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The Göktürks or Kök-Türks were a Turkic people of ancient Central Asia and China. Known in medieval Chinese sources as Tujue (突厥 tú jué), the Göktürks under the leadership of Bumin/Tuman Khan/Khaghan (d. 552) and his sons, established the first known Turkic state around 552 in the general area of territory that had earlier been occupied by the Huns, and expanded rapidly to rule wide territories in Central Asia. The Göktürks originated from the Ashina tribe, an Altaic people who lived in the northern corner of the area presently called the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomus Region of China. They were the first Turkic tribe to use the name "Türk" as a political name.

The state's most famous personalities other than its founder Bumin were princes Kul Tigin and Bilge and the vizier Tonyukuk, whose life stories were carved on the famous Orkhon inscriptions.

Etymology

Kök-Turks is said to mean "Celestial Turks," but this is contested. Alternate meanings are Blue Turks, and Numerous Turks; as "kök" meant both "sky" and "blue" in the Köktürk language, and a similar sounding word stands for "root." According to the ancient East Asian cosmology outlined in the theory of the Five Elements (五行 Wǔ-xíng), to which the Turks have also ascribed since ancient times, the color blue is a symbol representing the eastern direction, and it is associated with good omens. The Guardian Deity of the Eastern Direction is the Blue Dragon. Thus, it would not be surprising if the Göktürks had chosen to call themselves "Blue Turks" in the primary sense of "East Turks," with all the associated connotations of "first," "rising," "dawning," "auspicious," and so forth.

Origins

Two hundred years after the collapse of Hun (Xiongnu) power in Asia, leadership of the Turks was taken over by the Göktürks. The Göktürks inherited the Huns traditions and administrative experience. From 552 to 745, Göktürk leadership bound together the nomadic Turkic tribes into an empire, which finally fell due to internal conflicts over transfer of power. The great difference between the Göktürk Khanate and its Hunnish predecessor was that the Göktürks' temporary Khans (lords) were subordinate to a sovereign authority that was left in the hands of a council of tribal chiefs. The Göktürks were the first Turkic people to write their language in a runic script. See Orkhon script. The Khanate received missionaries from the Buddhists, Manicheans, and Nestorian Christians, but retained their original shamanistic religon, Tengriism.

First Unified Empire

The Turks' rise to power began in 546 when Tumen made a pre-emptive strike against the Tiele tribes who were planning a revolt against their overlords the Rouran. For this service he expected to be rewared with a Rouran princess, i.e. marry into the royal family. But there was to be no princess. Enraged, Tumem allied with the Wei state against their common enemy Rouran. In 552, Tuman defeated the last Rouran Khan, Yujiulü Anagui. He was formally recognized by China, and married the Wei princess Changle. Thus proving himself both in battle and diplomacy he declared himself Il-Qaghan (great king of kings) of the new Göktürk empire at Otukan, the old Xiongnu capital. He died one year later, the Göktürk state was really built by his son Mukhan. Tuman's brother Istämi (d. 576) was titled yabghu of the west and collaborated with the Persian Sassanids to defeat and destroy the White Huns allies of the Rouran. This war drove the Avars into Europe. Istami initiated diplomatic contact with the Byzantine empire and together they built an alliance against the Persians. Both rival states in north China paid large tributes to the Göktürks from 581.

Civil War

This first Göktürk empire split in two after the death of the fourth Qaghan, Taspar Khan (ca. 584). He had willed the title Qaghan to Mukhan's son Talopien, but the high council appointed Ishbara. Factions formed around both leaders. Soon, four rival khans claimed the title Qaghan. They were successfully played off against each other by Sui and Tang Dynasty China. The most serious contender was the Western Khan, Istämi's son Tardu, a violent and ambitious man who had already declared himself independent of the Qaghan after his father's death. He now titled himself as Qaghan (Khagan) the supreme ruler, and lead an army to the east to claim otukan. Ishbara, Khan of the Eastern Khanate fearing defeat became formally subordinate to the Chinese Emperor Yangdi for protection. Tardu attacked Changan the Sui capital around 600 as a warning to Emperor Yangdi to end his interference in the civil war. However, Chinese diplomacy incited a revolt of Tardu's Tiele vassal tribes, and Tardu's reign was cut short in 603. Among the dissident tribes were the Uyghur and Syr-Tardush.

Dual Empires

The civil war left the empire divided into an east and west. The east retained the name Göktürk as vassals of the Sui Empire, and the newly independent west was called Onoq (ten arrows). Khan Hsien of the East attacked China at its weakest moment during the transition between Sui and Tang dynasties. He was brought down by a revolt of his Tiele vassal tribes (626-630), allied with Emperor Taizong of Tang. This tribal alliance is recorded as the Huihe (Uyghur). The Khan was taken prisoner and his empire was zoned into protectorates by the Tang dynasty. The Western Khan Tung Sche-hu was murdered in 630 by Persian diplomacy, despite strong support by the Byzantine Empire against the Persians. The Onoq were divided into east and west factions called Tulu and Nushipi respectively. They were conquered by the Tang general Su Ding Fang in 657. By 659 the Tang Emperor of China could claim to rule the entire Silk Road as far as Po-sse (Persia). The Turks now carried Chinese titles and fought by their side in their wars.

Inter-Imperial Era

630-682 AD This era was charecterized by numerous independent rulers weak divided and engaged in constant petty wars. In the east the Uyghurs defeated their one time allies the Tardush, In the west the Turgish emerged as successors to the Onoq.

Second Empire

Nonetheless, Ilteriş Şad (Idat) and his brother Bäkçor Qapağan Khan (Mo-ch'o) managed to refound the Khanate which in a series of wars from 681 onward gained control of the steppes beyond the Great Wall of China, extending by 705 to threaten Arab control of Transoxiana. Their power centered at the Changai Mountains (then: Ötükän). The son of Ilteriş, Bilge, was also a strong leader, but at his death in 734, the empire declined. They ultimately fell to a series of internal crises and renewed Chinese campaigns. After Kutluk (Ko-lo) Khan's military victory in 744, the successors to the Göktürks became their more China-friendly junior partners, known as the Uyghurs.

Rulers (Qağan or Kağan)

for a more detailed list see Göktürk Qağans

First Göktürk Empire:

Rival Qağans of Ishbara

Western Qaghans

Second Göktürk Empire

See also

External links

History of China | Ancient peoples of China | Former countries in Chinese history | Turkic peoples | Eurasian nomads | Gokturks

Гоктюрки | Reich der Göktürken | Köktürks | 돌궐 | Tirk | 突厥 | Тюркский каганат | Gök Türk İmparatorluğu | 突厥

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Göktürks".

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