2 Introduction
According to M. Artamonov, “in the middle of the tenth century, Khazaria
continued to be a significant state, although its previous power was severely
shaken”.6 He tries to oppose the opinion of B. Rybakov, who, of course, cannot
quite agree with Joseph’s view and the idea that Khazaria had ever held such
power and influence.7 M. Artamonov’s view is therefore somewhat ambigu-
ous. One thing he states clearly is that in the seventh to ninth centuries, “the
Khazar Khaganate was actually a huge empire, occupying almost the entire
southern half of Eastern Europe (this sentence is revolutionary for Soviet sci-
ence at the time—Author’s note). By the time of King Joseph, the size of this
country was greatly reduced”.8 The historian lists the territories and peoples,
which according to him were no longer under Khazar rule in the tenth century,
and concludes that “the Khazar king still regarded himself as a ruler of a vast
territory, over which his ancestors’ authority extended, although only a small
part of it remained subjugated to Joseph himself ”.9 Thus, M. Artamonov con-
tradicts his own above-cited statement, according to which Khazaria was still a
significant state in the tenth century. The Russian scholar’s view on the reasons
that led to the decline of the khaganate also seems contradictory. On the one
hand, he argues that peace with the Arab Caliphate was essential for Khazaria
in order to develop trade, which enriched the government. But on the other,
the Samanid state, the leading Muslim political force in Middle Asia during
the tenth century and a conductor of the spread of Islam among the steppe
peoples, is depicted as hostile and dangerous for Khazaria. The growth of its
influence, along with the Volga Bulgars’ conversion to Islam, was a threat to the
Khazar state, whose reaction should have been the creation of an anti-Islamic
coalition among the steppe nomads. At the same time, however, it is precisely
the peace with the Caliphate, which the Samanids were also subject to, even if
only nominally, as well as the enrichment through trade that are indicated as
reasons for the divergence of interests between the population, subject to the
khagan, and the Khazar nobility. This divergence also led to the gradual seces-
sion of many tribes and peoples from the Khazar Khaganate.
According to S. Pletneva, Khazaria’s weakening and subsequent demise was
caused by the Khazar khagan’s conversion to Judaism. This created an irrevers-
6 Artamonov 1962, 385.
7 On the scientific issues regarding the Khazars in the 1950s, after the publishing of the
article in Pravda Newspaper in 1951, and the Soviet scientists’ stance on this topic, see
chapter 4.5.
8 Artamonov 1962, 386.
9 Artamonov 1962, 386–387.
10 Artamonov 1962, 414.