Yukuk Shad (r. 638–642, died 653) reigned in the final days of 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 ...
. His name ''Yukuk'' means "
owl
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
", according to
Gumilyov, or means "venerable", according to
Gabain. His full title was 乙毗咄陆可汗 or Yipi Duolu Kehan (
Zuev Zuyev, sometimes spelled as Zuev (russian: Зуев), or Zuyeva (feminine; Зуева), is a Russian last name derived from the word зуй (''zooy'', meaning ). It may refer to:
* Aleksandr Zuyev (footballer, born 26 June 1996), Russian football ...
's reconstructed
Old Turkic
Old Turkic (also East Old Turkic, Orkhon Turkic language, Old Uyghur) is the earliest attested form of the Turkic languages, found in Göktürk and Uyghur Khaganate inscriptions dating from about the eighth to the 13th century. It is the old ...
: *''Yelbi Turuk Qaghan'').
Early days
He was the son of
Illig Qaghan
Illig Qaghan (Old Turkic: ; ), born Ashina Duobi (), posthumous name Prince Huang of Guiyi (歸義荒王), was the last qaghan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.
Background
He was a son of Yami Qaghan and his Tuyuhun wife Poshi (婆施). He was ...
, ruler of the
Eastern Turkic Khaganate
The Eastern Turkic Khaganate () was a Turkic khaganate formed as a result of the internecine wars in the beginning of the 7th century (AD 581–603) after the First Turkic Khaganate (founded in the 6th century in the Mongolian Plateau by ...
and spent his early years there. In 627, he was assigned to suppress a rebellion around
Tien shan
The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...
but was defeated and fled.
Invitation from the West
After the death of
Tong Tong may refer to:
Chinese
*Tang Dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese
*Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities
*''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...
of the Western Turkic Khanate in 628, the central authority of the
khagan
Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...
s among the West Turks was challenged by the leaders of the ten tribes collectively known as
Onok. However, there was also a competition between the two wings of Onok; i.e., the
Dulu and the
Nushibi
Nushibi (Nu-shibi, ; Middle Chinese: *''nuoXɕiɪt̚piɪt̚'') was a Chinese collective name for five tribes of the right (western) wingYu. Zuev, ''"The Strongest tribe - Izgil"''//Historical And Cultural Relations Between Iran And Dasht-i Kipc ...
factions.
Ishbara Tolis
Ishbara Tolis was the ruler of Western Turkic Khaganate (empire) between 634–639. His full title was ''Shābōluō xìlìshī (~diélìshī) kèhán'' 沙钵罗咥利失可汗, personal name ''Ashina Tong-e'' 阿史那同俄).
Reign
He was Ba ...
who became the khagan in 634 tried to increase his authority by the support of Nushibi. But his camp was raided and he had to escape to
Fergana
Fergana ( uz, Fargʻona/Фарғона, ), or Ferghana, is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 420 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km west of Andijan, and less than 20 km fr ...
(in modern
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
). But even after his escape, the leaders of the ten tribes preferred a khagan from the
Ashina Ashina may refer to:
*Ashina tribe, a ruling dynasty of the Turkic Khaganate
*Ashina clan (Japan),_one_of_the_Japanese_clans
*Ashina_District,_Hiroshima.html" ;"title="DF 7 of 80; retrieved 2013-5-4 ..., one of the Japanese clans
*Ashina District, H ...
house to maintain the delicate balance between the two wings. Yukuk's name was proposed by a certain Tun Tudun. Yukuk whose father's territory had long been lost readily accepted the invitation. But it soon turned out that although he was welcome by Dulu, Nushibi tribes opposed him.
Yukuk as a khagan
After a civil war between the two wings of the Onok,
Ili River became the border line between the Nushibi (the south of he river) and the Tulo (north of the river ) by the
Ili river treaty
Ili, ILI, Illi may refer to:
Abbreviations
* Irish Life International, part of Irish Life and Permanent
* Intuitive Logical Introvert, a personality type in socionics
* Influenza-like illness
* Iran Language Institute, a state-owned, non-profi ...
in 638. Yukuk assumed the title ''Ilig Beg Tughluk Khagan '' and became the khagan of the north side. By 641, Yukuk consolidated most tribes between the Ili River and
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
(including those not a part of Onok group) under his rule. In 642 he raided
Samarkand
fa, سمرقند
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
(in modern
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
) one of the wealthiest cities of the
silk road
The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...
. But the distribution of loot between the tribes caused problems, and he lost the support of Tulo tribes. Nushibi tribes, supported by
Tang China
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
, saw this as a chance to overthrow Yukuk. They elected
Irbis Seguy
Irbis Shekui Khagan (full title: Yǐpíshèkuìkĕhàn 乙毗射匮可汗) (r. 642–651) was the penultimate ruler of the Western Turkic Khaganate.
He was linked to the Nushibi faction and was son of El Kulug Shad.
Reign
In 642, he overthrew ...
(Ilig Beg Shekuei Qaghan) as they khagan. This election meant the end of Onok union. Initially they attacked Yukuk and forced him to escape to
Isfijab
, image_skyline = SayramSkyline.jpg
, image_flag =
, image_seal =
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Kazakhstan
, pushpin_label_position = bottom
, pushpin_maps ...
(Sayram in modern
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
). They further laid a siege on Istijab . But although Yukuk got no help from Tulo tribes he managed to defeat them. After this victory, Yukuk tried to regain Tulo support. But Tulo leaders rejected his proposal. Yukuk, feeling insecure without tribal support, escaped to
Kunduz
, native_name_lang = prs
, other_name =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = Kunduz River valley.jpg
, imagesize = 300
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, image_ ...
(in modern
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
) in 642.
He then conquered Tuhuoluo (吐火羅; i.e.
Bactrian-speaking ''Tokharoi'' or
Tocharians
The Tocharians, or Tokharians ( US: or ; UK: ), were speakers of Tocharian languages, Indo-European languages known from around 7600 documents from around 400 to 1200 AD, found on the northern edge of the Tarim Basin (modern Xinjiang, China). ...
) and attacked Yiwu in 642, which had by now been converted into Tang's Yi Prefecture (伊州), although his attacks were repelled by the Tang general Guo Xiaoke (
郭孝恪).
In 642, he began to suffer dissent within, as he was said to have hoarded the spoils from attacks on the Sogdian states of Kangju (康居) and Maymurgh (米 ''Mǐ''; on the
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin language, Latin name or Greek ) is a major rive ...
near today
Panjakent
, image_skyline = Pajakent Bazaar1.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = Panjakent Bazaar
, image_flag =
, image_seal =
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Tajikistan#West Asia
, pushpin_relief = yes
, pushpin_label_position =
, pushp ...
) and refused to divide them with his subordinates, and when one of his generals, Ashina Nishou (阿史那泥熟) nevertheless seized some, Ashina Yugu executed him, causing Ashina Nishou's subordinate Huluwu (胡祿屋) to rebel. The rebels sought aid from Tang, and
Emperor Taizong created
El Kulug Shad's son as
Irbis Sheguy khagan. Yukuk initially prevailed in battle against Yipishekui Khan, but the rebels refused to submit despite the defeats, and Yukuk eventually withdrew and took up position in former Tuhuoluo territory.
Later years
New khagan initially attacked Yukuk and forced him to escape to
Isfijab
, image_skyline = SayramSkyline.jpg
, image_flag =
, image_seal =
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Kazakhstan
, pushpin_label_position = bottom
, pushpin_maps ...
(Sayram in modern
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
). They further laid a siege on Isfijab . But although Yukuk got no help from Tulu tribes he managed to defeat them. After this victory, Yukuk tried to regain Tulu support. But Tulo leaders rejected his proposal. Yukuk, feeling insecure without tribal support, escaped to
Kunduz
, native_name_lang = prs
, other_name =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = Kunduz River valley.jpg
, imagesize = 300
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, image_ ...
(in modern
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
) in 642.
[Lev Nikolayeviç Gumilev: ''Eski Türkler'' (trans:D.Ahsen Batur), Selenge Yayınları, İstanbul, 2002, pp.273-275 ] He spent the rest of his life in Kunduz and died in 653. His heir was
Zhenzhu Yabgu, who was one of the last representatives of the family. But his authority was limited to a single city.
References
{{Göktürks
653 deaths
Göktürk rulers
Ashina house of the Turkic Empire
7th-century Turkic people
Year of birth unknown