The Great Power of the Kyrgyz: Barsbek-Kagan

Kagan Barsbek.

Central Asia at the end of the 7th century became the arena of significant political changes. As a result of anti-Chinese uprisings, the Second Turkic Kaganate was formed, which posed a serious threat to neighboring states. Weak peoples, not wanting to tempt fate, submitted to it, while stronger ones sought ways to unite in order to confront the formidable enemy together. The anti-Turkic alliance was led by the state of Kyrgyz.

The ruler of the Kyrgyz state was the ajo (supreme ruler) Barsbek — a prominent political figure. He came from an ancient ruling Kyrgyz dynasty. It was believed that Barsbek's lineage was under the protection of the goddess Umai-Ene, which is why his relatives bore the rare title — Umai-beg. Moreover, it is assumed that the ajo (or his lineage) not only governed the subordinate kin but was also a kind of religious leader among them. It is known that Barsbek lost his father at an early age, was the middle son in the family, and had four brothers. One of his favorite pastimes was hunting with a taygan — a hunting dog.

Ajo Barsbek led the Kyrgyz state largely due to his personal qualities. A far-sighted politician, he anticipated the growing power of the Kyrgyz at the end of the 7th century and made a decisive political gesture — he accepted the title of kagan and simultaneously took the throne name Ynanču Alp Bilge. With this, the Kyrgyz kagan openly made it clear to the leaders of the Second Turkic Kaganate that he intended to compete with them for dominance in Central Asia.

The First Campaign of the Turkic Kagan Against the Kyrgyz.

The Turkic kagan Kapagan (693—716 years) decided once and for all to put an end to the danger posed to him by the Kyrgyz. He sent an army against the Yenisei Kyrgyz led by a prince (later kagan) Bilge. However, the first campaign ended unsuccessfully. The troops were halted at the Kyrgyz border. Here, the rivals concluded a peace treaty. According to its terms, Kapagan recognized Barsbek as kagan. As a sign of this, he gave him the daughter of his elder brother as a wife. This advantageous peace legitimized the position of kagan Barsbek Ynanču Alp Bilge. But Barsbek did not abandon his far-reaching claims and plans.

At the beginning of the 8th century, Barsbek continued to pursue an active anti-Turkic foreign policy. He sent two embassies to China in 707-709, which was at that time at war with the Turks. He sought support in the Turgesh Kaganate as well.

Thus, an embassy led by Barsbek's closest associate named Ezgene arrived in the Chuy Valley to the Turgesh and concluded a treaty. As a result, in 709, Barsbek managed to create a powerful anti-Turkic coalition, which, besides the Kyrgyz, included the Tang Empire and the Turgesh Kaganate. One of the influential figures of the Second Turkic Kaganate, Tonuykuk, assessed the political situation as follows:

“The Tabgach (Chinese) kagan was our enemy. The Ten-Shot (Turgesh) kagan was our enemy. But our greatest enemy was the strong kagan of the Kyrgyz.”

The Turks decided not to wait for their opponents to unite their forces but to attack first and defeat them one by one. First, they undertook a campaign against the Kyrgyz. In 709, the Turks crossed the upper reaches of the Yenisei and defeated the allied Kyrgyz tribes of the Chiks and Azovs. Having occupied Tuva, they turned it into a foothold for an attack on the Kyrgyz.

The Great War.

The Kyrgyz blocked the road leading from Tuva to the Yenisei through a high rampart. The enemies could not pass here. Having established control over important passes through the Sayan Mountains, Barsbek believed he was completely safe and awaited help from his allies. However, the allies were busy defending their borders. Left alone with the formidable opponent — the Turkic Kaganate, Barsbek decided to change tactics.



In the autumn of 710, he sent an embassy to Tibet, which was at odds with the Tang Empire and the Turgesh. The embassy was led by the experienced diplomat Eren Uluq from the strong lineage of Bulsars. Previously, he had successfully completed an embassy mission four times and was awarded for it. The Kyrgyz apparently did not aim to intimidate the Turks; they wanted to activate military actions from their allies — China and the Turgesh. But the time had passed. Tibet did not support Barsbek. Eren Uluq himself died in Tibet for unknown reasons.

The Turkic commanders took advantage of this difficult situation for the Kyrgyz. They decided to undertake a risky maneuver — to bypass the roads guarded by the Kyrgyz and cross the Sayan Ridge, despite the winter season, by going around. This campaign involved the future kagan of the Turks Bilge and his brave brother Kültigin. But the military campaign was actually led by the old and experienced Tonuykuk. He found a traitor in the Azov tribe who agreed to secretly guide the Turkic troops into the Minusinsk Basin. Tonuykuk described the difficulties of the campaign as follows:

“I ordered the warriors to mount their horses. When we passed through Ak-Ermel, I ordered to stop and camp. Then I ordered to set off again, myself paving the way in the snow, relying, like the others, on wooden poles. Ahead went people, trampling the snow. Following them, we overcame the wooded mountains. We descended down with great difficulty; it took us ten days to reach the slope of the mountain. The guide, who lost his way, was killed.”

In the winter of 710-711, the Turkic troops struck a powerful blow against the Kyrgyz. Here, the factor of surprise played a significant role. The first battle occurred at night: “We attacked the Kyrgyz during their sleep... we paved the way with spears,” is noted in an ancient Turkic runic monument. The main forces of the Kyrgyz were destroyed. Barsbek, gathering the remaining Kyrgyz troops in the village of Sunga, tried to resist. The battle was fierce. For three days, the Turkic troops led by Kültigin attacked the Kyrgyz warriors. Defeated, Barsbek perished. After defeating the Kyrgyz, the Turks crossed the Altai and crushed the Turgesh.

For more than forty years after this defeat, the Kyrgyz did not participate in military actions in Central Asia. They remained under the authority of the Turkic Kaganate until its fall in 745. Thus, the attempt of the Kyrgyz to establish their dominance in Central Asia tragically ended.

In memory of their brave kagan Barsbek, the Kyrgyz erected a stone stele on which they inscribed an epitaph about his feats in Kyrgyz script. This stone monument, preserved to this day, is an important document of ancient Kyrgyz history.

Once again, for 30 years, the Kyrgyz paid tribute to the Turks. Only as a result of a 20-year war with the Uyghurs (820-841), the Kyrgyz army defeated the Uyghurs, and the Kyrgyz regained independence. The defeat of the Uyghur Kaganate and the conquest of vast territories in Central Asia led to the creation of the Kyrgyz Kaganate. The population of the state of the Yenisei Kyrgyz numbered up to half a million people, not counting the dependent tribes that paid tribute to the Kyrgyz. During the period of “Kyrgyz Great Power,” the Yenisei Kyrgyz represented a formidable force, capable of fielding up to 80,000 warriors. This was a time of unprecedented rise in Kyrgyz military art, statehood, culture, and the growth of the power of the military-feudal nobility, a period of territorial conquests.

In the early 10th century, the Khitans captured the Kyrgyz state. In the winter of 1207-1208, when Genghis Khan was waging war in Xi Xia (the Tangut state), in response to an embassy from the Kyrgyz from the upper reaches of the Yenisei, he sent his envoys. The Kyrgyz received them with respect and prepared large gifts for Genghis Khan. It is believed that from this moment, the Kyrgyz submitted to the Mongols.

The Era of "Kyrgyz Great Power"