| Taspar Qaghan | |
|---|---|
| Qaghan of theFirst Turkic Khaganate | |
| Reign | 572–581 |
| Predecessor | Muqan Qaghan |
| Successor | Amrak |
| Born | 552/553 |
| Died | 581 |
| Spouse | Princess Qianjin (大义公主) |
| Issue | Amrak |
| House | Ashina |
| Father | Bumin Qaghan |
| Mother | Changle |
| Religion | Buddhism |
Taspar Qaghan (Sogdian:t’asp’r γ’γ’n)[1][2] orTatpar Qaghan (Sogdian:t’tp’r x’γ’n,Rouran:Tadpar qaɣan;[3]Old Turkic: 𐱃𐱃𐰯𐰺𐰴𐰍𐰣 Tatpar qaγan,[4][5] 佗缽可汗/佗钵可汗,Pinyin: tuóbō Kèhán,Wade-Giles: t'o-po k'o-han) was the third son ofBumin Qaghan, with princessWei Changle (長樂公主), and the fourthkhagan of theFirst Turkic Khaganate (572–581).[6]
One passage of theSogdian transliteration text on theBugut stele has been read (in the standard scholarly edition) and can be tentatively rendered as: (SogdianTransliteration: βγy wr-kwp-’r cr-’’cw mγ’’ t’tp’r x’γ’n,Transcription:BaġaUrkupär (Urkäpär)Črāču (ČorAču)MaġaTatparQaɣan)[1]
A literal gloss of this rendering is:
This reading treats theSogdian text as a chain of epithets and titles (epithet + rank + personal name + epithet + regnal name + qaγan), rather than a single continuous birth-name. The reconstruction is tentative: theSogdian orthography and the epigraphic damage permit several alternate readings, and editors note possible variant spellings and uncertainties in individual graphemes.[1][3]
Taspar Qaghan's reign saw further rise of Turkic power even to the point calling both Zhou and Qi emperors his sons.[7][8] He appointed his nephewsAshina Shetu as Erzhu khagan in the east and Börü khagan in the west as lesser khagans.[8]
He switched his alliance from Zhou to Qi. He sent a horse as gift in 572 and granted defeated Qi princeGao Shaoyi asylum. He transferred former Northern Qi subjects, whether they fled to or were captured by theGöktürks, to be under Gao Shaoyi's command. However, he still maintained good relationship with Zhou, sending another horse as a gift in 574.[8]
Around the new year 578, Gao Baoning, sent a petition to Gao Shaoyi, requesting that he take the imperial title. Gao Shaoyi therefore declared himself emperor, with military assistance from the Göktürks.
Taspar attacked Zhou repeatedly until the spring of 579, when he sought peace with the Northern Zhou.Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou made the daughter of his uncle Yuwen Zhao (宇文招) the Princess Qianjin, offering to give her to Taspar in marriage if he would be willing to surrender Gao Shaoyi. Taspar refused.
In 580, after Emperor Xuan's death,Yang Jian, the regent for Emperor Xuan's sonEmperor Jing of Northern Zhou, nevertheless sent Princess Qianjin to the Göktürks to marry Taspar Qaghan. After the marriage, Yang sent the official Heruo Yi (賀若誼) to the Göktürks to bribe Taspar to give up Gao Shaoyi. He agreed, and as a ruse, he invited Gao Shaoyi to a hunt, but instead had Heruo Yi capture Gao Shaoyi. In the fall of 580, Gao Shaoyi was delivered to the Northern Zhou's capitalChang'an, and he was exiled to modernSichuan.
Taspar died in 581 from illness, leaving the throne to his nephewTalopien.
Unlike his father and older brothers he embracedChinese culture, especiallyBuddhism. He was converted toBuddhism[9][10] by theQi monk Huilin, for whom he built apagoda. Taspar's death marked the beginning of a long decline and subjugation of the Göktürks to China. During his reign there was a flood of Sogdian Manichean refugees from Persia and Buddhist refugees from Qi and Zhou, both the result of pogroms. These Sogdians devised the Göktürk Runes to write the Turkic language, for translations of the sutras to Turkic, notably the Nirvana Sutra in 575.[8]
Taspar's death created a dynastic crisis in the khaganate. His Chinese wifeQianjin survived him, but Taspar bequeathed his throne toTalopien, the son of his elder brotherMuqan Qaghan. His bequest ran contrary to the traditional system of inheritance which demanded the throne to be passed to the son of the eldest brother, in this caseIshbara Qaghan. The council rejected the legality of Taspar's will stating his mother was of non-Turkic origin. Thus they appointedAmrak as the next khagan. Talopien's faction did not recognize Amrak. This crisis ultimately resulted in the civil war of 581–603, which greatly weakened the state.
He had at least two issues:
Taspar Qaghan | ||
| Preceded by | Khagan of the Turkic Khaganate 572–581 | Succeeded by |