It is known that for the first time the
Gok-Turks appeared in history as being dependent to the Juan Juans. They were busy with
the blacksmith's profession as their traditional art in the mountains of Altay and they
manufactured guns to the Juan Juans. Even that time they were not disorganized. According
to Çou-shu (Chinese yearbook, 550-557), A-hien, the ancestor of Bumin (in Chines,
T'u-men) the founder of the Gok-Turks, had the title of "şad" (merry, merry
wise) and Tu-wa, the leader came before Bumin, was known as Ta-ye-hu (the big yabgu).
Thus, the essence of the dependence of the Turkish groups to the Juan Juans was federal.
Later, Bumin in the year of 534 had political relations with the administers of the north
Tabgaç (Wei), in 542 he was seen near the River of Huang-ho in front of his raiders, and
in 545 he received the envoy sent by the king of West Tabgaç with the words "a
committee comes from the emperorship, our state will be honoured". Işbara, one of
the Gok-Turks khans, in a speech he held in 585, said that the Gok-Turks State was
established 50 years ago, which means in 535.
However, Bumin established his emperorship in
Ötüken (in the west of the River of Orkhun, in the 47th latitude and 101st longitude),
the capital of the former Great Huns Emperorship in the year of 552. Before this
establishment, Bumin in 546 suppressed the rebellion of Töles against the Juan Juans and
wished to marry the daughter of that state, as he wanted to show that he had the same
worth with that state's king; but he was refused rudely. Then, he occupied the lands of
Juan Juans until they were collapsed totally, and he officially named himself
"il-khan". Bumin died in the year of the establishment of the state, after he
offered to his brother Istemiye the name of "Yabgu" and the sovereignty of the
east region of the state, since he helped Bumin during the establishment of the west
region of the state.
Istemi continued
his conquests in the west, and the state had its precious period when K'o-lo (Kara?), the
son of Bumin, and Mu-kan (553-572), the other son of Bumin that became king after the dead
of his brother, had the power in Ötüken. Mu-kan Khan, as mentioned in the Chinese
sources, had an awesome appearance and bright blue eyes, he had been powerful and
harshness, defeated the Juan Juans with a last stroke (556), and had the control of the
countries of Ki-tans and Kirghiz. He suppressed the dynasty of Chou, who replaced the West
Tabgaçs in China, and the dynasty of Tsi. He prevented the military support of China to
the state of Ak-huns-Eftalit and the people of Transoxiana who requested the Chinese
support against the operations of Istemi. In 564, he blockaded Tsin-yang, the capital of
Tsi in Şan-si and he married his daughter princess Aşına to the emperor of Chou (568).
According to the sources, the Chinese emperor pacified the khan of Gok-Turks, who
possessed wide countries and army of 100.000 people, by forming a kinship.
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