 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:26,480 not directly in between the Roman and Arab empires, 193 00:13:27,060 --> 00:13:28,240 but were indeed pivotal 194 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:30,140 for the political stability in the region, 195 00:13:30,540 --> 00:13:32,140 this theory seems plausible. 196 00:13:32,700 --> 00:13:34,380 We can say for certain that indeed, 197 00:13:34,380 --> 00:13:37,320 Jewish conversion took place within the empire. 198 00:13:38,220 --> 00:13:39,940 But how many people actually converted? 199 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,200 Did the Jewish faith spread among the common populace 200 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,420 or only affected the ruling elites, 201 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:47,000 the Kagan and the Bek, 202 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,340 as well as the members of the royal dynasty? 203 00:13:50,780 --> 00:13:53,740 Early theories about the Khazar-Jewish connection 204 00:13:53,740 --> 00:13:56,780 go back to the speculations of Ernest Renan, 205 00:13:57,100 --> 00:13:59,580 among others, in the late 19th century. 206 00:14:00,140 --> 00:14:03,180 They proposed that the Ashkenazi Jews of Europe 207 00:14:03,180 --> 00:14:05,900 actually originated among Turkic refugees 208 00:14:05,900 --> 00:14:07,900 who had migrated westward 209 00:14:07,900 --> 00:14:10,480 from the collapsed Khazar empire into Europe, 210 00:14:10,980 --> 00:14:13,980 thereby exchanging their native Turkic Khazar language 211 00:14:13,980 --> 00:14:16,940 for Yiddish while continuing to practice Judaism. 212 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,180 Although the Khazar-Ashkenazi hypothesis 213 00:14:20,180 --> 00:14:22,020 has been intermittently advanced 214 00:14:22,020 --> 00:14:23,800 by various scholars later on, 215 00:14:24,140 --> 00:14:26,380 it came to the attention of a much wider public 216 00:14:26,380 --> 00:14:28,440 with the publication of Arthur Kessler's 217 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,080 The Thirteenth Tribe in 1976. 218 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:34,040 Kessler was of Hungarian origin 219 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,980 and mostly published books in German and English. 220 00:14:37,660 --> 00:14:39,860 His most controversial publication, however, 221 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,500 suggests that indeed many Ashkenazi Jews in Europe 222 00:14:43,500 --> 00:14:45,560 who became victims of annihilation 223 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:48,840 by the German Empire in the 1930s and 1940s 224 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,160 were not descendants of the ancient Israelites in Palestine, 225 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:54,680 but of the Turkic Khazar descent. 226 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:57,680 Following the collapse of the Khazar state, 227 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:00,260 these people allegedly formed the basis 228 00:15:00,260 --> 00:15:02,540 of the Yiddish-speaking Jewish communities 229 00:15:02,540 --> 00:15:05,280 in regions that now encompass modern-day Poland, 230 00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:10,840 Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. 231 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,820 Some critics, especially in Israel, 232 00:15:13,940 --> 00:15:15,200 but also the United States, 233 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:16,980 have classified this theory 234 00:15:16,980 --> 00:15:19,460 as basis of anti-Semitic speculations, 235 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:21,140 as it was used by those 236 00:15:21,140 --> 00:15:22,940 who negated the right of the Jewish people 237 00:15:22,940 --> 00:15:24,820 to inhabit and rule over the country 238 00:15:24,820 --> 00:15:26,500 that we know as Israel today. 239 00:15:27,780 --> 00:15:31,000 However, Kessler himself was a Ashkenazi Jew, 240 00:15:31,460 --> 00:15:33,140 and he actually presented this theory 241 00:15:33,140 --> 00:15:35,540 to combat anti-Semitic ideologies 242 00:15:35,540 --> 00:15:37,880 based on racial theories of Jewish identity. 243 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:39,860 He hoped that by demonstrating 244 00:15:39,860 --> 00:15:41,860 the diverse and multicultural origins 245 00:15:41,860 --> 00:15:42,940 of the Jewish people, 246 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:45,580 he might undermine such prejudiced views. 247 00:15:46,060 --> 00:15:48,060 But the question that we want to answer is, 248 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,180 were Kessler, Renan, and the others 249 00:15:50,180 --> 00:15:51,560 who proposed such theories 250 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:53,600 actually write about the Khazar origins 251 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:55,700 of the Ashkenazi Jews or not? 252 00:15:56,500 --> 00:16:00,280 Ironically, the majority of the Jews of Israel 253 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:01,920 are not from Europe. 254 00:16:02,580 --> 00:16:03,740 They're from the Middle East. 255 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,640 But here, the DNA becomes important. 256 00:16:06,820 --> 00:16:08,980 A lot of work has been done on the DNA 257 00:16:08,980 --> 00:16:10,960 with all of its problems. 258 00:16:11,540 --> 00:16:14,020 First-cousin marriages were quite common 259 00:16:14,020 --> 00:16:16,360 among Jewish populations 260 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:18,860 in Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and elsewhere. 261 00:16:18,860 --> 00:16:21,060 They're also very common among Arabs. 262 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:22,520 An old Semitic tradition 263 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:23,560 has nothing to do with religion. 264 00:16:23,700 --> 00:16:25,280 It's just an old Semitic tradition 265 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:26,420 from way back. 266 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:28,120 The studies that have been done with this 267 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,400 indicate that the Eastern European Jews, 268 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:32,880 the Ashkenazi Jews, 269 00:16:33,300 --> 00:16:36,200 have basically a Middle Eastern origin. 270 00:16:36,740 --> 00:16:38,220 Their DNA matches up 271 00:16:38,220 --> 00:16:40,220 with other Middle Eastern peoples. 272 00:16:40,380 --> 00:16:42,460 Indeed, their closest DNA relatives 273 00:16:42,460 --> 00:16:46,820 appear to be Lebanese, Syrians, 274 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:48,620 and guess what? 275 00:16:49,420 --> 00:16:50,000 Palestinian. 276 00:16:51,620 --> 00:16:52,340 Naturally. 277 00:16:52,980 --> 00:16:55,500 Any population that claims it's not mixed 278 00:16:55,500 --> 00:16:56,780 is lying. 279 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:58,560 All populations are mixed. 280 00:16:59,180 --> 00:17:01,160 There was Kessler's unfortunate book, 281 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:02,020 which he wrote. 282 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,480 He himself was a survivor of the Holocaust 283 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:06,580 and all of that. 284 00:17:07,020 --> 00:17:08,600 And he thought in this book 285 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:10,060 he would simply integrate 286 00:17:10,060 --> 00:17:12,040 the surviving Jewish communities 287 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:13,740 into the larger European world. 288 00:17:13,740 --> 00:17:15,340 But no. 289 00:17:15,340 --> 00:17:18,800 The bulk of Eastern European Jewry 290 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,400 is very clearly of Middle Eastern origin 291 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:22,960 with some European admixture. 292 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,300 Indeed, most researchers and scientists agree 293 00:17:26,300 --> 00:17:27,980 that there would be no evidence 294 00:17:27,980 --> 00:17:29,140 for the European Jews 295 00:17:29,140 --> 00:17:31,140 to be of mostly Khazar origin. 296 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:33,600 However, a few scientists nonetheless 297 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:35,980 do not disregard the Khazar hypothesis 298 00:17:35,980 --> 00:17:38,100 and continue DNA analysis 299 00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:39,700 despite some heavy criticism 300 00:17:39,700 --> 00:17:40,600 by their colleagues. 301 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:42,260 There are academics, 302 00:17:42,740 --> 00:17:44,140 themselves of Jewish origin, 303 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:44,740 mind you, 304 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:46,200 that persist on the theory. 305 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:47,720 But if we disregard 306 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:49,580 this Jewish Khazar hypothesis, 307 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:51,080 if we even assume 308 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:52,940 that not a single Ashkenazi Jew 309 00:17:52,940 --> 00:17:54,140 in Europe ever descended 310 00:17:54,140 --> 00:17:55,040 from the Khazars, 311 00:17:55,420 --> 00:17:56,720 we must nonetheless ask, 312 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:58,320 what happened to the Khazars? 313 00:17:58,320 --> 00:17:59,620 Where did they go? 314 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:06,540 The fate of the Khazars 315 00:18:06,540 --> 00:18:07,520 largely depended 316 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:08,780 on their foreign affairs, 317 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:10,060 as did the fate 318 00:18:10,060 --> 00:18:11,700 of all other Turkic states 319 00:18:11,700 --> 00:18:12,360 of that era. 320 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:14,080 After establishing 321 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:15,140 state-like structures 322 00:18:15,140 --> 00:18:16,240 in the 7th century, 323 00:18:16,740 --> 00:18:18,700 the Khazars expanded their domain 324 00:18:18,700 --> 00:18:20,540 as far as Kiev in the west 325 00:18:20,540 --> 00:18:22,380 and the Aral Sea in the east, 326 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:23,600 controlling virtually 327 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:24,960 the entire Caucasus 328 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:26,700 as well as the Don Volga area, 329 00:18:27,100 --> 00:18:28,160 the Crimean Peninsula, 330 00:18:28,580 --> 00:18:30,180 and thus the modern-day area 331 00:18:30,180 --> 00:18:30,840 of Ukraine. 332 00:18:31,260 --> 00:18:32,220 By absorbing 333 00:18:32,220 --> 00:18:33,460 the Onagor Federation, 334 00:18:33,940 --> 00:18:34,940 the Khazars defeated 335 00:18:34,940 --> 00:18:36,000 the newly independent 336 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,000 Turkic Bulgars 337 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:38,140 who had revolted 338 00:18:38,140 --> 00:18:39,400 against Avar rule 339 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:40,260 with the help 340 00:18:40,260 --> 00:18:41,080 of the Magyars, 341 00:18:41,420 --> 00:18:42,140 who were responsible 342 00:18:42,140 --> 00:18:42,940 for the defense 343 00:18:42,940 --> 00:18:43,940 of the western border 344 00:18:43,940 --> 00:18:44,800 of the Kaganate. 345 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:45,700 However, 346 00:18:46,020 --> 00:18:48,280 by 800 CE3 rebellious 347 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:49,260 Khazar tribes 348 00:18:49,260 --> 00:18:50,300 called Kabars 349 00:18:50,300 --> 00:18:51,560 left the empire 350 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:53,080 and joined the Magyars. 351 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:54,760 These Magyars then 352 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:55,860 later came to be known 353 00:18:55,860 --> 00:18:56,720 as Hungarians, 354 00:18:57,120 --> 00:18:58,280 a term which the Germans 355 00:18:58,280 --> 00:18:59,540 derived from the term 356 00:18:59,540 --> 00:19:01,620 Ogur or Onagur, 357 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:03,200 the names of the Turkic 358 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:04,060 confederations 359 00:19:04,060 --> 00:19:04,940 that the Khazars 360 00:19:04,940 --> 00:19:05,640 had absorbed. 361 00:19:06,420 --> 00:19:07,740 Thus, Magyar 362 00:19:07,740 --> 00:19:08,680 became Hungary. 363 00:19:09,460 --> 00:19:10,140 In any case, 364 00:19:10,540 --> 00:19:11,280 Khazar rule 365 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:12,280 over the Hungarians 366 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:12,960 was formal 367 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:15,000 from 800 CE on, 368 00:19:15,380 --> 00:19:16,040 and by the middle 369 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:17,060 of the 9th century, 370 00:19:17,380 --> 00:19:18,020 the Hungarians 371 00:19:18,020 --> 00:19:18,920 had broken away 372 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:20,400 from the Kaganate entirely, 373 00:19:20,860 --> 00:19:22,100 now making incursions 374 00:19:22,100 --> 00:19:23,680 as far as the Frankish lands 375 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:24,580 in Central Europe. 376 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:25,840 Meanwhile, 377 00:19:26,120 --> 00:19:27,040 the Khazar Empire 378 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:28,440 had become a major power 379 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:29,020 in the region 380 00:19:29,020 --> 00:19:30,360 and, as we mentioned, 381 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:31,640 served as a form 382 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:32,520 of buffer state 383 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:34,400 in between the Eastern Roman Empire 384 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:35,720 and the Arab Caliphates. 385 00:19:36,300 --> 00:19:36,820 In essence, 386 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:38,600 the Romans saw the Khazars 387 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:39,960 as valuable allies 388 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:41,340 against their Arab enemies. 389 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:43,140 And since the Khazars 390 00:19:43,140 --> 00:19:43,720 themselves 391 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:45,360 had refused Arab advancement 392 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:46,380 into the Caucasus, 393 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:47,440 the Romans proposed 394 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:48,160 an alliance. 395 00:19:48,860 --> 00:19:49,720 This alliance 396 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:50,780 was formally sealed 397 00:19:50,780 --> 00:19:51,420 with the marriage 398 00:19:51,420 --> 00:19:52,680 of Constantine V, 399 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:54,220 Emperor of the Romans, 400 00:19:54,220 --> 00:19:55,480 and Tzitzak, 401 00:19:55,820 --> 00:19:56,500 or Cicek, 402 00:19:56,940 --> 00:19:57,820 daughter of Bihar, 403 00:19:58,200 --> 00:19:58,940 who was the Khagan 404 00:19:58,940 --> 00:19:59,700 of the Khazars 405 00:19:59,700 --> 00:20:01,280 in the 730 S. 406 00:20:01,620 --> 00:20:02,740 The son of Tzitzak 407 00:20:02,740 --> 00:20:03,580 and Constantine 408 00:20:03,580 --> 00:20:04,520 was Leo IV, 409 00:20:05,060 --> 00:20:05,780 also titled 410 00:20:05,780 --> 00:20:06,820 Leo the Khazar. 411 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:07,860 Therefore, 412 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:08,560 we can speak 413 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:09,000 of at least 414 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,060 one Roman emperor 415 00:20:10,060 --> 00:20:10,660 who was of 416 00:20:10,660 --> 00:20:11,760 half-Turkic descent. 417 00:20:12,300 --> 00:20:13,000 In any case, 418 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:14,600 as the Khazar-Byzantine 419 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:15,860 alliance was blossoming, 420 00:20:16,260 --> 00:20:17,300 the Muslim caliphate 421 00:20:17,300 --> 00:20:17,920 of the Arabs 422 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:18,740 was still trying 423 00:20:18,740 --> 00:20:19,340 to advance 424 00:20:19,340 --> 00:20:20,680 into the Caucasus area 425 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:21,700 and expand 426 00:20:21,700 --> 00:20:22,760 the Islamic realm. 427 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:24,380 We already mentioned 428 00:20:24,380 --> 00:20:25,340 the Turkic states 429 00:20:25,340 --> 00:20:26,380 that tried to contain 430 00:20:26,380 --> 00:20:27,360 the Arab empire 431 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:28,040 on their way 432 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:28,660 into Asia, 433 00:20:28,980 --> 00:20:30,200 and among these states 434 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:30,900 was of course 435 00:20:30,900 --> 00:20:32,100 the Khazar Khaganate. 436 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:33,720 From 640 437 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:34,480 until at least 438 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:35,480 800 CE, 439 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:36,960 Arabs and Turks 440 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:38,080 fought many battles. 441 00:20:38,700 --> 00:20:39,680 The Battle of Balanjar 442 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:40,340 took place 443 00:20:40,340 --> 00:20:41,720 in 652, 444 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:42,980 near the eponymous 445 00:20:42,980 --> 00:20:43,740 Turkic city 446 00:20:43,740 --> 00:20:44,560 that was located 447 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:45,880 near the Caspian Sea, 448 00:20:46,260 --> 00:20:47,080 in which the Arabs 449 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:48,380 were decisively defeated 450 00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:49,620 by the Khazar defenders. 451 00:20:50,380 --> 00:20:51,020 While the Arabs 452 00:20:51,020 --> 00:20:51,700 tried to sort 453 00:20:51,700 --> 00:20:52,240 their armies 454 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:52,880 and regroup, 455 00:20:53,300 --> 00:20:53,860 they were further 456 00:20:53,860 --> 00:20:54,860 attacked by local 457 00:20:54,860 --> 00:20:55,720 Alan tribes 458 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:56,980 as well as Roman armies 459 00:20:56,980 --> 00:20:57,720 from the west. 460 00:20:58,360 --> 00:20:59,020 It seemed that 461 00:20:59,020 --> 00:20:59,560 the containment 462 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:01,100 of Arab-Muslim advancement 463 00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:02,880 was the utmost priority 464 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:04,280 of all neighboring states, 465 00:21:04,620 --> 00:21:05,040 tribes, 466 00:21:05,220 --> 00:21:06,260 and political entities. 467 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:07,720 As the Arabs 468 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:08,560 brought Armenia 469 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:09,760 fully under control 470 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:10,620 and suppressed 471 00:21:10,620 --> 00:21:12,360 a rebellion in 705, 472 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:14,080 tensions rose again. 473 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:15,720 In 721, 474 00:21:16,260 --> 00:21:17,140 a Khazar army 475 00:21:17,140 --> 00:21:18,540 of 30,000 men 476 00:21:18,540 --> 00:21:20,120 defeated the Syrian garrison, 477 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:21,840 but were soon set aback 478 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:23,400 by an Arab counter-offensive. 479 00:21:24,300 --> 00:21:25,600 The war was a back and forth 480 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:27,120 of Khazar and Arab armies. 481 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,820 On the 9th of December 730, 482 00:21:30,260 --> 00:21:31,500 the Khazars annihilated 483 00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:33,000 the 25,000 men 484 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,220 strong Arab army 485 00:21:34,220 --> 00:21:35,680 at the Battle of Ardabil 486 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,040 in southern Azerbaijan. 487 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:38,580 As the Arabs 488 00:21:38,580 --> 00:21:39,560 were getting exhausted 489 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:40,840 from continuous fighting 490 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:41,880 in Transoxiana 491 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:42,980 against the Turgesh, 492 00:21:43,540 --> 00:21:44,720 another Turkic entity, 493 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:46,680 a few years of silence, 494 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:48,040 befell the Caucasus. 495 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:49,740 Despite further attempts 496 00:21:49,740 --> 00:21:50,700 to advance north, 497 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:51,980 the Arabs could not 498 00:21:51,980 --> 00:21:53,320 consolidate the frontier 499 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:54,420 against the Khazars. 500 00:21:55,180 --> 00:21:56,280 Medieval Iberia 501 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:57,160 and Albania, 502 00:21:57,300 --> 00:21:58,200 not to be confused 503 00:21:58,200 --> 00:21:59,320 with the modern terms 504 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:00,540 for the respective regions 505 00:22:00,540 --> 00:22:01,020 in Europe, 506 00:22:01,540 --> 00:22:02,880 served as a buffer zone 507 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:04,320 between the Turkic Khazars 508 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:05,360 and Muslim Arabs. 509 00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:07,160 By the 9th century, 510 00:22:07,620 --> 00:22:09,120 groups of Varangian Rus, 511 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:10,520 developing a powerful 512 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:11,860 warrior merchant system, 513 00:22:12,220 --> 00:22:13,440 began probing south 514 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:14,520 down the waterways 515 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:15,920 controlled by the Khazars 516 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:16,860 and their protectorate, 517 00:22:17,220 --> 00:22:18,420 the Volga Bulgarians, 518 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:19,680 partially in pursuit 519 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:20,660 of the Arab silver 520 00:22:20,660 --> 00:22:21,600 that flowed north. 521 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:23,440 Some scholars argue 522 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:24,500 that the Rus founded 523 00:22:24,500 --> 00:22:25,320 a state modeled 524 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:26,860 after the Khazar Khaganate, 525 00:22:27,380 --> 00:22:28,320 consequently titled 526 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:29,500 the Rus Khaganate, 527 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:30,740 with a Rus Khagan 528 00:22:30,740 --> 00:22:31,560 as the king. 529 00:22:32,300 --> 00:22:33,600 By 860, 530 00:22:34,020 --> 00:22:35,160 the Rus had penetrated 531 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:36,080 as far as Kiev, 532 00:22:36,580 --> 00:22:37,520 which seems to have been 533 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:38,820 founded by the Khazars, 534 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:39,440 by the way. 535 00:22:40,140 --> 00:22:41,080 As the Byzantine 536 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:42,920 and Khazar priorities shifted, 537 00:22:43,420 --> 00:22:44,440 the Romans encouraged 538 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,220 both the Alans on the Caucasus 539 00:22:46,220 --> 00:22:47,140 to revolt against 540 00:22:47,140 --> 00:22:48,520 their Turkic overlords, 541 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:49,840 as well as the Rus 542 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:50,900 to further advance 543 00:22:50,900 --> 00:22:51,640 into Ukraine 544 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:53,020 and defeated the Khazars. 545 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,020 It seems that the Byzantine 546 00:22:55,020 --> 00:22:56,400 rulers thought of converting 547 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:56,960 the Rus, 548 00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:58,780 them being capable warriors, 549 00:22:59,120 --> 00:22:59,860 to Christianity 550 00:22:59,860 --> 00:23:00,740 and treat them 551 00:23:00,740 --> 00:23:01,640 as their subjects. 552 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:02,800 Ultimately, 553 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:04,060 the Rus defeated 554 00:23:04,060 --> 00:23:04,740 the Khazars 555 00:23:04,740 --> 00:23:05,900 and captured Sarkal, 556 00:23:06,180 --> 00:23:07,660 as well as the Khazar capital, 557 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:08,160 Etil, 558 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:10,220 by 970 CE. 559 00:23:10,220 --> 00:23:17,680 The fate of the Khazars 560 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:18,260 was sealed 561 00:23:18,260 --> 00:23:19,080 by their defeat 562 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:20,300 in 965. 563 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:21,680 However, 564 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:22,780 the Khazars 565 00:23:22,780 --> 00:23:24,060 did not suddenly vanish 566 00:23:24,060 --> 00:23:24,740 from the map. 567 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:26,080 To the contrary, 568 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:27,400 scholars assume 569 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:28,220 that they generally 570 00:23:28,220 --> 00:23:29,860 continued independent rule 571 00:23:29,860 --> 00:23:30,840 in certain places 572 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:32,260 along the Black Sea coast. 573 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:33,660 In 1016, 574 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:34,560 the Byzantines 575 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:35,040 and Rus 576 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:36,620 launched a joint offensive 577 00:23:36,620 --> 00:23:38,280 against a local Khazar ruler 578 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:40,020 called Georgius Tzul, 579 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:41,360 though he must have ruled 580 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:42,000 over a state 581 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:42,940 that had been devastated 582 00:23:42,940 --> 00:23:43,660 by the wars 583 00:23:43,660 --> 00:23:44,820 of the prior decades. 584 00:23:45,380 --> 00:23:45,780 Indeed, 585 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:47,300 very little information 586 00:23:47,300 --> 00:23:47,940 survived 587 00:23:47,940 --> 00:23:49,240 regarding the situation 588 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:50,060 in Khazaria. 589 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:51,420 By the end 590 00:23:51,420 --> 00:23:52,400 of the 12th century, 591 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:54,240 Patakia of Ratisbon 592 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:55,160 reported traveling 593 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:56,260 through what he called 594 00:23:56,260 --> 00:23:57,180 Khazaria 595 00:23:57,180 --> 00:23:58,300 and had little 596 00:23:58,300 --> 00:23:59,200 to remark on 597 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:00,200 other than describing 598 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:01,260 its minimum living 599 00:24:01,260 --> 00:24:02,500 amidst desolation 600 00:24:02,500 --> 00:24:03,680 and perpetual mourning. 601 00:24:04,580 --> 00:24:05,100 What happened 602 00:24:05,100 --> 00:24:06,280 to its inhabitants then? 603 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:07,480 Many, 604 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:08,820 both Jewish Khazars 605 00:24:08,820 --> 00:24:10,320 and non-Jewish Khazars 606 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:11,160 left the area 607 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:12,740 and or were absorbed 608 00:24:12,740 --> 00:24:13,740 by the new powers 609 00:24:13,740 --> 00:24:14,320 in the region. 610 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:16,320 The Rus did not gain 611 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:17,680 full control of Ukraine, 612 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:19,140 as now the Pechenegs 613 00:24:19,140 --> 00:24:20,180 and other Turkic tribe 614 00:24:20,180 --> 00:24:20,800 which we mentioned 615 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:21,460 in our video 616 00:24:21,460 --> 00:24:22,960 about the Oguz-Yabgu 617 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:24,120 now reigned supreme. 618 00:24:24,700 --> 00:24:25,300 We can assume 619 00:24:25,300 --> 00:24:26,480 that migratory movements 620 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:27,240 occurred mostly 621 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:27,980 to the west, 622 00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:28,920 into eastern 623 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:29,880 and central Europe. 624 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:31,200 It is also likely 625 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:32,200 that Khazar people 626 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:33,520 remained on the Caucasus, 627 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:34,800 where they had originally 628 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:36,060 established their state. 629 00:24:36,060 --> 00:24:38,520 The legacy of the Khazars 630 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:39,780 is certainly remarkable. 631 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,200 All the conspiracy theories aside, 632 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:43,640 the Khazar Khaganate 633 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:45,040 left a huge impact 634 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:45,720 on the history 635 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:46,280 of the region 636 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:47,640 and on Turkic history. 637 00:24:48,260 --> 00:24:49,080 It was the first 638 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,040 and only Jewish Turkic state 639 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:52,500 and the only remarkable 640 00:24:52,500 --> 00:24:53,240 Jewish state 641 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:54,080 between the fall 642 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:55,040 of the Second Temple 643 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:56,120 in 70 CE 644 00:24:56,120 --> 00:24:57,460 and the establishment 645 00:24:57,460 --> 00:24:59,120 of Israel in 1948. 646 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:00,900 The aforementioned 647 00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:02,400 mother of Leo the Khazar 648 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:04,720 introduced into the Byzantine court 649 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:06,380 the distinctive kaftan 650 00:25:06,380 --> 00:25:07,400 or riding habit 651 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:08,700 of the nomadic Khazars 652 00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:10,220 and this was adopted 653 00:25:10,220 --> 00:25:11,540 as a solemn element 654 00:25:11,540 --> 00:25:12,740 of imperial dress. 655 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:13,700 Furthermore, 656 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:15,860 the orderly hierarchical system 657 00:25:15,860 --> 00:25:16,460 of succession 658 00:25:16,460 --> 00:25:17,380 by scales 659 00:25:17,380 --> 00:25:18,680 to the Grand Principate 660 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:19,120 of Kiev 661 00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:20,800 was arguably modeled 662 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,220 on Khazar institutions 663 00:25:22,220 --> 00:25:23,640 via the example 664 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:24,960 of the Rus Khaganate 665 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:26,200 and the fall 666 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:27,440 of the Khazar Empire 667 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:28,760 along the dissolution 668 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:29,640 of the Salmonids 669 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:30,300 in the east 670 00:25:30,300 --> 00:25:31,520 paved the way 671 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:32,280 for the rise 672 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:33,560 of the Seljuk Empire 673 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:35,080 whose founding traditions 674 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:36,660 mention Khazar connections. 675 00:25:37,660 --> 00:25:38,440 Whatever successor 676 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:39,520 entity survived, 677 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:40,580 it could no longer 678 00:25:40,580 --> 00:25:41,780 function as a bulwark 679 00:25:41,780 --> 00:25:42,580 against the pressure 680 00:25:42,580 --> 00:25:43,520 east and south 681 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:44,860 of nomad expansions. 682 00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:46,300 By 1043, 683 00:25:46,860 --> 00:25:47,620 Turkic Kimeks 684 00:25:47,620 --> 00:25:48,400 and Kipchaks 685 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:49,860 thrusting westwards 686 00:25:49,860 --> 00:25:51,280 pressured the Oghus 687 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:52,220 who in turn 688 00:25:52,220 --> 00:25:53,280 pushed the Pechenegs 689 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:54,660 west towards Byzantium's 690 00:25:54,660 --> 00:25:55,580 Balkan provinces. 691 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:57,460 This domino effect 692 00:25:57,460 --> 00:25:58,080 is typical 693 00:25:58,080 --> 00:25:59,080 for Turkic history. 694 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:00,440 This and much more 695 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:01,440 events and developments 696 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:03,120 regarding the Khazar Khaganate 697 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:04,020 are the reason 698 00:26:04,020 --> 00:26:05,000 why Khazar studies 699 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:05,820 are so popular 700 00:26:05,820 --> 00:26:06,880 on a global scale. 701 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:08,420 We have many sources 702 00:26:08,420 --> 00:26:09,860 regarding the Khazar state, 703 00:26:10,260 --> 00:26:10,900 its inhabitants, 704 00:26:11,460 --> 00:26:12,680 its culture and religion. 705 00:26:13,300 --> 00:26:14,080 But unfortunately, 706 00:26:14,620 --> 00:26:15,560 not a single line 707 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:16,560 of the Khazar language 708 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:17,980 has survived to this day. 709 00:26:18,580 --> 00:26:19,500 That is the fate 710 00:26:19,500 --> 00:26:20,040 that virtually 711 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:21,280 all Turkic peoples 712 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:22,620 of the early Middle Ages, 713 00:26:23,060 --> 00:26:24,300 apart from the Gokturks 714 00:26:24,300 --> 00:26:25,460 and Uyghurs share. 715 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:27,080 Thank you. 716 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:27,140 Thank you. 717 00:26:27,140 --> 00:26:27,760 Thank you. 718 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:29,740 Thank you. 719 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:31,260 Thank you. 720 00:26:31,460 --> 00:26:31,700 Thank you. 721 00:26:39,700 --> 00:26:40,680 Thank you. 722 00:26:40,680 --> 00:27:10,660 Thank you.