Dergi makalesi Açık Erişim

THE AVARS AND OTHER PEOPLES IN THE CARPATHIAN BASIN IN THE 9TH CENTURY

2022    Richárd SZÁNTÓ

According to the prevailing historiographical view, after the fall of their empire, the Avars became users of the Slavic language and integrated with the Slavic population of the Carpathian Basin by the end of the 9th century. The present research aims to prove that the Turkish-speaking Avars did not, in fact, become Slavic-speaking after the fall of their empire (ca. 803), but, rather, survived until the Hungarians settled in the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 9th century and then integrated into this population. Several sources prove that the Avars survived through the 9th century, but these sources have so far escaped the attention of researchers. In addition to examining these sources, the following method also contributed to the results of the research. The essence of this method: the localization of the peoples’ territories settled in the Carpathian Basin. This method makes it possible to see which territories the Avars lost and which they retained after the fall of their empire. Accordingly, it can be concluded that in the central part of the Carpathian Basin, in the eastern half of Pannonia and the Great Plain, the Avar population survived until the end of the 9th century. This is confirmed by recent archaeological and linguistic research; in these areas, the Avars did not become a Slavic-speaking people, but were integrated into the society of Hungarians settling in the Carpathian Basin at the time.