The khaganate founded; Ordu-Baliq rises
744
The Uyghurs overthrew the Türks in 744. Their capital Ordu-Baliq (Karabalgasun) in the Orkhon valley was built by the first khagans with Sogdian and Chinese labour and completed under Bayanchur (747–759).
744 – 840 AD
Uyghur Khaganate · Уйгурын хаант улс
The Uyghurs overthrew the Türks in 744 and built Ordu-Baliq in the Orkhon valley: the first true city on the Mongolian plateau. They rescued Tang China from the An Lushan rebellion and grew rich on the silk-for-horses trade, until the Yenisei Kyrgyz destroyed the khaganate in 840.
This period has a page and its sources; the scroll-through chapter is not written yet.
Events
Rescuing the Tang
757
Uyghur cavalry helped the Tang retake its capitals during the An Lushan rebellion; the hugely profitable silk-for-horses trade followed.
Manichaeism adopted
763
Bögü khagan adopted Manichaeism: the first steppe empire with an institutional world religion.
The Kyrgyz destroy the khaganate
840
The Yenisei Kyrgyz sacked Ordu-Baliq; the khaganate collapsed and the Uyghurs migrated to Turfan and Gansu.
People
- Kutlug Bilge Köl khagan r. 744–747 — Founder
- Bögü khagan r. 759–779 — Adopted Manichaeism
Sources
- Mackerras, C., “The Uighurs”, in Sinor (ed.), The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia (1990), pp. 317–342 (chapter verified).
- Honeychurch, W., “Inner Asian States and Empires” (2012): Uyghur 744–840.
- Taagepera, R. (ISQ 41, 1997): Uyghur ~3.1M km² c. 800; collapse 840 (“pushed west by Kirghiz”).