Origins
The Göktürk rulers originated from the Ashina clan, a tribe of obscure origins who lived in the northern corner of Inner Asia.
According to Book of Zhou and History of Northern Dynasties, Ashina was a branch of Xiongnus and according to Book of Sui and Tongdian, they were "mixed Barbarians" (雜胡 / 杂胡, Pinyin: zá hú, Wade-Giles: tsa hu) from Pingliang. Book of Sui reported that when Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei overthrew Juqu Mujian's Northern Liang on October 18, 439, Ashina's 500 families fled to the Rouran Khaganate. Within the heterogeneous Rouran Khaganate, the Göktürks lived north of the Altai Mountains for generations, they were engaged in metal-works. According to Denis Sinor, their rise to power represented an 'internal revolution' in the confederacy, rather than an external conquest. According to Charles Holcombe, the early Tujue population was rather heterogeneous and many of the names of Göktürk rulers are not even Turkic.
Read more about this topic: Göktürks
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