Göktürk Qağans

The Göktürk Qağanss were rulers of the Göktürk Qağanate the first Turkic state (c. 6th - 7th CE) They succeeded the Khitan as rulers of the Mongolian steppe, and were succeeded by the Uyghur Empire in 742 CE

Göktürk Qağans of the Eastern Khanate

Tumen Il-Qağan 551-553

(Tumen Khan, Bumen, Yili-Qağan, 土門, Il-Khağan, 伊利可汗)

In the ancient Chinese sources, his name means "smoke cloud." Little is known about his life, and most of the information comes from legends in which he gathers a group of Turkic people living in a legendary place called Ergenikon located in the inaccessible valleys of the Altay Mountains.

In 542 he put down a revolt of the Töle (Tieli) tribes against their overlords the Rouran (Avars). In return he asked and was refused the hand of a Rouran princess. His next move was to successfully establish contact with the Wei Kingdom in China. Records show in 545 a diplomatic mission lead by the Sogdian envoy An Nopantuo made an alliance sealed by Tumen's marriage to the princess Wei Chang'le (長樂公主). The beginning of formal diplomatic relations with China gave him the credibility to unite the Turkic tribes behind him and crush the Rouran. With their defeat he proclaimed the Gökturk Khanate under his new title Il-Qağan, which means “king-of-kings of the state” at sacred Mt. Ötüken. This empire expanded, in less than one century, to wide territories in Central Asia. He died in the same year he founded his state.

There was a large influx of Sogdian refugees to his territory because of the persecution of the Zurvanites by Shah Anushirvan Khorasau I.

Keluo Qara Issyk-Qağan 553-554

(Kara, Irksi, Ilci, Isichi, Yixiji, Kelo, Kök Khan, Kolo, 科羅)

He was the eldest son of Bumen and second Qağan of the Göktürk empire. He ruled only one year after Ashyina Yil-Qağan Bumen's death before he died. The title of Qağan passed to his younger brother Muhan Khan.

Khushu Muqan-Qağan 554-572

(Muhan, Mukan, Mukhan, Sekin, Sijin, Muchu Qağan, Bek Khan, 木杆)

The second son of Tumen and third Qağan. He expanded the Göktürk Khanate and secured the borders against the last of the Rouran people. He conquered the Töle tribes in the west the Kitans in the east and the Kyrgyz in the north. Thus he expanded his state to all the former Xiong-Nu territory. His uncle Istämi autonomously ruled the far-west region (Kazakh Steppe) in his name. This was the beginning of the east/west division of power. He created an alliance with the Zhou kingdom, by marrying off his daughter, to oppose the Qi kingdom that was sheltering the Rouran.

During his reign Sogdian merchants from Turpan worked as ambassadors and advisers. The importance of Sogdians cannot be understated in keeping the early Turks safely outside of the Chinese cultural sphere. The Sogdian language and script were used to administer the empire, because it was the only written language in the cities under his control. After his death the title of Qağan passed to his younger brother Tapo. He was said to have read hair and blue eyes.

Arslan Tapo-Qağan 572-581

(Taspar, Tabo, Tuobo, Tapo Khan, Taspar Khan, 佗鉢)

The third son of Tumen and fourth Qağan. Unlike his father and older brothers he embraced Chinese culture, especially Buddhism. He switched his alliance from Zhou to Qi and granted defeated Qi prince asylum. He was converted to Buddhism by the Qi monk Huilin (Jnagoupta), for whom he built a pagoda. He attacked Zhou repeatedly until they bought his goodwill with princess Zhou Tsienkien, whom they traded for the head of the Qi prince.

During his reign there was a veitable flood of Sogdian Manichiean refugees from Persia and Buddhist Refugees from Qi and Zhou. Both the result of pogroms. These Sogdians devised the Göktürk Runes to write the Turkic language, for translations of the sutras to Turkic. Notably the Nirvana Sutra.

Tapo’s death created a legal crisis in the Khanate when he willed the Empire to Talopien the son of his elder brother Muqan, which violated the traditional system of inheritance. The title of Qağan should have gone to the son of the eldest brother, Ishbara. The toy (senate) rejected the legality of Taspar's will and appointed Tapo’s son Anlo as Panna Qağan. Talopien's faction did not recognize Anlo and vice-versa This crisis ultimately resulted in the civil war of 581-603, which greatly weakened the state. His Chinese wife Zhou Tsienkien survived him. The death of Tapo marked the beginning of a long decline and subjugation of the Göktürks to China.

Änlo Panna-Qağan 581

(Yenlo, Anluo, 菴羅)

Shetu Ishbara-Qağan 581-587

(Ïshbara, Shapolo, Shaboüle, Efu-Khan, Nivar-khan, Shetu-Khan, 沙鉢略可汗)

The first son of Kelo, grandson of Tumen, fifth Qağan of the Göktürk Empire. He was appointed by the high council as the legal resolution to the crisis created by his uncle Taspar who willed the title Qağan to his nephew Talopein. This act violated the traditional system of inheritance from oldest brother to youngest brother and oldest son to youngest. Immediately after his appointment, the legal basis of his power was contested by the erstwhile heir Talopien, Jotan, and Tardu. This highly unstable situation quickly became a smoldering civil war, which the Sui Chinese took advantage of in every way possible to weaken the Turks.

He married his aunt the princess Zhou Tsienkien and accepted refugees from the Chen Dynasty, both moves intended to legitimize his authority. One of the envoys in his wife's escort was the spy/ambassador Chang Sun-Sheng, who quickly befriended Ishbara, and isolated him from his generals by convincing Shetu that they were secretly allied with Talopein. Shetu’s paranoia and string of assassinations undercut his power base to the point he had to accept Sui sovereignty from ambassador Yu-Qingzhe for protection. Thus he saved the empire, albeit with vassal status. His reign marks the official split between the East and West Hordes. He willed the title to his brother Chulo-Hou.

Talopien Apa-Qağan 583-587

(Dalobien, Apo-Khan, Apa, Ahbo, Daluobian, 大邏便, 阿波可汗)

Son of Muqan, declared himself Qağan of Göktürk Khanate, in defience of the Toy, his claim of power came from the will of Taspar, The struggle between Shetu and Talopien, was the struggle between the executive and legislative factions of the empire. He allied himself with Jotan Buli Khan (Tanhan Qaghan 貪汗可汗) (ruler of the west region since the reign of Tapo) during Shetu’s disastrous China Campaign of 583.

Chulohou Baga-Qağan 587-588

(Yabghu-Khan, Chur-Baga, Muho-Khan, Baga-Qağan)

The brother of Shetu, second son of Kelo, grandson of Tumen. The sixth Qağan. He held the title of Qağan for a year before he was assassinated. He was said to have been very witty and intelligent.

Yöngyulü Tülan-Qağan 588-600

(Tunga-Turan, Tulan-Khan, 都蘭可汗, 雍虞閭)

The son of Shetu and seventh Qağan. He married his mother Sui Dai. In 593 he collected enough power to stop paying taxes to Emperor Wendi. Secretly Sui Dai plotted with her husband’s rival Zhangar to attack the Sui Empire. This plot was exposed by Chang Sun-Sheng, by bribing a member of the Toy, as a ruse to have her killed. Ultimately she was killed by Zhangar in exchange for a marriage to princess Sui Anyi, and thus the alliance of China against his cousin Yougyulu. Yongyulu for his part killed Zhangar’s wife and family and drove his faction out, beginning another civil war.

Tardush Datou-Qağan 600-603

(Tardu, Qarachurin Turk Bogiu, 達頭可汗)

see Onoq section

Zhangar Kimen-Qağan 603-609

(Tuli, Jan-Khan, Kimin-Ture, Chimin-Khan, Qiren-Khan, Rangan, 啟民可汗, 染干)

Son of Chulohou, the eighth Qağan. He conspired with princess Dai to overthrow Sui dynasty, but later killed her on Sui orders to marry the princess Anyi, who in turn was assassinated by Yungyulu. He fled to China, and returned only after Yungyulu was killed in a battle against the Töle. He married Princess Yicheng, and ruled as a Chinese vassal.

Qiuli Shipi-Qağan 609-619

(Tujieli, Tuochich, sipi, ship-Qağan, 始畢可汗, Duojishi)

He succeeded Zhangar as the ninth Qağan. He was the first to rebel against Chinese sovereignty since his great-granduncle Shetu submitted to Emperor Sui Yangdi. He married his father's wife princess Sui Yicheng. He enlisted the support of Sogdian vizers to help him outwit the Chinese. These Vizers were all invited to a peace negotiation in the town of Mai in China where they were killed in 615. His counter-strike against Sui Yangdi toppled that dynasty . Later he helped the Li Shimin (Tang Taizong) defeat the Sui with 2000 horses and 500 calverymen for all the gold and women in Changan. He had intended to counterbalance Tang power when he died leaving their rise unchecked. His brother Ilteber succeeded him.

Ilteber Chulo-Qağan 619-621

(Chuluk, Chulu-Qağan, 處羅侯)

tenth Qağan and the brother of Tujieli. He was poisoned by his wife Sui Yicheng. She wished him to avenge her family's defeat by attacking the Tang Empire, but he refused.

Bagatur-Shad Khieli-Qağan 621-630

(Il-khan, Chieli, Kara-Khieli, Hieli, Jiele, Duobi, 咄苾, Illig-Qağan)

eleventh Qağan. In 627 he attempted to levy horses from the vassal Töle tribes after all his livestock died from a summer snowstorm. The Töle revolted under a Xueyantuo coalition. Emperor Tang Taizong wasted no time in allying with these Töle and the Khitans in a joint attack. Bagatur was already facing internal dissent from the Göktürk generals jealous of the influence of Bagatur’s Sogdian vizers. Bagatur was defeated and captured in 630. He was the final qağan of the first khanate.

Onoq (10-arrows) Qağans of the Western Khanate

Istämi Yabğu 554-575

(室點密)

As the brother of Tuman he ruled the far-western region of their khanate. His son was Tardu. As a Yabghu, he was autonomous and had de-facto sovereignty while officially recognizing the authority of the qağan. After Khushu’s death he arranged the division of the territory into three realms east, central, and west and distributed them between Jotan, Arslan, and Shetu, respectively.

During his rule he established diplomatic relations with the Persian and Byzantine Empires, defeated the Hepthalites, and acted as an elder statesman during the disintegration of the Eastern half of the empire. We know a great deal about him from the diplomatic missions of the Byzantine Empire.

Tardu Datou-Qağan 575-585

Talopein Apa-Qağan 583-587

Nili-Qağan 587-598

泥利可汗

Tardu Datou-Qağan 598-603

Daman Chuluo-Qağan 603-611

泥撅處羅可汗

Shekuei 611-618

射匱可汗

Tong Yabghu 618-630

統野護可汗

Hsili 630-633

乙毗鉢羅肆葉護

Ishbara-Qağan 634-639沙鉢羅可汗

Jubi-Qağan 645-650

Helu-Qağan 651-657

References

*Citation
last = Güzel
first = Hasan Celal
author-link =
last2 = Oğuz
first2 = C. Cem
author2-link =
title = The Turks
place = Ankara
publisher = Yeni Türkiye
year = 2002
volume = 2
edition =
url =
doi =
oclc = 49960917
isbn = 9756782552.