Hunno-Bulgar Military Ranking

Military Beylik - The military order or structure that the Hunno-Bulgars used is not entirely known, but the following should help.  Note that at the lowest level of the Beylik, you would have houses or a given Hunno-Bulgar family.  These in turn would have been grouped into a tribe.  Above this level, all the tribes would have been grouped in an Oguz or horde, a given people, such as Kutriguri , Utiguri, or Onoguri, ect.  Finally all of the Bulgar peoples would have been grouped on occasion (when they were under an agreeable or disagreeable leadership) into a Khaganate or empire.

The Leadership

(1) Khagan = The highest known rank used by any Hunno-Bulgar and not all the highest leaders amongst the Hunno-Bulgars would have used this in a given time.  This is an Avar title signifying, 'The Emperor', and would have most likely been used by those who had put under foot the Avars or those who had at least thrown off Avar rule to set up their own territory.  Such persons would definitely include Krum and his son Omurtag, although Omurtag is also called, Kana Subigi Omurtag, which means 'Highest Khan Omurtag' on monuments of his day.  It is also possible that Kubrat or Kurt may have used this term in earlier days after he threw off Avar rule and set up the First Hunno-Bulgarian Empire.

(1) Kana Subigi = This rank means 'glorious' or 'most high' and is the equivalent of 'Highest Khan' or 'chief of chiefs'.  This is a known, Hunno-Bulgar title and Omurtag used it in front of his name when it was inscribed on monuments of his day.  Some historians have argued or are unsure of this term and have decided upon Uvigi or Ubigi.  Also the term Kan, I believe means 'Khan', but it is also interesting to note that in some Turkish languages, Kan, means 'Blood'.  Even though the Hunno-Bulgar language is more Sarmatian than Turkic, as Peter Dobrev suggests, one cannot assume that the Hunno-Bulgars did not have some words which were from their partly Turkic origin (even should the Hunno-Bulgars be more Sarmatian, than Turkic).

(2) Khan (Kan) =   The Khan or Kan was the chief over a given set of tribes such as the Kutriguri, Utiguri, Onogunduri, Sabiri, Saraguri, ect.  The Khan was not an absolute dictator or king, but was a leader    and was responsible for certain fundamentals concerning Hunno-Bulgar lifestyle.  If the Khan failed the people in a really miserable way, he could be put to death by the people for his mistakes.  As such, the Khan always listened to his advisors and made sure that if he went against such advice, that it better really be in the best interests of his people considering he was placing himself in possible danger.  The people viewed him as a man, but he also was viewed as having Orenda which his superior also had, Kana Subigi, which meant that the ancestor spirits, the Etugen, the Tengri, and the Ongunar, listened to him and acted through him.

(3) Kavkhan = This is the right hand man of a given Khan.  The overall second in command and has direct command over all the Bagainar or 'commanders'.  This rank also means the 'conqueror'.

(4) Boyl = A high ranking leader who would serve the Kana Subigi or the Khan in making important decisions.  The council of the Boylar would consist of six individuals advising the Khan such that the number of their total was seven individuals (Six Boylar and One Khan = 7 People) which was consistent with the heavens (as seen in the seven pointed star of Tangra). The Kavkan would definitely be a Boyl.  A Tarkan of a given region would probably also make a good candidate to be a part of this council.  Note that the highest of the Bagainar could also be Boylar .

(4) Tarkan = A judge or supervisor within a given region.

(5) Ban = This is a very high ranking military deputy of a region who took over matters during war while the Tarkan was off fighting and commanding.

(5) Bagain = This is a commander over a large number of mounted warriors (on more rare occasions, a commander over dismounted warriors such as the commander of the palace guards).  The relative number of warriors a Bagain would have command over was highly variable.

Types of Bagainar

(A) Bagatur Bagain = A military commander of heavy cavalry.

(B) Biri-Bagain = A military commander of light cavalry.

(C) Irchirgu Bagain = A military commander of archers (possibly a lower ranking Biri-Bagain since a portion of the light cavalry would be archers primarily in a given battle).

(D) Chigot Bagain = A military commander of swordsmen.

(5) Kanar Tikin = The chosen heir to becoming the next Khan or Kana Subigi.  It is a certainty that the Kanar Tikin would have served as a Bagain in some fashion during times of war if old enough.

(6) Bilo = A high ranking dignitary of some sort.

(6) Knaz = A given son of a Khan, but not necessarily the Kanar Tikin.

(6) Kopan = This is a leader of some sort.  It could have meant chief over a given tribe, whereas the tribes in their congregation would have been led by a 'Khan' (the tribes of a given Oguz ).  Further up the Beylik, every Oguz would have been controlled by Kana Subigi Omurtag.

(7) Sampsis = A leader of some sort.

(7) Tabar = A Bulgar envoy or diplomat.

(7) Uge = This is a leader of some sort.

Those That Followed

Bagatur = A mounted warrior within the heavy cavalry.

Bir or Biri = A mounted warrior within the light cavalry.

Bo Kolaber = A warrior shaman who blesses the warriors before combat.

Chigot = A swordsman.

Irchirgu = An archer.

Khesh = A friend or ally in the army.  Also, probably the same as meaning, "mercenaries that help us kill our enemies".

Toghlu = The person who carried the holy flag of the Bulgars into battle.  The holy flag being called the, Tugh.  Such a flag would have been filled with horsetails, and other honors that a given Oguz felt should be carried on high to instill fear into their enemies hearts.

Tortuna = A guard of a ford.

Kutriguri Military "Beylik"

 The following is a non-historical interpretation of the above data for how the Kutriguri of today should be stratified in terms of the sporting events we go to.  This is not a fixed set of data either, except at the higher ranks specifically Khan through Bagain.

(1) Khan (The Chief of the Tribes)

(2) Kavkhan (A Right-Hand Man of the Chief)

(3) Isi Aki Bagain (A Leading Master of the Warriors)

(4) Bagain (A Master of Warriors, a Leader, a Commander)

(5) Chigot (A Warrior, or more specifically, a Swordsman, A Vatragan along the Path of Warriorhood)

(6) Tesigan(An Initiate Warrior or Beginner)

(7)Pelterene (Those Making to Know/Uninitiated Warriors/Very Early Beginners)

Also, Kutrigurs that are the same level are ranked in order of seniority unless one of them is a Kopan. The Kopan will have the edge in military ranking amongst others of his/her rank on the battlefield. If there are two Kopanar, both of the same rank (ex. two Bagainar, and both of them Kopanar), then seniority kicks in (time served in the Kutriguri). However, a Kopan does not have military authority over the Isi Aki Bagain, the Kavkhan or the Khan.