khanate · Central Asia and the Steppe

Eastern Turkic Khaganate

603 CE – 630 CE (approx.) · capital Otuken

The eastern half of the first Turkic empire, which ruled Mongolia and dominated northern China until Tang Taizong crushed it in 630.

Origins

When the First Turkic Khaganate split around 603, the eastern khagans of the Ashina clan held the Mongolian steppe, with their sacred centre at Otuken in the Khangai mountains. The Sui dynasty had encouraged the division, and the khagan Qimin was a Sui ally.

Rule and society

The khagans led a confederation of Turkic and Tiele tribes, extracting silk and tribute from the Chinese states. During the collapse of the Sui, Shibi Khagan besieged Emperor Yang at Yanmen in 615, and his successors backed Chinese rebels and threatened the new Tang dynasty, reaching the Wei River near Chang'an in 626.

Decline and legacy

Rebellion by the Xueyantuo and other Tiele tribes and a severe winter weakened Illig Khagan, and in 630 a Tang army under Li Jing captured him. The Turks were settled under Tang rule for fifty years until the Second Turkic Khaganate revived their state in 682.

Lineage

Gokturk Empire 546 CE – 744 CEEastern Turkic KhaganateSecond Turkic Khaganate 682 CE – 744 CE

Connections (2)

Liang (Liang Shidu) was a vassal of Eastern Turkic Khaganate617 CE – 628 CE
Eastern Turkic Khaganate was conquered by Tang Dynasty630 CE

More states of Central Asia and the Steppe →

Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Eastern Turkic Khaganate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/eastern-turkic-khaganate
MLA: “Eastern Turkic Khaganate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/eastern-turkic-khaganate. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Eastern Turkic Khaganate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/eastern-turkic-khaganate.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Eastern Turkic Khaganate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/eastern-turkic-khaganate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻