Young Bumin and Istemi (Göktürk Khaganate Rulers)

This is a historical re-construction of Bumin and Istemi, the two brothers from the Ashina Clan in the Altai Mountains who later founded the First Göktürk Khaganate.

Before they rose to chieftains of the Ashina, the brothers used to live a normal life – as normal as life could be on the Eurasian Steppe Belt, dwelling in yurts (tents), hunting their food and learning to become blacksmiths like the rest of their family. Both Bumin and Istemi became excellent warriors growing up, learning the ways of the versatile horse archer. They even became accustomed to non-Turkic traditions and culture in their exchanges with the Indo-Aryan Wusun to the West and the sinized Tuoba-Dynasty in Northern China to the South. But in the East, the Rouran Khagan Anagui was reigning supreme. The father of Bumin and Istemi, only known by his name "Tuwu", had to subject his clan to Anagui for the longest time. But when Tuwu died in 542, Bumin – being the older brother and Tuwu's oldest son – took over the clan. Just four years later, he managed to both make the tribes of the Turkic Tiele Federation his tribesmen, as well as to establish diplomatic relations with the Western Wei Dynasty. With the help of the Tiele and Wei, Bumin then revolted against the elderly and now fragile Anagui and deferated the Rouran forces in two decisive battles in February and April 552.

As the Rouran nobility fled to the Northern Qi Dynasty – enemies of the Wei – or completely left the region to the west towards Europe, Anagui took his own life. Then, Bumin took the title of "Khagan" and declared the TÜRK Khaganate; we call it "Göktürk" (Celestial Turk) due to the Tengrist state religion and to differentiate them from any other Turkic empires. But Bumin died shortly thereafter. His eldest son Kara became new Khagan in 552, but Istemi now also ascended to the higher political ranks as Yabgu, Vice Ruler. As he was independent politically, he took care of political matters west of the Altai Mountains, the Göktürk headquarters, while Kara took care of the east. And while Kara Khagan attacked the Rouran remnants that were being used as canon fodder by the Northern Qi, Istemi chased the other Rouran nobles who were on their way to Europe, where they would intermingle with the "Avars" and take control. By 560, the Göktürks had already created the first and largest transcontinental steppe empire up to that point in time, 700 years before the term "Mongol" was even created.

But all of this was just a dream for young Bumin and Istemi, two brothers who are simply trying to find their roles in the eternal steppes of Eurasia...