King Bulan was a historical Khazar ruler, known for his conversion to Judaism, which led to it becoming the state religion of the Khazar Khaganate, likely in the 8th or 9th century CE.
Key Details:
Role: Bulan was a prominent figure in the Khazar ruling elite. He may have been the Khagan (supreme ruler) or the Bek (commander-in-chief/king, who handled military campaigns and day-to-day governance).
Conversion to Judaism: According to Khazar tradition, as described in medieval sources like the Khazar Correspondence and The Kuzari by Yehuda Halevi, Bulan was religiously unaffiliated before his conversion. He invited representatives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to present their faiths. After hearing their arguments, he chose Judaism, and the royal court and a segment of the Khazar people followed suit. This decision was likely driven by a combination of spiritual motivations and geopolitical considerations, as choosing Judaism allowed Khazaria to remain politically neutral between the rival Byzantine (Christian) and Muslim Caliphate empires.
Name and Identity: His name means "elk" or "hart" in Old Turkic. He is often identified with another figure, Sabriel, and thus is sometimes referred to as Bulan Sabriel.
Legacy: Bulan founded the Bulanid dynasty, which ruled the Khazar Khaganate for several generations. His descendant, King Obadiah, further established and strengthened the Jewish religion within the kingdom by building synagogues and inviting Jewish scholars.
Historical Context: While the fact that the Khazar elite converted to Judaism is widely accepted by historians, the exact date and details of the conversion story are debated, with possible dates ranging from the mid-700s to the mid-800s CE.
King Bulan remains a significant figure in the history of the Khazars and in Jewish history, particularly as the central figure in the literary work The Kuzari, which uses his story as a framework for exploring Jewish philosophy.
King Bulan was the ruler of the Khazar kingdom who is credited with leading the mass conversion of his people to Judaism around the mid-9th century. According to historical sources, Bulan converted after hearing religious arguments from representatives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and chose Judaism as the religion for his kingdom, a decision that placed the Khazar Khaganate as a Jewish state situated between powerful Christian and Muslim empires.
The Conversion: Sources recount that Bulan's conversion was not immediate, but followed a period of questioning where he invited religious leaders from different faiths to present their cases. After evaluating their arguments, he reportedly chose Judaism.
Political and Spiritual Motivation: While the exact reasons are debated, the conversion may have been motivated by a desire to remain politically neutral between the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic Caliphate, rather than aligning with either Christianity or Islam.
Legacy: The conversion of King Bulan and his court is a significant event in Jewish history, as it led to the Jewish Khazar kingdom that lasted for several centuries. After Bulan, other Khazar rulers, such as Obadiah, continued to strengthen Jewish institutions within the kingdom.
