Kulun Beg

Kulun Beg (Turkic regnal name Baymey Khan, Chinese regnal name:Pai Mei) was a Turkic (Göktürk) ruler who tried to sustain the Second Turkic Khaganate in vain.

He succeeded Özmiş Khagan who was beheaded by the Basmyls. His relation to Özmiş Khagan is unclear. According to Taşağıl [1] he was Özmiş Khagan's son and according to the family tree drawn by Gümilev he was Özmiş Khagan's brother.[2]

He was enthroned in 744. When he was enthroned the Central Asian steppes were already conquered by the coalition of Uighur - Basmyl and Karluk. Chinese emperor Xuanzong decided to destroy the last traces of Turkic khaganate and he sent general Wang Chung ssu over Kulun Beg’s forces. Wang Chung ssu defeated the eastern flank of Turkic army.[1] Although Kulun Beg tried to escape, he was arrested by the Uighurs and was beheaded just like his father in 745.

Aftermath

Most of the Turks fled to other Turkic tribes like Basmyl. However, a group including Po Beg, Bilge Khagan’s widow who was also Tonyukuk’s daughter, took refuge in China. Chinese emperor legitimised her as a princess and she was appointed as the ruler of her people.[2] According to Taşağıl, Turks were mentioned in Chinese chronicles up to 941.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ahmet Taşağıl: Göktürkler, AKDTYK Yayınları, Ankara, 2012, ISBN 978-975-16-2460-4 pp.359-62
  2. 1 2 L.M.Gümilev :Eski Türkler, trans:Ahsen Batur, Selenge yayınları, İstanbul, 2002, ISBN 975-7856-39-8, OCLC 52822672, P.441, 564
Kulun Beg
Preceded by
Özmiş Khagan		 Khagan of the Second Eastern Turkic Khaganate
744–745 		Succeeded by
(end of the empire)


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