[Preview] The Bulgarian Empire.

[AnthoniusII]

History

Origins.

As any self-respecting, mysterious tribe, the origins of the Bulgars are largely disputed and still not certain. The meaning of the very name Bulgar has over 160 interpretations, ranging from the less likely "descendants of the Noah's great-grandson Bulgar", through "people of the Volga river", "water people", "wise people", "kind people", "fortress-guards", "brigands" and "rebels" and finally reaching to the more likely "mixed people" and "settled people". Likewise, their origins are supposedly Turkic, Iranic, Finno-Ugric and even Thracian or Slavic. The Bulgar homeland has been searched high and low all over Eurasia - from Bactria, through Altai and Siberia to the Transcaucasian steppes and the Balkans.

Worship and Religion.

Paganism

Similarly, the Bulgar religion is also rather controversial. Based on the theory of Turkic origins and one damaged epigraphic monument, the most popular thesis is that the Bulgars were monotheistic people worshipping Tangra, the Bulgar equivalent of the Turkic Sky-God Bir-Tengri. An Arab chronicler gives two other names - Edfu and Fa. There are also references to Christian rulers, shamanism among the common people, worshipping of rocks, of the Sun and the Moon, even of some "demons" (according to the Christians). The Iranic theory also proposes influences of Zoroastrianism found in the schemes of the Pagan temples. The Bulgars themselves, however, used simply God, as attested several times in their inscriptions: "Whoever seeks the truth - God sees. And whoever lies - God sees... The Bulgars did many good deeds to the Christians (Romans) and the Christians forgot them, but God sees." Adding to all this the fact that when the Bulgars conquered Moesia from the Romans, they also integrated the local population with its own beliefs, we get a quite diverse religious picture of the situation in Bulgaria.

Christianity.

Due to this, the Bulgar rulers eventually realised something has to change. The Bulgars themselves had one belief, the Slavs had their many deities, the Romans had their Christian god and every religious group had different moral codes and different laws. As a result, Khan Krum the Terrible was reportedly the first to create common state laws for all his subjects, no matter their religion. However, this didn't fully solve the problem, so half a century later, in 864, Khan Boris took the fateful decision to officially convert himself and his people to Christianity. Thus he hoped to solve several problems: from one side - to unify his people into one, both in religion and culture, and from another side - to gain a greater prestige and equality next to the other great rulers in Europe, both of which were Christians (the Roman emperor and the German king). With this he also had one great fear - the increasing influence of the Roman culture - but in time this was solved as well, after the students of St. Methodius came to Bulgaria in 886 and started spreading Christianity in the now common Slavic language, thus replacing the Roman influence over the people.

Manoeuvring between Rome and Constantinople.

Boris, now called Knyaz Boris I Mihail, also had one other fear connected to his baptism - the control over his newly-created church and the possible foreign interventions in his political affairs through it. This is why he demanded from the start an autocephalous (self-governing) church which would be under his control alone. He first turned towards Constaninople, but the response from Patriarch Photios was less than acceptable. Therefore he turned towards Rome and sent a list with 106 questions of various nature to Pope Nicholas I. The answers were detailed, but the pope glossed over the controversial question of the autocephalous status desired by Boris and sent a large group of missionaries to continue the conversion of Bulgaria in accordance with the western rite. In response, Patriarch Photios wrote an encyclical to the eastern clergy in 867, in which he condemned Rome's ecclesiastical intervention in Bulgaria. This occasioned the Photian Schism, which was a major step in the rift between the eastern and western churches. However, after several of Boris' candidates for an independent archbishop were denied by the Pope, he shifted again towards the Romans. In 870, the Fourth Council of Constantinople finally granted the status of an autocephalous archbishopric to the Bulgarian church and thus Bulgaria remained under the wing of the Eastern Orthodoxy.

General history.

As previously stated, the origins of the Bulgars are largely controversial. What is certain is that they came from the Eurasian steppes and were first testified by a European source in 354 by the Anonymous Latin chronographer who, while speaking about the descendants of Noah, placed "Ziezi ex quo vulgares" at the end - "Ziezi, of whom are the Bulgars". Two other reports about them, by Paulus Diaconus and Fredegarius, place them in 422 on the northern slopes of the Carpathians where they had a successful battle with the Langobards and killed their first king, Agelmund. But let us start from the beginning:

Early history.

No matter where they've originally come from, it is certain that one of their long-lasting homelands were the lands to the north of the Caucasus mountain. They are testified by several Armenian chroniclers to have lived there in tents and in cities, some of them migrating to the south during the Hunnic invasion and eventually getting assimilated among the Armenians. Another large group was supposedly carried away by or with the Huns to the west, to Eastern and Central Europe, as we saw in the aforementioned case about the battle with the Langobards. This group was later called Huno-Bulgars or Kutrigurs, which some interpret as "the wanderers". The group that stayed in Transcaucasia was called Utigurs, which is along that line interpreted the same way as Bulgars - "the settled ones". After Attila's death in 453, the Kutrigur Bulgars split on two again - some joined the Gepids at the battle at Nedao and stayed living in Central Europe (these Bulgars later joined the Langobards in their migration to Italy), while many of the other Kutrigurs were "inherited" by Attila's favourite son, Ernakh, who settled in Scythia Minor and took control over the Utigur Bulgars. As allies to the Roman Emperor Zeno, they were first hired to fight against the Goths, but soon the Bulgars started raiding the Roman realms in the Balkans themselves. These raids lasted for nearly a century, sometimes combined with the raids of the Slavs who had just arrived to the north of the Danube. During the reign of Justinian I, he managed to create a conflict between the Kutrigurs (some of which were hired as foederati and settled in Moesia) and the Utigurs, which eventually stopped the raids as the two tribes started fighting between themselves. In such a weakened state they were met by the newly-arrived Avars, which conquered most of the Kutrigurs, and the Gok-Turkic khaganate, which came to dominate over the Utigurs.

Old Great Bulgaria.

Kubrat was a heir to the Bulgar throne from the royal house of Dulo. He was raised in Constantinople where he befriended the future emperor Heraclius and learned how to administer a country. After he returned to his people around 632, he managed to overthrow the Avar and Gok-Turkic dominion and eventually created a state, which was called "Old Great Bulgaria" by the later Roman chroniclers. As Kubrat grew old, it is reported that he gathered his five sons and gave them a lesson about unity - they had to break a bundle of arrows, but even the strongest of them could not. But when the old Kubrat took out and broke the arrows one by one, he showed them that if they separate, they will be easily crushed. But if they stay united, they will be undefeatable. His sons, however, did not listen to him and after he died, they split to five groups. The oldest son, Bat-Bayan, remained in his lands in Transcaucasia and was soon subjugated by the Khazars. The second son, Kotrag, took a large part of the Kutrigurs to the north, near the rivers Volga and Kama, where the so-called Volga Bulgaria was later created. The third son, Asparuh, went to the south-west and in 680-681 conquered Moesia from the Romans and formed the so-called Danubian Bulgaria (or simply Bulgaria today). The fourth and fifth sons, Kuber and Altsek, went directly to the west, in the Avar khaganate where they attempted to take the throne, but failed. Then they split - Kuber took his people to the south in present day Macedonia, while Altsek first fled to Bavaria and then to the Lombards. Of the five brothers, only two managed to create a sufficiently long-lasting legacy.

Danubian Bulgaria.

After he conquered Moesia in 680, Asparuh relocated some of the local Slavic tribes and placed them as border guards to the south and west, while the Bulgars guarded the north-eastern border, where Asparuh eventually died fighting the Khazars in 700 AD. He was succeeded by Tervel, who managed to gain the high imperial title of kaisar (Greek form of "caesar") after helping Justinian II take back his throne. In 717-718 he and his successor Kormesiy joined the Romans during the Second Arab siege of Constantinople and together they repulsed the last Arab siege against the Roman capital. In the middle of the century, however, began a struggle for the throne and Roman Emperor Constantine V Copronymus used the turmoil to launch nine campaigns against Bulgaria. The country managed to survive and stabilize itself during the reign of Kardam (777-803). The following ruler, Khan Krum, who was supposedly a descendant of Kuber, expanded the state to the north by destroying the Avar khaganate in 805 and to the south taking Serdica, modern Sofia, in 809. In 811 Emperor Nikephoros I Genikos passed the Balkan mountains and sacked the Bulgar capital of Pliska, but was then ambushed during his retreat and was killed in the ensuing battle, while his son was mortally wounded and died a couple of months later. Krum was succeeded by Omurtag, who signed a 30-years peace treaty with the Romans and started large construction and reconstruction projects, including the rebuilding of the burned-down Pliska. He also continued the administrative reforms of his father and organized the state into 10 komitats. Another such policy was to gather all the Slavs under the Bulgar wing and this idea was pursued also by Persian, Omurtag's grandson, who conquered more lands to the south. Persian was followed by his son - Boris. After unsuccessful wars with the Romans and the Germans, Boris decided to convert his people to Christianity and unite them under one God, one law and one monarch. The conversion wasn't welcomed by many of the nobles and the people and Boris was forced to quell a rebellion, which ended with the executions of 52 high nobles and their families.

Language.

The language of the old Bulgars is unknown, since nearly all Bulgar epigraphies are on Greek, but the two main guesses are about some form of Turkic or Iranic. However, during the time of Knyaz Boris I, the Bulgars and the Slavs had mixed to such a degree that Slavic was probably the common language, which later became official at the National Council in 893, when the Slavic writings had been fully incorporated into the life of the church and the state administration.

Social structure.

The old Bulgars had a well-developed clan system and were governed by hereditary rulers, which modern historiography calls “khans” for lack of a better term (the Bulgars themselves used only the Greek “archon” in their inscriptions, as well as their own “kanasubigi”, whose meaning is still not quite clear). Initially the Bulgarian state was a tribal federation, where the Bulgar tribes ruled over semi-independent Slavic regions, called Sklavinias. Since the beginning of the 9th century, however, a series of administrative reforms, started by Khan Krum and Khan Omurtag, led to an increasing centralization of the state, as the Slavic (and other) princes were replaced or reformed into administrative representatives of the central power. Thus, the country was divided to several komitats (counties), governed by a komit, and further subdivided to zhupas and other sub-regions, governed by a zhupan, tarkan etc.
The members of the high military aristocracy bore the title boil (which got Slavicized to bolyar), but there were also bagains – the lower rank of the aristocracy. The high nobility were further divided onto Small and Great Bolyars. The latter formed the Council of the Great Bolyars and gathered to take decisions on important state matters, presided by the khan (and in the mod’s time – by the knyaz or tsar). The numbers of the Great Bolyars varied between six and twelve. These probably included the ichirgu boil (governor of the capital) and the kavkhan (viceroy), the two most powerful people after the ruler. These titles were administrative and initially non-inheritable, although eventually the kavkhans started passing their title down to their sons. Another division of the bolyars was also to internal and external bolyars, probably distinguished by their place of residence — inside or outside the capital region.
The heir of the throne was called kanartikin. Other titles used by the Bulgarian noble class include vulias/boila tarkan (possibly the second son of the khan), kana boila kolobur (chief priest in Pagan times), various ranks of tarkans etc.
The great majority of the commoners consisted of free men, with a still small, but increasing number of bonded peasants. These commoners had the chance to advance through the social ladder by their military exploits, becoming bagaturs (veterans, brave men, heroes) and eventually bagains, as it was reported about the Bulgars several centuries earlier that “they buy their nobility with the blood of their enemies”.

Rulers.

The "Nominalia of the Bulgar rulers" starts with two characters which are considered as legendary rulers and are associated with Attila and his son Ernakh. It is not clear whether there is any real connection between the Dulo clan and Attila or if this was just a glorification of the clan's genealogy.

* Avitohol lived 300 years. His clan was Dulo and his year (of ascending to the throne) dilom tvirem.
* Irnik lived 150 years. His clan Dulo and his year dilom tverim.
* Gostun, the regent, 2 years. His clan Ermi and his year dokhs tvirem.
* Kurt ruled 60 years. His clan Dulo and his year shegor vechem.
* Bezmer 3 years and his clan Dulo and his year shegor vem (vechem)...

These five princes ruled the kingdom over the other side of the Danube for 515 years with shaven heads and after that came to this side of the Danube Asparuh knyaz and until now (rules).

Dulo clan
*Asparuh (681-700)
*Tervel (700-721)
*Kormesiy (721-738)
*Sevar (738-753)

Ukil/Vokil clan
*Kormisosh (753-756)
*Vineh (756-762)

Ugain clan
*Telets (762-765)

Ukil/Vokil clan
*Sabin (765-766)
*Umor (766)

Ugain clan
*Toktu (766-767)
*Pagan (767-768)
*Telerig (768-777)
*Kardam (777-803)

Krum's dynasty, possibly Dulo clan
*Krum (803-814)
*Omurtag (814-831)
*Malamir (831-836)
*Persian (836-852)
*Boris I (852-889, 893; †907)

History of Bulgaria during the mod's times:
* Knyaz Boris I Mihail the Baptizer - Time of Diplomacy and Religion
* Tsar Simeon I the Great – Time of War and Culture
* Tsar Petar I “the Pious” – Time of Piety and Peace
* Tsar Samuil “the Strong” – Time of Strength and Struggle
* Byzantine dominion – Time of Redemption and Last Hopes

Tactics of the Bulgarian Army

The Bulgars paid great attention to scouting the enemy before battle. Their battle line was distinguishable - it consisted of front guarding units, scouting units, two battle lines and a reserve. The supplies were placed deep behind the battle lines - from 1,5 to 3 km distance. The infantry held the centre, while the cavalry - the flanks. In order to exhaust the enemy, the cavalry would harass him and then quickly retreat, while the main forces would deal the decisive strike at a carefully chosen place. The Bulgars were masters in the art of ambush. It was important for the terrain to be sloping against the enemy, the sun to shine in his eyes and the wind to blow against him. The Bulgars pursued the vanquished enemy until his total annihilation, without care for the loot, which was astonishing for their contemporaries.

Organization of the Bulgar army

There was a strict hierarchy in the Bulgarian army. The highest commander was the ruler himself, while his right-hand man was the kavkhan. Assistants of the ruler were also the ichirgu-boil and in earlier times - the kana boila kolober. Other commanders were, naturally, the various boils, tarkans and zhupans, while the lower ranks were held by the bagains. After the Slavicization of the state in the late 9th century, we also have the appearance of some Slavic low and high military ranks – the desetnik (commander of 10 men), petdesetnik (commander of 50 men), satnik/stotnik (centurion), tisyashtnik (commander of 1000 men), chelnik (strategos) etc.
In times of war, the army was recruited from the whole population and the rulers could field numerous forces. In times of peace, regular forces were the ruler's personal band, the fortress garrisons, the border guards and eventually the guards of some of the nobles.
The army’s discipline was very strict. Incitement for mutiny, changing to the enemy's side, desertion during battle, negligence towards a weapon or warhorse and other crimes were punishable by death. But along the harsh laws, prizes were also being awarded. The ruler's chosen warriors were given the rank of bagatur, those distinguished in battles - an additional part of the spoils. Stone tombstones with epitaphs were made for the commanders who died in battle.

Battle formation

Map

Banners

Unit roster [Unit descriptions and screenshots]

1. Selyani – Bearing the Slavic-Bulgarian name for “peasants” [BG: селяни], these men are commoners, whose main purpose is to work the fields, be it for themselves as the so-called “lyude”, meaning “(free) people” (as most of the Bulgarian population from that time was), or for any eventual noble that might have acquired their land - the small, but slowly growing group of bonded peasants called “paritsi” (coming from the Greek paroikoi). Compared to most other troops, they are ill-equipped (mostly with whatever tools they have in their homes), ill-trained and not well-suited for the battlefield, but their low cost and high numbers can make them a worthy canon-fodder in the arms of a skilled leader.

2. Shtitonostzi – Literally meaning “shield-bearers” [BG: щитоносци], these men have taken their name from the specific shields they carry, as described by Mauricius in his Strategikon chapter about the Slavs: “Every man is armed with at least two throwing spears and some of them with big and long shields, like doors – very strong, but uncomfortable”. But now these shields have an improved and rounded version, making them easier to be worn and giving the men an even better ability to fight. And they have a reason to fight, as they are mostly free men, peasants who have been called to arms to fight for their land against its many enemies. They are well prepared to fight with their javelins, striking from a distance, while their large shields offer them a good protection from any enemy ranged retaliation. As they finish firing their javelins, they can take out their axes to mop up what is left of the enemy in close combat.


UPGRADE

3. Kopienostzi – Bearing the Slavic-Bulgarian name for “spearmen”, literally “spear-bearers” [BG: копиеносци], these warriors are the backbone of nearly every medieval army. Considering the spear is a relatively simple weapon and even used in civil life as a hunting tool, and since the kopienostzi consist mostly of commoners, called to arms in a time of need, they are relatively cheap and can be recruited in large numbers. And in large numbers is their strength, since a wall of spears is a force to be reckoned with and a good general would know how to use them to stop the enemy in his tracks, while sending his cavalry to outflank the now immobilized enemy.



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4. Streltzi – In the times of old, when the Slavs were still worshipping their heathen gods, Mauricius wrote in his Strategikon manual about their streltzi [BG: стрелци], or archers in English: “They use wooden bows and small arrows, tipped in a poison which acts quickly, unless the wounded soldier has smeared himself beforehand with the teriak liquid or some other antidote known to the medical science.” Now their traditions in archery have been combined with those of the Bulgars and although they are not as mobile as the latter’s horsemen, they are still a truly deadly threat, more than making up for the light equipment they carry.



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5. Leka konnitza – Leka konnitza [BG: лека конница] comes from Slavic-Bulgarian, meaning “light cavalry”. Since the Bulgars had adopted the steppe warfare at least since the times of the Huns, these men, along with the horse archers, form the bulk of their armies. Although they are of commoner origin, their long spears and cavalry axes are always ready for a fight. The strict laws and discipline also help, as mentioned by Pope Nicholas I in 866 in a letter to Knyaz Boris I: “You say that it is a custom of your country that, before you set out for battle, a most faithful and prudent man is sent by your lordship, who inspects all the arms, horses, and things which are necessary for battle; and if, at someone's home, they are found to have been readied in a useless fashion, that person receives capital punishment.” As a result, as one X century Arab historian, Al-Mas’udi, wrote: “One horseman of the Bulgarians can face 100 or 200 horsemen of the infidels.”



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6. Konni streltzi – Konni streltzi [BG: конни стрелци] is the Slavic-Bulgarian name for the horse archers, a continuation of the old Bulgar tradition of steppe warfare. In the VI century a Roman writer in Ostrogothic service, Cassiodorus Senator, called the Bulgars “feared throughout the whole world”. One of the main reasons for that are precisely the horse archers, free men who are trained to ride before they can walk, to shoot a bow before they can grow their first facial hair. As Mauricius writes in his Strategikon: “They pay great attention and practice a lot in shooting from their horses”. In addition to this, they carry their superior composite bows which allow them to shoot not only to a great distance, but also with a great speed and lesser fatigue. It is then no wonder why they are one of the most important parts in the Bulgarian army.



UPGRADE

7. Mechonostzi – In earlier ages, every Slavic knyaz had a personal band of loyal soldiers, the so-called druzhinniks. But since the times of Krum and Omurtag, the Slavic independence gradually disappeared and the knyazes became a part of the state administration. Because of this, the poorer part of the druzhinniks lost their high status and transformed into the mechonostzi [BG: мечоносци], simply meaning “sword-bearers” – a mixed unit of professional soldiers and simple peasants, trained in the art of sword-fighting. They still loyally serve their master (be that the tsar and his provincial administrators or some of the various nobles) and are ready to protect his life, possessions or estates even in the thickest of battles, despite their lost prestige and the resulting decrease in pay and armament, their only hope being that they would be noticed and hired as the tsar’s chigots or the noble’s personal guards.



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8. Otbrani kopienostzi – The chosen spearmen, which is the meaning of “otbrani kopienostzi” [BG: отбрани копиеносци], are professional soldiers, whose skills and courage have been noted by the nobles or the tsar’s servants. As a result, they have been hired in higher-ranked units, with a greater pay and considerably better equipment. They form a solid part of the regular forces of the country, serving as garrisons and guards throughout the land, ready to quell any unrest or repel any foreign invader.

9. Otbrani mechonostzi-While the old druzhinas in Bulgaria were reorganized due to the waning power of the Slavic knyazes, the more skilled of them were formed in units of the so-called otbrani mechonostzi [BG: отбрани мечоносци], or chosen swordsmen – a regular unit of relatively high pay and a relatively high battle-strength, serving mostly as the garrison’s core in the bigger towns and some strategically located fortresses. The best among them can hope to be bestowed the honour of serving in the personal retinues of the bagains or even the boils.

10. Otbrani streltzi – Marksmanship has always been a highly prized skill in nearly every human culture for the last several thousands of years. But joining a group of the best foot archers, the “otbrani streltzi” [BG: отбрани стрелци] or “chosen archers”, in a country composed of two peoples with legendary skills in archery, is by far not an easy task. Yet, these men are exactly such people, who have proven time and again that they know not only how to shoot with a bow, but also how to swing the sword, should it come to that. Of course, their main asset it still their skill in ranged warfare, making them ideal both for garrison duty and open field battles. Because, as the early Xth century Roman historian Ioannis Kaminiatis writes, “Nothing else was so natural to them as to take aim and nothing could withstand the power of their arrows”.

11. Bagaturi – The bagaturi [BG: багатури], their name coming from an old Bulgar word for “heroes, brave men”, are veteran soldiers who have shown exceptional courage and skill in battle, returning with the heads of several enemies at once. The Roman author Ennodius, while writing in the early VI c. about the Bulgars, mentioned that “this is a nation where people acquired their titles and bought their nobility with the blood of their enemies, a nation where the battlefield glorifies one’s kin, because they consider the one, whose arms have been more blooded in battle, to be certainly nobler than the others.” These men are such people – soldiers who are rising the social ladder solely through their courage and strength of arms. In order to do this, they have dedicated their lives to war and have equipped themselves as best as they can, forming a unit of medium-heavy cavalry, equally skilled in both ranged and melee fights.
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[spoiler]


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12. Boili – The boili [BG: боили], or “bolyars” as they are called by the Slavs, form the group of the high Bulgarian nobles. They are some of the wealthiest men in the state, whose main occupation basically comes down to ruling, hunting and fighting. They are also divided in two groups – the so-called “malki boili” and “veliki boili” (respectively meaning “small boils” and “great boils”), the latter forming the Council of the Great Boils – close advisors to the tsar, which at times can even depose him and elect a new one. Naturally, their wealth provides for some of the heaviest equipment in the land not only for themselves, but also for their personal guards who form this unit (the descendants of the old high druzhinniks), making them some of the best lancers in the Bulgarian army.



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13. Bagaini – The bagaini [BG: багаини] form the lower parts of the Bulgarian aristocracy. They are not as wealthy as the boils and can not afford their heavy melee equipment, thus preferring first to ride from afar and weaken the enemy with their composite bows and only then to close up and draw their swords. Naturally, their lower noble status and desire to rise up in ranks also makes them a convenient tool in the hands of the tsar, limiting the possible transgressions of the more power-hungry nobles.

14. Tarkani – The tarkani [BG: таркани] are representatives of the tsar, placed to govern regions of various size – from whole regions to single fortresses, depending on their rank. They can be nobles of various caliber or even simple commoners, who have earned the trust of the tsar and risen to heights, which would in return earn the eternal loyalty to their benefactor. As they are a part of the state administration, the government secures them and their closest guards with lances, swords, bows and armour, but they prefer to act mostly as the tsar’s most loyal lancers, ready to protect his interests in the thickest of battles.
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[SPOILER]

15. Chigoti – Since Pagan times, the Bulgars revered the sword as a sacred weapon. Pope Nicholas I attested to this in 866, writing to Knyaz Boris I that “whenever you decided to oblige someone for some matter by swearing an oath, you brought a sword into the centre of the gathering and swore an oath by it”. And although the country converted to Christianity in 864, the chigoti [BG: чиготи], an old Bulgar word for “swordsmen”, are still seen as something special, something almost sacred. They are skilled and brave, often said to be heroes, but unlike the bagaturs, they also have the prestige to be one of the tsar’s closest units – his palace guards, who also follow him to the field of battle. Another thing that distinguishes them from the other elite Bulgarian units is that they fight on foot, thus combining the traditions of both the Slavs and the old Bulgars. Given their high position, they are heavily armoured and a real threat to even the strongest enemies.

16. Tzarska strazha – The Tzar’s Guard or “tzarska strazha” [Bg: царска стража] are the elite of the elite. They form the tsar’s closest and most loyal soldiers and are a source of pride for the whole nation. They are a heavily armed cavalry and are described (together with the chigots) by Theophanes Continuatus like “a great host, divided on many units, some armed with golden shields and golden spears, others with silver shields and silver spears, third with arms of all colours and all of them covered in iron.”

CREDITS

BGTW Team:
Gogo-t
NikeBG
Alien-t
More additions:
Absinthia
Leif Erikson
Also:
A huge thanks to Rusichi TW team for their primary material.

[kostic]

Realy fantastic !!!

[Siphonatoras]

Wow beautiful units!!!!

[alexej]

They look just GREAT! dont ever stop working on this mod please

[diez]

yeah its fking awesome...i look forward to play with those units...but i think i will always lose my battles cause i ll stop to see their epicness during the battles...

[Silesian_Noble]

How could I have not seen it before? Units are really great! Fantastic work TGC team!

[Deutschland]

Awesome units! Gogo_t strikes again!

[neoptolemos]

just realized that the battle formation of Bulgars is similar if not identical to the Roman one.

[Bagatyr]

just realized that the battle formation of Bulgars is similar if not identical to the Roman one.

mostly when it comes to heavy infantry

btw where are bulgarian flags ?

[AnthoniusII]

btw where are bulgarian flags ?

Are ment to be added before the beta release. Bulgarians were the 1st 100% ready roster before we deside to add banner carriers.
But they will have them be sure of it!

[phoenix[illusion]]

great preview. make front page announcement

[AnthoniusII]

great preview. make front page announcement

My friend i has been front page announcement months ago(Feb 02 2010)!

[Bagatyr]

Are ment to be added before the beta release. Bulgarians were the 1st 100% ready roster before we deside to add banner carriers.
But they will have them be sure of it!

i have some materials that could do about flags if you want i can help also i have some dislikes about some of gogo's flags with Jesus and Marry that are copy paste from 20 century icons and are not medieval at all ...

[AnthoniusII]

Please sent them..We haven't add banner carriers to this faction yet.

[Majkl]

"Strelci" are the most awesome unit in this mod so far!

[matmohair1]

Romans VS Bulgars

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[AnthoniusII]

Great pictures ! Which book are they from?

[neoptolemos]

They are heavily influenced by the somewhat outdated Osprey illustrations of the "Byzantine army" series

[matmohair1]

http://mirknig.com/knigi/military_hi....-bolgaro.html

[alien_t]

Great pictures(and +rep), just one comment. The kite shields were not very popular in Bulgaria a.f.a.i.k.