The Avars were a heterogeneous confederation, mainly made up of Turkic-Oghuric people who migrated to the Pontic Steppe (an area corresponding to north of Black Sea and Caspian Sea) from Central Asia after 552 ce. They settled in the Huns’ former territory in Europe, eventually succeeding in establishing the Avar Khaganate (= Empire) that encompassed a territory corresponding to modern-day Austria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and some parts of Turkey, and lasted until 796 ce when they were conquered by the Franks under Charlemagne.
p. 385:
After 796, we can no longer assume a unified Avar Empire.p. 397:
A mixed group of steppe warriors and their families in flight adopts a prestigious name, victoriously moves across thousands of miles and founds an empire, and can thus consolidate itself as a people. When, after a quarter millennium, its identity and institutions lose their motivating force, this people disappears, apparently without leaving a trace. This is the history of the Avars in a nutshell.
The first mention of the Avars in Roman history comes from Priscus the Rhetor in 463 ce—when Attila’s Hunnic Empire was in the process of disintegrating—in connection with Turkic Saragurs, Onogurs and Ogurs that were attacked by the Turkic Sabirs, who had been attacked in turn by the Avars.
The next mention appeared during the 6th century when Menander Protector discussed the Avars and wrote about Göktürk embassies to Constantinople in 565 and 568 ce, Turks having been angered by the Byzantines for having made an alliance with the Avars.
The following timeline is from a book by Walter Pohl on Avars. It was first published in German in 1988 and titled Die Awaren: Ein Steppenvolk im Mitteleuropa, 567–822 n. Chr. (3rd edition in 2015). The author himself translated it into English with major revisions and updates. It was published in 2018 by Cornell University under the title The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822.
| ca. 463 | First mention of central Asian Avars in Byzantine sources (Priscus) in connection with westward migration of Sabirs, Ogurs, Saragurs, and Onogurs |
| 527–565 | Emperor Justinian I |
| 552–555 | The Turks under Bumin destroy the central Asian empire of the Rouran |
| Dec. 558/Jan. 559 | First Avar embassy under Kandikh in Constantinople; Avars north of the Caucasus |
| 559 | Invasion by Kutrigurs under Zabergan stopped outside Constantinople by Belisarius |
| ca. 558–562 | Western Turks under Istemi in alliance with the Persians subdue Hephthalite Empire |
| 559–561 | Avars advance north of the Black Sea and defeat Sabirs, Utigurs, and Antes |
| ca. 560–582/83 | Baian, khagan of the Avars |
| 560/61–572 | Alboin, king of the Lombards |
| 562/63 | First Turkish embassy in Constantinople warns against alliance with the Avars |
| 562 | Sigibert I, king of the Franks, repels an Avar attack near the Elbe |
| 563 | Avars at the Lower Danube; negotiations about a settlement on Roman territory fail |
| 565–578 | Emperor Justin II |
| Nov. 565 | The Avar envoy Targitius arrives shortly after Justin II’s coronation; the emperor refuses to pay further subsidies |
| 566 | A second Avar expedition against the Franks under Sigibert I is victorious; he buys off the Avars with foodstuffs and concludes an alliance with them |
| 566 | The Gepids defeat the Lombards with Byzantine support, but do not hand over Sirmium to the Byzantines as promised |
| Winter 566/67 | A Lombard embassy concludes an alliance against the Gepids with Khagan Baian, but only under great concessions |
| 567 | Decisive victory of the Lombards under Alboin against the Gepids, whose king Cunimund dies in battle; the Avars occupy the land of the Gepids and besiege the Gepid capital Sirmium, which Byzantine troops under Bonus have occupied |
| 567–574 | Fruitless negotiations between the Avars and Byzantium for a new treaty |
| April 568 | Lombards and affiliated groups under King Alboin begin to leave Pannonia for Italy; the Avars occupy the land of the Lombards |
| Late 568 | Turkish embassy under the Sogdian Maniakh in Constantinople |
| 569–571 | Byzantine embassy under Zemarchus travels to the Turk khagan Sizabulos/Istemi |
| ca. 570 | Victory of Tiberius over the Avars |
| 572 | Beginning of the twenty-year war of Byzantium against the Persians; Avar pressure increases |
| 574 | Victory of the Avars over Tiberius; Emperor Justin II withdraws from politics, and in December appoints Tiberius Caesar |
| Winter 574/75 | A new treaty of the Avars with Byzantium fixes the annual subsidies at 80,000 solidi |
| 576–577 | Byzantine embassy under Valentinus meets the new Turkish khagan Turxanthus, who reproaches them because of the treaty with the Avars; Turks and subdued Utigurs take the Byzantine city Bosporus/Kerch |
| 578 | First culmination of Slavic raids in Thrace; Avars attack the Slavic settlement area north of the Danube with Byzantine support after the Slavic prince Dauritas has killed Avar envoys |
| 578–582 | Emperor Tiberius II |
| 579–582 | Avars besiege Sirmium; the city capitulates after three years |
| 582 | The peace treaty between Baian and Tiberius leaves the subsidies at 80,000 solidi plus arrears |
| 582–602 | Emperor Maurice |
| ca. 583–ca. 602/10 | One of Baian’s sons is khagan |
| ca. 582/83 | Inner conflicts in the Turkish Empire |
| ca. 583 | The Varchonite tribes Tarniakh, Kotzagir, and Zabender flee from the Turks and join the Avars |
| 583/84 | New wave of Slavic raids in the Balkan provinces; Greece is increasingly targeted |
| Fall 584 | After the Byzantines have refused to raise the subsidies, the Avars capture Singidunum, Viminacium, and Augusta and march as far as Anchialus; failed mission of Comentiolus to the khagan |
| Spring 585 | A second Byzantine embassy under Elpidius concludes a treaty with the Avars that raises the subsidies to 100,000 solidi |
| Fall 586 | On the instigation of the fugitive Avar high priest Bookolabras, Maurice interns the Avar ambassador Targitius; the khagan renews his attacks and plunders Aquis, Bononia, Ratiaria, Apiaria, Durostorum, Zaldapa, Pannasa, Tropaeum Traiani, and Marcianopolis |
| Sept. 586 | Avar-led Slavic siege of Thessalonica fails |
| 587 | War in Thrace, fighting at Tomis and at Sabulente Canalis; Avar attacks on Mesembria and unsuccessful sieges of Beroe, Diocletianopolis, and Philippopolis; successful intervention of John Mystacon at Adrianople |
| 587/88 | Avars and Slavs take Patras and other Greek cities and begin to settle in Greece |
| 591–616 | Lombard king Agilulf |
| 591 | Peace treaty between Byzantium and the new Persian king Chosroes |
| 592 | Slavs attack Singidunum; Avar war, fighting at the Procliana Pass; siege of Drizipera; Avar victory at Heraclea; General Priscus besieged in Tzurullon; renewal of the treaty |
| 592 | Bavarian campaign under Tassilo I against Slavs |
| 593 | Campaign of Priscus against Slavs north of the lower Danube; victories over the groups under Ardagast and Musucius |
| 594 | Slavic raids against Zaldapa, Aquis, and Scopi; Petrus leads a campaign against Slavs, victory over the Peiragast group, and defeat at the Helibacius |
| 595 | Campaign of Priscus against the Avars, confrontation at Singidunum; Avar raid on inland Dalmatia |
| 595 | Bavarian attack on Slavs; counterattack by the khagan, Bavarian army routed |
| 596–597 | Eighteen months of peace along the Danube |
| 596 | Avars attack Thuringia; the Frankish queen Brunhild buys them off |
| Fall 597 | Avar campaign along the Danube; Avar army hibernates near Tomi |
| 598 | Fighting in Thrace, Comentiolus defeated at Iatrus; Avars capture Drizipera; their army decimated by the plague; Roman envoy Harmaton negotiates a rise of subsidies to 120,000 solidi |
| 599 | Offensive of Priscus on Avar territory: victories opposite Viminacium, and over the khagan’s army at the Tisza |
| ca. 600 | Avar peace treaties with Lombards and Franks |
| 601/2 | Avars, Slavs, and Lombards raid Byzantine Istria |
| 601 | Avar army under Apsikh and Roman army under Petrus face each other at the Iron Gate |
| 602 | Avars under Apsikh defeat the Antes; Roman units under Guduin attack Slavs north of the lower Danube, but rebel against the order to hibernate in Slavic lands |
| Nov. 602 | Rebels under Phocas overthrow and kill Emperor Maurice |
| 602–610 | Emperor Phocas; new war against the Persians |
| Aug. 603 | A Slavic contingent sent by the Avars helps the Lombard king Agilulf to take Cremona |
| ca. 604 | Avar-Byzantine treaty; subsidies probably rise to 140,000 solidi |
| ca. 602/10–626/30 | Another son of Baian reigns as khagan |
| 604 | Slavic surprise attack on Thessalonica |
| 609/10 | Avar-Slav raids in Illyricum |
| Fall 610 | Civil war in Byzantium; Phocas overthrown |
| 610–641 | Emperor Heraclius |
| ca. 611 | Avar victory over the Lombard dux of Friuli, Gisulf II; capture of Forum Iulii/Cividale and deportation of the captives to Pannonia |
| ca. 611 | Bavarians under Garibald defeated by Slavs at Aguntum; Brunhild’s enemies suspect her of plotting with the Avars |
| ca. 615 | Avars and Slavs capture Naissus and Serdica |
| ca. 615 | Siege of Thessalonica by Slavs under Chatzon |
| 617 or 618 | 33-day siege of Thessalonica by Avars and Slavs under the command of the khagan |
| ca. 618 | Avar expedition to Thrace |
| 618/19 | Avar-Byzantine treaty (180,000 solidi?) |
| June 623 | Failed Avar ambush against Emperor Heraclius near Heraclea; raids inside the Long Walls |
| 623 | New treaty with subsidies of 200,000 solidi |
| 623–638 | Dagobert I, king of the Franks |
| 623/24 | Beginning of the successful rebellion of Slavs in Bohemia/Moravia under Samo |
| ca. 625–640 | Salona abandoned because of Slavic pressure, population moves to Split |
| Summer 626 | Great Avar siege of Constantinople with Persian support fails after ten days |
| Winter 627/28 | The Persian war ends with Byzantine victory; Heraclius in Ctesiphon |
| 630 | Frankish embassy in Constantinople |
| 630/31 | Throne conflicts in the Avar Empire between an Avar and a Bulgar contender; flight of the defeated Bulgars to Bavaria, where a large part is massacred; survivors under Alciocus flee to the “March of the Vinedi” to Duke Walluc |
| ca. 631 | Large-scale Frankish attack on Samo’s kingdom repelled at Wogastisburc; Lombard victory over Slavs in the Alps |
| 630/35 | Bulgar Empire north of the Black Sea under Khan Kuvrat expands against Avars and Turks |
| 636–642 | Arab/Islamic expansion to Palestine, Syria, and Egypt |
| 642–668 | Emperor Constans II |
| 650s/660s | Death of Khan Kuvrat; dissolution of his empire and rise of the Khazar khaganate |
| ca. 660 | Death of Samo and dissolution of his kingdom |
| 662–671 | Grimoald, king of the Lombards |
| 662 | The dethroned Lombard king Perctarit, an exile at the Avar court, has to continue his flight because of diplomatic pressures by King Grimoald |
| 663 | Emperor Constans II fights the Lombards in southern Italy |
| 663 | Duke Lupus of Friuli rebels against King Grimoald; on Grimoald’s invitation, the Avars invade Friuli, and Lupus falls in battle; the Avars leave only when Grimoald arrives with his army |
| ca. 663 | Alzeco comes to Italy with his Bulgars and settles with Lombard consent in the duchy of Benevento |
| 668–685 | Emperor Constantine IV |
| July 677 | A conflict with the Slavic prince Perbund leads to a Slavic siege of Thessalonica |
| 678 | An Arabic fleet is defeated at Constantinople |
| 678/79 | The last attested Avar embassy in Constantinople congratulates the emperor on his victory |
| 680 | Bulgars under Asparukh defeat the Byzantines near the Danube delta; Bulgar khanate established in Moesia |
| ca. 680 | Kuver and his mixed group of Sermesianoi break free from Avar Pannonia and settle in the Keramesian Plain; failed plot of Mavros against Thessalonica |
| 685–695, 705–711 | Emperor Justinian II |
| 712–744 | Liutprand, king of the Lombards ca. 713/14 Destruction of Lorch by the Avars |
| 742 | The Carantanians under Boruth repel an Avar attack with the support of the Bavarian duke Odilo; beginning of Bavarian overlordship and Christian mission in Carantania |
| 748–788 | Tassilo III, duke of the Bavarians |
| 768–814 | Charlemagne, king of the Franks |
| 774 | Charlemagne defeats the Lombard king Desiderius and becomes king of the Lombards |
| 782 | Avar embassy meets Charlemagne at Lippspringe; an Avar army appears at the Enns |
| 788 | Tassilo III dethroned and confined |
| 788 | Frankish-Avar War; Avars defeated near the Italian and Bavarian borders |
| 790 | Avar embassy in Worms; no consensus on the boundary |
| Aug. 791 | A Frankish-Lombard army takes an Avar fortification at the Italian border |
| Fall 791 | Great Avar campaign led by Charlemagne, departing from Lorch in September and proceeding to the Rába without much resistance; horse pestilence, return via Savaria |
| 791–end of 793 | Charlemagne in Regensburg; preparations for an Avar war, works for Danube-Main canal |
| 793–795 | Saxon uprising |
| 794/95 | Inner conflict in the Avar Empire; death of the khagan and the iugurrus |
| 795 | Envoys of the tudun meet Charlemagne at Hliune at the Elbe and offer submission |
| Fall 795 | A Frankish-Slav army under Woynimir advances to the “ring” of the khagans and sacks it |
| 796 | The tudun comes to Charlemagne, submits, and is baptized; an army under Pippin of Italy and Duke Eric of Friuli sacks the ring again; the khagan submits; a synod at the Danube deals with the conversion of the Avars |
| 797 | Campaign of Eric of Friuli in Pannonia; fights against Slavs |
| End of 797 | Avar embassy meets Charlemagne at Herstelle |
| 798 | Bishop Arn of Salzburg is raised to archbishop with a view to the eastern missions |
| 799–803 | Great Avar uprising against the Franks |
| 799 | Eric of Friuli is killed by the residents of Tarsatica; Prefect Gerold I is murdered during a campaign against the Avars |
| 802 | The counts Chadaloh and Goteram fall in a fight against Avars near the castellum Guntionis |
| 802/03–814 | Bulgar khan Krum |
| 803 | The Franks finally put down the Avar revolt; the tudun comes to Charlemagne at Regensburg and submits |
| ca.804 | Campaign of the Bulgar khan Krum against the Avars |
| Early 805 | The Christian kapkhan Theodore visits Charlemagne in Aachen and asks for land because of Slavic attacks; he obtains the region between Carnuntum and Savaria, but dies soon |
| Sept. 805 | The Avar khagan asks Charlemagne to reestablish his supreme rule; on September 21, he is baptized with the name Abraham in the Fischa river |
| 805 | The capitulary of Thionville institutes Lorch as a toll post toward Slavs and Avars |
| 811 | A Frankish army mediates in fights between Avars and Slavs in Pannonia; the canizauci, the tudun, and other Avar and Slavic princes are summoned to Aachen |
| 811 | Emperor Nicephorus invades Bulgaria and falls in battle; in the Bulgar army, Avars are also attested |
| 814 | Khan Krum plans to attack Constantinople; his army is said to have included Avar mercenaries; Krum dies before putting the plan into action |
| 822 | Last attested Avar embassy at the Frankish court |
| 828 | The administrative reform of the eastern territories of Bavaria removes the Avar tributary principality |
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