Bilge Khan was born in 683. His father is İlteriş Kutlug Khan who re-founded Gokturk State, and his mother is Ibilge Hatun. He lost his father when he was 8 and was brought up by his uncle Kapagan Khan, who was the khan of Gokturk state for 24 years.

       Bilge Khan, overthrowing the son of his uncle, İnal, who replaced his uncle after his death, and ascended the throne when he was 32 years old. First thing Bilge did was to construct a good government. So, he gave command of the army to his brother Kül Tegin, and appointed Tonyukuk as the vizier.

       The greatest dream of Bilge Khan was to turn Turkish nation into one settled down in cities. However, vizier Tonyukuk objected to this and said “Turks are not even one percent of the Chinese. They seek water and pasture. They hunt. They do not have a certain place and they are warriors. They march armies when they consider they are strong. They escape or hide when they see themselves weak. So, they are able to turn numerical superiority of Chinese ineffective. If you gather Turks in a city surrounded with ramparts and if you are defeated once or twice, you will be their captives.

       Bilge Khan once had a desire of spreading Buddhism among Turks. He wanted to convert Turks into Buddhism by constructing temples. Vizier Tonyukuk opposed this idea too, and said Buddhism weakened the ruling and governing emotions of people, that this was not the path of power and war, and that if he wanted Turkish nation to survive, no such religion or temples should be put into this country.

       Bilge Khan kept his Vizier Tonyukuk’s advice, which he credited much, and did not fulfil his plans. In Bilge Khan period, the borders of Gokturk State extended from the Şan-Tung plain to Karaşar region of Inner Asia, from Bayırku field in the north to the environs of Ani river and to Demir Kapı in the West (On the way of Semerkant-Belh near Ceyhun River).

 

       Bilge Khan, who first lost his vizier Tonyukuk, and then his brother Kul Tegin was poisoned by his minister Buyrak Cor, who cooperated collaborated with Chinese. Bilge Khan, executed the minister and his assistant who poisoned him, and died on 25 November 734.

       The corpse of Bilge Khan was buried with a big ceremony on 22 June 735.