GOKTURK, The First Kingdom Of The Turks

Gokturk Continental

The name Turkey is found in the Qhuis Tolgoi inscription in Chinese literature since the 6th century AD, today there are seven countries with a majority Turkic nation, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. While countries with a Turkic minority include Uighurs in China, Tatars in Russia, Qasqay in Iran, Karaites in Ukraine and ethnic Huns in Hungary. 

The first kingdom of the ancient Turks was the Gokturk kingdom which came from the Ashina family of the northern Xiongnu tribe of mainland China, its king Named Bumin Qayan son of Ashina Tuwu, a tribal chief in the Roran Khaganate kingdom of the Mongolian plateau. 

Bumin Qayan founded the kingdom of Gokturk in 551 AD replacing the kingdom of Roran. The territory of the Gokturk kingdom started from Manchuria to the Black Sea. Bumin Qayan himself married the daughter of Changle, daughter of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. 

Bumin Qayan who founded the kingdom after allying with the Western Wei Dynasty of China to fight the kingdom of Roran after Bumin's intention to marry the princess of Roran was rejected by the royal ruler from Mongolia. 

After Bumin Qayan / Kaghan died he was succeeded by his brother named Istemi Yabghu in 553 and reached its peak of glory in 576, civil war made this kingdom divided into two in 582 into the Khanate or Kingdom of the western and eastern Turks, in 682 during the reign of Ilterish Kaghan the attempted unification was carried out but did not last long until the Uighurs overthrew the kingdom in 744 during the reign of Ozmis Kaghan.

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