A Bulgar town on the Volga, below the Great City by Tatishchev's account, counted by Shpilevsky among the most important Bulgar towns.
Its site is disputed: Shpilevsky discusses an earthwork called Ashly or Oshel by the Volga with a rampart round a square enclosure. The marker is placed by the Kama mouth on the right bank as an approximation.
Who holds it
- Title
- Bulgar town lord
- Confidence
- low
Shpilevsky 1877 (search snippets); en.wikipedia Volga Bulgaria
Lord in 1200
A prince or governor under the emir, not pinned.
How things stand that morning
A Bulgar town under the emir.
Charter
None: Rus' towns had no charters; the prince's rights and the townsmen's customs governed.
Council
None recorded.
Communities
Not recorded.
Fairs and markets
None recorded.
Militia
None recorded.
Walls and castle
Earth rampart with ditches and timber walls (Shpilevsky).
Trade and crafts
Volga river town.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1220 (after this year)Taken and burned by Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Known from the 1220 campaign; position disputed.
Primary sources for Volga Bulgaria
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Laurentian Chronicle (the Suzdal continuation kept in the late 12th and 13th centuries; manuscript 1377). The court record of Vsevolod III of Vladimir. Read online
Sources and studies
- S. M. Shpilevsky, Drevnie goroda i drugie bulgarsko-tatarskie pamyatniki v Kazanskoi gubernii (Kazan 1877), archive.org
- en.wikipedia: Volga Bulgaria
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.