A rebellion by the Uyghurs alongside Karluk and Basmyl allies culminated in the overthrow of the Second Turkic Khaganate, opening the way for a new steppe imperial order centered on the Toquz Oghuz (Uyghur) confederation.
Qutlugh Bilge Köl (Kutlug I Bilge Khagan) emerged as the first ruler of the new Uyghur Khaganate, consolidating authority over steppe tribes after the fall of Göktürk rule.
The Uyghurs established and developed Ordu-Baliq (Karabalgasun) as their imperial capital on the Upper Orkhon, reflecting a steppe imperial model that combined nomadic power with a fortified administrative center.
Uyghur forces killed the last Göktürk qaghan (Kulun Beg) and sent his head to the Tang court, signaling decisive Uyghur supremacy in the eastern steppe.
Bayanchur (Bayan Çor) took power and oversaw major expansion and consolidation, strengthening the khaganate’s regional dominance and building out its political-economic infrastructure with Tang China.
After the Tang defeat at Talas, Tang influence in Central Asia contracted; this created space for the Uyghur Khaganate to strengthen its position as a leading power in Inner Asia and Silk Road politics.
At the Tang court’s request, Uyghur forces became key military partners during the An Lushan Rebellion era, demonstrating the khaganate’s leverage over Tang security and extracting major economic concessions through alliance.
Bayanchur died in 759, and his son Bögü became qaghan, presiding over a period noted for strong Sino-Uyghur entanglement and major religious-policy change.
Following contacts with Manichaean clergy during Tang campaigns, Bögü Qaghan converted and proclaimed Manichaeism the official religion (a major cultural shift, strongly associated with Sogdian intermediaries in Uyghur administration and trade).
Uyghur and Tang forces suffered defeat against the Tibetan Empire at Tingzhou (Beshbalik), reflecting intensifying competition in the Tarim Basin and along Inner Asian frontiers.
A trilingual (Old Uyghur, Sogdian, Chinese) stele at Karabalgasun commemorated military achievements and support for Manichaeism, evidencing the khaganate’s multilingual bureaucracy and Silk Road cultural networks.
After Chongde Qaghan died, Zhaoli Qaghan (r. 824–833) took the throne; Princess Taihe remained in the khaganate and was remarried under levirate custom, illustrating court continuity amid succession change.
In 839, power struggles culminated in Zhangxin Qaghan’s forced suicide and Qasar Qaghan’s seizure of the throne, while famine, epidemic, and a severe winter devastated livestock—the economic base of the pastoral empire.
Invited by a Uyghur rival faction, the Yenisei Kyrgyz invaded with a large cavalry force, captured and beheaded Qasar Qaghan, and destroyed Ordu-Baliq—triggering the political collapse and dispersal of Uyghur groups into neighboring regions.
Uyghur Khaganate (744–840 CE)
