Bayin Khagan

**Bayin Khagan**, born Bagha, known in the Tengri faith as Bayin Kut, (late 904-November 21, 954) was the fourth and final Khagan of Gold Türgesh and Tengrikut from 924 until his death. He was known for his vast wealth from plundering Byzantine and Arabic cities, and being the first known Khagan to cross the Carpathian mountains into modern-day Mularak.

## Early Life

Bagha, the future Bayin Khagan, was born in Ciray, but the exact date is unclear. Historians place his date to the end of the harvest season of 63 AE, making it likely to be the fall of 904 when he was born. His day of legacy is October 12th. His parents were Ölukatil Khagan and Beslik Khatun, who was likely Karluk or Kirghiz, though she was born in Yangikent.

Bagha grew up to be a man of average height, stronger than average, and a dark beard.

After Bayin Khagan was coronated at the age of 19, the Tardulid clan ruling in Galicia briefly split off from the Khaganate, but it's thought that Bayin Khagan paid them off so that they would rejoin his country.

## Invasion of Bulgaria

In 925, Bayin Khagan and an army of 10,000 horse riders entered Bulgaria, seeking riches. Taridin Khan, King of Bulgaria, was distracted fighting the Byzantines, so he didn't defend his country in the north. Moldavia was an easy conquest for Bayin Khagan because of this, and the fortress of Belgorod fell in July, with numerous Bulgarian warlords being imprisoned or killed. The campaign continued, and Bayin Khagan's forces crossed the Danube sometime in late 925 or early 926. The first true battle happened at Carachioi that spring, where the Bulgarian forces were vastly outnumbered and were scattered after a day of fighting.

During another battle at the end of spring, Bayin Khagan himself fought on the frontlines of the conflict, but was injured. However, he continued fighting in battles against the Bulgarians. The city of Silistria was overran in November of 826, during a rare early blizzard in the region.

Taridin Khan, making a last-ditch effort to save his capital, sent the remainder of his forces north to recapture Constantia, to cut the Türgeshi supply line. Bayin Khagan saw what was happening and sent his army north as well, and the two armies fought at Adamlesi on December 16, 926.

In a legendary meeting, the two leaders met at the end of the year. Bayin Khagan wanted all Bulgarian lands north of the Danube to be given to Gold Türgesh, which was a demand that Taridin Khan rejected. Bayin Khagan then supposedly took out a knife, stabbed Taridin Khan in the hand, and stated that that's what would happen to Bulgaria if he was to keep rejecting Bayin Khagan's demands. Taridin Khan, now wounded, agreed to the demand. This treaty soon doomed Bulgaria, splintering it into many small countries that would be eventually absorbed by Byzantium and Gold Türgesh.

The city of Korsun may have become the capital of the country at the end of this war. The land that was taken over by Bayin Khagan was divided into a mix of Bulgarian and Türgeshi lords, though they were all forced to convert to Mular Tengri.

## Foreign interactions

### Loss of eastern influence

In 928, Bayin Khagan helped his fellow Tengri leader Zabergan Khan of Poland fight the invading Bohemians, pushing them back to Prague and sacking the city that year. While travelling to and from Bohemia, he crossed through Pannonia, noting the vast steppes in the area. He and his army made it back to Korsun talking about how the area had great grazing grounds, and how perhaps the people of Türgesh should move there. This idea, however, never would fall through until after Bayin Khagan's death, as he wanted to keep power over the land in the east as well. Nevertheless, during his reign, more attention was taken of Europe rather than Asia by the Türgeshi people, and communication with the now declining Grey Türgeshi state became less frequent. By this point, many of the northern clans which had been under Baridun's complete control had reportedly slipped out of the Gold Türgeshi state's hands, though this didn't necessarily hurt the country. Throughout his reign, many clans east of the Don river became independent.

### Diplomacy

According to legend, it was Bayin Khagan himself who peacefully travelled to Nenetsia, in the north, and converted the King to Tengriism. The King, Chichayka, supposedly built a monument to signify the two leaders' friendship but this monument has never been found. This conversion eventually led to much of northern Russia converting to the Mular Tengri religion in the following decades. Bayin Khagan himself was a major player in these conversions. As Tengrikut, he also gave many donations to the Lords of the Sky in Pannonia, the future Mular homeland.

Bayin Khagan may have helped his cousin, Celgin Khagan, fight Kavalbuz Khagan for the leadership of Grey Türgesh.

Bayin Khagan, as opposed to the Grey Türgeshi Khagans, maintained good though distant relations with the Qi Dynasty of China. Supposedly, a traitor to China fled to Korsun, and Bayin Khagan sent a letter to China stating the location of the traitor, leaving the emperor quite grateful.

In October of 938, Bayin Khagan negotiated a peace agreement between him and Gregoras, Baselius of the Byzantine Empire. The two agreed that Bayin Khagan wouldn't push further into Bulgarian lands, while Gregoras would marry a cousin of Bayin Khagan named Tograk. Though these two nations had peace for the remainder of Bayin Khagan's reign, he still sponsored Tengri uprisings in Byzantine-dominated Bulgaria.

### Foreign wars

#### War with the Caliphate

In 934, Bayin Khagan was invaded by the Caliphate from Azerbaijan. However, due to a chokepoint in the Caucasus mountains he was able to keep the Muslim forces at bay. The war was decided when Bayin Khagan's forces, travelling south, defeated the Muslim army at the battle of Noravank on October 29, 934. Türgeshi forces made it as far as Tabriz, and the Muslims called off the invasion by the summer of 936, though not without heavy losses.

#### Wars in the east

The last instance of an interaction between the two Türgeshi successor states was when Bayin Khagan helped his relative Gezekuli Khagan, Khagan of Grey Türgesh, defend against the former Khagan, Kavalbuz, in 945. Gezekuli Khagan had been outnumbered before Baying Khagan's forces arrived, and the two men were able to push Kavalbuz Khagan's horse archers back to the north.

Later, in 948, Bayin Khagan and his forces defended the Büri Clan from the invading Caliphate. The battle of Buzachi that February was decisive to this war, and was a crushing defeat for the Muslims. The war resulted in the Büri clan gaining control of western Transoxiana.

## Death and Legacy

Just after Bayin Khagan turned 50, he fell ill. Tradition states that he laid in bed for 8 nights until he died at midday on November 23rd, or more likely 21st, 954.

When Bayin Khagan died, his Khaganate collapsed. He hadn't named an heir, and so his most liked son Bügün was named Tengrikut by a religious council. However, Bügün held no real power over the vassal Khanates, and wasn't even in the capital city of Korsun at the time, and so the Khaganate was split between rival Türgeshi Khanates, with Korsun being fought over by multiple Khaganates for the next few decades. Soon enough, the only holdings of decent size ruled by the House of Melghan west of the Urals was a small area centered on Calarasi, in Wallachia, and Asku Khan's domain in Galicia, which was able to become a feudal state shortly after Bayin Khagan's death.

Though his death doomed his Khaganate, he is still regarded as a strong leader during his lifetime. He was an aggressive military leader who was able to successfully besiege cities frequently. He also made progress on moving the Türgeshi focus on the west, paving the way for a Mular state in the future.

## Family

Bayin Khagan had many wives, but only his first wife is named. This wife, Yelgun Khatun, was sacrificed after Bayin Khagan's death (possibly by Bügün's orders).

Children of Bayin Khagan and Yelgun Khatun were:

* Küni (oldest son, it's unknown why he wasn't Tengrikut instead of his brother)
* Teçush
* Ilbeslik
* Tenriken, Queen of Lithuania
* Umey, wife to Umayyad Caliph Abrahil
* Çemek

Other children of Bayin Khagan include:

* Bügün (Tengrikut)
* Burtam, mother of Bagha
* Curebir
* Tamghan

 Yachi Khagan • Komsog Khagan •