The Celestial Turks: Origins, Culture and Rise of the Göktürk Dynasty

Video Description

In the middle of the 6th century, the fate of Eurasia was about to change forever. Two brothers, Bumin and Istemi, became leaders of the Turkic Ashina, a clan of semi-nomadic steppe warriors who resided at the Altai Mountains. Like the other tribes in the area, the Ashina were known to teach their children from a young age to ride horses and the use of bow and arrow. And like the others, they were also followers of Tengri, the almighty ruler of the sky, while abiding to the Töre, the ancient traditions which regulated society. Additionally, this clan had also specialized in blacksmithing. This was a society where religious tolerance was in place, where respect among family members was expected, where ancestry was deemed holy, and in which women could become as powerful as men. But the Ashina had been forged by subjugation, being vassals of the mighty Rouran Empire. Fueled by retribution against their exploitation, and by a vision to unite the fragmented Turkic tribes, Bumin and Istemi ignited a rebellion against the Rouran ruler, called Anagui. No longer would their people be pawns in the games of these Mongolic nobles. Now, the Turks would become the architects of their OWN destiny. This is the tale of the Ashina Clan, the crucible from which emerged the Göktürk Empire — a realm that would stretch its wings from Ukraine and the Caucasus to the borders of China and Korea. In doing so, Bumin and Istemi would liberate an entire culture from the shackles of subjugation, and shape the destiny of an entire continent. They would go down in history as "the Celestial Turks". In the first episode of the eponymous documentary series, we are going to explore the mythical origins of the Ashina tribe, its lifestyle and societal order as well as the belief system of Tengrism, the prevailing religion of all Turkic peoples. Then, we are taking a look at the situation of the tribe among its larger neighbors, their exchange with the Chinese Wei Empire, the relations to the Turkic Tiele (Tegreg) federation as well as its standing within hierarchy of the Rouran. Lastly, we will try to understand how Bumin, the successor to the unlucky Tuwu, managed to defeat the Rouran, free his peoples from bondage and establish his own Empire in a matter of only five years. You can check out all the sources used for the making of this video, the entire series and the corresponding book via a Google Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wPhOYciG_-NCk6Cw9x9I-r9kpDx-34_k0GQ2_fja-hQ WEBSITE: KhansDen.net PATREON: http://bit.ly/3BR6M3T PODCAST: https://bit.ly/KhansDenPodcast BOOK: https://amzn.to/3fwqmKR BOOK 2nd Edition (shown in video): [Coming Soon] Chapters: 00:00-01:51 Introducing the Ashina Dynasty 01:52-06:26 Mythical Origins: Legend Of Asena 06:27-09:11 Birth and Meaning of "Türk" 09:12-11:50 Turkic Way of Life: Law and Society 11:51-17:25 Tengrism: Religion and Cosmology of the Turks 17:26-22:56 Warriors Trapped Between Empires 22:57-25:36 Bumin and Istemi Take Power 25:37-29:25 The Celestial Revolution 29:26-31:23 Foundation of the Türk Khaganate 31:24-32:22 Bilge Khagan's Wise Words