Taspar Khan
Encyclopedia
Taspar Qaghan or Tatpar Qaghan (Old Turkic: 
, Tatpar qaγan, 佗缽可汗/佗钵可汗, Pinyin
: tuóbō kěhàn, Wade-Giles
: t'o-po k'o-han) was the third son of Bumin Qaghan and Wei Changle (長樂公主), and the fourth khagan
of the Turkic Khaganate
(572
–581
). Unlike his father and older brothers he embraced Chinese culture
, especially Buddhism
. He was converted to Buddhism by the Qi
monk Huilin, for whom he built a pagoda
. Taspar's death marked the beginning of a long decline and subjugation of the Göktürks to China.
The third son of Tumen and fourth qaghan. Unlike his father and older brothers he embraced Chinese culture, especially Buddhism. He switched his alliance from Zhou to Qi and granted defeated Qi prince asylum. He was converted to Buddhism by the Qi monk Huilin (Jnagoupta), for whom he built a pagoda. He attacked Zhou repeatedly until they bought his goodwill with princess Zhou Tsienkien, whom they traded for the head of the Qi prince.
During his reign there was a veitable flood of Sogdian Manichiean refugees from Persia and Buddhist Refugees from Qi and Zhou. Both the result of pogroms. These Sogdians devised the Göktürk Runes to write the Turkic language, for translations of the sutras to Turkic. Notably the Nirvana Sutra.
Taspar's death created a dynastic crisis in the Khaganate. His Chinese wife Qianjin survived him, but Taspar bequeathed the throne of the Empire to Talopien, the son of his elder brother Muqan Qaghan. His bequest ran contrary to the traditional system of inheritance which demanded the throne to be passed to the son of the eldest brother, Ishbara. The council rejected the legality of Taspar's will and appointed Ishbrara as the next khagan. Talopien's faction did not recognize Ishbara and vice-versa. This crisis ultimately resulted in the civil war of 581-603, which greatly weakened the state.
, Tatpar qaγan, 佗缽可汗/佗钵可汗, PinyinPinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: tuóbō kěhàn, Wade-Giles
Wade-Giles
Wade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most...
: t'o-po k'o-han) was the third son of Bumin Qaghan and Wei Changle (長樂公主), and the fourth khagan
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...
of the Turkic Khaganate
Göktürks
The Göktürks or Kök Türks, were a nomadic confederation of peoples in medieval Inner Asia. Known in Chinese sources as 突厥 , the Göktürks under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan The Göktürks or Kök Türks, (Old Turkic: Türük or Kök Türük or Türük; Celestial Turks) were a nomadic confederation of...
(572
572
Year 572 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 572 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Byzantine Empire begins a war...
–581
581
Year 581 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 581 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Sui Dynasty replaces the Northern Zhou...
). Unlike his father and older brothers he embraced Chinese culture
Culture of China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest and most complex. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces...
, especially Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. He was converted to Buddhism by the Qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
monk Huilin, for whom he built a pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
. Taspar's death marked the beginning of a long decline and subjugation of the Göktürks to China.
The third son of Tumen and fourth qaghan. Unlike his father and older brothers he embraced Chinese culture, especially Buddhism. He switched his alliance from Zhou to Qi and granted defeated Qi prince asylum. He was converted to Buddhism by the Qi monk Huilin (Jnagoupta), for whom he built a pagoda. He attacked Zhou repeatedly until they bought his goodwill with princess Zhou Tsienkien, whom they traded for the head of the Qi prince.
During his reign there was a veitable flood of Sogdian Manichiean refugees from Persia and Buddhist Refugees from Qi and Zhou. Both the result of pogroms. These Sogdians devised the Göktürk Runes to write the Turkic language, for translations of the sutras to Turkic. Notably the Nirvana Sutra.
Taspar's death created a dynastic crisis in the Khaganate. His Chinese wife Qianjin survived him, but Taspar bequeathed the throne of the Empire to Talopien, the son of his elder brother Muqan Qaghan. His bequest ran contrary to the traditional system of inheritance which demanded the throne to be passed to the son of the eldest brother, Ishbara. The council rejected the legality of Taspar's will and appointed Ishbrara as the next khagan. Talopien's faction did not recognize Ishbara and vice-versa. This crisis ultimately resulted in the civil war of 581-603, which greatly weakened the state.
See also
- Gao ShaoyiGao ShaoyiGao Shaoyi , often known by his princely title of Prince of Fanyang , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi, who claimed the Northern Qi throne in exile under the protection of Tujue after rival Northern Zhou seized nearly all of Northern Qi territory and captured the emperors,...