Ashina She'er (阿史那社爾) was a Turkic prince and general in Tang military. He also briefly claimed the

Western Turkic Khaganate The Western Turkic Khaganate () or Onoq Khaganate ( otk, 𐰆𐰣:𐰸:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣, On oq budun, Ten arrow people) was a Turkic khaganate in Eurasia, formed as a result of the wars in the beginning of the 7th century (593–603 CE) after t ...

in 628-634 centered around Beshbaliq

Early life

He was born in 609 as second the son of Chuluo Qaghan. He was granted title ''To shad'' and appanage of Tiele and

Xueyantuo The Xueyantuo were an ancient Tiele tribe and khaganate in Northeast Asia who were at one point vassals of the Göktürks, later aligning with the Tang dynasty against the Eastern Göktürks. Names Xue ''Xue'' 薛 appeared earlier as ''Xi ...

tribes in northern part of Gobi Desert when he was already 11. However he was deposed by local rebellious tribes when his uncle

Illig Qaghan Illig Qaghan (Old Turkic: ; ), born Ashina Duobi (), posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, ...

went on campaign against Tang. As a result, he fled to Western Turks and took over Beshbaliq and

Karakhoja Gaochang (; Old Uyghur: ''Qocho''), also called Khocho, Karakhoja, Qara-hoja, Kara-Khoja or Karahoja (قاراغوجا in Uyghur), was a ruined, ancient oasis city on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in present-day Xinj ...

, claiming the title of Dubu Khagan. As he viewed

as the source of

Illig Eyl ( it, Eil) is an ancient port town in the northeastern Nugal region of Somalia in the autonomous Puntland region, also serving as the capital of the Eyl District. Eyl, also called Illig, was the capital of the Dervishes from 1905 onwards, unt ...

's downfall, he vowed vengeance against Xueyantuo, and he attacked

Zhenzhu Khan Zhenzhu may refer to: * Zhenzhu Khan (died 645), khagan of Xueyantuo *Zhenzhu Yabgu (died 659), claimant to the throne of Western Turkic Khaganate *Zhenzhu Subdistrict, Zhen'an District, Dandong, Liaoning, China *Zhen Zhu, a variety of the ornament ...

in or around 634 with 50.000 strong army, with indecisive results. However, at that time a new Western Tujue khan, Ishbara Tolis, had just taken the throne, and a large portion of Ashina She'er's people were not willing to continue fighting, Ishbara, allowing Xueyantuo to counterattack and defeat Ashina She'er. Therefore, he abandoned his quest for being khagan and fled to

Gaochang Gaochang (; Old Uyghur: ''Qocho''), also called Khocho, Karakhoja, Qara-hoja, Kara-Khoja or Karahoja (قاراغوجا in Uyghur), was a ruined, ancient oasis city on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in present-day Xinj ...

In Tang army

He submitted to Tang with his followers in 635 and immediately appointed as a General of the Left Guard. He was married to Princess Hengyang (衡陽公主), a sister of

Taizong Taizong is the temple name used for several Chinese sovereign, monarchs of China. It may refer to: * Tai Jia ( 16th-century BC), king of the Shang dynasty * Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng (202 BC–157 BC, reigned 180 BC–157 BC), also known as E ...

in 636. He participated in conquest of Turfan as a commander in 640. He later joined Goguryeo-Tang War (wounded in action) and campaign against Xueyantuo as well. He personally led campaign against Kucha in 648 with 100.000 strong Tiele cavalries. His deputy commanders were

Qibi Heli Qibi Heli () (died 677), formally Duke of Liang (凉国公) was a prominent Turkic general in early Tang dynasty and a companion of the Emperor Taizong of Tang. He was accorded the posthumous name Lie (烈). Early life Qibi Heli was born to a T ...

(a Tiele chieftain who had also become a Tang general) and Guo Xiaoke. Campaign was a success but his deputy Guo was murdered by rebellious Kuchans. In retribution for the death of Guo Xiaoke, Ashina She'er ordered the execution of eleven thousand Kuchean inhabitants by decapitation. It was recorded that "he destroyed five great towns and with them many myriads of men and women... the lands of the west were seized with terror." After Kucha's defeat, Ashina dispatched a small force of light cavalry led by the lieutenant Xue Wanbei to Khotan, ruled by the king Yuchi Fushexin. The threat of an invasion persuaded the king to visit the Tang court in person. He was created Duke Bi (毕国公) by Taizong for his successes.

Later life

He requested to buried alongside Taizong upon his death or to be appointed as the guard of his tomb. However, he was dissuaded from that by new Emperor Gaozong, who created him General of the Right Guard. He died in 655 and buried alongside Taizong. He was posthumously renamed Yuan (元).

Family

He was married to Princess Hengyang (衡陽公主) and had a son named Ashina Daozhen (阿史那道真) who was a general and participated as a deputy of

Xue Rengui Xue Rengui (; 614 – 24 March 683), formal name Xue Li (薛礼) but went by the courtesy name of Rengui, was a Chinese military general during the early Tang Dynasty. He is one of the most well-known military generals of his time due to his hum ...

in the war against

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (, ; ) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. The empire further expanded under the 3 ...

in 670.

In popular media

He was portrayed by Qumuqu Huoqiufeng in 2017 Chinese

costume drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

"''The World of Chang'an''" ( 天下长安).

References

Sources

* Old Book of Tang
vol. 59
* New Book of Tang
vol. 35
{{Göktürks Ashina house of the Turkic Empire 655 deaths 609 births 7th-century rulers in Asia 7th-century Turkic people