Avars, Eurasian
State | Defunct
460 CE to 567 CE
The Avars are a group of professional equestrian nomads who establish an empire spanning considerable areas of Central and Eastern Europe from the late 6th to the early 9th century.
They are ruled by a khagan, who leads a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors.
Although the name Avar first appears in the mid-fifth century, the Avars of Europe enter the historical scene in the mid-sixth century CE, having formed as a mixed band of warriors in the Pontic-Caspian steppe wishing to escape Göktürk rule.
Their linguistic affiliation may be tentatively deduced from a variety of sources, betraying a variety of languages spoken by ruling and subject clans.
Oghur, a distinct branch of the Turkic languages, figures prominently for the original Avar language.
In any event, Slavic ultimately becomes the lingua franca in the Avar Khaganate.
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