Muhan Khan
Encyclopedia
Muqan Qaghan; was the second son of Bumin Qaghan and the third khagan
of the Göktürks
who expanded their khagan and secured the borders against the Hephthalite
s.
This expansion also pushed against the Avars
who were driven toward the Byzantine Empire
and the Sassanid Empire
and eventually toward the Danube
. Other tribes of the Central Asia, such as the eastern Bulgars
were also displaced.
Muhan's reign marked the pinnacle of Sogdian
cultural influence in the Göktürk Empire. Sogdian culture was transmitted by merchants from Turpan who worked as ambassadors and advisers. The Sogdian language
and script were used to govern the empire. The importance of Sogdians cannot be understated in keeping the early Turks safely outside of the Chinese cultural sphere. The Sogdian language and script were used to administer the empire, because it was the only written language in the cities under his control. After his death the title of qaghan passed to his younger brother Tapo. He was said to have red hair and blue eyes.
The second son of Tumen and third qaghan. He expanded the Göktürk Khanate and secured the borders against the last of the Rouran people. He conquered the Töle tribes in the west the Kitans in the east and the Kyrgyz in the north. Thus he expanded his state to all the former Xiong-Nu territory. His uncle Istämi autonomously ruled the far-west region (Kazakh Steppe) in his name. This was the beginning of the east/west division of power. He created an alliance with the Zhou kingdom, by marrying off his daughter, to oppose the Qi kingdom that was sheltering the Rouran.
After Muhan's death the title of khagan passed to his younger brother Taspar. His daughter Empress Ashina
was the wife of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
.
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
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...
who expanded their khagan and secured the borders against the Hephthalite
Hephthalite
The Hephthalites or Hephthalite is a pre-Islamic Greek term for local Abdali Afghans, who's famous ruler was Nazak Abdali . Hephthalites were a Central Asian nomadic confederation of the AD 5th-6th centuries whose precise origins and composition remain obscure...
s.
This expansion also pushed against the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
who were driven toward 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...
and the Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
and eventually toward the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. Other tribes of the Central Asia, such as the eastern 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 also displaced.
Muhan's reign marked the pinnacle of Sogdian
Sogdiana
Sogdiana or Sogdia was the ancient civilization of an Iranian people and a province of the Achaemenid Empire, eighteenth in the list on the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great . Sogdiana is "listed" as the second of the "good lands and countries" that Ahura Mazda created...
cultural influence in the Göktürk Empire. Sogdian culture was transmitted by merchants from Turpan who worked as ambassadors and advisers. The Sogdian language
Sogdian language
The Sogdian language is a Middle Iranian language that was spoken in Sogdiana , located in modern day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan ....
and script were used to govern the empire. The importance of Sogdians cannot be understated in keeping the early Turks safely outside of the Chinese cultural sphere. The Sogdian language and script were used to administer the empire, because it was the only written language in the cities under his control. After his death the title of qaghan passed to his younger brother Tapo. He was said to have red hair and blue eyes.
The second son of Tumen and third qaghan. He expanded the Göktürk Khanate and secured the borders against the last of the Rouran people. He conquered the Töle tribes in the west the Kitans in the east and the Kyrgyz in the north. Thus he expanded his state to all the former Xiong-Nu territory. His uncle Istämi autonomously ruled the far-west region (Kazakh Steppe) in his name. This was the beginning of the east/west division of power. He created an alliance with the Zhou kingdom, by marrying off his daughter, to oppose the Qi kingdom that was sheltering the Rouran.
After Muhan's death the title of khagan passed to his younger brother Taspar. His daughter Empress Ashina
Empress Ashina
Empress Ashina was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. She was the daughter of Göktürk's Muqan Qaghan, and her husband was Emperor Wu....
was the wife of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou , personal name Yuwen Yong , nickname Miluotu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. As was the case of the reigns of his brothers Emperor Xiaomin and Emperor Ming, the early part of his reign was dominated by his cousin Yuwen Hu, but in 572 he...
.
See also
- Yujiulü DengshuziYujiulü DengshuziYujiulü Deng Shuzi was the last khan of the Rouran....
- Empress AshinaEmpress AshinaEmpress Ashina was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. She was the daughter of Göktürk's Muqan Qaghan, and her husband was Emperor Wu....