Outline of Turks and Turkish States: Western Turks
Turks who first appear in history
in the 7th century B.C. at the foot of the Köğmen Mountains, are a society whose
language is of the
Ural-Altaic linguistic group. Throughout history the Turks
have established numerous states in various geographical regions on the
continents of Asia, Europe and Africa. Since they possessed a pioneering spirit
they brought their culture to the places to which they had migrated and were
also affected by the cultures of these regions. According to Chinese records,
Turkish political history in Asia commenced with the Huns.
- The Western Turks and the "Sword of the God of War"
The Western Turks and the "Sword of the God of War"
The West Huns, descendents of the Asia Huns who lived in the Turkistan region
and around Lake Aral, left their homeland due to the pressure exerted by the
Uars and migrated west of the Volga. After Başbuğu (commander-in-chief) Balamir
defeated the East Goths and attacked the West Goths, the Visigoths fled westward
with the Hun soldiers in pursuit. This is how the "Tribal Migration", that
changed the ethnic composition of Europe, all the way to Spain which caused
turmoil in the Northern Districts of the Roman Empire, began.
In 434, Atilla assumed control of the West Hun Empire which is the first known
Turkish State established in Europe. During Atilla’s reign, the barbarian tribes
of Europe were defeated, even Byzantium and Rome submitted and the borders of
the West Hun empire expanded from the shores of the Rhine river to those of the
Volga river. The Christian world even believed that the God of War, Aries, had
given his sword to Atilla. With this sword the authority to conquer and rule the
world was given to Atilla.
Atilla who died in 453 went down in history as the most famous and skillful
commander of all time. This great commander became a legend-like figure and
tales of his achievements spread throughout Europe. Atilla became the subject of
books, poems, novels, paintings, operas and sculptures. With Atilla’s death, the
incursion of Turks in Europe subsided.
The West Huns were pioneers in opening up the way to Europe for the Turks, who
not only took their culture and civilization to Europe but also protected those
civilizations that were threatened by barbarian tribes in Europe. This resulted
in a migration from Asia to Europe that would last for 900 years.Up
Avars
A second Turkish tribe that was
respected and feared in Europe was the Avars who followed the West Huns.
The Avars, who left their homeland in Central Asia and escaped towards the West
when the Göktürk State was founded in 552, played an important role in European
history. They first came to Caucasia and the north of the Black Sea, and fought
against and defeated the Turkish tribes such as the Sabirs and Onogurs. They
went all the way to the banks of the Danube River. They frequently went to the
Balkans. They founded a civilization that spanned from present day Yugoslavia to
Germany. They reigned over the Slavs in the Danube area and the Bulgarians
living on the shores of the Black Sea. During the reign of their commander Bayan
Kağan Khan, the borders of the Avar Empire stretched from the Dnieper River to
the Elbe River and from the North Sea to the Adriatic coast. They laid siege to
İstanbul in 626 with the Bulgarian Turks. The first Turks in history to lay
siege to İstanbul were the Avars. The constant attacks of the French Emperor
Charlamagne which began in 791 and lasted 15 years, diminished the power of the
Avars. They wished to settle in the plateau between the Danube and the Tizsa
rivers. The French attacks continued and the Avar group dispersed in the
Balkans. In 805, they lost their national identity. Up
Khazars
After the Avar existence in Europe
came to an end, a new Turkish State called the Khazars came into being. The
Khazars, who were considered the continuation of the Göktürks, appeared after
the Avars defeated the Sabir State in the east of Europe. Between the 7th and
8th centuries they founded a strong state that spanned from the Volga to the
Dnieper, and from Çolman to Kiev. The Khazars established a period of peace in
East Europe during the 7th-9th centuries. The Khazar State was extremely
tolerant regarding the religious beliefs of the people living under its
domination, and it is considered one of the first and few states that showed
religious tolerance. The Caspian Sea (Khazar Sea as it is called in Turkish) is
named after this state, in which the most widespread language was Turkish. The
Khazars were attacked by the Pechenegs from the eastern steppes and could not
stop their spread to the west. They were not able to withstand the attacks of
the Russian forces on the Khazar cities for long. The Russian army captured most
of the Khazar lands during the reign of the last Khazar Khan Yusuf. The Khazars
political existence as a state came to an end in 968.Up
Pechenegs
Another Turkish tribe that
appeared in eastern and southeastern Europe and in the Balkans in the 10th
century was the Pechenegs. The Pechenegs, who were not able to withstand the
pressure of the Khazar-Oghuz alliance crossed the Volga and reached Hungary.
They settled in these lands and the Hungarians, who lived there, were compelled
to leave. They spread out on the steppes from the Don River to the west of the
Dnieper. In the 11th century they descended down the Dnieper to present-day
Bessarabia. When in 1091 they joined forces with the Emir of İzmir Caka Bey, to
take İstanbul, they suffered the most bitter defeat in their history in the
battle with the Byzantine-Cuman forces on the shores of the Maritza river. In
accordance with their traditions, many chose to die in battle. The Byzantines
executed all the Pechenegs they had captured. Thus, the political life of the
Pechenegs ceased. The surviving Pechenegs went to Hungary. Those that were
captured by the Byzantines remained in Macedonia. With the end of the Pechenegs,
the first stage of the advance of the Turks into Europe came to an end. The
Turks would not be seen in Europe for another 200 years.Up
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