Evacuation of Göktürks from Mongolia

In 630, the First Turkic Khaganate fell prey to a number of internal revolts and external conflicts. When the last amber of Ilig Khagan in the East and Tong Yabgu in the West was extinguished, the Chinese T'ang Empire under Taizong invaded the Eastern realms of the Khaganate. Effectively annexing Turkic territory, the royal Ashina Dynasty of the Göktürks was taken from their capital in Ötüken – a legendary mountain-forest somewhere in Mongolia – to the northernmost border in China and settled there. The Chinese policy of divide and conquer had been successful, but fearing a rebellion by the Turks, they saw fit to divide the Turkic world along another line: royals and common folk.

Thus, with the Ashina held in captivity in faraway China, the common tribes of the former Turkic Khaganate were on their own. Some created new states, others isolated themselves completely from the rest. However, some fifty years later, a certain Ashina prince called KUTLUK would bring an end to this misery and return his dynasty to Ötüken, to establish the Second Turkic Khaganate...

This image is part of my upcoming book "The Göktürks: Origins and Rise to World Power", available 29 October 2023 on TheKhansDen.com.