Bumin Qaghan (Old Turkic: 𐰉𐰆𐰢𐰣:𐰴𐰍𐰣, romanized: Bumïn qaγan,[2] also known as Illig Qaghan (Chinese: 伊利可汗, Pinyin: Yīlì Kèhán, Wade–Giles: i-li k'o-han) or Yamï Qaghan[a] (Old Turkic: 𐰖𐰢𐰃:𐰴𐰍𐰣, romanized: Yаmï qaγan, died 552 AD) was the founder of the Turkic Khaganate. He was the eldest son of Ashina Tuwu (吐務 / 吐务).[7] He was the chieftain of the Turks under the sovereignty of Rouran Khaganate.[8][9][10][11] He is also mentioned as Tumen (土門, 吐門, commander of ten thousand[12]) of the Rouran Khaganate.[13]
According to History of Northern Dynasties and Zizhi Tongjian, in 545 Tumen's tribe started to rise and frequently invaded the western frontier of Wei. The chancellorofWestern Wei, Yuwen Tai, sent An Nuopanto (安諾盤陀, Nanai-Banda, a Sogdian from Bukhara,[14]) as an emissary to the Göktürk chieftain Tumen, in an attempt to establish a commercial relationship.[15][16] In 546, Tumen paid tribute to the Western Wei state.[16] In that same year, Tumen put down a revolt of the Tiele tribes against the Rouran Khaganate, their overlords.[16] Following this, Tumen felt entitled to request of the Rouran a princess as his wife. The Rouran khagan, Anagui, sent a message refusing this request and adding: "You are my blacksmith slave. How dare you utter these words?" Bumin got angry, killed Anagui's emissary, and severed relations with the Rouran Khaganate.[15][17][18][19] Anagui's "blacksmith" (鍛奴 / 锻奴, Pinyin: duàn nú, Wade–Giles: tuan-nu) insult was recorded in Chinese chronicles. Some sources state that members of the Turks (referred as "Tujue" in Chinese sources) did serve as blacksmiths for the Rouran elite,[8][9][10][11] and that "blacksmith slavery" may refer to a kind of vassalage that prevailed in Rouran society.[20] Nevertheless, after this incident Bumin emerged as the leader of the revolt against Rouran.
The beginning of formal diplomatic relations with China propped up Bumin's authority among the Turks. He eventually united the local Turkic tribes and threw off the yoke of the Rouran domination. In 552 Bumin's army defeated Anagui's forces at the north of Huaihuang and then Anagui committed suicide.[17] With their defeat Bumin proclaimed himself "Illig Qaghan" and made his wife qaghatun.[17] "Illig" means Ilkhan (i.e. ruler of people) in Old Turkic.[21] According to the Bilge Qaghan's memorial complex and the Kul Tigin's memorial complex, Bumin and Istemi ruled people by Turkic laws and they developed them.[2][22]
He was succeeded by his younger brother Istemi[26] in the western part and by his son Issik Qaghan in the eastern part. In less than one century, his khaganate expanded to comprise most of Central Asia.
^Yamï Qağan on the Ongin inscription is often identified as Qǐmín Kěhàn 啟民可汗 (r. 603–609 or 599–614) of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate[3] W. Radloff identifies Yiamy kagan as Bumyn kagan, basing on similarities of letters "b" and "y" (H.N.Orkhun); Bumyn kagan (S.E Malov),[4] G.Aidarov,[5] Yamï qaγan (T.Tekin),[6] Yamï qaγan (L.Bold), according I. Markwart, Yiamy kagan is Bumyn/Tumen.
^S.E. Malov Onginsky monument; Monuments of ancient Türkic writing of Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, M., L., 1959, p. 7-11
^G. Aydarov On the language of the Kutlug Kagan monument; News of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR, Series of social sciences, 1963, issue-6. p. 81-88
^Orhun H.N. Eski turk yazitlarі. Turk Tarih Kurumu basimevi, Ankara, 1986, p.127-132
^"Tumen" is used for expressing 10,000 and "Bum" is used for expressing 100,000 in Secret History of the Mongols, Larry Moses, "Legend by the numbers: The Symbolism of Numbers in the 'Secret History of the Mongols'", Asian folklore studies, Vol. 55-56, Nanzan University Institute of Anthropology, 1996, p. 95.
^Shing Müller, "Sogdian in China um 600 n. Chr. Archäologische Zeugnisse eines Lebens zwischen Assimilation und Identitätsbewahrung", NOAG, Vol. 183-184, 2008. p. 123.(in German)
^ abcdLi Yanshou (李延寿), History of Northern Dynasties, Vol. 99.(in Chinese)
^Christopher I. Beckwith, Empires of the Silk Road: a history of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the present, Princeton University Press, 2009, ISBN978-0-691-13589-2, p. 9.
