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First Turkic Khaganate
552–603
Tamga of Ashina tribe.
{{{3}}}The First Turkic Khaganate at its greatest extent, in 576.
Status	Khaganate (Nomadic empire)
Capital	Ötüken (eastern) Suyab (western)
Common languages	Old Turkic (official, dynastic and common) Sogdian (official, diplomacy, coinage) Rouran (official)
Religion	Tengrism, Buddhism
Demonym(s)	Türük Türk
Qaghan
• 552	Bumin Qaghan (first)
• 599–603	Tardu (last)
Yabgu
• 552–575	Istämi (first)
• 575–599	Tardu (last)
Historical era	Post-classical
• Bumin Qaghan revolts against Rouran Khaganate	542
• Established	552
• Göktürk civil war	581
• Brief re-unification	603
• Division of Western and Eastern Turkic Khaganates	603
Area
557	6,000,000 km (2,300,000 sq mi)
Population
• 6th century	3 million
Preceded by Succeeded by Rouran Khaganate Hephthalite Empire Eastern Turkic Khaganate Western Turkic Khaganate

The First Turkic Khaganate, also referred to as the First Turkic Empire, the Turkic Khaganate or the Göktürk Khaganate, was a Turkic khaganate established by the Ashina clan of the Göktürks in medieval Inner Asia under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan (d. 552) and his brother Istämi. The First Turkic Khaganate succeeded the Rouran Khaganate as the hegemonic power of the Mongolian Plateau and rapidly expanded their territories in Central Asia. The khaganate became the first Central Asian transcontinental empire from Manchuria to the Black Sea.

Although the Göktürks spoke a Siberian Turkic language directly antecedent to the Orkhon Turkic of the Second Turkic Khaganate, the First Khaganate's early official texts and coins were written in Sogdian. It was the first Turkic state to use the name Türk politically. The Old Turkic script was invented at the first half of the sixth century.

The Khaganate collapsed in 603, after a series of conflicts and civil wars which separated the polity into the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and Western Turkic Khaganate. The Tang China conquered the Eastern Turkic Khaganate in 630 and the Western Turkic Khaganate in 657 in a series of military campaigns. The Second Turkic Khaganate emerged in 682 and lasted until 744, when it was overthrown by the Uyghur Khaganate.

History

Origin

The origins of the Turkic Khanate trace back to 546, when Bumin Qaghan made a preemptive strike against the Uyghur and Tiele groups planning a revolt against their overlords, the Rouran Khanate. For this service he expected to be rewarded with a Rouran princess, thus marrying into the royal family. However, the Rouran khagan, Yujiulü Anagui, sent an emissary to Bumin to rebuke him, saying, "You are my blacksmith slave. How dare you utter these words?" As Anagui's "blacksmith slave" (Chinese: 鍛奴; pinyin: duànnú) comment was recorded in Chinese chronicles, some claim that the Göktürks were indeed blacksmith servants for the Rouran elite, and that "blacksmith slavery" may have indicated a form of vassalage within Rouran society. According to Denis Sinor, this reference indicates that the Türks specialized in metallurgy, although it is unclear if they were miners or, indeed, blacksmiths. Whatever the case, that the Turks were "slaves" need not be taken literally, but probably represented a form of vassalage, or even unequal alliance.

A disappointed Bumin allied with the Western Wei against the Rouran, their common enemy, by marrying Princess Changle. In 552, Bumin defeated Anagui and his forces north of Huaihuang (modern Zhangjiakou, Hebei).

Western expansion

Having excelled both in battle and diplomacy, Bumin declared himself Illig Khagan of the new khanate at Otukan, but died only months later. His son, Muqan Qaghan, defeated the Hephthalite Empire.

Bumin's brother Istämi (d. 576) bore the title "Yabgu of the West". This western branch of the Ashina clan was de facto independent while the eastern khagan was formally recognized as the senior. In 557, Istämi forged an alliance with the Sassanid Empire of Iran to defeat and destroy the Hephthalites, who were allies of the Rouran. This war tightened the Ashina clan's grip on the Silk Road. The alliance with China was further reinforced in 568 through the marriage of the Turkic princess Ashina, daughter of Muqan Qaghan, with Emperor Wu of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Zhou dynasty.

The appearance of the Pannonian Avars in the West has been interpreted as a nomadic faction fleeing the westward expansion of the Göktürks, although the specifics are a matter of irreconcilable debate given the lack of clear sources and chronology. Rene Grousset links the Avars with the downfall of the Hephthalites rather than the Rouran, while Denis Sinor argues that Rouran-Avar identification is "repeated from article to article, from book to book with no shred of evidence to support it".

Istämi's policy of western expansion brought the Göktürks into Europe. In 576 the Göktürks crossed the Kerch Strait into the Crimea. Five years later they laid siege to Chersonesus; their cavalry kept roaming the steppes of Crimea until 590. As for the southern borders, they were drawn south of the Amu Darya, bringing the Ashina into conflict with their former allies, the Sasanian Empire. In 589, the Sasanian Empire attacked and defeated the Türks. Much of Bactria (including Balkh) remained a dependency of the Ashina until the end of the century.

Relations with the Byzantine Empire

The Göktürks played a major role with the Byzantine Empire's relationship with the Persian Sasanian Empire. The first contact is believed to be 563 and relates to the incident in 558 where the slaves of the Turks (the Pannonian Avars) ran away during their war with the Hephthalites.

The second contact occurred when Maniah, a Sogdian diplomat, convinced Istämi (also known as Silziboulos in Greek writings) of the Göktürks to send an embassy directly to the Byzantine Empire's capital Constantinople, which arrived in 568 and offered silk as a gift to emperor Justin II and where they discussed an alliance. In 569 an embassy led by Zemarchus occurred which was well received and likely solidified their alliance for war.

Another set of embassies occurred in 575–576 led by Valentine which were received with hostility by Turxanthos due to alleged treachery. They required the members of the Byzantine delegation at the funeral of Istämi to lacerate their faces to humiliate them. The subsequent hostility shown by the new ruler Tardu would be matched in Byzantine writings. With the insults reflecting a breakdown of the alliance, the likely cause is that the anger was due to the Turks not having their expectations met from their agreements and realising they were being used when they no longer aligned with the current goals of the Byzantine Empire (who correspondingly lacked trust in the Turks as partners).

• Göktürk petroglyphs from Mongolia (6th to 8th century).
• Turkic horsemen with long hair on the tomb of a Sogdian trader, the Miho funerary couch. Circa 570 CE. Northern Dynasties, China.
• The Sogdian trader An Jia with a Turkic Chieftain in his yurt. 579 CE, Tomb of An Jia, Xi’an, China.
• The Sogdian trader An Jia (right) brokering an alliance with Turks (left). 579 CE, Tomb of An Jia, Xi’an, China.

Civil war

When the fourth ruler of the khaganate, Taspar Qaghan, died in 581, the realm split in two over the succession. He had willed the title of khagan to Muqan's son Apa Qaghan, but the high council appointed Ishbara Qaghan instead. Factions formed around both leaders. Before long, four rivals claimed the title. They were successfully played off against each other by the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Istämi's son, Tardu the leader of the western Türks, made a bid for total independence. He now seized the title and led an army east to claim the seat of imperial power, Otukan.

In order to buttress his position, Ishbara of the Eastern Khaganate, acknowledged the suzerainty of Emperor Yang of Sui in order to seek their protection. Tardu attacked Chang'an, the Sui capital, around 600, demanding Emperor Yangdi end his interference in the civil war. In retaliation, Sui diplomacy successfully incited a revolt of Tardu's Tiele vassals, which led to the end of Tardu's reign in 603. Among the dissident tribes were the Uyghurs and Xueyantuo.

Eastern Turkic Khaganate

The civil war left the empire divided into eastern and western parts. The eastern part, still ruled from Otukan, remained in the orbit of the Sui and retained the name Göktürk. The Shibi Khan (609–619) and Illig Qaghan (620–630) attacked the Central Plain at its weakest moment during the transition between the Sui and Tang. Shibi Khan's surprise attack against Yanmen Commandery during an imperial tour of the northern frontier almost captured Emperor Yang, but his ethnic Han wife Princess Yicheng—who had been well treated by Empress Xiao during an earlier visit—sent a warning ahead, allowing the emperor and empress time to flee to the commandery seat at present-day Daixian in Shanxi. This was besieged by the Turkic army on September 11, 615, but Sui reinforcements and a false report from Princess Yicheng to her husband about a northern attack on the khaganate caused him to lift the siege before its completion.

In 626, Illig Qaghan took advantage of the Xuanwu Gate Incident and drove on to Chang'an. On September 23, 626, Illig Qaghan and his iron cavalry reached the bank of the Wei River north of Bian Bridge (in present-day Xianyang, Shaanxi). On September 25, 626, Tang Taizong allied with Iligh Khan and met with the khan on the border bridge, Tang Taizong accused Iligh Khan of crossing the border, the khan saw that Taizong was imposing, mistakenly thought that the reinforcements of the Tang Dynasty had arrived, plus two years ago, he had seen Li Shimin, who was still the crown prince at that time, in Binzhou (彬州), and was asked to duel. The khan was afraid and agreed to retreat in an alliance, which is called the Weishui Alliance (渭水之盟) or the Alliance of Bian Qiao (便橋會盟 / 便桥会盟). On the third day after the meeting, the khan sent 3,000 horses and 10,000 sheep to the border to be prepared as compensation for the Tang dynasty, which Emperor Taizong did not accept, believing that this was too little. All in all, 67 incursions into China proper were recorded.

Before mid-October 627, heavy snows on the Mongolian-Manchurian grassland covered the ground to a depth of several feet, preventing the nomads' livestock from grazing and causing a massive die-off among the animals. According to the New Book of Tang, in 628, Taizong mentioned that "There has been a frost in midsummer. The sun had risen from same place for five days. The moon had had the same light level for three days. The field was filled with red atmosphere (dust storm)."

Illig Qaghan was brought down by a revolt of his Tiele vassal tribes (626–630), allied with Emperor Taizong of Tang. This tribal alliance figures in Chinese records as the Huihe (Uyghur).

On March 27, 630, a Tang army under the command of Li Jing defeated the Eastern Turkic Khaganate under the command of Illig Qaghan at the Battle of Yinshan (陰山之戰 / 阴山之战). Illig Qaghan fled to Ishbara Shad, but on May 2, 630 Zhang Baoxiang's army advanced to Ishbara Shad's headquarters. Illig Qaghan was taken prisoner and sent to Chang'an. The Eastern Turkic Khaganate collapsed and was incorporated into the Jimi system of Tang. Emperor Taizong said, "It's enough for me to compensate my dishonor at Wei River."

Western Turkic Khaganate

The Western khagan Sheguy and Tong Yabghu Qaghan constructed an alliance with the Byzantine Empire against the Sasanian Empire and defeated the Sasanians in 628, successfully restoring the southern borders along the Tarim and Amu Darya rivers. Their capital was Suyab in the Chu River valley, about 6 km south east of modern Tokmok. In 627 Tung Yabghu, assisted by the Khazars and Emperor Heraclius, launched a massive invasion of Transcaucasia which culminated in the taking of Derbent and Tbilisi (see the Third Perso-Turkic War for details). In April 630 Tung's deputy Böri Shad sent the Göktürk cavalry to invade Armenia, where his general Chorpan Tarkhan succeeded in routing a large Persian force. Tung Yabghu's murder in 630 forced the Göktürks to evacuate Transcaucasia.

The Western Turkic Khaganate was modernized through an administrative reform of the Ashina clan (reigned 634–639) and came to be known as the Onoq. The name refers to the "ten arrows" that were granted by the khagan to ten leaders (shads) of its two constituent tribal confederations, the Duolu (five churs) and Nushibi (five irkins), whose lands were divided by the Chui River. The division fostered the growth of separatist tendencies. Soon, chieftain Kubrat of the Dulo clan, whose relation ship with the Duolu is possible but not proven, seceded from the Khaganate. The Tang dynasty campaigned against the khaganate and its vassals, the oasis states of the Tarim Basin. The Tang campaign against Karakhoja in 640 led to the retreat of the Western Turks, who were defeated during the Tang campaigns against Karasahr in 644 and the Tang campaign against Kucha in 648, leading to the 657 conquest of the Western Turks by the Tang general Su Dingfang. Emperor Taizong of Tang was proclaimed Khagan of the Göktürks in 658.

Tang vassals

The Tang retained a member of the Ashina clan as a puppet khagan of the Türks. In 639, Ashina Jiesheshuai attempted to kill Emperor Taizong of Tang but failed, causing him to relocate the Türks. These khagans were not well respected among their peers and a new group of leaders known as the Turgesh were established by 699.

In 657, the Tang emperor could impose indirect rule along the Silk Road as far as modern-day Iran. He installed two khagans to rule the ten arrows (tribes) of Göktürks. Five arrows of Tulu (咄陆) were ruled by khagans bearing the title of Xingxiwang (興昔亡可汗) while five arrows of Nushipi (弩失畢可汗) were ruled by Jiwangjue (繼往絕可汗). Five Tulu corresponded to the area east of Lake Balkash while five arrows of Nushipi corresponded to the land east of the Aral Sea. Göktürks now carried Chinese titles and fought by their side in their wars. The era spanning from 657 to 699 in the steppes was characterized by numerous rulers – weak, divided, and engaged in constant petty wars under the Anxi Protectorate until the rise of Turgesh.

The Second Turkic Khaganate was founded by Ilterish Qaghan after rebelling against the Tang in 681.

Genetics

The population of the First Turkic Khaganate displayed genetic heterogeneity. Türk remains analysed displayed on average c. 62% Ancient Northeast Asian, c. 27% Western Steppe Herders, and c. 11% BMAC-associated ancestry. A sample belonging to the Ashina tribe, the ruling clan of the Göktürks, was found to be nearly entirely derived from Ancient Northeast Asians (96-98%) and also displayed affinity for the Slab-grave culture. According to the authors, these findings "once again validates a cultural diffusion model over a demic diffusion model for the spread of Turkic languages" and refutes "the western Eurasian origin and multiple origin hypotheses".

Gallery

• Statue of Niri Qaghan, Xinjiang, China.
• Shahnameh illustration of Bahram Chobin fighting Bagha Qaghan.
• Shahnameh illustration of Bahram Chobin and Bagha Qaghan fighting.
• Turkic Balbal, Tuva, Siberia.
• Turkic Balbal, Tuva, Siberia.
• Turkic Balbal, Kyrgyzstan.

See also

History of the Turkic peoples pre–14th century
Turkic peoples Onogurs Oghuz Turks Saragurs Utigurs Bulgars Sabir Kutrigurs Karluks Kimek Kipchaks Cherniye Klobuki Uyghurs Tatars Kumyks Yakuts Dolgans Krymchaks Crimean Karaites
Turkic Languages Turkish Azerbaijani Uzbek Kazakh Uyghur Turkmen Tatar Kyrgyz Bashkir Chuvash Qasgqai Karakalpak Sakha Kumyk Karachay-Balkar Tuvan Gagauz Karaim Krymchak
Turkic Mythology Belief system: Tengrism and Shamanism Chief gods and goddesses: Kayra and Ülgen Epics and heroes: Ergenekon and Asena Major concepts: Sheka and Grey wolf
Pre-14th century Yenisei Kyrgyz People 202 BCE–13th CE Yenisei Kyrgyz Khaganate Dingling 71 BC–?? AD Tiele (Gaoche) Göktürks First Turkic Khaganate 552–581 Western Turkic Khaganate 581–657 (Tokhara Yabghus, Turk Shahis) Eastern Turkic Khaganate 581–650 Second Turkic Khaganate 682–744 Sabiri People Khazar Khaganate 618–1048 Xueyantuo 628–646 Kangar Union 659–750 Turk Shahi 665-850 Türgesh Khaganate 699–766 Kimek–Kipchak Confederation 743–1035 Uyghur Khaganate 744–840 Oghuz Yabgu State 750–1055 Karluk Yabgu State 756–940 Kara-Khanid Khanate 840–1212 Western Kara-Khanid Eastern Kara-Khanid Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom 848–1036 Qocho 856–1335 Pecheneg Khanates 860–1091 Ghaznavid Empire 963–1186 Seljuk Empire 1037–1194 Sultanate of Rum Cuman–Kipchak Confederation 1067–1239 Khwarazmian Empire 1077–1231 Kerait Khanate 11th century–13th century Atabegs of Azerbaijan 1136–1225 Delhi Sultanate 1206–1526 Mamluk dynasty Khalji dynasty Tughlaq dynasty Qarlughid Kingdom 1224–1266 Golden Horde 1242–1502 Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) 1250–1517 Bahri dynasty Ottoman State 1299–1922
v t e

Part of a series on the
History of Central Asia
Ancient Oxus Civilization Scythia Dingling/Tiele Saka Kangju Huns
Middle Ages Sogdians 200s–1000s Hephthalites 440s–710 Göktürks 552–745 Karluks 665–744 Kimek Khanate 743–1220 Oghuz Yabgu State 750–1055 Kara-Khanid Khanate 840–1212 Qara Khitai 1124–1218 Mongol Empire 1206–1368 Golden Horde 1240s–1446
Modern Colonization period Russian Turkestan 1867–1918 Great game period History of Central Asia XIX a.d.–
Topics Art Sports
v t e

• Göktürk family tree
• Turks in the Tang military
• Horses in East Asian warfare
• Kangly
• Orkhon inscription
• Qaghans of the Turkic khaganates
• Timeline of the Turkic peoples (500–1300)
• Ashide

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50. ^ 武德九年 八月癸未 Academia Sinica Archived 2010-05-22 at the Wayback Machine (in Chinese)
51. Sima Guang, Zizhi Tongjian, Vol. 182. (in Chinese)
52. 司, 马光 (1086). 《资治通鉴·卷第一百九十一·唐纪七》. In 1086, the government of Emperor Shenzong of Song. pp. 《资治通鉴·卷第一百九十一·唐纪七》. 上自出玄武门，与高士廉、房玄龄等立骑径诣渭水上，与颉利隔水而语，责以负约。突厥大惊，皆下马罗拜。俄而诸军继至，旌甲蔽野，颉利见执失思力不返，而上挺身轻出，军容甚盛，有惧色。上麾诸军使却而布陈，独留与颉利语。萧瑀以上轻敌，叩马固谏，上曰："吾筹之已熟，非卿所知。突厥所以敢倾国而来，直抵郊甸者，以我国内有难，朕新即位，谓我不能抗御故也。我若示之心弱，闭门拒守，虏必放兵大掠，不可复制。故朕轻骑独出，示若轻之；又震曜军容，使之必战；出虏不意，使之失图。虏入我地既深，必有惧心，故与战则克，与和则固矣。制服突厥，在此一举，卿第观之！"
53. 刘, 昫 (945). 《旧唐书》本纪第二. Later Jin Shi Jingtang government. pp. 《旧唐书》本纪第二. 乙酉，又幸便桥，与颉利刑白马设盟，突厥引退。九月丙戌，颉利献马三千匹、羊万口
54. David Andrew Graff, Medieval Chinese warfare, 300–900, Routledge, 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-23955-4, p. 186.
55. Ouyang Xiu, New Book of Tang, Vol. 215-I (in Chinese)
56. Liu 劉, Xu 昫 (945). Old Book of Tang 舊唐書 Vol.194 & Vol.195.
57. Old Book of Tang, Vol. 3. (in Chinese)
58. ^ Ouyang Xiu et al., New Book of Tang, Vol. 93. (in Chinese)
59. ^ Sima Guang, Zizhi Tongjian, Vol. 193. (in Chinese)
60. 貞觀四年 三月庚辰
61. Baumer, Christoph (18 April 2018). History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume set. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-83860-868-2.
62. Grenet, Frantz (2004). "Maracanda/Samarkand, une métropole pré-mongole". Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 5/6: Fig. B.
63. ^ Kamola 2023, p. 15.
64. ^ Gumilev 238.
65. Grousset 1970, pp. 99–100.
66. Wechsler 1979, pp. 225–228.
67. Skaff 2009, p. 183.
68. Kamola 2023, p. 15-16.
69. ^ Bemmann, Jan; Brosseder, Ursula. "A Long Standing Tradition – Stelae in the Steppes with a Special Focus on the Slab Grave Culture". Actual Problems of Archaeology and Ethnology of Central Asia. ISBN 978-5-7925-0494-3. Current research shows that only during the time of the Turk qaghanates (552-630, 682-742 CE) were different types of stelae widely used in Inner Asia: there are rows of balbals in association with ritual sites, kamennye babas in association with memorials, and also inscription stelae were erected at important Turkic ritual sites .
70. ^ Bazarov, B. V.; Institut mongolovedenii︠a︡, buddologii i tibetologii (Rossiĭskai︠a︡ akademii︠a︡ nauk. Sibirskoe otdelenie), eds. (2017). Aktualʹnye voprosy arkheologii i ėtnologii T︠S︡entralʹnoĭ Azii: materialy II mezhdunarodnoĭ nauchnoĭ konferent︠s︡ii, Ulan-Udė, 4-6 dekabri︠a︡ 2017 [Actual problems of archaeology and ethnology of Central Asia: materials of the II International conference (Ulan-Ude, 4-6th December, 2017)]. Ulan-Udė: Izd-vo BNT︠s︡ SO RAN. ISBN 978-5-7925-0494-3.
71. Barfield 1989, p. 149.
72. Yang, Xiao-Min; Meng, Hai-Liang; Zhang, Jian-Lin; Yu, Yao; Allen, Edward; Xia, Zi-Yang; Zhu, Kong-Yang; Du, Pan-Xin; Ren, Xiao-Ying; Xiong, Jian-Xue; Lu, Xiao-Yu; Ding, Yi; Han, Sheng; Liu, Wei-Peng; Jin, Li (November 2023). "Ancient genome of Empress Ashina reveals the Northeast Asian origin of Göktürk Khanate". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 61 (6): 1056–1064. doi:10.1111/jse.12938. ISSN 1674-4918.

External links

• Turk Bitig

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v t e Rulers of ancient Central Asia

Territories/ dates Khorasan Margiana Bactria Sogdia Trans-Jaxartes steppes Altai Mountains Preceded by: Chronology of the Neolithic period 3500–2500 BCE (Eastern migration of the Yamnaya culture from the Pontic–Caspian steppe through the Eurasian Steppe, as far as the Altai region) Afanasievo culture (Proto-Tocharian) 2400–2000 BCE Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex 2000–1900 BCE Andronovo culture 2000–900 BCE 626–539 BCE Median Empire Deioces Phraortes Madyes Cyaxares Astyages Saka Massagetae Tomyris Saka Skunkha Saka (Arzhan culture) (Pazyryk culture) 539–331 BCE Achaemenid Empire Cyrus Cambyses Darius I Xerxes Artaxerxes I Darius II Artaxerxes II Artaxerxes III Artaxerxes IV Darius III 331–256 BCE Hellenistic Period Argead dynasty: Alexander I Philip Alexander II Antigonus Seleucid Empire: Seleucus I Antiochus I Antiochus II Saka Yuezhi 256–160 BCE Greco-Bactrian Kingdom Diodotus I Diodotus II Euthydemus I Demetrius I Euthydemus II Antimachus I Yuezhi Xiongnu Modu Chanyu Laoshang Huns 160–141 BCE Parthian Empire Mithridates I Phraates Hyspaosines Artabanus Mithridates II Gotarzes Mithridates III Orodes I Sinatruces Phraates III Mithridates IV Orodes II Phraates IV Tiridates II Musa Phraates V Orodes III Vonones I Artabanus II Tiridates III Artabanus II Vardanes I Gotarzes II Meherdates Vonones II Vologases I Vardanes II Pacorus II Vologases II Artabanus III Osroes I Vologases III Parthamaspates Sinatruces II Mithridates V Vologases IV Osroes II Vologases V Vologases VI Artabanus IV Eucratides I 141 BCE – 30 CE Yuezhi Agesiles Sapadbizes Heraios 30–224 CE Kushan Empire Kujula Kadphises Vima Takto Vima Kadphises Kanishka I Huvishka Vasudeva I Saka 224–350 CE Sasanian Empire Ardashir I Shapur I Hormizd I Bahram I Bahram II Bahram III Narseh Hormizd II Adur Narseh Shapur II Ardashir II Shapur III Bahram IV Yazdegerd I Shapur IV Khosrow Bahram V Yazdegerd II Hormizd III Peroz I Balash Kavad I Jamasp Kavad I Khosrow I Hormizd IV Khosrow II Bahram VI Chobin Vistahm Khosrow II Kavad II Ardashir III Shahrbaraz Khosrow III Boran Shapur-i Shahrvaraz Azarmidokht Farrukh Hormizd Hormizd VI Khosrow IV Boran Yazdegerd III Peroz III Narsieh Kushano-Sasanians Ardashir I Peroz I Hormizd I Hormizd II Peroz II Varahran Kangju Wanunkhur 320–467 CE Kidarites Yosada Kirada Peroz Kidara Grumbates Kungas Brahmi Buddhatala Varhran (II) Tobazini 370–540 CE Alchon Huns Khingila I Javukha Mehama Lakhana Udayaditya Aduman Toramana Mihirakula 440–560 CE Hephthalites Akhshunwar Kun-khi Ghadfar 560–651 CE First Turkic Khaganate (Ashina Tuwu) Bumin Qaghan Issik Qaghan Muqan Qaghan Taspar Qaghan Ashina Anluo Ishbara Qaghan Bagha Qaghan Tulan Qaghan (Istämi) (Empress Ashina) (Apa Qaghan) (Yangsu Tegin) (Tamgan) 560–625 CE Western Turkic Khaganate (vassal of the Tang dynasty 657–742) Niri Qaghan Heshana Qaghan Sheguy Tong Yabghu Qaghan 625–651 CE Tokhara Yabghus Tardush Shad Ishbara Yabgu Wu-shih-po Pantu Nili Külüg Sibir Sy Yabghu Khagan Duolu Qaghan Ishbara Tolis Yukuk Shad Irbis Seguy Ashina Helu 651–673 CE Muslim conquest of Persia 673–751 CE Muslim conquest of Transoxiana Second Turkic Khaganate Rulers of the ancient Near-East

v t e Inner Asia history series
Nomadic empires	Xiongnu Xianbei Rouran Göktürks First Turkic Khaganate Eastern Turkic Khaganate Western Turkic Khaganate Second Turkic Khaganate Tibetan Zubu Uyghur Kyrgyz Mongol Tatar Khamag Mongol Mongol Empire Chagatai Timurid Dzungar
Chinese empires	Han against Xiongnu Protectorate of the Western Regions Chief Official Tang against Western Turks / Eastern Turks against Tibet Mongolian Plateau Beiting Tarim Basin Liao Western Liao Northern Liao Eastern Liao Later Liao Yuan against Northwest khanates Manchuria Mongolia Tibet Northern Yuan Ming against Mongols against Turpan Manchuria Tibet Qing against Dzungar genocide Lifan Yuan Amban Manchuria Mongolia Tibet Xinjiang
Related topics	The Cambridge History of Inner Asia Greater Central Asia Central Asia Eurasian nomads Tartary Chinese Tartary Western Regions (Chinese Turkestan) China proper Sinosphere Greater China

• Ashina tribe
• 552 establishments
• Göktürks
• Former countries in Chinese history
• Historical transcontinental empires
• Former empires
• Nomadic empires
• Khanates
• Former countries in Mongolian history