Bayan (Avar Khagan)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bayan was an Avar khagan between 562 and 602. As the Gokturk Empire expanded westwards, Bayan Khagan led a group of Avars out of their reach to Pannonia in 568.

"Then Grimuald, unwilling to stir up civil war among the Langobards, sent word to the Cagan, king of the Avars, to come into Forum Julii with his army against duke Lupus and defeat him in war." (Paul the Deacon, Historia Langobardorum, V.19.

Years later the older veterans related to Paul that the battle took four days, and on the final day Lupus was killed; his chieftains barricaded themselves in strongholds.

"But the Avars, scouring all their territories, plundered or destroyed everything by fire. When they had done this for some days, word was sent them by Grimuald that they should now rest from their devastation. But they sent envoys to Grimuald saying that they would by no means give up Forum Julii, which they had conquered by their own arms" (V.20).

Paul relates an old military trick— or perhaps a fiction of military literature — of passing the same men, differently accoutred, back and forth in view of the Avar ambassadors, so as to give the khagan the impression that Lombard forces were very great. So the Avars retired into Pannonia.

In the Caucasian Avar language his name ("Behun")^[1], while "Kagan" ("QuaKhun") means "To Whom The Power Belongs" or "The Power Holder" "To Hold" "To Belong").