Ashina Shibo'bi

Biography

Family Background and Early Life

Tuli Khan, of the Ashina clan and personal name Shibo'bi, was the legitimate son of Shibi Qaghan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. His grandfather had also borne the title Tuli Khan before Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, changed his title to Qimin Qaghan. During Shibi Qaghan's reign, Shibo'bi was appointed Nibu Shad and given authority over the eastern part of the Turkic realm, bordering the northern approaches of Tang Youzhou.

In 619, the second year of Wude, Shibi Qaghan died. Because Shibo'bi was still young, he did not inherit the khaganate. His uncle Silifu Shad succeeded instead under the title Chuluo Qaghan. After taking the throne, Chuluo appointed Shibo'bi Nibu Shad (also written Nibu She) and stationed him in the eastern part of the Turkic realm bordering northern Youzhou. Shibo'bi later married Princess Huainan of the former Sui imperial house. Princess Huainan subsequently played an important role in encouraging Tuli's decision to submit to Tang.

Appointment as Lesser Khan and Rule of the Eastern Wing

In 621, the fourth year of Wude, Chuluo Qaghan died. Another of Shibo'bi's uncles, Duobi, succeeded as Illig Qaghan. Illig appointed Shibo'bi lesser khan and gave him authority over the Khitan, Mohe, and other peoples. His headquarters lay southward toward Youzhou, and he was titled Tuli Khan while continuing to reside in the eastern Turkic territories. The eastern peoples came under his authority.

Tuli's taxation, however, lacked fixed rules and aroused resentment among his subordinates. The Xueyantuo, Xi, Xi, and other groups consequently moved toward Tang. Illig Qaghan ordered Tuli to campaign against them, but Tuli suffered a major defeat and his troops dispersed in disorder. Illig then imprisoned and flogged him and kept him confined for a long time before releasing him. This became an important turning point in the worsening conflict between uncle and nephew.

Contacts with Tang and Break with Illig

Tuli Khan had previously established friendly relations with Li Shimin, later Emperor Taizong of Tang. In 624, the seventh year of Wude, Illig and Tuli jointly invaded Yuanzhou. Li Shimin used a strategy of division to drive a wedge between them, successfully inducing Tuli to withdraw and compelling Illig to send envoys seeking peace. During the Battle of Wulongban, Li Shimin and Tuli became sworn brothers. Tuli pulled back his troops, leaving Illig isolated and forcing the Turks to retreat.

In 626, the ninth year of Wude, after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Illig and Tuli led between one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand cavalry toward the Wei River, reaching Jingyang, only forty li from Chang'an. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin rode out to negotiate with the Turks. Because of his earlier sworn relationship with Taizong, Tuli ultimately chose to withdraw, helping bring about the Alliance at the Wei River.

The Eastern Turkic Khaganate subsequently fractured internally. In 627, the first year of Zhenguan, Tuli was ordered to campaign against the Xi and Xi peoples and then northward against the Xueyantuo and Uyghurs. He was defeated and detained, deepening the feud with his uncle. In the fourth lunar month of 628, the second year of Zhenguan, Illig attacked Tuli, who secretly contacted Tang and openly broke with Illig Qaghan. In 629, the third year of Zhenguan, encouraged by Princess Huainan and angered by Illig's harsh treatment of the tribes and heavy taxation, Tuli formally submitted a memorial declaring allegiance to Tang.

Submission to Tang and Final Years

In 630, the fourth year of Zhenguan, Tang forces captured Illig Qaghan and destroyed the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. Emperor Taizong incorporated the former Turkic territories into the Tang realm and established administrative commands including Shunzhou, Yuzhou, Huazhou, Changzhou, Dingxiang, and Yunzhong. In the fifth lunar month of that year, Taizong appointed Tuli Khan Governor of Shunzhou. The emperor told him that his grandfather Qimin Qaghan had once lost his forces and been restored with Sui assistance, yet Shibi Qaghan had failed to repay that favor and instead became Sui's enemy. Now that Tuli had come to Tang in distress, Taizong said, he would not restore him as khan because of that precedent. He wished both China and Tuli's clan to endure in peace, and therefore appointed him governor, ordering that there be no further mutual raids and that his people serve as a northern barrier for Tang. Tuli knelt and accepted the command.

In 631, the fifth year of Zhenguan, Tuli Khan traveled from his post as Governor of Shunzhou to attend court. He fell ill and died at Bingzhou on the way, aged twenty-nine. Emperor Taizong formally mourned him and ordered the Secretariat Vice Director Cen Wenben to compose the funerary inscription. Tuli's son Heluohu succeeded to his position.

Major Activities

Submission to Tang and the Division of the Turkic Polity

Tuli Khan was a key figure in Emperor Taizong's strategy of dividing the Turkic leadership. His conflict with Illig Qaghan became severe, and he eventually led his followers into Tang allegiance, making him a classic example of Tang success in exploiting divisions within the Turks. His submission not only weakened the Eastern Turkic Khaganate but also gave Tang an important source of information about its internal conditions. After Tuli submitted, Emperor Taizong treated him generously, granted him food from the imperial kitchens, appointed him General of the Right Guard, made him Prince of Beiping Commandery with a fief of seven hundred households, and appointed him Governor of Shunzhou.

Battle of Wulongban and Alliance at the Wei River

In 624, the seventh year of Wude, Illig and Tuli jointly invaded Tang. At Wulongban, Li Shimin used a divisive strategy and became sworn brothers with Tuli. Tuli withdrew his troops, leaving Illig without strong support and forcing him to retreat. In 626, the ninth year of Wude, Illig and Tuli again advanced with a large army to the Wei River. Li Shimin rode out to negotiate. Because of their earlier sworn relationship, Tuli ultimately chose to withdraw, contributing to the Alliance at the Wei River. In both episodes, Tuli's stance had an important effect on Tang-Turkic relations.

Zhaoling Stone Statue

According to the Tang Huiyao, in its section on imperial mausoleum institutions, Tuli Khan was one of the original figures represented among the stone statues of chieftains of fourteen states at Zhaoling. His statue stood together with those of other non-Han leaders who had been captured or submitted, inside the northern Sima Gate, as a commemoration of imperial military achievement. Because Tuli had allied with and later submitted to Emperor Taizong, his inclusion also reflected a commemorative strategy through which Taizong cultivated close ties with elite leaders by alliance and marriage and granted them real military and administrative authority as Tang governors.

Personal Relations

• Grandfather: Qimin Qaghan
• Father: Shibi Qaghan, Ashina Duojishi
• Uncles: Chuluo Qaghan and Illig Qaghan
• Wife: Princess Huainan of the Yang clan
• Son: Ashina Heluohu
• Emperor Taizong Li Shimin: became sworn brothers with him in earlier years; Tuli later submitted to Tang and was made Prince of Beiping Commandery and Governor of Shunzhou
• Illig Qaghan: his uncle; the two became deeply hostile over taxation, military defeat, and punishment, eventually breaking completely

Historical Assessment

Tang / Contemporary

• Old Book of Tang, compiled under Liu Xu: “His taxation was without measure, and many of the tribes resented him.”
• New Book of Tang, compiled under Ouyang Xiu: “Tuli exacted levies without regulation, and those below him did not adhere to him.”
• Emperor Taizong, commenting on Tuli's submission, said in substance that Tuli was Illig's close kinsman yet could not preserve himself and had come to Tang. Although weaker steppe powers meant a safer frontier, Taizong regarded Tuli's fall as a warning that poor rule could likewise bring disaster upon himself.

Song and Yuan Periods

• Sima Guang's Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance gives a detailed account of the conflict between Tuli and Illig and of Tuli's submission to Tang, presenting it as a representative case of early Tang management of frontier peoples.
• Song historians generally regarded Tuli's submission as evidence of the success of Tang efforts to divide the Turks and as an important contribution to the pacification of the northern frontier.

Ming and Qing Periods

• Ming and Qing scholars often assessed Tuli from the traditional distinction between Hua and Yi, describing his submission as an act of “admiring righteousness and turning toward transformation.”
• Wang Fuzhi, in Commentaries on Reading the Comprehensive Mirror, discussed Emperor Taizong's decision to grant Tuli real authority after his submission when considering Tang policy toward the Turks.

Modern Assessments

• Modern scholars often interpret Tuli's submission in terms of ethnic integration and political strategy, regarding it as an important sign of the success of Tang frontier policy and part of the process by which Emperor Taizong's “Heavenly Qaghan” order took shape.
• As one of the figures represented among the stone statues of the fourteen states at Zhaoling, Tuli Khan has also been viewed as a symbol of the political integration of multiple peoples under Tang rule.