- Georgius Tzul
Georgius Tzul ("Georgeios" or "Georgios") was a
Khazar warlord against whom theByzantine Empire andMstislav of Tmutarakan launched a joint expedition in1016 .He appears only in the account of the Byzantine court historians
Kedrenos andJohn Skylitzes , who place him atKerch and calls him "khagan " (the title of the Khazar emperors). Kedrenos states that he was captured by the expeditionary force but does not relate his ultimate fate. Inscriptions and other references exist referring to a Tzul or Tsal clan inCrimea during this period; presumably he was a member although the relationship of that family to the original ruling dynasty of Khazaria is unknown. Almost nothing else about him, including the extent of his holdings, is known.Despite the fact that earlier writers maintained that the Khazar khagan was required to adhere to
Judaism , Georgius is aChristian name. Whether Georgius Tzul was himself a Christian, a Jew orshaman ist with an unusual Greek name, or whether the name is merely a Byzantine attempt to transliterate a Turkic or Hebrew name, is unknown.It is worth noting that Byzantine campaigns occurred roughly during this period against the Georgians and
Bulgars , suggesting a concerted effort to re-establish Byzantine dominance in theBlack Sea region.References
*
Kevin Alan Brook . "The Jews of Khazaria". 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2006.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.