Editing History of Slovakia (section)

=== Avar Khaganate ===
{{see also|Samo}}
[[File:Avar settlement area.jpg|thumb|right|The Avar settlement area from the 7th to the 9th century, according to Éva Garam]]
The Longobards left the Carpathian Basin for Northern Italy after the invasion of the territory by the [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]] in 568.{{sfn|Bartl|Čičaj|Kohútova|Letz|2002|p=18}} The Avars were a group of nomadic warriors of mixed origin.{{sfn|Berend|Urbańczyk|Wiszewski|2013|p=50}} They conquered the Carpathian Basin, subjugated the local peoples and launched plundering expeditions against the neighboring powers during the next decades.{{sfn|Bartl|Čičaj|Kohútova|Letz|2002|p=18}}{{sfn|Berend|Urbańczyk|Wiszewski|2013|p=50}} By the time of the Avars' arrival, the Slavs had settled in most lands that now form Slovakia, according to historian Stanislav Kirschbaum.{{sfn|Kirschbaum|1996|p=18}} Further migration waves strengthened the local Slavic population because new Slavic groups, pressed by the Avars, crossed the Eastern Carpathians, seceding from the Slavs who continued their expansion to the Balkan Peninsula.{{sfn|Klein|Ruttkay|Marsina|1994|p=56}} Dialects of Slovak still reflect that the Slavs came from different directions already in the Early Middle Ages, according to a widely accepted scholarly theory.{{sfn|Mistrík|1993|p=19}}{{sfn|Krajčovič|1988|p=15}} Czech and Slovak share some features with the [[South Slavic languages]], distinguishing them from the other [[West Slavic languages]].{{sfn|Barford|2001|p=17}}{{sfn|Sussex|Cubberley|2006|p=55}} According to archaeologist P. M. Barford, these features suggest that the Carpathian Mountains and the [[Sudetes]] separated the ancestors of the [[Slovaks]] and the [[Czechs]] from the Slavs living to the north of those mountains.{{sfn|Barford|2001|p=17}} Especially the dialects of Central Slovakia, which "stand out from the continuous chain between the western and eastern dialects",{{sfn|Sussex|Cubberley|2006|p=536}} preserved South Slavic features.{{sfn|Mistrík|1993|p=390}}{{sfn|Krajčovič|1988|p=15}}{{sfn|Závodný|2013}}

The 7th-century Frankish ''[[Chronicle of Fredegar]]'' wrote that the Avars employed the Slavs, or Wends, as ''"Befulci"'', showing that the Slavs formed special military units in the [[Avar Khaganate]].{{sfn|Curta|2001|pp=59-60}} According to the same chronicle, the Wends rose up in rebellion against their Avar masters and elected a Frankish merchant, [[Samo]], their king "in the fortieth year of [[Clothar II|Clothar]]'s reign", that is in 623 or 624.{{sfn|Barford|2001|p=79}}{{sfn|Curta|2001|p=60}} Modern historians agree that the Avars' defeat during the [[Siege of Constantinople (626)|siege of Constantinople in 626]] enabled Samo to consolidate his rule.{{sfn|Curta|2001|p=109}}{{sfn|Spiesz|Caplovic|Bolchazy|2006|p=17}} He routed the invading army of [[Dagobert I]], [[King of the Franks]], in the [[Battle of Wogastisburg]] in 631 or 632.{{sfn|Spiesz|Caplovic|Bolchazy|2006|p=17}} The realm of Samo, who ruled for 35 years, collapsed soon after his death.{{sfn|Spiesz|Caplovic|Bolchazy|2006|p=17}} Its exact borders cannot be determined, but it must have been located near the confluence of the Danube and the Morava rivers.{{sfn|Barford|2001|p=79}} Historian Richard Marsina puts its centre to [[Lower Austria]].{{sfn|Marsina|2000|pp=93-106}}

A new horizon of mostly hand-made pottery{{spaced ndash}}the so-called "Devínska Nová Ves pottery"{{spaced ndash}}appeared between the Middle Danube and the Carpathians before the end of the {{nobr|7th century}}.{{sfn|Barford|2001|p=79}} Large inhumation cemeteries yielding such pottery were unearthed at Bratislava, [[Holiare]], [[Nové Zámky]] and other places, suggesting that cemeteries were located near stable settlements.{{sfn|Barford|2001|pp=79-80}} For instance, the cemetery at [[Devínska Nová Ves]], which contained about a thousand inhumation graves and thirty cremations, was used up until the end of the {{nobr|8th century}}.{{sfn|Barford|2001|p=79}}

In the 670s, the new population of the "griffin and tendril" [[Archaeology|archaeological culture]] appeared in the Pannonian Basin expelling [[Kuber]]'s [[Bulgars]] south out of [[Sirmium]] (the westernmost part of [[Kubrat]]'s [[Onogur, Bulgaria|Onogur]]ia). Shortly afterwards the new Avar-Slav alliance could expand their territories even also over the [[Vienna Basin]]. The political and cultural development in Slovakia continued in two separate lines. Lowland areas in the southern Slovakia got under the direct military control of the Avars. The Avars held strategic centers in [[Devín]] and [[Komárno]] which belonged to the most important centers of the khaganate. The Avars from Devín controlled Moravia and from Komárno they controlled southern Slovakia. In this time, the Avars already began to adopt a more settled lifestyle. The new period introduced Slavo-Avaric symbiosis and multi-ethnic Slavo-Avaric culture.{{sfn|Klein|Ruttkay|Marsina|1994|p=65}} The Slavs in southern Slovakia adopted new burial rite (inhumation), jewelry, fashion and used also common cemeteries with the Avars. Large Slavo-Avaric cemeteries can be found in [[Devínska Nová Ves]] and [[Záhorská Bystrica]] near [[Bratislava]] and similar cemeteries, the proof of direct Avar power, south of the line [[Devín]]-[[Nitra]]-[[Levice]]-[[Želovce]]-[[Košice]]-[[Šebastovce]].{{sfn|Klein|Ruttkay|Marsina|1994|p=65}} North of this line, the Slavs preserved previous burial rite (cremation, sometimes tumuli). Natural increase of the population together with immigration from the south led to the settlement also in mountain areas.{{sfn|Klein|Ruttkay|Marsina|1994|p=65}}

In the 8th century, the Slavs increased their agricultural productivity (usage of iron plow) along with further development of crafts. Higher productivity initiated changes in the Slavic society, released a part of human resources previously required for farming and allowed to form groups of professional warriors.  The Slavs began to build heavily fortified settlements (''hradisko'' - large [[Grad (toponymy)|grad]]) protected by strong walls (8–10 m) and trenches (width 4–7 m, depth 2–3.5 m).{{sfn|Klein|Ruttkay|Marsina|1994|p=66}} Among the oldest belong [[Pobedim]], [[Nitra]]-Martinský Vrch, [[Majcichov]], [[Spišské Tomášovce]] and [[Divinka]].{{sfn|Klein|Ruttkay|Marsina|1994|p=66}} The neighborhood with Avars raised unification process and probably also formation of local military alliances.{{sfn|Klein|Ruttkay|Marsina|1994|p=66}} The archaeological findings from this period (such as an exquisite noble tomb in [[Blatnica, Slovakia|Blatnica]]) support the formation of a [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] upper class on the territory that later became the nucleus of Great Moravia.<ref name="stefanovicova">{{cite book| last =Štefanovičová| first =Tatiana| title =Osudy starých Slovanov| publisher =Osveta| year =1989| location =Bratislava}}</ref>

A series of [[Franks|Frankish]]-[[Avar Khaganate|Avar]] wars (788–803) led to the political fall of the [[Khanate|khaganate]].<ref name="Kirschbaum">{{cite book
 |last         = Kirschbaum
 |first        = Stanislav J. <!--  | author-link = http://web.as.uky.edu/ssa/biblio/biblio_kirschbaum.htm-->
 |title        = A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival
 |publisher    = [[Macmillan Publishers|Palgrave Macmillan]]; [[St. Martin's Press]]
 |date         = March 1995
 |location     = New York
 |page         = 25
 |url          = http://us.macmillan.com/ahistoryofslovakia
 |isbn         = 978-0-312-10403-0
 |access-date  = 26 April 2008
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080925041206/http://us.macmillan.com/ahistoryofslovakia
 |archive-date = 25 September 2008
 |url-status     = dead
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref> In 805, the Slavs attacked again.{{sfn|Steinhübel|2004|p=57}} Their offensive aimed mainly on the centers of Avar power - [[Devín]] and [[Komárno]]. The Avars were not able to resist attack and they were expelled to the right bank of [[Danube]].{{sfn|Steinhübel|2004|p=57}} The Slavs from Slovakia probably participated also in further conflicts between small Slavic dukes and remaining Avar [[tarkhan]]s.{{sfn|Steinhübel|2004|p=57}}