Ashina Buzhen was a member of the ruling caste of the Western Turks. He was appointed
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 ...
by
Emperor Gaozong of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
after the
conquest of the Western Turks
The conquest of the Western Turks, known as the Western Tujue in Chinese sources, was a military campaign in 655–657 led by the Tang dynasty generals Su Dingfang and Cheng Zhijie against the Western Turkic Khaganate ruled by Ashina Helu. The T ...
. His fierce rivalry with his cousin,
Ashina Mishe
Ashina Mishe (; ?–662) was a puppet Turkic khagan installed by the Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty to rule over former Western Turkic territories. Xue Zongzheng suggested he and Duolu Khagan were the same person.
Early life
He was title ...
, was instrumental in driving the Western Turks away from the Tang and into allegiance with the
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 38 ...
.
Life
Buzhen was a member of the ruling caste of the Western Turks. According to modern Turkish historian
Ahmet Taşağıl, he was a descendant of
Istemi. After the Western Turks were conquered by the Chinese Tang dynasty his younger cousin Mishe was created khagan in 632. Angered by this, Buzhen attacked Mishe in 639 and killed 20 people including several of Mishe's brothers and nephews. Consequently, Mishe submitted to the Tang, fearing for his life. Buzhen declared himself
Yabghu
Yabghu ( otk, 𐰖𐰉𐰍𐰆, yabγu,Entrabγu">"𐰖𐰉𐰍𐰆_ _(khagan)_of_the_
_(khagan)_of_the_Dulu_Turks">Dulu_tribes_(咄陆叶护)_but_was_not_accepted_by_the_Dulu._Having_lost_prestige,_he_too_submitted_to_Tang.
Buzhen_participated_in_the_Goguryeo–Tang_War.html" ;"title="Dulu_Turks.html" ;"title="abγuйабғұ"in_"Ethno-Cultural_Dictionary"_''Türik_Bitig''_),_also_rendered_as_Jabgu,_Djabgu_or_Yabgu,_was_a_state_office_in_the_early_Turkic_peoples.html" ;"title="abγuй ...