Turgut Arslan

Khagan Turgut Arslan (Turkish: Turgut Kapaghanoglu Han) Was a Turkic nomadic ruler who ruled over the Arslan Khaganate between 858 to 888, following his election by a disputed Kurultay following the death of his father Kapaghan II.

Information surrounding his life is mostly preserved by the oral tradition of Turkic peoples. Considered to be one of the most successful nomadic rulers in western central Asia, his early reign was characterised by a war with the Bashkir Khaganate that he inherited from his father and two sets of revolts following the disputed Kurultay in 858.

Widely considered an accomplished diplomat and adept at court intrigue, Turgut was well educated under his fathers patronage and despite not being a particularly adept warrior he had built up a large reputation within the clan. He massively expanded the territory held by his clan, especially towards the west and consolidated the eastern borders of his territory.

Childhood
Born in Ak-Dzulpas, within the royal court of the Arslan Clan and a descendent of the Ashina Clan through his mother, Turgut was raised in the relative wealth of his people following the expansion of the territory overseen by his uncle Çaka whose expansionist policies and victory over the Liao Dynasty increased both the prestige and wealth that the Arslan clan enjoyed. This meant that Turgut grew up in relatively opulent conditions when compared to many of his predecessors. Many believe this is created the conditions for him to become an erudite man, reading the books that were pillaged from both the Bajanid's and other clans, as well as books from merchants from the east and west passing through the family encampment.

Adult Life and Kurultay of 858
Upon reaching adulthood, Turgut served as his fathers spymaster upon his rise to the throne in 853. This allowed him to gain a profile in the clan that enabled him to appear more legitimate and capable than his uncles who were considered more likely to succeed his father than him. His manoeuvring in the court enabled him to viciously smear his rivals, poisoning his relationship with his uncles that damaged the cohesiveness of the clan and led to the second largest clan mistrusting him.

This came to a head in 858 when the Tigin clan refused to attend the Kurultay to elect Turgut. However, instead of declaring independence as had been the traditional action following non attendance to a Kurultay, they decided to try to overthrow Turgut.

Early Reign and Revolts
The initial revolt against him by the Tigin clan, led by Khan Kemal forced his hand and forced him to make peace with the Bashkir-Alan alliance who his father had declared war on just before his death. Despite initial success in that war, he opted to make a white peace with his enemies in order to focus on domestic turmoil. The Bunduqarids attempted to break free of the Arslan Khaganate, attempting to take advantage of the attempt to depose the Khagan.

The internal turmoil was resolved in the year 863, with the decisive defeat of both rebelling clans. Both were forced to leave the territory of the Khaganate and migrated away from their homelands. The reorganisation of the grazing land led to two more loyal clans emerging. The stability that emerged in the aftermath of the attempt to overthrow Turgut lasted well into the 10th century.

First Attempts at Expansion
Following a short period of stability and the passing of the harsh winter of 863, Turgut instructed his Ishads to plan for an attack on the Talas clan, who ruled the Khaganate of Zhetysu. Upon the declaration of war, his army's under the command Alptigin Arslan quickly routed the Talas clan and the war ended in a decisive Arslan victory. This early expansion set a tone for the Khagan, who then turned quickly towards planning westwards expansion.

This was however stopped by the approach of the Bashkirs who sought a non-aggression pact with Turgut. Historian speculate that the war he inherited from his his father, that caused a significant loss of manpower made him accept. This non-aggression pact meant that the western borders were secure, allowing him to move on Fergana. This war once again demonstrated the relative superiority of steppe nomadic cavalry armies when compared the central Asian settled peoples. This war resulted in the Shahdom of Fergana paying tribute to the Khagan.

The final early attempt at expansion came following a splintering in the Bashkir confederacy, leading to the Paguman clan becoming independent. This resulted in the Paguman losing their grazing land to the Arslan clan. This represented one of the earliest attempts at westward expansion from the Arslan towards the Volga river.

Establishment of Tributaries and Further Expansion
The success and wealth brought in by the war to make Fergana pay tribute encouraged Turgut to find other tributaries. The wealth that was brought in allowed significant expansion of the tribes. The wealthy realm of the Bajanids lay to the south of his territory and with his west and east secure, Turgut decided to force them to pay tribute. Following a 3 year war, a decisive victory forced the Bajanids to pay tribute. Despite assistance from their allies and other Islamic states, the military superiority allowed the Arslan clan to deliver a decisive victory.

A quick war against the Kani-Kara allowed the territory known as Kusbulak to be taken by the Khaganate. Effectvely turning the Aral Sea into an internal sea of the Arslan Khaganate. During this time the Karluk, Nestorian Kapadvanjid clan settled in the former territory of the Bajanids. This meant that tribute was no longer being paid. The resulting wounding of the Khagan's pride led him to declare war and demand tribute in 877, ending in 878.

Another Karluk clan the Sondids drew the ire of the Khagan and were swiftly defeated in 878, resulting in the paying of tribute by the Sondids to the Arslan. The income from the extensive network of tributaries allowed the Arslan to significantly expand their standing army. The system of tributaries yielded more lucrative opportunities than the previous system of raiding that had been employed by his predecessors.

Late Reign and Death
Following a period of peace, Turgut was happy to sit on his network of tributaries and accumulate wealth. However, the Alan clan known as the Aelbagatae sought to take the territory of Atyrau from the Arslan. Following The Battle of Ryn, the Aelbagatae surrendered and paid compensation to Turgut.

Following a series of minor wars, the new Kapadvanjid Khan refused to pay tribute to the Khagan. Instead of forcing him to pay tribute again, he chose to take 2 cities in his territory and wipe them out. This marked the end of the central Asian Bedouin culture that had existed within the territory of the Khaganate.

Following a period of peace, Khagan Turgut passed away naturally, being succeeded by his son Ertan.

Legacy
A gregarious and erudite man, Turgut began a culture of patronising academics in the steppe. This has led to him being considered a key figure in the advancement of the central Asian Turkic peoples. Many educational institutions are named after Turgut, despite his Tengriist beliefs he is also admired in the Islamic world. Some sources believe he converted to Islam in secret, but no reliable information exists about that and he continued in his predecessors tradition of persecuting Islamic preachers.

The expansion of the territory of the Khaganate westwards led to his son casting his gaze towards the Caspian Steppe. This would prove decisive in the future direction of the Turkic peoples of the steppe. His encouragement of his son to engage in military education and activities led to the eventual reverence and preferential treatment towards military experience over other matters when designating successors.

The stability and administrative reforms he brought to the Khaganate, facilitated by the wealth he brought in via tributaries ensured the stability of the Khaganate for the reigns of both his son and grandson.