Military Organisation and the Warfare of the Türk Qaghanate

Absztrakt

The Türk Qaghanate (552-744), widening its power and territory throughout the Asian steppes, became tough components of the great sedentary civilizations. Its power was based on military strength, creating a vast empire from China to Byzantine. In the Chinese and Turkic indigenous sources, there are no detailed descriptions about their warfare. Yet still we can find some clues in the Chinese sources, such as the travel books of the Buddhist pilgrims. For instance, during his
travels, Xuang Zang met Türk Qaghan while he was hunting and he described his and his soldier’s basic clothing and warfare. Kül Tegin’s inscription as an indigenous source is very important for describing their weapons. The purpose of the research is to reveal the basic war tactics and weapons in the time of the Türk Qaghanate in the light of the written sources and partially archeological data.