Basmyl
Encyclopedia
The Basmyls were a 7–8th century Türkic nomadic tribe who mostly inhabited the Dzungaria
region in the northwest of the modern day People's Republic of China
. According to literary sources, the terms Basmyls and Basmals are readily interchangeable. Basmyls played a prominent role in the Eastern Türkic Kaganate, and at one time were the dynastic tribe who led the Khaganate
.
Basmyls were the first to use the term Idyk-kut, which replaced khagan in the titles of the Uyghur
rulers of Turpan. The second component kut/qut in the title is often found in Old Turk onomastics and titulature and has the lexical meaning "grace of heaven" or "blessing".
The Tszychji tuntszyan records that in 720 the dynastic Basmal clan were Ashina
who were descended from the Turkic peoples
(Ch. 突厥 pinyin Tu-jue). Today's Argyns
in the Kazakh
Middle Juz
are the former Basmals – these names are linguistically equivalent and mean "mixed tribe". In the 13th century Marco Polo
records that the prevailing tribe of Tanduk were Argon Christians (i.e. Argyns), which means Basmul. The mixed origins of the Basmals are confirmed by their comprising forty clans, as opposed to the three tribes of Karluks, nine tribes of Uyghurs and ten tribes of the Jeti-su Türks. Early Middle Age locations for the Basmals are given in the Tszychji tuntszyan, where the Basmals' residence is named as Beitin, on the Bogdoshan ridge in the Guchen area.
Eleventh century Turkic scholar Mahmut Kashgari lists the Basmyls as one of ten prominent Türkic tribes and enumerates the locations of the Türkic polities from the borders of Greece to the borders of China in the following sequence: Bechen (Badjinak), Kyfchak (Kipchak), Oguz
, Yemek
(Kimek
), Bashgyrt (Bashkort
), Basmyl, Kai, Yabaku
, Tatars
, Kyrgyz. Kashgari also noted that the Kai, Yabaku, Tatar, and Basmyl tribes are all bilingial, speaking Türkic alongside their own languages, while peoples including the Kyrgyzes, Kyfchaks, and Oguzes have their own Türkic languages, which are related to the languages of the Yemeks and Bashkirts
.
, Kipchaks
, and Hun descendants the Chuyue, Chumi and Shato. In 641 disgruntled tribes, including the Dzunaria Basmyls, joined a revolt by pretender to the throne Yugu-Ukuk. The Chinese Tang
empire used the turmoil in the Western Türkic Kaganate to become the dominant regional power, and by 649, as a result of the military defeats, Bukhara
and the Basmyls submitted to the Tang rulers.
. The Chinese thought such an idea absurd, and ignored it in their acts, causing further problems on top of existing resentment of the greedy bureaucracy. This 52-year period of relative quiet ended with the rise of the restored Eastern Türkic Kaganate, and its recapture of Dzungaria and the Dzungarian Basmyls by Kutlug
and Kul Tegin
.
, Chuy
, or Türkut group, but are first known as one of the five Dulu tribes. The Türgeshes numbered 5–700,000, and although this represented a large state for the time, they were under pressure from Arabs from the south. Given the complexity of the situation, Tang diplomacy succeeded in drawing the Basmyls into an anti-Türkic alliance that already included the Kidans
, Tatabs, and a 300,000 strong Tang expeditionary army. This involved the Basmyls into one of the most exciting events of the century, and bestowed on them a place in the most celebrated Türkic compositions of the 8th century.
Under an unrealistic plan concocted in 720 in Chang'an
, China against the Türkic Kaganate, the Manchurian Kidans
and Tatabs, and the south-western Dzungaria Basmyls were to simultaneously converge on the Bilge-kagan
court from different directions. The Yenisei Kyrgyzes were also pressing from the north, and the Türgeshes from the west. Bilge-kagan's chancellor Tonyukuk
developed a counter-plan, which involved facing the enemies one at a time, and the use of audacity and speed to compensate for their lack of forces. At the beginning of the subsequent war, the Basmyls were the first allies to joing the Türkic horde but failing to find any other coalition forces turned back. Tonyukuk's Türks left them alone and following a forced march came to Bishbalyk (Ch. Beitin), which they took by surprise attack. By the time the exhausted men and horses of the Basmyls reached Bishbalyk, instead of rest and provisions they found an enemy waiting. Surrounded under the walls of the fortress, the Basmyls surrendered, and the whole campaign fell apart. The war was immortalized in the Orkhon inscriptions on the Bilge-kagan
and Tonyukuk
monuments.
Another inscription on the same monument takes a completely different view of the Bishbalyk operation. Likely written by a Basmyl resting behind the walls of the Bishbalyk fortress who was later probably ambushed and captured, this inscription is of dual interest as a historical document and a cultural monument. It is the first Turkic poem to be written with rhythm and rhyme, with syllabic
rhythm of 4, 5, and 8 syllables in three lines making a stanza
, where the eight syllable lines have central rhyme sounds as two tetrameter
lines. The defeated Basmyl carved his composition on the rock: "In the Year of Monkey, in the ninth month, we secretly went to Bishbalyk. A felicitous hero is in hardship, his army in ambush. Let this man be happy there!"
's daughter Katun-mother Po-beg had managed to consolidate power into her hands. She then entrusted rule to a favorite, a lowly tarkhan
, causing discontentment within the upper nobility. The Eastern Shad
Pan-kül attacked the court, killed Tengri-khan, and enthroned a son of the deceased. But Kut Yabgu
(Chinese Gudu), a rival of Pan-kül, killed the new kagan after replacing him with his brother, then in 741 Kut killed his protege and usurped the throne.
In 742 the Uyghurs, Basmals and Karluks rebelled simultaneously, attacking and killing the usurper then quickly created their own state. The Basmyl leader became supreme Khan, the leader of Uyghurs an eastern Yabgu
, and the elteber
of Karluks became a western Yabgu. The warring Türkic nobles came to terms and chose Pan-kül's son as Khagan with the title of Ozmysh. These events were recorded in the "Selenga stone
" inscription, which immortalized the feats of the Uyghur khan Moyanchur
(Bayanchur
).
The Tang court offered Ozmysh-khan asylum whereupon he sent his son to China with five thousand covered wagons containing families, and fled his horde. In 744 the Basmyls killed Ozmysh-khan and sent his head to Chang'an. His brother Baimei-khan Kulun-beg was enthroned in his place, but most of the Türkic nobles joined in the election of the Basmyl leader Elterish (Ch. Sede Ishi) as supreme Khagan. The allies soon split apart; Uyghur leader Peilo attacked and defeated the Basmyls whose leader Elterish-kagan was beheaded and his head was sent to Changan with an offer to recognize Peilo with the title Kutlug-Bilge Kül-khan. The Basmyls, under pressure from the Karluks, then joined with the Uyghurs.
or Nine Tribes. Unlike the Ashina
Türks, Tokuz-Oguz
Uyghurs were a leading but not a dominating tribe. After quelling the Basmyls and Karluks, the Uyghurs accepted them as equals.
and Herat
are known from the 5th century onwards. For a time Christian merchants competed with the Jews, who eventually took control of the trade between China and Provence
. The Turkic Kaganate with its harmonous system of ideological and political doctrines had no use for foreign religions, but the Dzungaria Türks, closely connected with caravan roads and trading cities, absorbed these ideas which they then carried worldwide alongside their goods. The spread of Christianity in the Türkic Kaganate proved minor, because the Türks maintained their own creed to bind the state together. However, the fall of the Kaganate stimulated successes for Christian proselytizing amongst the Karluks and Basmals. The Basmals widely adopted Christianity having absorbed most of the Türkic Kaganate fragments. The Argyns as descendants of Basmyls, retained Christianity until the 13th century, a religion that was also successful in the east among the Uyghurs. When a new war between the Uyghurs and Türgeshes flared up in 752, the anti-Uyghur coalition united Basmyls, Türgeshes, and defenders of the "trinity".
" are a main source for the record of events around 750. In 753, the Uyghurs continued their violent struggle against the Basmyls and Karluks. The war ended in 755 with the Uyghurs subduing the Karluk's eastern pasturing routes extending to Saur
and Tarbagatai
.
The Uyghur tribal confederation consisted of a leading Tokuz-Oguz tribe, which incorporated Basmyls and eastern Karluks, six Tele
tribes of Buguhun, Baiyrku, Tongra, Syge and Kibi, legally considered equal, and several subjugated tribes who paid tribute to the Tokuz-Oguz Khan Yaglakar family. The Tokuz-Oguz tribe were in a privileged position not only in respect to the tribal union, but also vis-a-vis the Basmyls and Karluks, who in battles were always "sent in front", because they were less valued and protected.
In Dzungaria, the Basmyls lived next to the Karluks and Baiyrku, who were apparently one of the numerous tribes which in 747 battled against the Uyghurs on the side of the Basmyls. Another neighbor east of the Türgeshes were the Ograk, one of the aborigional tribes of Dzungaria, still known in the 1st century BCE as Uge. A community of Yduk-kas ("Holy People"), a reference to a Christian community, are mentioned as the Uch-Yduk ("Three Yduks") in the Orkhon inscriptions also resided within Basmyl territory.
The Basmyls remained within the Uyghur Kaganate, so called after the Uyghurs captured the leadership of the Türkic Kaganate in 752, until its demise at the hands of Yenisei Kyrgyzes in 840.
direct rule 1212-1335, Chagatai
and Mogulistan 1227-1348
Empire (Djungars) 1694-1758
In modern times, people of Argyn tribe is one of the main constituents of the Kazakh
people, and a main component in the Middle Juz
sub-confederation in Kazakhstan
, which historically consisted of three tribal conglomerations of Senior Juz
, Middle Juz
, and Junior Juz
.
Former Basmals are the present Argyns
in the Kazakh
Middle Juz
, these names are equivalent ("mixed tribe"). As a proof serves the description of the "Tanduk" country by Marko Polo, which says that the prevailing tribe of that country are Argon Christians (i.e. Argyns), which means Basmul. Early Middle Age location of Basmals are given in the Tszychji tuntszyan, where Basmals' residence is named in Beitin, in the Bogdoshan ridge in Guchen area.
Dzungaria
Dzungaria, also called Zungaria, is a geographical region in northwest China corresponding to the northern half of Xinjiang. It covers approximately , lying mostly within Xinjiang, and extending into western Mongolia and eastern Kazakhstan...
region in the northwest of the modern day People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. According to literary sources, the terms Basmyls and Basmals are readily interchangeable. Basmyls played a prominent role in the Eastern Türkic Kaganate, and at one time were the dynastic tribe who led the Khaganate
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
.
Basmyls were the first to use the term Idyk-kut, which replaced khagan in the titles of the Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
rulers of Turpan. The second component kut/qut in the title is often found in Old Turk onomastics and titulature and has the lexical meaning "grace of heaven" or "blessing".
The Tszychji tuntszyan records that in 720 the dynastic Basmal clan were Ashina
Ashina
Ashina was a tribe and the ruling dynasty of the ancient Turks who rose to prominence in the mid-6th century when their leader, Bumin Khan, revolted against the Rouran...
who were descended from the Turkic peoples
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
(Ch. 突厥 pinyin Tu-jue). Today's Argyns
Argyns
Argyn tribe is one of the main constituents of the Kazakh people, of possibly Mongol descent , and a main component in the Middle jüz sub-confederation in Kazakhstan, which historically consisted of three tribal conglomerations of Great jüz, Middle jüz, and Little jüz.Present Argyns in the Kazakh...
in the Kazakh
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia ....
Middle Juz
Middle Juz
Middle jüz is one of three main traditional divisions of the Kazakh nation. The other two are Great jüz and Little jüz.Middle jüz consists of six tribes. The tribes, in turn, are subdivided into clans, creating a hierarchical pyramid of affiliations. Some historians claim that Middle Juz have...
are the former Basmals – these names are linguistically equivalent and mean "mixed tribe". In the 13th century Marco Polo
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
records that the prevailing tribe of Tanduk were Argon Christians (i.e. Argyns), which means Basmul. The mixed origins of the Basmals are confirmed by their comprising forty clans, as opposed to the three tribes of Karluks, nine tribes of Uyghurs and ten tribes of the Jeti-su Türks. Early Middle Age locations for the Basmals are given in the Tszychji tuntszyan, where the Basmals' residence is named as Beitin, on the Bogdoshan ridge in the Guchen area.
Eleventh century Turkic scholar Mahmut Kashgari lists the Basmyls as one of ten prominent Türkic tribes and enumerates the locations of the Türkic polities from the borders of Greece to the borders of China in the following sequence: Bechen (Badjinak), Kyfchak (Kipchak), Oguz
Oguz
Oghuz is a rayon of Azerbaijan. The population of the region consisted of Azerbaijanis....
, Yemek
Kimek
The Kimek or Kimak were one of the Turkic tribes known from Arab and Persian medieval geographers as one of the seven tribes in the Kimek Khanate in the period of 743-1050 AD. The other six constituent tribes, according to Abu Said Gardizi The Kimek or Kimak (Yemek, Yamak, Djamuk) were one of the...
(Kimek
Kimek
The Kimek or Kimak were one of the Turkic tribes known from Arab and Persian medieval geographers as one of the seven tribes in the Kimek Khanate in the period of 743-1050 AD. The other six constituent tribes, according to Abu Said Gardizi The Kimek or Kimak (Yemek, Yamak, Djamuk) were one of the...
), Bashgyrt (Bashkort
Bashkirs
The Bashkirs are a Turkic people indigenous to Bashkortostan extending on both parts of the Ural mountains, on the place where Europe meets Asia. Groups of Bashkirs also live in the republic of Tatarstan, Perm Krai, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Samara and Saratov Oblasts of...
), Basmyl, Kai, Yabaku
Yabaku
Yabaku is a fairly enigmatic tribe out of ten prominent Türkic tribes enumerated by Mahmut Kashgari in the list describing the location of the Türkic polities from the borders of Greece to the borders of China in the following sequence: Bechen , Kyfchak , Oguz, Yemek , Bashgyrt , Basmyl, Kai,...
, Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
, Kyrgyz. Kashgari also noted that the Kai, Yabaku, Tatar, and Basmyl tribes are all bilingial, speaking Türkic alongside their own languages, while peoples including the Kyrgyzes, Kyfchaks, and Oguzes have their own Türkic languages, which are related to the languages of the Yemeks and Bashkirts
Bashkirs
The Bashkirs are a Turkic people indigenous to Bashkortostan extending on both parts of the Ural mountains, on the place where Europe meets Asia. Groups of Bashkirs also live in the republic of Tatarstan, Perm Krai, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Samara and Saratov Oblasts of...
.
Türkic period
From their inception in 552, the Basmyls were members of the First Türkic Kaganate. When this split into Eastern and Western Kaganates in 604, the Basmyls found themselves in the Western Türkic Kaganate, dominated by the Türkuts of the east. Following state administrative reforms in favor of the eastern part of the Kaganate, the Basmyls lost their position of primacy along with the tribes of Karluks, YagmaYagma
The Yagma were a medieval tribe of Turks whose members are among the ancestors of modern Uigurs and Uzbeks. Yagma is one of the Turkic tribes that came to the forefront of history after the disintegration of the Western Turkic Kaganate. They were one component of a three-member confederation known...
, Kipchaks
Kipchaks
Kipchaks were a Turkic tribal confederation...
, and Hun descendants the Chuyue, Chumi and Shato. In 641 disgruntled tribes, including the Dzunaria Basmyls, joined a revolt by pretender to the throne Yugu-Ukuk. The Chinese Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
empire used the turmoil in the Western Türkic Kaganate to become the dominant regional power, and by 649, as a result of the military defeats, Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
and the Basmyls submitted to the Tang rulers.
Chinese vassalage period
The period from 649 to 703 is the best documented in Basmyl history due to the existence of Chinese annalistic records. This was also a prosperous period; vassalage did not impose any obligations and was instead afforded Chinese luxuries provided as gifts, until the Tang emperors felt confident enough to introduce their own bureaucracy to supplant the rule of the traditional Türkic nobility. According to ancient Türkic succession law, a brother succeeded a brother, and a nephew succeeded his uncle in a process of lateral successionOrder of succession
An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...
. The Chinese thought such an idea absurd, and ignored it in their acts, causing further problems on top of existing resentment of the greedy bureaucracy. This 52-year period of relative quiet ended with the rise of the restored Eastern Türkic Kaganate, and its recapture of Dzungaria and the Dzungarian Basmyls by Kutlug
Uyghur timeline
This timeline is a supplement of the main article Uyghur. Dealing with the centuries between 400 and 900 AD, it refers to a critical period in the cultural formation of the Uyghur nation, as they transitioned from a minor Turkic tribe to an empire....
and Kul Tegin
Kul Tigin
Kul Tigin Kul Tigin Kul Tigin (Old Turkic:, Kultegin, (闕特勒/阙特勤, Pinyin: quètèqín, Wade-Giles: chüeh-t'e-ch'in, ? - 575 AD) was a general of the Second Turkic Kaganate. He was a second son of Ilterish Shad and the younger brother of Bilge Kagan....
.
Türkic-Türgesh period
Because Chinese Tang forces in the "Western Territories" were negligible, to resist the restoration of the Türkic Kaganate, the Tang government had to accede to the rise of Türgeshes, a nation descendent from Abars and Mukri, under the leadership of an Uchjile. In effect, the territory captured by Tang by 659 was divided between the Chinese, the Türkic Kaganate, and Türgeshes, a people who did not belong to the TieleTiele people
The Tiele or Tele , were a confederation of nine Turkic peoples living to the north of China and in Central Asia, emerging after the disintegration of the Xiongnu confederacy...
, Chuy
Chuy
Chuy is a town in the extreme east of Uruguay, in the Rocha Department, northeast of Montevideo. It lies on the border with Brazil, separated from its Brazilian sister town of Chui only by a shared avenue that serves as the border, and by the Arroyo Chuy to the east...
, or Türkut group, but are first known as one of the five Dulu tribes. The Türgeshes numbered 5–700,000, and although this represented a large state for the time, they were under pressure from Arabs from the south. Given the complexity of the situation, Tang diplomacy succeeded in drawing the Basmyls into an anti-Türkic alliance that already included the Kidans
Khitan people
thumb|250px|Khitans [[Eagle hunting|using eagles to hunt]], painted during the Chinese [[Song Dynasty]].The Khitan people , or Khitai, Kitan, or Kidan, were a nomadic Mongolic people, originally located at Mongolia and Manchuria from the 4th century...
, Tatabs, and a 300,000 strong Tang expeditionary army. This involved the Basmyls into one of the most exciting events of the century, and bestowed on them a place in the most celebrated Türkic compositions of the 8th century.
Under an unrealistic plan concocted in 720 in Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
, China against the Türkic Kaganate, the Manchurian Kidans
Khitan people
thumb|250px|Khitans [[Eagle hunting|using eagles to hunt]], painted during the Chinese [[Song Dynasty]].The Khitan people , or Khitai, Kitan, or Kidan, were a nomadic Mongolic people, originally located at Mongolia and Manchuria from the 4th century...
and Tatabs, and the south-western Dzungaria Basmyls were to simultaneously converge on the Bilge-kagan
Bilge Khan
Bilge Qaghan was khagan of the Second Eastern Turkic Khaganate...
court from different directions. The Yenisei Kyrgyzes were also pressing from the north, and the Türgeshes from the west. Bilge-kagan's chancellor Tonyukuk
Tonyukuk
Tonyukuk Tonyukuk Tonyukuk (Old Turkic: , Bilge Tuňuquq, died c. 724 AD, (暾欲穀/暾欲谷, Pinyin: tūnyùgǔ, personal name: Ashide Yuanzhen 阿史德元珍, āshǐdé yuánzhēn, a-shih-te yüan-chen) was the yabgu and commander-in-chief of four Göktürk khagans, the best known of whom is Bilge Khan. He played a major role...
developed a counter-plan, which involved facing the enemies one at a time, and the use of audacity and speed to compensate for their lack of forces. At the beginning of the subsequent war, the Basmyls were the first allies to joing the Türkic horde but failing to find any other coalition forces turned back. Tonyukuk's Türks left them alone and following a forced march came to Bishbalyk (Ch. Beitin), which they took by surprise attack. By the time the exhausted men and horses of the Basmyls reached Bishbalyk, instead of rest and provisions they found an enemy waiting. Surrounded under the walls of the fortress, the Basmyls surrendered, and the whole campaign fell apart. The war was immortalized in the Orkhon inscriptions on the Bilge-kagan
Bilge Khan
Bilge Qaghan was khagan of the Second Eastern Turkic Khaganate...
and Tonyukuk
Tonyukuk
Tonyukuk Tonyukuk Tonyukuk (Old Turkic: , Bilge Tuňuquq, died c. 724 AD, (暾欲穀/暾欲谷, Pinyin: tūnyùgǔ, personal name: Ashide Yuanzhen 阿史德元珍, āshǐdé yuánzhēn, a-shih-te yüan-chen) was the yabgu and commander-in-chief of four Göktürk khagans, the best known of whom is Bilge Khan. He played a major role...
monuments.
Another inscription on the same monument takes a completely different view of the Bishbalyk operation. Likely written by a Basmyl resting behind the walls of the Bishbalyk fortress who was later probably ambushed and captured, this inscription is of dual interest as a historical document and a cultural monument. It is the first Turkic poem to be written with rhythm and rhyme, with syllabic
Syllabic
Syllabic may refer to:*Canadian Aboriginal syllabics, a family of abugidas used to write a number of Aboriginal Canadian languages.*Syllabary, writing system using symbols for syllables...
rhythm of 4, 5, and 8 syllables in three lines making a stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
, where the eight syllable lines have central rhyme sounds as two tetrameter
Tetrameter
Tetrameter: [ti'tramitə]; te·tram·e·ter; a verse of four measuresOrigin: early 17th century : from late Latin tetrametrus, originally neuter from Greek tetrametros 'having four measures,' from tetra- 'four' + metron 'measure'....
lines. The defeated Basmyl carved his composition on the rock: "In the Year of Monkey, in the ninth month, we secretly went to Bishbalyk. A felicitous hero is in hardship, his army in ambush. Let this man be happy there!"
Second Turkic Kaganate
A turbulent period in the history of the Second Turkic Kaganate began in 740. During Tengri-khan's rule, TonyukukTonyukuk
Tonyukuk Tonyukuk Tonyukuk (Old Turkic: , Bilge Tuňuquq, died c. 724 AD, (暾欲穀/暾欲谷, Pinyin: tūnyùgǔ, personal name: Ashide Yuanzhen 阿史德元珍, āshǐdé yuánzhēn, a-shih-te yüan-chen) was the yabgu and commander-in-chief of four Göktürk khagans, the best known of whom is Bilge Khan. He played a major role...
's daughter Katun-mother Po-beg had managed to consolidate power into her hands. She then entrusted rule to a favorite, a lowly tarkhan
Tarkhan
Tarkhan is an ancient Central Asian title used by various Indo-European Tarkhan (Old Turkic Tarqan; Mongolian: Darkhan; ; ; ; alternative spellings Tarkan, Tarkhaan, Tarqan, Tarchan, Tarxan, Tarcan or Targan) is an ancient Central Asian title used by various Indo-European Tarkhan (Old Turkic...
, causing discontentment within the upper nobility. The Eastern Shad
Shad
The shads or river herrings comprise the genus Alosa, fish related to herring in the family Clupeidae. They are distinct from others in that family by having a deeper body and spawning in rivers. The several species frequent different areas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea....
Pan-kül attacked the court, killed Tengri-khan, and enthroned a son of the deceased. But Kut Yabgu
Yabgu
Yabgu was a state office in the early Turkic states, roughly equivalent to viceroy...
(Chinese Gudu), a rival of Pan-kül, killed the new kagan after replacing him with his brother, then in 741 Kut killed his protege and usurped the throne.
In 742 the Uyghurs, Basmals and Karluks rebelled simultaneously, attacking and killing the usurper then quickly created their own state. The Basmyl leader became supreme Khan, the leader of Uyghurs an eastern Yabgu
Yabgu
Yabgu was a state office in the early Turkic states, roughly equivalent to viceroy...
, and the elteber
Elteber
Elteber was the client king of an autonomous but tributary tribe or polity in the hierarchy of the Turkic khaganates and Khazar Khaganate....
of Karluks became a western Yabgu. The warring Türkic nobles came to terms and chose Pan-kül's son as Khagan with the title of Ozmysh. These events were recorded in the "Selenga stone
Bayanchur Khan
Bayanchur Khan , was an Uyghur khagan from 747 to 759 AD. His official titles were "Ay Tengrida Qut Bolmish" and "El Etmish Bilge Qaghan" . His Tang Dynasty-invested title was Yingwuweiyuanpiqiejuo Khan or Yingwu Khan in short...
" inscription, which immortalized the feats of the Uyghur khan Moyanchur
Bayanchur Khan
Bayanchur Khan , was an Uyghur khagan from 747 to 759 AD. His official titles were "Ay Tengrida Qut Bolmish" and "El Etmish Bilge Qaghan" . His Tang Dynasty-invested title was Yingwuweiyuanpiqiejuo Khan or Yingwu Khan in short...
(Bayanchur
Bayanchur Khan
Bayanchur Khan , was an Uyghur khagan from 747 to 759 AD. His official titles were "Ay Tengrida Qut Bolmish" and "El Etmish Bilge Qaghan" . His Tang Dynasty-invested title was Yingwuweiyuanpiqiejuo Khan or Yingwu Khan in short...
).
The Tang court offered Ozmysh-khan asylum whereupon he sent his son to China with five thousand covered wagons containing families, and fled his horde. In 744 the Basmyls killed Ozmysh-khan and sent his head to Chang'an. His brother Baimei-khan Kulun-beg was enthroned in his place, but most of the Türkic nobles joined in the election of the Basmyl leader Elterish (Ch. Sede Ishi) as supreme Khagan. The allies soon split apart; Uyghur leader Peilo attacked and defeated the Basmyls whose leader Elterish-kagan was beheaded and his head was sent to Changan with an offer to recognize Peilo with the title Kutlug-Bilge Kül-khan. The Basmyls, under pressure from the Karluks, then joined with the Uyghurs.
Uyghur Period
Kypchak Türkic domination over the Uyghur lasted for the 50 years from 688 to 741. The Uyghur leader received the title Shadfrom his father and in 742 consolidated his people into the Tokuz-OguzesTokuz-Oguzes
Toquz Oghuz is a political alliance of nine Turkic tribes. Toquz Oghuz consolidated within the Turkic Kaganate , and after its fragmentation preserved their union...
or Nine Tribes. Unlike the Ashina
Ashina
Ashina was a tribe and the ruling dynasty of the ancient Turks who rose to prominence in the mid-6th century when their leader, Bumin Khan, revolted against the Rouran...
Türks, Tokuz-Oguz
Tokuz-Oguzes
Toquz Oghuz is a political alliance of nine Turkic tribes. Toquz Oghuz consolidated within the Turkic Kaganate , and after its fragmentation preserved their union...
Uyghurs were a leading but not a dominating tribe. After quelling the Basmyls and Karluks, the Uyghurs accepted them as equals.
Christianity
Nestorian bishops in MervMerv
Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of...
and Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
are known from the 5th century onwards. For a time Christian merchants competed with the Jews, who eventually took control of the trade between China and Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
. The Turkic Kaganate with its harmonous system of ideological and political doctrines had no use for foreign religions, but the Dzungaria Türks, closely connected with caravan roads and trading cities, absorbed these ideas which they then carried worldwide alongside their goods. The spread of Christianity in the Türkic Kaganate proved minor, because the Türks maintained their own creed to bind the state together. However, the fall of the Kaganate stimulated successes for Christian proselytizing amongst the Karluks and Basmals. The Basmals widely adopted Christianity having absorbed most of the Türkic Kaganate fragments. The Argyns as descendants of Basmyls, retained Christianity until the 13th century, a religion that was also successful in the east among the Uyghurs. When a new war between the Uyghurs and Türgeshes flared up in 752, the anti-Uyghur coalition united Basmyls, Türgeshes, and defenders of the "trinity".
Uyghur kaganate
Inscriptions on the "Selenga stoneBayanchur Khan
Bayanchur Khan , was an Uyghur khagan from 747 to 759 AD. His official titles were "Ay Tengrida Qut Bolmish" and "El Etmish Bilge Qaghan" . His Tang Dynasty-invested title was Yingwuweiyuanpiqiejuo Khan or Yingwu Khan in short...
" are a main source for the record of events around 750. In 753, the Uyghurs continued their violent struggle against the Basmyls and Karluks. The war ended in 755 with the Uyghurs subduing the Karluk's eastern pasturing routes extending to Saur
Saur
The Dog king is a Scandinavian tradition which appears in several Scandinavian sources: Chronicon Lethrense, Annals of Lund, Gesta Danorum , Heimskringla , Hversu Noregr byggðist and probably also in Skáldatal.The Chronicon Lethrense and Annals of Lund tell that on the death of the 6th century...
and Tarbagatai
Tarbagatai
Tarbagatai or Tarbagatay may refer to:Mountain ranges:*The Tarbagatai Mountains between Xinjiang, China and Kazakhstan*In Mongolia, a part of the Khangai range along the border of Zavkhan, Arkhangai, and Khövsgöl Province aimags is called Tarvagatai...
.
The Uyghur tribal confederation consisted of a leading Tokuz-Oguz tribe, which incorporated Basmyls and eastern Karluks, six Tele
Tiele
Tiele may refer to:*Tiele people, an ancient people of Central Asia*Tiele, Mali, commune and town*Cornelis Petrus Tiele...
tribes of Buguhun, Baiyrku, Tongra, Syge and Kibi, legally considered equal, and several subjugated tribes who paid tribute to the Tokuz-Oguz Khan Yaglakar family. The Tokuz-Oguz tribe were in a privileged position not only in respect to the tribal union, but also vis-a-vis the Basmyls and Karluks, who in battles were always "sent in front", because they were less valued and protected.
In Dzungaria, the Basmyls lived next to the Karluks and Baiyrku, who were apparently one of the numerous tribes which in 747 battled against the Uyghurs on the side of the Basmyls. Another neighbor east of the Türgeshes were the Ograk, one of the aborigional tribes of Dzungaria, still known in the 1st century BCE as Uge. A community of Yduk-kas ("Holy People"), a reference to a Christian community, are mentioned as the Uch-Yduk ("Three Yduks") in the Orkhon inscriptions also resided within Basmyl territory.
The Basmyls remained within the Uyghur Kaganate, so called after the Uyghurs captured the leadership of the Türkic Kaganate in 752, until its demise at the hands of Yenisei Kyrgyzes in 840.
Mongols, Chagatai, Mogulistan periods
MongolsMongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
direct rule 1212-1335, Chagatai
Chagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate was a Turko-Mongol khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan , second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors...
and Mogulistan 1227-1348
Kalmyk period
Dzungarian KalmykKalmyk people
Kalmyk people is the name given to the Oirats, western Mongols in Russia, whose descendants migrated from Dzhungaria in 1607. Today they form a majority in the autonomous Republic of Kalmykia on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Kalmykia is Europe's only Buddhist government...
Empire (Djungars) 1694-1758
Modern time
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia ....
people, and a main component in the Middle Juz
Middle Juz
Middle jüz is one of three main traditional divisions of the Kazakh nation. The other two are Great jüz and Little jüz.Middle jüz consists of six tribes. The tribes, in turn, are subdivided into clans, creating a hierarchical pyramid of affiliations. Some historians claim that Middle Juz have...
sub-confederation in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, which historically consisted of three tribal conglomerations of Senior Juz
Senior juz
Great jüz is one of three traditional unions of the pastoral tribes of the Central Asian steppe area within the territories of modern Southeastern and southern Kazakhstan, parts of Northwestern China and parts of Uzbekistan. In contemporary Kazakhstan, the Great jüz is regarded as one of the...
, Middle Juz
Middle Juz
Middle jüz is one of three main traditional divisions of the Kazakh nation. The other two are Great jüz and Little jüz.Middle jüz consists of six tribes. The tribes, in turn, are subdivided into clans, creating a hierarchical pyramid of affiliations. Some historians claim that Middle Juz have...
, and Junior Juz
Junior Jüz
Little jüz or Alshyns are the Western subgroup of the Kazakhs. They originate from the Nogais of the Nogai Horde, which once was placed in Western Kazakhstan, but in the 16th century it was defeated by the Kazakhs and the Russians and Nogais retreated to the Western part of their khanate, to the...
.
Former Basmals are the present Argyns
Argyns
Argyn tribe is one of the main constituents of the Kazakh people, of possibly Mongol descent , and a main component in the Middle jüz sub-confederation in Kazakhstan, which historically consisted of three tribal conglomerations of Great jüz, Middle jüz, and Little jüz.Present Argyns in the Kazakh...
in the Kazakh
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia ....
Middle Juz
Middle Juz
Middle jüz is one of three main traditional divisions of the Kazakh nation. The other two are Great jüz and Little jüz.Middle jüz consists of six tribes. The tribes, in turn, are subdivided into clans, creating a hierarchical pyramid of affiliations. Some historians claim that Middle Juz have...
, these names are equivalent ("mixed tribe"). As a proof serves the description of the "Tanduk" country by Marko Polo, which says that the prevailing tribe of that country are Argon Christians (i.e. Argyns), which means Basmul. Early Middle Age location of Basmals are given in the Tszychji tuntszyan, where Basmals' residence is named in Beitin, in the Bogdoshan ridge in Guchen area.