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TheGöktürk civil war orTurkic interregnum was a number of political crises in theTurkic Khaganate first between 583 and 603, which resulted thekhaganate being split intoWestern andEastern parts.[citation needed]
The Turkic Khaganate was an empire stretching fromManchuria to theBlack Sea. The name of the ruling clan wasAshina. The khagans were appointed by thekurultay (council of tribe leaders), normally from the sons, brothers and nephews of the last ruler.
In 581, the fourthkhagan,Taspar Qaghan, died. There were four claimants to the throne.
| father, grandfather | Regnal name (Chinese reading) | Personal name (Chinese reading) | Regnal name | Personal name | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amrak Khagan | Taspar,Bumin | Di-er ke-han | An-luo | N/A | Амрак (Amrak) |
| Apa Qaghan | Muqan,Bumin | A-po K'o-han | Ta-lo-pien | Апа-хан (Apa-khan) | Торэмен (Töremen) |
| Ishbara Qaghan | Issik,Bumin | Sha-po-lüeh K'o-han, | She-t'u | Бага Ышбара-хан (Bağa Işbara-han) | Иль-кюлюг шад (İl-külüg şad) |
| Tardu | Istämi,Ashina Tuwu | Ta-t'ou K'o-han | Tien-chüeh | Тардуш-хан, Боке-хан (Tardu-khan, Böke-khan) | Кара-Чурин Тюрк (Kara-Çürin Türk) |
Bumin Qaghan had founded the dynasty and was followed in succession by his three sons:Issik,Muqan andTaspar. Prince Anluo (Amrak Khagan) was Taspar Qaghan's son, Talopien (Apa Qaghan) and Shetu (Ishbara Qaghan) were Taspar's nephews, while Tien-chueh (Tardu) was Taspar's cousin.
Before dying, Taspar Qaghan had announced his preference for Talopien to succeed him instead of his son Anluo, although he had no right to determine the succession. During thekurultay after Taspar's death, Ishbara (then called Shetu), who was also a claimant, saw that he had no chance and supported the pacifist[citation needed] Anluo against Apa on the ground that Apa's mother was not of noble birth.[2] He threatened thekurultay that in case of Apa's election he would revolt. Thus thekurultay[citation needed] appointed Anluo as the new khan. However Anluo's regency was short-lived because of the reaction of Apa's partisans. Anluo quickly renounced the title on behalf of his powerful ally Ishbara who became the khan with the regnal name Ishbara Qaghan.[2]
Ishbara Qaghan held the center, residing in the holy forestÖtüken in modern-day centralMongolia. Tardu held the far west in what was becoming theWestern Turkic Khaganate. Anluo, controlled the region around theTuul River nearUlaanbaatar. Apa Qaghan, was sovereign in the northern territories.[3]
In 584, Ishbara Qaghan raided Apa Qaghan's territory and killed the Apa Qaghan's mother. Apa Qaghan took refuge in the west and allied himself with its powerful rulerTardu. Both Tardu and his brotherTamgan (Turksanf), the ruler of theVolga river area, supplied him with troops. Ishbara Qaghan wasn't able to compete with this force, and accepted the suzerainty of theSui dynasty to protect himself. With Sui support he was able to capture Apa Qaghan's family members. Apa Qaghan once again escaped west and settled in thePoykent nearBukhara (in modernUzbekistan). However, in his new territory, the former alliance broke and he lost the support of Tardu because of the disagreement over the control of theSilk Road. In 587, both Ishbara Qaghan and Apa Qaghan died.
After Ishbara and Apa died the east was held by Ishbara's brotherBagha Qaghan (587–589) and Ishbara's sonTulan Qaghan (589–599), while the west remained under Tardu (587–603). After Tulan's death Tardu briefly reunified the east and west, but after 603 the two halves were separated again.
There was a power vacuum between 630 and 682 after the Eastern Khaganate was conquered in 630 and the Western Khaganate in 657 by theTang dynasty.[4] AlthoughAshina Jiesheshuai tried to restore the Turkic Khaganate in 639, andAshina Funian in 681 they both failed. In 645,Chebi Khan restored Turkic Khaganate from 645 until 650. It was subsequently annexed by the Tang.[5] In 682 the Göktürks regained their independence and established theSecond Turkic Khaganate. Ashina Qutlugh was enthroned with the titleIlterish Qaghan.[6]