Скачать или смотреть The Khazars: History's Lost Jewish Empire

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How did a fierce warrior empire in the Middle Ages choose to convert to Judaism? Dive into the lost history of the Khazar Khaganate, a forgotten superpower caught between the forces of Christianity and Islam that took a third, unprecedented path.

For over three hundred years, the Khazar empire dominated Eastern Europe. A powerful Turkic people, they controlled the vital trade routes that connected Asia and Europe, creating an era of stability and wealth so profound it was called the Pax Khazarica, or Khazar Peace. Vikings, known as the Rus', and merchants from across the known world flocked to their cities to trade, making the Khaganate a true crossroads of civilization.

At the heart of this empire was a bizarre political system: a dual kingship. The Khazars were led by a sacred, semi-divine Khagan who held immense spiritual authority but no real power, and a military commander known as the Bek, who ran the state and led its armies. This unique structure would be tested as a new superpower, the Islamic Caliphate, rose in the south, leading to a century of brutal conflict known as the Arab-Khazar Wars.

Acting as a massive bulwark, the Khazars absorbed the Caliphate's push north, effectively shielding Eastern Europe from invasion. This long struggle, however, left their leaders with a difficult choice. Submitting to Islam or Orthodox Christianity meant becoming a subject of a foreign power. In a brilliant act of geopolitical statecraft, the Khazar elite chose a third path, adopting Judaism to maintain their political and ideological independence. This created one of history's most unique states: a Jewish kingdom of Turkic warriors.

But how did this prosperous and tolerant empire fall? The end came swiftly at the hands of new enemies, including the Kievan Rus' prince Sviatoslav, who destroyed their capital and shattered their state forever. We explore the devastating fall of the Khazars and investigate what happened to their people, tackling one of modern history's most persistent and controversial theories: the idea that the Khazars were the ancestors of modern Ashkenazi Jews. Learn why this theory, known as the "Thirteenth Tribe" hypothesis, has been overwhelmingly rejected by geneticists and historians, and discover the true, fascinating legacy of this lost phantom empire.

00:00:00 The Phantom Empire of the Steppe
00:01:28 The Two Kings of Khazaria
00:02:40 The Arab-Khazar Wars
00:03:51 A Daring and Strategic Conversion
00:05:11 The Mosaic of Faiths
00:06:18 The Empire in a Pincer
00:07:35 Legacy and The Thirteenth Tribe

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