Karluk People
Karluk people were firstly cired within the Chinese almanac titled as T'ang-shu (7th century) under the name of (Ko-lo-lu) and with the meaning of Karlık (snow piles). In the same Chinese resource, it was stated that Karluk people were of Turkish origin and they constituted one of the branches of the Gok-Turk State. The regions in which they resided had been determined as the environs of Black-Irtish and Tarbagatay in the west of the Altay Mountains. Karluk people that was composed of some of On-ok (ten-arrow) people survived in the form of a union that was composed of three tribes (Three-Karluk). It is beyond doubt that they had played an important role in the expansion of the Turkish domination towards the north of the Caspian Sea and towards the region of Transoxania in the very early period of Istemi. The situations of Karluk people in both Gok-Turk Khanates were stated above. Just like the other Turkish tribes, it has been observed that they frequently rebelled against China.
Karluk people that had extended towards the north of Turfan in the years of 640 were defeated by the Chinese people (in 650) and they were subdued to the province of P'ei-ting (the region in the north of the Tien Shan Mountains). However, each branch that was connected to this tribe was governed by its own chief. The Chinese resources that indicated this news stated also that the Karluk people had survived without dependence to either the Western or the Eastern Gok-Turk wings under the Chinese influence towards the year of 665. This information provided is of significance. The Three-Karluk bey that bore the title of Kül-Erkin in the past was entitled with the title of "Yangu" (prince) in this period and he had a powerful army under his possession.
We have observed that the Karluk people were subdued to the domination of the 2nd Gok-Turk Khanate by the Ruler Kapagan Kagan. Karluk people had rebelled against the Gok-Turk people upon the encouragement and provocation of China and they were involved in severe struggles. Pursuant to the death of the Ruler Bilge Kagan, they set in motion again and they were effective in the abolition of the Gok-Turk Khanate together with the Uighur and Basmil peoples. When the Basmil people had established superior domination (742), the Karluk leader was entitled with the title of "Sağ Yangu" (Right Prince). In the period of Kutlug Kül Bilge that was the founder of the Uighur Khanate, he was promoted to the title of "Sol Yabgu" (Left Prince) that was a higher rank.
However, this prince did not represent all of the Karluk people. The Karluk people that dwelled within the environs of Beş-balik had a separate yabgu that they elected: Ton-Bilge. However, the Uighur Khanate that was newly founded in Ötüken was considered as a superior dominion by all of the Karluk people and the yabgu princes were connected to the ruler.
Relations of Karluk People with Arabians and China and the Talas War
In this period, the Turgiş Khanate that had stopped the Emevi-Arabian advance in the west was on the verge of collapse. Therefore, the historical duty of the protection of the Central Asian Turkish countries was undertaken by Karluk people for this time. Actually, the region of Transoxania was under the Arabian influence again and there were some Arabian movements for advance that were observed beyond the Seyhun River. However, it was difficult to observe the Emevi invader characteristics pertaining to the ancient period any longer.
As a matter of fact, the Abbasi propaganda that accelerated its pace gradually disseminated the thoughts about the abolition of the discrimination among all the Muslim peoples and the equality instead of the privileged principle of the Emevi people based on "conquests in the name of the Arabian nation". Therefore, the gradual diminution of the Arabian pressure led the Chinese people to consider that there was a vacancy of domination in the Central Asia. Thus, the Chinese people wanted to invigorate their ancient policies about the Central Asia and to recapture the region including the lands of the Karluk people.
To this effect, the famous Talas War took place as a result of these activities (in July 751). Karluk people had taken side with T'ang dynasty until this war that took place between the Muslims and the Chinese people. However, they collaborated with the Arabians at the last moment against the Chinese policy that revealed itself day by day. Therefore, they caused the total defeat of the Chinese people. The western region extending from the Tarim basin was captured by Karluk people while the eastern region belonged to the Uighur people. Therefore, this war ended up with the provision of the Turkish domination in the Central Asia again. Pursuant to this Chinese defeat as a result of this war, there were great civil wars that took place in China and China could not even get interested with the west any longer.
Laying the Foundation of the Kara Hanli State
Karluk people were involved in a struggle of domination with Uighur people in the Central Asia. However, they could not resist against Uighur Ruler, Mo-Yen Çur (756) and they departed from the Tarim basin. They retreated to the more west. Instead of the Turgiş domination that was established in Tarbagatay and Chungaria in the year of 766, they settled in the region of Talas and they established domination in the region of the Western Gok-Turk Khanate within only 7-8 years. Their capital city was Balasagun. They continued to recognise the superiority of Ötüken. At the same time, they would bear the name of "Turkmen" as a political name. The Karluk princes had attributed their lineage to Aşina dynasty that was the ruling dynasty of the Gokturk State.
These Karluk princes maintained their belief in the close relation between the domination and the country of "Red Ötüken". However, when the Uighur Khanate collapsed in this region (840), the Karluk prince that did not take notice of the Khirghiz people declared himself as the "legal ruler of the Steppe lands" in the capacity of the "legitimate successor" of the Turkish rulers. Then, he was entitled with the title of Kara Han. As the centre of his country, he selected the city of Kara-ordu (or Kuz-ordu) located near Balasagun that was the former capital city of Turgiş people. Therefore, Karluk people had played the second historical role through laying foundation for the establishment of the Kara-Hanli State.
Since they were the closest neighbours of the Islamic world, the Arabian-Farsi works had frequently mentioned about them (Karluh, Halluh). According to the information stated within Hududü'l-Alem (the last quarter of the 10th century), the Karluk country was a well-kept country that was surrounded with the Tien Shan Mountains, Yagma and Oguz peoples in the east, Tohsil, Çigil and Dokuz-Oguz people in the north, and some of Yagma people and the region of Transoxania in the south and this country was "the most beautiful country among all of the Turkish countries". In the same resource, the names of 15 cities and towns that were located in this country were listed and the Turkish tribes were dealt.
Karluk people that constituted the main community of the Kara-Hanli State opposed to the state and caused some disorders in the periods when some conflicts aroused among the dynasty members. It seems that these attitudes were effective in the rapid development of the Kara-Hitay domination in the Central Asia. Kara-Hitay ruler, Yel-lu Ta-şih (Kür-Han) defeated the Kara-Hanli Khan Mahmud in Samarkand in the year of 1137. Upon this defeat, this khan applied to his uncle, Sencer that was the Great Seljuk Ruler with a complaint about this situation. This indicates that the Karluk people had interference in this defeat. Sultan Sencer had organised a military expedition in order to chase the Karluk people and he encountered with Kür Han.
In relation with the defeat in this war (Katavan War in 1141), Sultan Sencer had accused the blame on the penetration of the "idolater" Kara-Hitay people towards the Khorasan borders that constituted a very important event. Karluk people had also caused some disorders and conflicts between Harezmshah State (in the period of Il Arslan) and the Kara-Hitay people and meanwhile, their Leader, Yabgu Han was killed (1157). Another Karluk leader, Ayyar Bey was taken prisoner by the Kara-Hitay people (1172). It had been observed that Karluk people caused some disorders in the region of Transoxania.
Therefore, the Harezmshah Ala-üd-din Tekiş (1172-1200) laid hands on the steppe lands and he felt the need for the reinforcement of his troops with Kangli and Kipchak and the other Turkish tribes. However, it has been understood that the few Karluk people in the service of the Harezmshah army had a bey principality in Turkestan that was dependent to the Kara-Hanli government. In the course of the start of the Mongolian invasions (1215), this principality that survived with the capital city of Kayalıg (in the east of the Ili River) was governed by Arslan Han II. Arslan Han and Uighur Idi-kut Barçuk were subdued under the Mongolian dominion that destroyed all of the Asian countries.
He was the firsat Muslim ruler that was submissive to Jenghiz Khan and Karluk "khan" died in the year of 1221. The city of Ozkent was given to his son. There have been some Karluk people that had taken service in the Mongolian State government in the period of Jenghiz Khan.