khanate · Central Asia and the Steppe
Second Turkic Khaganate
Origins
After fifty years of Tang rule, Ilterish Qaghan led a revolt in 682 and restored an independent Turkic state, with the support of the strategist Tonyukuk. His brother Qapaghan extended its power from Manchuria to the Syr Darya.
Rule and society
The khagans ruled from the Otuken highlands in Mongolia, leading a confederation of Turkic tribes in wars against the Tang, the Kyrgyz and the Turgesh Khaganate. Under Bilge Qaghan and his brother, the general Kul Tegin, the state reached its cultural height. Their memorial stelae on the Orkhon River, written in the Old Turkic runic script, proclaim the duties of the khagan and warn the Turks against Chinese luxury.
Decline and legacy
After Bilge Qaghan was poisoned in 734, succession struggles weakened the khaganate. In 744 an alliance of the Uyghurs, Basmyls and Karluks killed the last khagan, and the Uyghur Khaganate took its place.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Second Turkic Khaganate was part of Gokturk Empire682 CE – 744 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Second Turkic Khaganate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-turkic-khaganate
- MLA
- “Second Turkic Khaganate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-turkic-khaganate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Second Turkic Khaganate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-turkic-khaganate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Second Turkic Khaganate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-turkic-khaganate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻