First Turkic Khaganate

Quick Facts: Who was First Turkic Khaganate?

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First Turkic Khaganate

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A major Central Asian transcontinental empire founded by the Göktürks.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

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, the direct predecessor to the Orkhon Turkic of the Second Turkic Khaganate, the First Khaganate's early official texts and coins were written in Sogdian.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

It was the first Turkic state to use the name Türk politically. The Old Turkic script was invented in 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. 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.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The origins of the Turkic Khaganate 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 Khaganate. 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 Turks specialized in metallurgy, although it is unclear if they were miners or blacksmiths.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: First Turkic Khaganate

True or False: “The First Turkic Khaganate was continuously recognized as the sole dominant power across all of Central Asia until its final collapse in 744.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The khaganate collapsed in 603, leading to a split into Eastern and Western branches, which were subsequently conquered by other powers.

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