Uighur Kaganate: history, period of existence, disintegration

For centuries, history has known many states that differed in their heyday of grandeur and military might, but they came down from the world arena for some objective reasons. Some have sunk into eternity without leaving a trace, others have been preserved in the texts of ancient manuscripts. One such was the Uighur Kaganate, which existed in the VIII-IX centuries on the territory of Central Asia.

People on "high carts"

Long before the Uighur Kaganate appeared in Central Asia , the tribal alliance was well known in China. The first mention of it is found in written monuments of the Celestial Empire, created in the IV century. In them, the Uighurs are designated by the term pronounced "gaogyu", which in translation means "high carts".

Such a name they received for their wont to move along the steppe on carts with high wheels. Chinese chroniclers described the Uighurs as undersized, but unusually strong and hardy people, characterized by extreme cruelty and greed. They also noted their mastery in horse riding and bow possession.

Formation of a new Khaganate

On the territory where the tribes of the Uighur Kaganate, or, in other words, the khanate, which appeared in the middle of the VIII century, lived, in previous centuries there were three other early-state nomadic formations. The first of these was the Kaganate, created in 323 in the Khangai mountain range, located on lands belonging to modern Mongolia.

Having existed for no more than 200 years, it gave way to the second Khaganate, also not delayed in the historical arena and in 603 destroyed by the tribes of the Turks, led by the leader of the Ashin clan. They consisted of three tribal formations - the Basmal, the Karluks and the Uighurs. Being in constant communication with China, they not only became his allies, but also borrowed his advanced, at that time, administrative system.

The beginning of the history of the Uighur Kaganate is considered to be the year 745 when, as a result of an acute intertribal struggle, the power was seized by a clan chief from the Yaglakar clan named Bilge (his image is shown below). He himself was an Uighur, and for this reason the state created by him was given its own name, which went down in history.

The internal structure of the Uighur state

It is necessary to pay tribute to this ruler: he created the Uighur Kaganate on principles quite democratic and radically different from the customs of that barbaric era. Bilge assigned the main administrative functions to the representatives of the ten genera that formed the Toguz-Oguz tribe, which became the leading but not the dominant state.

By suppressing the resistance of the Basmal forces, he gave them the same rights as his tribal companions. Even small nationalities, such as kibi, tonra, hun, butu and a number of others, were accepted into the general environment on an equal footing. When the twenty-year struggle of the Karluks against the Uighur Kaganate ended, which lasted intermittently after Bilge's death, they were also equalized with the Toguz-Oguzes, at the same stage of the social ladder.

This form of internal state system provided him with sufficient stability at first. Small nationalities at the same time had the same rights as the leading tribe of the Uygur Kaganate. The war with the Turks of other nomadic formations only strengthened this alliance.

For his bid, Khan Bilge chose a site between the foot of the Khangam mountain massif and the Orkhon river. In general, his possessions bordering China, in the west, covered Jungaria - a significant territory in Central Asia, and in the east - part of Manchuria. The Uighurs did not aspire to further territorial conquests. By the middle of the VIII century, this steppe people were already tired of past shocks.

Heir to the supreme authority

After the death of Khan Bilge, which followed in 747, the supreme power in the Uighur Kaganate passed to his son Mayanchur, but he had to defend his hereditary right in a bloody struggle. The last period of his father's rule was marked by the appearance in the circles of the opposition close to him, dissatisfied with the established order and waiting for an opportunity to revolt.

Taking advantage of the death of the ruler, her leaders provoked a riot among the basmal and kurluk, thus unleashing a civil war. Unable to suppress resistance, Majancour was forced to resort to help from foreigners - Tatars and Kidonians. However, historians note that an important role in the successful conclusion of the war was played by his ability to find compromise solutions in all the difficult cases.

Having thus endorsed his supreme authority, Mayancourt began to develop the state. He started with the creation of a mobile and well-trained army. This was a paramount necessity, since the Uighur Kaganate existed during wars that constantly flared up throughout Central Asia. But, unlike his father, the young ruler made every effort to expand his possessions.

Military campaigns of Mayanchur

So, in the beginning of 750 he captured the upper reaches of the Yenisei, conquered the tribe of chicks that lived there, and in the autumn defeated the Tatars who settled in Western Manchuria. The following year, the lands of the Kyrgyz, bordering the northwestern borders of the Kaganate, were added to its conquests. Continuing the traditions of his father, Mayancour gave equal rights to representatives of the peoples he conquered with other residents of the state.

An important stage in the history of the Uighur Kaganate is the provision of military assistance to representatives of the Tang dynasty ruling in China . The fact is that in 755, one of the prominent military commanders of the Chinese army, An-Lushan, revolted and at the head of a large detachment, formed mainly from the Turks, captured both the capitals of the Celestial Empire - Chang'an and Luoyang. As a result, the emperor had no choice but to ask for help from the friendly Uighurs.

Maianchour responded to the call, twice sent to China an army consisting of 5 thousand professionals and nearly 10 thousand support troops. This saved the Tang dynasty and helped it to retain power, but the service rendered by the Uighurs had to be paid off with gold.

The emperor paid even more money for his defenders to get out quickly from the territory of the Middle Kingdom and stop robberies. The military operation to restore order in the neighboring country greatly enriched the Kaganate and positively affected its economy.

The adoption of the Manichaean faith

Another important stage in the history of the Uighur Kaganate came, according to the same Chinese chronicles, in 762, and it was connected not with military victories, but with the conversion of its population to the Manichaean faith. Her preacher was a missionary who spoke in a Sogdian language understandable for Uighurs and met them during a campaign to the Celestial Empire.

Religion Mani, or otherwise Manichaeism, born in the III century in Babylon, quickly found its followers around the world. Without going into the details of her doctrine, we only note that in North Africa before the adoption of Christianity Manichaeism was preached by the future Saint Augustine, in Europe it gave rise to the Albigensian heresy, and, having reached the Iranian world, advanced up to the Far East.

Having become the state religion of the Uighurs, Manichaeism gave them a powerful impetus to advance along the path of civilization. Since it was closely associated with a culture belonging to a more developed Sogdian state located in Central Asia, the Sogdian language was used in the same way as the Turkic language and enabled the Uyghurs to create their own national writing. He also allowed yesterday's barbarians to join the culture of Iran, and then the entire Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, the customs of the Uighur Kaganate inherited from barbarous times, despite the beneficial influence of the new religion and established cultural ties, remained largely the same, and violence was the solution of many issues. It is known, in particular, that at different periods of time, two of his rulers fell at the hands of murderers, and one committed suicide, surrounded by a crowd of rebels.

Tuva in the Uighur Khaganate

In the middle of the VIII century, Uighurs twice attempted to seize the territories that belonged to Tuva, and tried to subjugate the tribes of chickens that lived there. This was very difficult, because they were in allied relations with their northern neighbors - Kyrgyz - and relied on their support. According to most researchers, it was the help of neighbors that caused the failure of the Uighurs and their leader Moyun Chur during the first campaign.

Only a year later, as a result of the victory in the battle on the Bolchu River, the Uighur army managed to overcome the resistance of Chih and its Kyrgyz allies. To finally gain a foothold in the conquered territory, Moyun-chur ordered to erect a number of fortifications and defensive structures, as well as to establish military settlements there. Tuva was part of the Uyghur Khaganate until its fall, being the north-western outskirts of the state.

Conflicts with the Celestial Empire

In the second half of the 8th century, the relationship between the Kaganate and China was substantially exacerbated. This became especially noticeable after the Emperor Dejong came to power in 778 (his image is shown below), which was very hostile to the Uighurs and did not consider it necessary to hide his antipathies. The governor of Idigan Khan, who at that time wanted to force him into submission, gathered the army and attacked the northern regions of the country.

However, he did not consider that in the years since the Uighurs rescued the Tang dynasty ruling in China, the population of the Celestial Empire increased by almost a million inhabitants, and, accordingly, the strength of the army also increased. As a result, his military adventure ended in failure and only exacerbated mutual enmity.

However, shortly thereafter, the war with Tibet forced the Chinese emperor to seek help from the Uighurs he hated, and they provided him with a fairly large contingent of troops for a certain price. Restraining the forces of Tibet for three years and preventing them from attacking North China, the Uighurs received a fair amount of gold from their employer, but, having returned home after the end of the war, faced a completely unexpected problem.

The beginning of internal strife

Sending his troops, Idigan Khan did not consider that among the tribes that made up the population of the Kaganate, many not only sympathize with the people of Tibet, but also have blood ties with them. As a result, having returned from the lands of others, Uighurs were compelled to suppress the mutinies that broke out everywhere, which the Karluks and Turgeshs started to start.

The soldiers of the Kaganate did not have time to break their resistance, as in the rear they were rebelled by the Kyrgyz, who had retained autonomy until then, but used political instability for complete secession. In 816, a situation created as a result of internal conflicts, the Tibetans used, did not give up hope of revenge for the Uighurs for the recent defeat. After guessing the time when the main forces of the Khaganate, who participated in the suppression of the insurrection, were on the northern borders of the state, they attacked the capital of Uyguriya Karakorum and, after plundering everything that could be carried away, burned it.

Religious wars, overflowing the Khaganate

The subsequent disintegration of the Uygur Kaganate, which occurred in the middle of the 9th century, was facilitated by the separatist moods that were growing every year among the tribes that were entering it. An important role in their forcing played religious contradictions, and it was the Uighurs that became the main object of universal hatred.

It is important to take into account that the Uighur Kaganate existed at a time when the process of changing faith was taking place among the steppe peoples of Central Asia. Nomads borrowed religious outlooks mainly from Iran, Syria and Arabia, but it happened very slowly, without pressure from outside. So, among them, Nestorianism, Islam and theistic Buddhism (the direction of Buddhism, recognizing the Creator of the universe) gradually took root. In the same cases, when individual tribes of nomads became dependent on stronger neighbors, they simply demanded the payment of tribute and did not try to change the whole range of their worldview.

As for the Uighurs, they tried to forcefully convert the peoples that were part of their state to Manichaeism, which for many was alien and incomprehensible due to the insufficient level of development at that time. They carried out the same policy with regard to the tribes, which, being the victim of another raid, were under their influence. Not satisfied with only the tribute received, the Uighurs forced them to abandon the customary way of life and take Manichaeism, thereby creating a breakdown of the psyche of their vassals.

The beginning of the death of the state

This practice led to the fact that not only the integrity, but also the very existence of Uyghuria, constantly threatened an increasing number of external and internal enemies. Very soon armed clashes with Kyrgyz, Karluks and even Tibetans took the form of religious wars. All this led to the fact that by the middle of the 9th century the former greatness of the Uighur Kaganate remained in the past.

The weakening of the once powerful state was taken advantage of by the Kyrgyz, who captured its capital Karakorum in 841 and stole all the treasury that was in it. Many researchers emphasize that the defeat of the Karakoram in its significance and consequences was comparable to the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Finally, the Uygur Kaganate fell under the onslaught of Chinese hordes that attacked it in 842 and forced its former allies to retreat to the borders of Manchuria. But even such a long flight did not save the perishing army. The Kyrgyz khan, having learned that the Uighurs had found refuge in the lands belonging to the Tatars, appeared with a large army and put to death all those who could still hold the weapons.

The sudden aggression from China pursued not only military and political tasks, but also aimed at defeating Manichaeism, which further opened the way for the spread of Buddhism. All the religious books of the Mani were destroyed, and the property of the ministers of this cult was transferred to the imperial treasury.

The last act of drama

However, the story of the Uighurs did not end there. After the defeat of their once powerful state, they succeeded in creating a small principality in the north-western part of China, in the province of Gansu, in the year 861, rallying around the last representative of the former Yaglakar dynasty. This newly created education became part of the Celestial Empire as a vassal.

For some time, relations between the Uighurs and their new masters were quite calm, especially since they regularly paid the established tribute. They were even allowed to keep a small army to repel raids by aggressive neighbors - tribesmen of Karluks, yagma and chigili.

When their own forces were not enough, government troops came to the rescue. But later, the Chinese emperor, accusing the Uighurs of robberies and riots, deprived them of their protection. This in 1028 took advantage of the Tungus close to the Tibetans and, having seized the lands of the Uighurs, put an end to the existence of their principality. This concludes the history of the Uyghur Khaganate, briefly described in our article.