Tardu

Tardu (d: 603) was the second yabgu and the first khagan of of Western Turks in Göktürk empire.

Background

Göktürk empire was a wast empire ; from Manchuria and Chinese wall to Black sea. It was impossible to govern the whole empire from a certain capital. So while the eastern part was directly ruled by the khagan, the western part was governed by a yabgu in behalf of the khagan. Istemi was the first and Tardu was the second yabgu.

Years of civil war

Tardu became the second Yabgu in 576. He was a very ambitious yabgu and planning to seize power in whole empire. He saw his chance in 584 when khagan Taspar died. Taspar had willed the title khagan to Talopien. But Göktürk kurultay (council of tribal leaders) which was authorized to appoint the new khagan appointed Ishbara in his stead. This gave Tardu the necessary cause to decleare independence from the khagan in east. He also sent an army to back Talopien. Ishbara applied Sui China for protection and both contestants were played off against each other China.

Later years

While the east part of the empire suffered from civil war, Tardu was more succesful in his capital in Suyab (present day Kyrgyzistan). After the battle of Ganzak in 591 in Sassanid Persia Bahram Chobin who was a short term Sasanid empreror, sought asylum in Western Turks. This enabled Tardu to established a temprory hegemony over Persia.

In 599 Tardu decleared himself to be khagan of the united empire (east and west) But he couldn’t succed to enforce his new title to kurultay. Probably to persuade the kurultay, he began a campaign against China. But unlike Turks of eastern part his target of campaign was too far away and his army suffered intensly from the poisoned waterwells during the long expedition through the steps. Finally he had to retreat without serious combats. But this defeat was disastrous for him. After a rebellion of his subjects, he was killed in 603.