Hazar-Bizans İlişkileri ve Bu İlişkilerde Siyasi Evliliklerin Rolüne Genel Bir Bakış
A General Overview of Khazar–Byzantine Relations Through Dynastic Marriages and the Role of Political Marriages in These Relations

Summary/Abstract: This study examines relations between the Khazar Khaganate and the Byzantine Empire in medieval Eurasia through the lens of dynastic marriages, focusing on how political unions functioned as instruments of alliance-building, legitimacy, and long-term strategic coordination. Facing a persistent multi-front security environment—first shaped by rivalry with the Sasanians and later intensified by Arab expansion—Byzantium relied on diplomacy as a systematic complement to military power. The Khazars, controlling key transit corridors across the Caucasus and the northern Black Sea region, emerged as an indispensable balancing partner within Byzantine grand strategy. The alliance, which gained institutional form in the era of Heraclius, developed through reciprocal embassies, converging security priorities, and coordinated responses to shared threats. Over time, dynastic marriages elevated this cooperation from a pragmatic arrangement to a more binding framework of trust and political recognition. The marriage of Justinian II into the Khazar ruling milieu illustrates how marital diplomacy could provide protection and external support during exile and contested succession, while the union linking Constantine to a Khazar princess marked a symbolic apex of mutual confidence and strategic planning. Beyond immediate political utility, these marriages facilitated cultural transmission and strengthened dynastic representation within the imperial center. From the ninth century onward, shifting regional dynamics, Byzantine reorientation toward new steppe actors, and mounting pressures from Rus and Pecheneg forces contributed to the gradual decline of Khazar power and the loosening of the alliance. Nevertheless, dynastic marriages remained the most visible and consequential mechanism through which Byzantine–Khazar relations were consolidated and historically memorialized.

• Details
• Contents