Göktürk civil war

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Göktürk civil war
The khaganate in 552
Gokturk khaganates at their height, c. 600 AD:
  Western Gokturk: Lighter area is direct rule, darker areas show sphere of influence.
  Eastern Gokturk: Lighter area is direct rule, darker areas show sphere of influence.

The Göktürk civil war or Turkic interregnum was a number of political crises in the Turkic Khaganate first between 583 and 603, which resulted in the split of the khaganate into Western and Eastern.[citation needed]

Background

Main article: Göktürks
Western and Eastern Turkic Khaganates in 600 AD

The Turkic Khaganate was an empire stretching between the

kurultay
(council of tribe leaders), normally from the sons, brothers of nephews of the last ruler.

Beginning of the interregnum

In 581, the fourth khagan, Taspar Qaghan, died. There were four claimants to the throne. The personal and regnal names are shown below:

father,
grandfather 		Regnal name

(Chinese reading)

Personal name

(Chinese reading)

Regnal name

(Turkic reading by Gumilev)[1]

Personal name

(Turkic reading by Gumilev)[1]

Amrak
 Taspar, Bumin Di-er ke-han An-luo NA Амрак (Amrak)
Apa Qaghan Muqan, Bumin A-po K'o-han Ta-lo-pien Апа-хан (Apa-khan) Торэмен (Töremen)
Ishbara Qaghan Issik, Bumin Sha-po-lüeh K'o-han, She-t'u Бага Ышбара-хан (Bağa Işbara-han) Иль-кюлюг шад (İl-külüg şad)
Tardu Istämi Ta-t'ou K'o-han Tien-chüeh Тардуш-хан, Боке-хан (Tardu-khan, Böke-khan) Кара-Чурин Тюрк (Kara-Çürin Türk)

Bumin founded the dynasty and was followed in succession by his three sons: Issik, Muqan and Taspar. Prince Anlo was Taspar Qaghan's son, Talopien (Apa Qaghan) and Shetu (Ishbara Qaghan) were Taspar's nephews, while Tien-chueh (Tardu) was Taspar's cousin. (see Göktürk family tree)

Before dying, Taspar Qaghan had announced his preference for Apa Qaghan (then called Talopien) to succeed him instead of his son Anlo, although he had no right to determine the succession. During the

kurultay after Taspar's death, Ishbara (then called Shetu), who was also a claimant, saw that he had no chance and supported the pacifist[citation needed] Anlo against Apa on the ground that Apa's mother was not of noble birth.[2] He threatened the kurultay that in case of Apa's election he would revolt. Thus the kurultay[citation needed] appointed Anlo as the new khan. However Anlo's regency was short-lived because of the reaction of Apa's partisans. Anlo quickly renounced the title on behalf of his powerful ally Shetu (Ishbara) who became the khan with the regnal name Ishbara Qaghan.[2]

Partition

Ishbara Qaghan held the center, residing in the holy forest

Ötüken in modern-day central Mongolia. Tardush held the far west in what was becoming the Western Turkic Khaganate. The third khagan was Anlo, who controlled the region around the Tuul River near Ulaanbaatar. Apa Qaghan, was sovereign in the northern territories.[3]

Civil war

In 584, Ishbara Qaghan raided Apa Qaghan's territory and killed the Apa Qaghan's mother. Apa Qaghan took refuge in the west and allied himself with its powerful ruler

Poykent near Bukhara (in modern Uzbekistan). However, in his new territory, the former alliance broke and he lost the support of Tardu because of the disagreement over the control of the Silk Road
. In 587, both Ishbara Qaghan and Apa Qaghan died.

Aftermath

After Ishbara and Apa died the east was held by Ishbara's brother Bagha Qaghan (587-89) and Ishbara's son Tulan Qaghan (589-99), while the west remained under Tardush (587-603). After Tulan's death Tardush briefly reunified east and west, but after 603 the two halves were definitely separated.

End of the first khaganate

There was a power vacuum between 630 and 682 after the Eastern Khaganate was conquered in 630 and the Western Khaganate in 657 by the

Tang.[5] In 682 the Göktürks regained their independence and established the Second Turkic Khaganate. Ashina Qutlugh was enthroned with the title Ilterish Qaghan.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Turkic reading in the onomastic table of Ancient Turks by Lev Gumilev, Лев Николаевич Гумилёв, «Древние тюрки», 1967 г, С. 463-469, Ономастическая таблица. (in Russian)
  2. ^ a b Book of Sui, Vol. 84
  3. ISBN 975-7856-39-8
    p. 140
  4. ^ Ahmet TAŞAĞIL, (2011), Orta Asya Türk Tarihi, p. 13 (in Turkish)
  5. ^ Ahmet TAŞAĞIL, (2011), Orta Asya Türk Tarihi, p. 14 (in Turkish)
  6. ^ (Taşağıl, (2014), p. 334)
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