{{Short description|Founder of the Turkic Khaganate (d. 552 AD)}} {{distinguish|Yami Qaghan|Illig Qaghan}} {{Infobox royalty | name = Bumin Qaghan | title = | succession = Qaghan of the First Turkic Khaganate | image = | caption = Modern rendering of Bumin Khagan as one of the founders of the 16 Great Turkic Empires, part of the {{langx|tr|Türklük Anıtı||Monument to Turkishness}} in Pınarbaşı, Kayseri | reign = 552 | coronation = 552 in Altai Mountains<ref> {{cite book |first=Susan Wise |last=Bauer |title=The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |year=2010 |isbn= 978-0-393-05975-5 |pages=238 }} </ref> | full name = | regnal name = Illig Qaghan (伊利可汗) | successor = Issik Qaghan | spouse = {{unbulleted list|Unknown wives|Princess Changle}} (551) | issue = {{unbulleted list|Issik Qaghan|Muqan Qaghan|Taspar Qaghan}} | royal house = Ashina | father = Ashina Tuwu | mother = | birth_name = Ashina Tumen (阿史那土門) | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = 552 | religion = Tengrism }} '''Bumin Qaghan''' ({{langx|otk|𐰉𐰆𐰢𐰣:𐰴𐰍𐰣|Bumïn qaɣan}},<ref name="Kultegin">{{cite web |title=Kultegin's Memorial Complex, TÜRIK BITIG |url=https://bitig.kz/?mod=1&tid=1&oid=15&lang=e}}</ref> died 552 AD) was the founder of the First Turkic Khaganate. His regnal title was '''Illig Qaghan''' ({{Langx|zh|伊利可汗|Yīlì Kèhán}}, Wade–Giles: i-li k'o-han). He was the eldest son of Ashina Tuwu (吐務 / 吐务).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ouyang |first=Xiu |author-link=Ouyang Xiu |title=New Book of Tang |title-link=New Book of Tang |volume=215A |language=zh}}</ref> He was the chieftain of the Turks under the sovereignty of the Rouran Khaganate.<ref name="Ma Zhangshou">{{Cite book |last=Ma |first=Zhangshou |title=突厥人和突厥汗國 |publisher=SPPH |year=1957 |pages=10–11 |language=zh |trans-title=Turks and the Turkic Qaghanate}}</ref><ref name="Fengxiang">{{Cite book |last=Chen |first=Fengxiang |title=中國通史 |last2=Yu |first2=Yingshi |publisher=Wunan Book Publishing |year=2002 |isbn=978-957-11-2881-8 |pages=155 |language=zh |trans-title=General History of China}}</ref><ref name="Gao Yang">{{cite book |last=Gao |first=Yang |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1dRpAAAAMAAJ&q=slave++Rouran |title=X. Türk Tarih Kongresi: Ankara 22 - 26 Eylül 1986, Kongreye Sunulan Bildiriler |publisher=Turkish Historical Society |year=1991 |isbn=9789751604033 |volume=5 |pages=731 |trans-title=10th Turkish History Congress: Ankara, 22–26 September 1986, Papers Presented to the Congress |chapter=The Origin of the Turks and the Turkish Khanate}}</ref><ref name="Burhan Oğuz">{{Cite book |last=Oğuz |first=Burhan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kOwBAAAAMAAJ&q=%22demirci+k%C3%B6le%22 |title=Türkiye halkının kültür kökenleri: Giriş, beslenme teknikleri |date=1976 |publisher=İstanbul Matbaası |isbn=978-975-8586-22-6 |pages=147 |language=tr |trans-title=Cultural roots of the Turkish people: Introduction, nutritional techniques}}</ref> He is also mentioned as '''Tumen''' ({{linktext|lang=zh|土門}}, {{linktext|lang=zh|吐門}}, commander of ten thousand<ref>"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.</ref>) of the Rouran Khaganate.<ref name="Beckwith">{{cite book |last=Beckwith |first=Christopher I. |author-link=Christopher I. Beckwith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5jG1eHe3y4EC |title=Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present |date=16 March 2009 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0691135892 |pages=387, 390 |access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref>
== Name == The name Tumen ({{Langx|ltc|土門|thɔ'-mən|links=yes|label=Early Middle Chinese}} and {{Langx|ltc|土門|t<sup>h</sup>uə'mun}}) found in Chinese historical records (such as the ''Book of Zhou'' and ''Book of Sui'') and Bumin Qaghan found in Old Turkic inscriptions are considered to refer to the same person: the founder of the Turkic Khaganate. However, the two names do not match phonetically. Turcologist Volker Rybatzki suggested that "Bumin" can be analyzed from an Iranian linguistic perspective, splitting it into the root ''bum-'' and the suffix ''-in''. The suffix ''-in'' often appears in Sogdian to indicate a nickname or patronymic. The root ''bum-'' can be compared to Old Sanskrit ''bhūmi'' ("earth, ground, soil, land"), Old Persian ''būmī-'' ("earth"), and Sogdian ''ßωmh'' ("earth, land, world").<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Rybatzki |first=Volker |date=2000 |title=Titles of Türk and Uigur Rulers in the Old Turkic Inscriptions |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41928233 |journal=Central Asiatic Journal |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=205–292 |issn=0008-9192}}</ref>
According to turcologist Rui Chuanming, ''tu'' (土) means "earth, soil, territory," and ''men'' (門) means "entrance, faction, clan." Given the strong influence of Sogdian culture on the First Turkic Khaganate, the meaning of the name "Bumin" may have been introduced to China by Sogdians, where the Chinese then translated it into "Tu-men"—a name that captures both the sound (approximated) and the meaning, according to his theory.{{Sfn|Rui|2017|p=204}} He suggested that "Bumin" might have been an alternative title for Tumen that was not recorded by Chinese historians.{{Sfn|Rui|2017|p=204}}
Other theories suggest "Tumen" is a transliteration of the Turkic word for "ten thousand" (''tümen''). Sui and Tang historian Cen Zhongmian believed "Bumin" originated from the Sanskrit ''bhuman'' ("vast, wealthy").{{Sfn|Cen|1958|p=892}}
== Early life and reign == According to the ''History of the Northern Dynasties'' and the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', in 545 Tumen's tribe started to rise and frequently invaded the western frontier of Wei. The chancellor of Western Wei, Yuwen Tai, sent An Nuopanto (安諾盤陀, Nanai-Banda, a Sogdian from Bukhara<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rong |first=Xinjiang |author-link=Rong Xinjiang |title=世紀的北中國與歐亞大陸 |publisher=China Science Publishing & Media |year=2006 |editor-last=Zhang |editor-first=Qingjie |location=Beijing |pages=128–139 |language=zh |trans-title=Northern China and Eurasia in the 21st Century |chapter=有關北周同州薩保安伽墓的幾個問題 |trans-chapter=Several questions concerning the tomb of Sabao Anjia in Tongzhou, Northern Zhou Dynasty}}</ref>) as an emissary to the Göktürk chieftain Tumen, in an attempt to establish a commercial relationship.<ref name="Northern99">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Yanshou |author-link=Li Yanshou |title=History of the Northern Dynasties |title-link=History of the Northern Dynasties |volume=99 |language=zh}}</ref><ref name="Zizhi159">{{Cite book |last=Sima |first=Quang |author-link=Sima Guang |url= |title=Zizhi Tongjian |title-link=Zizhi Tongjian |volume=159 |language=zh}}</ref> In 546, Tumen paid tribute to the Western Wei state.<ref name="Zizhi159" />{{Sfn|Cen|1958|p=499-500}} Tumen later put down a revolt of the Tiele tribes, accepting the surrender of over 50,000 households against the Rouran Khaganate, their overlords.<ref name="Zizhi159" />
Following this, Tumen felt entitled to request of the Rouran a princess to be his wife. The Rouran khagan, Yujiulü 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.<ref name="Northern99" /><ref name="Zhou50">{{Cite book |last=Linghu |first=Defen |author-link=Linghu Defen |title=Book of Zhou |title-link=Book of Zhou |volume=50 |language=zh}}</ref><ref name="Zizhi164">{{Cite book |last=Sima |first=Quang |author-link=Sima Guang |title=Zizhi Tongjian |volume=164 |language=zh}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beckwith |first=Christopher I. |author-link=Christopher I. Beckwith |title=Empires of the Silk Road: a history of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the present |date=2009 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-13589-2 |location=Princeton (N.J.) |pages=9}}</ref> Anagui's "blacksmith" ({{Langx|zh|鍛奴|duànnú}}) insult was recorded in Chinese chronicles. Some sources state that members of the Turks did serve as blacksmiths for the Rouran elite,<ref name="Ma Zhangshou" /><ref name="Fengxiang" /><ref name="Gao Yang" /><ref name="Burhan Oğuz" /> and that "blacksmith slavery" may refer to a kind of vassalage that prevailed in Rouran society.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Perry |first=John Curtis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5s4UAAAAIAAJ&dq=Blacksmith+slave+Juan+Juan&pg=PA65 |title=Essays on Tʻang Society: The Interplay of Social, Political and Economic Forces |last2=Smith |first2=Bardwell Leith |date=1976 |publisher=Brill Archive |isbn=978-90-04-04761-7 |pages=65 |language=en}}</ref> Nevertheless, after this incident Bumin emerged as the leader of the revolt against the Rouran. thumb|Gokturk khaganate. In 551, Bumin requested a Western Wei princess for marriage. Yuwen Tai permitted it and sent Princess Changle of Western Wei to Bumin in July or August 551.<ref name="Northern99" /><ref name="Zhou50" /><ref name="Zizhi164" /> In the same year Emperor Wen of Western Wei died, and Bumin sent a mission and gave two hundred horses.<ref name="Northern99" /><ref name="Zhou50" />
The ''Book of Zhou'' does not explicitly date revolt of the Tiele. Sima Guang's ''Zizhi Tongjian'' places it in 551, but historian Cen Zhongmian argued this dating is incorrect. According to him, since Tumen subsequently requested marriages from both Rouran and Western Wei, the defeat of the Tiele could not have happened as late as 551.{{Sfn|Cen|1958|p=500}} Scholars Xue Zongzheng and Wu Yugui agree, with Xue further speculating the event occurred in 550 or earlier.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Xue |first=Zhongzheng |author-link=Xue Zongzheng |title=突厥史 |publisher=Chinese Social Sciences Press |year=1992 |location=Beijing |pages=88 |language=zh |trans-title=A History of Turks}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wu |first=Yugui |title=突厥汗國與隋唐關係史研究 |date=2017 |publisher=Commercial Press |isbn=978-7-100-13887-1 |edition=1st |series= |location=Beijing |pages=10 |language=zh |trans-title=A Study on the Relationship between the Turkic Khaganate and the Sui and Tang Dynasties}}</ref>
The beginning of formal diplomatic relations with China propped up Bumin's authority among the Turks. He eventually united the local Turkic tribes and ended their subservience to the Rouran. In February or March 552 Bumin's army defeated Anagui's forces at the north of Huaihuang and then Anagui committed suicide.<ref name="Zhou50" /> With their defeat Bumin proclaimed himself Illig Qaghan and made his wife qaghatun.<ref name="Zhou50" /> Marcel Erdal compared "Illig" to ilkhan (i.e. ruler of people) in Old Turkic.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Erdal |first=Marcel |title=Die türkisch-mongolischen Titel elxan und elči |url=https://www.academia.edu/13719647/Die_t%C3%BCrkisch_mongolischen_Titel_elxan_und_el%C4%8Di |journal=Altaica Berolinensia. Asiatische Forschungen |location=Wiesbaden |issue=126 |pages=81–99}}</ref> Rybatzki instead translated this title as "qaghan who has a land".<ref name=":2" /> 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.<ref name="Kultegin" /><ref name="Bilge">{{cite web |title=Bilge kagan's Memorial Complex, TÜRIK BITIG |url=https://bitig.kz/?mod=1&tid=1&oid=16&lang=e}}</ref>
== Death and family == [[File:An Jia with a Turkic Chieftain in Yurt (detail). Xi’an, 579 CE. Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Xi’an.jpg|thumb|Contemporary depiction of the encounter in a Turkic yurt of the Sogdian trader An Jia (left) and a Turkic Chieftain (right). 579 CE, Tomb of An Jia, Xi’an, China.]] Bumin died within several months of proclaiming himself Illig Qaghan.<ref>{{Cite book |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia |publisher=UNESCO |year=2006 |isbn=978-9231032110 |pages=327}}</ref> Xue Zongzheng believes the cause of death was injuries sustained during the war with the Rouran.<ref name=":3" /> He had a younger brother called Istämi who ruled westernpost portions of the qaghanate.<ref name="MichaelKappler2009">{{cite book|author1=Michalis N. Michael|author2=Matthias Kappler|author3=Eftihios Gavriel|title=Archivum Ottomanicum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SjwMAQAAMAAJ&q=mentioned+brother|year=2009|publisher=Mouton.|pages=68, 69|isbn=9783447058995 }}</ref>
Wives and children:
* Unnamed Turkic khatun(s) ** Issik Qaghan (r. 552–553) ** Muqan Qaghan (r. 553–572) ** Taspar Qaghan (however Baatar Urgunbuyan claims Princess Changle of Western Wei was his mother)<ref name="BAA">{{cite journal |last1=Urgunbuyan |first1=Baatar |date=28 August 2023 |title=Princesses of the Central Plains Married into the Turkish Khaganate |url=https://doi.org/10.1515/modi-2023-2006 |journal=Mongolian Diaspora. Journal of Mongolian History and Culture |volume=3 |issue=1 |page=39 |doi=10.1515/modi-2023-2006 |quote=Taspar (他钵, 佗钵), born from King Tumen and Queen Chanle became the fourth Khan of the Turkish Khaganate. |doi-access=free}}</ref> ** Kutlug<ref>{{Cite book |last=Taşağıl |first=Ahmet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rQ2iucxuQ80C |title=Gök-Türkler |date=1995 |publisher=Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi |isbn=978-975-16-1631-9 |pages=23 |language=tr |trans-title=Göktürks}}</ref> ({{Langx|zh|阿史那庫頭|Āshǐnà Kùtóu}}) appointed by Muqan Qaghan to be the lesser khagan of the Eastern Turkic Empire with title Ditou Qaghan (地頭可汗) <ref>{{Cite book |last=Linghu |first=Defen |author-link=Linghu Defen |title=Book of Zhou |title-link=Book of Zhou |volume=33 |language=zh}}</ref> ** Mahan Tegin (d. 581) — lesser khagan appointed by Taspar Qaghan<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Alyılmaz |first=Cengiz |year=2003 |title=Bugut Yazıtı ve Anıt Mezar Külliyesi Üzerine |trans-title=On the Bugut Inscription and the Mausoleum Complex |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/258166 |journal=Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi |volume=1 |issue=13 |pages=11–21}}</ref> ** Rudan Qaghan ({{Langx|zh|褥但可汗}}) — he is defined almost entirely by his relationship to others rather than his own actions. Might be the brother poisoned by Northern Qi in the Baoding era (561–565).<ref name="Zhou50"/> *** Böri Qaghan (步離可汗) - Lesser khagan of west appointed by Taspar Qaghan<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wei |first=Zheng |author-link=Wei Zheng |title=Book of Sui |title-link=Book of Sui |volume=99 |language=zh}}</ref>
=== Genetics === A complete genetic analysis of Empress Ashina (551–582), Bumin Qaghan' granddaughter through his son Muqan Qaghan, by Xiaoming Yang et al. in 2023, found nearly exclusively Ancient Northeast Asian ancestry (97,7%) next to minor West-Eurasian components (2,7%), and no Chinese ("Yellow River") admixture. This supports the Northeast Asian origin of the Ashina tribe. According to the authors, these findings "once again validates a cultural diffusion model over a demic diffusion model for the spread of Turkic languages".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Xiaomin |last2=Meng |first2=Hailiang |last3=Zhang |first3=Jianlin |last4=Yu |first4=Yao |last5=Allen |first5=Edward |last6=Xia |first6=Ziyang |last7=Zhu |first7=Kongyang |last8=Du |first8=Panxin |last9=Ren |first9=Xiaoying |last10=Xiong |first10=Jianxue |last11=Lu |first11=Xiaoyu |last12=Ding |first12=Yi |last13=Han |first13=Sheng |last14=Liu |first14=Weipeng |last15=Jin |first15=Li |date=2023-01-09 |title=Ancient Genome of Empress Ashina reveals the Northeast Asian origin of Göktürk Khanate |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jse.12938 |journal=Journal of Systematics and Evolution |volume=61 |issue=6 |language=en |pages=1056–1064 |doi=10.1111/jse.12938 |s2cid=255690237 |issn=1674-4918|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
=== Legacy === The ''Tariat Inscriptions'' from the Uyghur Khaganate period mention a certain Bumin Qaghan,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inscription El etmish Bilge kagan (Tariat // Terh) |url=https://bitig.kz/?lang=e&mod=1&tid=1&oid=24&m=1 |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=bitig.kz}}</ref> but due to severe damage to the stone face, it cannot be confirmed if this Bumin Qaghan is indeed him.{{Sfn|Geng|2005|p=212}} The ''Ongin Inscription'' from the Second Khaganate period mentions a certain ''Yamï Qağan'' ({{langx|otk|𐰖𐰢𐰃:𐰴𐰍𐰣|Yamï qaɣan}}) who some believe may be Bumin Qaghan, though this interpretation remains controversial. Several scholars, including early researchers Wilhelm Radloff and Josef Marquart, as well as contemporary scholar Takashi Ōsawa, have identified this figure as Bumin Qaghan, suggesting "Yama" is a variant reference to the founder of the khaganate.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ōsawa |first=Takashi |date=2011 |title=Revisiting the Ongi inscription of Mongolia from the Second Turkic Qaγanate on the basis of rubbings by G. J. Ramstedt |url=https://scispace.com/pdf/revisiting-the-ongi-inscription-of-mongolia-from-the-second-2xe5a6sx7l.pdf |journal=Journal de la Société Finno-Ougrienne |volume=93 |pages=176–177}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Radloff |first=Wilhelm |url=https://archive.org/details/diealtturkischeninschriftendermongol |title=Die alttürkischen Inschriften der Mongolei |publisher=Imp. Akademii Nauka |year=1895 |location=St. Petersburg |page=253 |language=de |trans-title=The Old Turkic Inscriptions of Mongolia}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Marquart |first=Josef |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ZhjgAAAAMAAJ |title=Die Chronologie der Alttürkischen Inschriften |title-link= |publisher=Dieterich'sche verlags |year=1898 |location=Leipzig |page=39 |language=de |trans-title=The Chronology of the Old Turkic Inscriptions}}</ref> However, this identification remains a subject of academic debate and is not universally accepted; scholars such as Gerard Clauson and Talat Tekin have challenged this reading,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Clauson |first=Gerard |year=1957 |title=The Ongin Inscription |url=https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00115825 |journal=The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |issue=3 |page=184}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Tekin |first=Talat |url=https://archive.org/details/grammaroforkhont0069tala |title=A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic |publisher=Indiana University |year=1968 |location=Bloomington |page=291}}</ref> and Chinese researchers Geng Shimin and Rui Chuanming note that the interpretation of the text is still controversial.{{Sfn|Geng|2005|p=186-187}}{{Sfn|Rui|2017|p=259|pp=262-263}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Sources ==
* {{Cite book |last=Cen |first=Zhongmian |title=突厥集史 |publisher=Zhonghua Book Company |year=1958 |location=Beijing |language=zh |trans-title=A Collection of History of the Turks}} * {{Cite book |last=Geng |first=Shimin |title=古代突厥文碑銘研究 |publisher=Minzu University of China |year=2005 |location=Beijing |pages= |language=zh |trans-title=A Study of Ancient Turkic Inscriptions}} * {{cite book |last=Rui |first=Chuanming |title=古突厥碑銘研究 |publisher=The Commercial Press |year=2017 |isbn= |edition=Revised |location=Beijing |pages= |language=zh |trans-title=Research on Old Turkic Inscriptions}} {{S-start}} {{s-hou|Ashina Clan||}} {{s-bef|before=''none''}} {{s-ttl|title=Qaghan of the First Turkic Khaganate|years=552}} {{s-aft|after=Issik Qaghan}} {{S-end}}
{{Göktürks}}
{{Rouran rulers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bumin}} Category:552 deaths Category:Göktürk khagans Category:Tengrist monarchs Category:6th-century monarchs in Asia Category:Year of birth unknown Category:Ashina house of the Turkic Empire Category:Founding monarchs in Asia Category:Leaders who took power by coup Category:Rouran Khaganate