History of the Turkic peoples
Encyclopedia
The Turkic people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common Turkish culture, descent, and speaking the languages of the Turkish language family as a mother tongue. Within suzerain Turkish states, Turkish people are defined by citizenship (Azerbaijan
, Kazakhstan
, etc.), distinguished from people of Turkish ancestry. Within non-Turkish states, Turkish people are defined by their ethnicity, and may constitute a recognized organized political body (China
, Russia
, etc.). Historically, the Turkish people tended to stay together, reassembling and recombining as a community after every cataclysm in their history, and be open to other ethnicities, easily absorbing and incorporating people of other ethnicities.
The terms Turk and Turkish arose and gained wide circulation in the 6th c. AD, with an ascend and political expansion of the Turkic Kaganate, but even then most of the Turkic people did not adopt these super-ethnic terms, and some remained unaware of their Turkish affiliation until the 18th and 19th centuries, when the modern nationalism made them cognizant of their distinct ethnicity. Historically, any Turkish community was poly-ethnic, and people were differentiated by the name of their tribe, clan, tribal union, or geographical location. One of the general terms, used before the term "Türk", was the term "Hun". "Significantly, in the written sources all or nearly all ancient Turkish tribes (Turks, Kirkuns, Agach-eri, On-ok, Tabgach, Comans, Yomuts, Tuhses, Kuyan, Sybuk, Lan, Kut, Goklan, Orpan, Ushin and others) carried the name "Huns". In other words, the term "Hun in each separate case was equivalent to the self-name of a tribe, but at the same time it was a wider concept, reflecting a certain commonality of the ethnic origin". In ancient Turkish languages, the term "hun" meant "kin", and designated kindered people. The second general term was "Tele", in Chinese pinyin transcription spelled Tiele
, which covered a large number of Turkish Siberian tribes, and survived to the present as a root of the ethnic terms like Teleut and Telengit
, and in the placenames (lake Tele). A third general term was "Tatar", it was a common ethnonym for a large Central Asian tribal confederation, and in the Middle Age for a time it became a common exoethnonym for many European Turkish peoples.
It is accepted that the first Turkish people
were native to a region extending from Central Asia
to Siberia
, starting from the end of the 2nd millennium BCE their centre of life and power was in the mainland China, and north and west of it. The exact time period when the Huns reached China remains determined only vaguely: Sima Qian
stated that in the earlier pre-historic period the Huns were called Hu and Jung, in the late pre-historic period they were called Xunyu
, in the literate period starting with the Yin Dynasty (殷代 , 1600-1046 BC) they were called Guifan, in the Zhou
period (周, 1045–256 BC) they were called Xianyun
, starting from the Qin
period (秦朝, 221-206 BC) the Chinese annalists called them Xiongnu
. Scholars state that the Huns
were one of the earlier Turkish tribes, while some other scholars supported a Mongol origin. Otto Maenchen-Helfen's linguistic
studies also support a Turkish origin for the Huns. The Chinese
historic reference Bamboo Annals
mentioned that the Xiongnu
's ruling clan were descendants of Chunwei
(淳維 "Chun tribes"), possibly a son of Jie, the final ruler of the legendary Xia Dynasty. Morphologically, the Turkic people are arguably a mix of Caucasoid, Uraloid, and Mongoloid types(when?), with clines varying from predominantly Caucasoid type in the west to the Mongoloid type in the east, reflecting the span of the Eurasian steppes, in the literature that morphology is termed South Siberian, Paleosiberian and Uraloid. Genetical studies corroborate observations of the earlier and modern studies in physical anthropology.
and into Europe
and the Middle East
from their homeland in western China. Migrations in the pre-historical (pre-literate) times are deduced from archeological and osteological indicators.
The precise date of the initial expansion from the early homeland remains unknown. The first state known as "Turk", giving its name to the many states and peoples afterwards, was that of the Göktürks
(gog = "blue" or "celestial") in the 6th century AD. The head of the Asena
clan led his people from Liqian (in modern Yongchang County
, China) to the Rouran
seeking inclusion in their confederacy and protection from China
. His tribe were famed metal smiths and were granted land near a mountain quarry which looked like a helmet from which they got the Chinese rendition of the name "Türk" 突厥 (tūjué). Among other etymologies is that "Türk" means strong, and that the name comes from the Turkish words for law and state (toru). A century later their power had increased such that they conquered the Rouran and set about establishing their Gök Empire
, also known as "Great Turkish Kaganate" and "First Turkish Kaganate".
Later Turkish peoples include the Karluks (mainly 8th century), Uyghurs
, Kyrgyz, Oghuz
(or Ğuz) Turks, and Turkmens
. As these peoples were founding states in the area between Mongolia
and Transoxiana
, they came into contact with Muslims, and most gradually adopted Islam
. However, there were also (and still are) small groups of Turkish people belonging to other religions, including Christians
, Jews (see Khazars
), Buddhists
, and Zoroastrians
.
Turkish soldiers in the army of the Abbasid caliphs
emerged as the de facto rulers of most of the Muslim Middle East (apart from Syria
and Egypt
), particularly after the 10th century. The Oghuz
and other tribes captured and dominated various countries under the leadership of the Seljuk dynasty, and eventually captured the territories of the Abbasid dynasty and the Byzantine Empire
.
Meanwhile, the Kyrgyz and Uyghurs were struggling with one another and with the Chinese Empire. The Kyrgyz people ultimately settled in the region now referred to as Kyrgyzstan
. The Tatar peoples conquered the Volga Bulgars in what is today Tatarstan
, following the westward sweep of the Mongols
under Genghis Khan
in the 13th century. The Bulgars
were thus mistakenly called Tatars by the Russians. Native Tatars live only in Asia; European "Tatars" are in fact Bulgars. Other Bulgars settled in Europe in the 7–8th centuries, exchanging their original Turkic tongue for what eventually became the Slavic Bulgarian language
. Everywhere, Turkic groups mixed with the local populations to varying degrees.
As the Seljuk Empire declined following the Mongol invasion, the Ottoman Empire
emerged as the new important Turkish state, that came to dominate not only the Middle East, but even southeastern Europe, parts of southwestern Russia, and northern Africa.
The Ottoman Empire gradually grew weaker in the face of maladministration, repeated wars with Russia and Austro-Hungary, and the emergence of nationalist movements in the Balkans
, and it finally gave way after World War I
to the present-day republic of Turkey
.
was a Muslim dynasty that at its greatest territorial extent ruled most of the Indian subcontinent, then known as Hindustan
, and parts of what is now Afghanistan
and Pakistan
from the early 16th to the mid-18th century. The Mughal dynasty was founded by a Persianised Chagatai
prince named Babur
(reigned 1526–30), who was descended from the Mongol conqueror Timur
(Tamerlane) on his father's side and from Chagatai, second son of the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan
, on his mother's side.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, etc.), distinguished from people of Turkish ancestry. Within non-Turkish states, Turkish people are defined by their ethnicity, and may constitute a recognized organized political body (China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, etc.). Historically, the Turkish people tended to stay together, reassembling and recombining as a community after every cataclysm in their history, and be open to other ethnicities, easily absorbing and incorporating people of other ethnicities.
The terms Turk and Turkish arose and gained wide circulation in the 6th c. AD, with an ascend and political expansion of the Turkic Kaganate, but even then most of the Turkic people did not adopt these super-ethnic terms, and some remained unaware of their Turkish affiliation until the 18th and 19th centuries, when the modern nationalism made them cognizant of their distinct ethnicity. Historically, any Turkish community was poly-ethnic, and people were differentiated by the name of their tribe, clan, tribal union, or geographical location. One of the general terms, used before the term "Türk", was the term "Hun". "Significantly, in the written sources all or nearly all ancient Turkish tribes (Turks, Kirkuns, Agach-eri, On-ok, Tabgach, Comans, Yomuts, Tuhses, Kuyan, Sybuk, Lan, Kut, Goklan, Orpan, Ushin and others) carried the name "Huns". In other words, the term "Hun in each separate case was equivalent to the self-name of a tribe, but at the same time it was a wider concept, reflecting a certain commonality of the ethnic origin". In ancient Turkish languages, the term "hun" meant "kin", and designated kindered people. The second general term was "Tele", in Chinese pinyin transcription spelled Tiele
Tiele
Tiele may refer to:*Tiele people, an ancient people of Central Asia*Tiele, Mali, commune and town*Cornelis Petrus Tiele...
, which covered a large number of Turkish Siberian tribes, and survived to the present as a root of the ethnic terms like Teleut and Telengit
Telengit
Telengits or Telengut are a Turkic people people primarily found in Altai Republic, Russia. Telengits mainly live in a territory of Kosh-Agach District of the Altai Republic. They are part of a larger cultural group of the Southern Altaians...
, and in the placenames (lake Tele). A third general term was "Tatar", it was a common ethnonym for a large Central Asian tribal confederation, and in the Middle Age for a time it became a common exoethnonym for many European Turkish peoples.
It is accepted that the first Turkish people
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
were native to a region extending from Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, starting from the end of the 2nd millennium BCE their centre of life and power was in the mainland China, and north and west of it. The exact time period when the Huns reached China remains determined only vaguely: Sima Qian
Sima Qian
Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to...
stated that in the earlier pre-historic period the Huns were called Hu and Jung, in the late pre-historic period they were called Xunyu
Xunyu
The Xunyu is the name of an ancient nomadic tribe which invaded China during legenary times. They are often identified as the Xiongnu.-Identification:...
, in the literate period starting with the Yin Dynasty (殷代 , 1600-1046 BC) they were called Guifan, in the Zhou
Zhou
Zhou may refer to:*Zhou Dynasty , a Chinese Dynasty *Zhou Predynastic Lineage, the antecedents to the above Zhou Dynasty*Northern Zhou , a Chinese Dynasty...
period (周, 1045–256 BC) they were called Xianyun
Xianyun
The Xianyun is the name of an ancient nomadic tribe that invaded China during legenary times.They are usually associated with the Xiongnu.-Overview:...
, starting from the Qin
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
period (秦朝, 221-206 BC) the Chinese annalists called them Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
. Scholars state that the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
were one of the earlier Turkish tribes, while some other scholars supported a Mongol origin. Otto Maenchen-Helfen's linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
studies also support a Turkish origin for the Huns. The Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
historic reference Bamboo Annals
Bamboo Annals
The Bamboo Annals is a chronicle of ancient China. It begins at the earliest legendary times and extends to the Warring States Period , particularly the history of the Wei state...
mentioned that the Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
's ruling clan were descendants of Chunwei
Chunwei
Chunwei is an ethnonym for the most ancient nomadic tribes that invaded China during legendary times. A Chinese Classical scholar and the first President of the Imperial Nanking University Wei Zhao commented, identificating the name Chunwei with the name of the Huns: “During the Han they were...
(淳維 "Chun tribes"), possibly a son of Jie, the final ruler of the legendary Xia Dynasty. Morphologically, the Turkic people are arguably a mix of Caucasoid, Uraloid, and Mongoloid types(when?), with clines varying from predominantly Caucasoid type in the west to the Mongoloid type in the east, reflecting the span of the Eurasian steppes, in the literature that morphology is termed South Siberian, Paleosiberian and Uraloid. Genetical studies corroborate observations of the earlier and modern studies in physical anthropology.
Expansion
In the historical times, the main migration of Turkish peoples occurred between the 5th and 10th centuries AD, when they spread across most of Central AsiaCentral Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and into Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
from their homeland in western China. Migrations in the pre-historical (pre-literate) times are deduced from archeological and osteological indicators.
The precise date of the initial expansion from the early homeland remains unknown. The first state known as "Turk", giving its name to the many states and peoples afterwards, was that of the Göktürks
Göktürks
The Göktürks or Kök Türks, were a nomadic confederation of peoples in medieval Inner Asia. Known in Chinese sources as 突厥 , the Göktürks under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan The Göktürks or Kök Türks, (Old Turkic: Türük or Kök Türük or Türük; Celestial Turks) were a nomadic confederation of...
(gog = "blue" or "celestial") in the 6th century AD. The head of the Asena
Asena
Asena is the name of one of the ten sons, whom mythical female wolf gave birth to, in old Turkic mythology. It is associated with a Göktürk ethnogenic myth "full of shamanic symbolism"...
clan led his people from Liqian (in modern Yongchang County
Yongchang County
Yongchang County is a county located in the province of Gansu in China. It belongs to the prefecture of Jinchang. The ancient North Silk Road passes through Yongchang County; numerous Han envoys were sent west along this trackway, some parties exceeding 100 members late in the first millennium BC...
, China) to the Rouran
Rouran
Rouran , Mongolia name Jujan or Nirun Ruanruan/Ruru , Tan Tan , Juan-Juan or Zhu-Zhuwas the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the northern borders of Inner China from the late 4th century until the middle 6th century...
seeking inclusion in their confederacy and protection from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. His tribe were famed metal smiths and were granted land near a mountain quarry which looked like a helmet from which they got the Chinese rendition of the name "Türk" 突厥 (tūjué). Among other etymologies is that "Türk" means strong, and that the name comes from the Turkish words for law and state (toru). A century later their power had increased such that they conquered the Rouran and set about establishing their Gök Empire
Göktürks
The Göktürks or Kök Türks, were a nomadic confederation of peoples in medieval Inner Asia. Known in Chinese sources as 突厥 , the Göktürks under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan The Göktürks or Kök Türks, (Old Turkic: Türük or Kök Türük or Türük; Celestial Turks) were a nomadic confederation of...
, also known as "Great Turkish Kaganate" and "First Turkish Kaganate".
Later Turkish peoples include the Karluks (mainly 8th century), Uyghurs
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
, Kyrgyz, Oghuz
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
(or Ğuz) Turks, and Turkmens
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
. As these peoples were founding states in the area between Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
and Transoxiana
Transoxiana
Transoxiana is the ancient name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgystan and southwest Kazakhstan. Geographically, it is the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers...
, they came into contact with Muslims, and most gradually adopted Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. However, there were also (and still are) small groups of Turkish people belonging to other religions, including Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Jews (see Khazars
Khazars
The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
), Buddhists
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, and Zoroastrians
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
.
Middle Ages
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
emerged as the de facto rulers of most of the Muslim Middle East (apart from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
), particularly after the 10th century. The Oghuz
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
and other tribes captured and dominated various countries under the leadership of the Seljuk dynasty, and eventually captured the territories of the Abbasid dynasty and the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
Meanwhile, the Kyrgyz and Uyghurs were struggling with one another and with the Chinese Empire. The Kyrgyz people ultimately settled in the region now referred to as Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
. The Tatar peoples conquered the Volga Bulgars in what is today Tatarstan
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
, following the westward sweep of the Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
under Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
in the 13th century. The Bulgars
Bulgars
The Bulgars were a semi-nomadic who flourished in the Pontic Steppe and the Volga basin in the 7th century.The Bulgars emerge after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire in the 5th century....
were thus mistakenly called Tatars by the Russians. Native Tatars live only in Asia; European "Tatars" are in fact Bulgars. Other Bulgars settled in Europe in the 7–8th centuries, exchanging their original Turkic tongue for what eventually became the Slavic Bulgarian language
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
. Everywhere, Turkic groups mixed with the local populations to varying degrees.
As the Seljuk Empire declined following the Mongol invasion, the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
emerged as the new important Turkish state, that came to dominate not only the Middle East, but even southeastern Europe, parts of southwestern Russia, and northern Africa.
The Ottoman Empire gradually grew weaker in the face of maladministration, repeated wars with Russia and Austro-Hungary, and the emergence of nationalist movements in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, and it finally gave way after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to the present-day republic of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Mughal Empire
The Mughal EmpireMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
was a Muslim dynasty that at its greatest territorial extent ruled most of the Indian subcontinent, then known as Hindustan
Hindustan
Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
, and parts of what is now Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
from the early 16th to the mid-18th century. The Mughal dynasty was founded by a Persianised Chagatai
Chagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate was a Turko-Mongol khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan , second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors...
prince named Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
(reigned 1526–30), who was descended from the Mongol conqueror Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
(Tamerlane) on his father's side and from Chagatai, second son of the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
, on his mother's side.
See also
- History of the TurksHistory of the TurksThe term Turk may refer to either the Turkic peoples is general, on a specific one of these peoples, typically the Turkish people:* History of the Turkish people* History of the Turkic peoples...
- Turkish languages
- Turkish mythology
- List of Turkish states and empires
- Timeline of Turks (500-1300)
- Timeline of the Sultanate of Rûm
- King Jie of XiaJie of XiaKing Jie was the 17th and last ruler of the Xia dynasty of China. He is traditionally regarded as a tyrant and oppressor who brought about the collapse of a dynasty. Around 1600 BCE Jie was defeated by Shang Tang, bringing an end to the Xia Dynasty, that lasted about 500 years, and a rise to the...