History glossary
Avars
a steppe-origin power in central Europe whose empire was broken by Charlemagne's Frankish campaigns.
- Category
- Historical group
- Region
- Carpathian Basin and Danubian central Europe
- Date range
- 6th-9th centuries CE
What it means
The Avars were a steppe-origin confederation that built a powerful khaganate in the Carpathian and Pannonian basin after the sixth century. Their empire controlled important routes in central and eastern Europe and often pressured neighboring peoples and the Byzantine frontier. In this story, they matter because Charlemagne's campaigns against the Avar empire opened the Danubian basin to stronger Frankish and Christian influence.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Fall of Rome to Early Medieval Europe
From the arrival of Gothic peoples at the Danube to the crowning of Charlemagne, this story traces how the Western Roman Empire fragmented into successor kingdoms and how a new medieval world took shape.
The Rise of the Medieval Church
From the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Avignon papacy, this story traces how the Christian Church built its authority through bishops, monasteries, missions, reform, and direct confrontation with Europe's rulers.
