50 CHAPTER 1
that they did not have a sacral king. Therefore, the sacral kingship should not
necessary lead to a model that requires a vicegerent with administrative and
military powers.
In the case of the Turks, the empire probably lacked a central part and was
made up of two states—the Eastern and Western Khaganate. The khagan
of the Eastern Khaganate was considered the supreme ruler of the Western
Khaganate as well. A relative of his (initially a brother) stood at the head of the
Western Khaganate and bore the title yabghu khagan. The sovereignty, as well
as the khagan title belonged to one clan only—the Ashina clan. The Western
Khaganate was also divided into an eastern and a western wing, initially ruled
by local aristocratic families. These two wings were in fact confederations of five
tribes, called Dulu (led by a chor) and Nushibi (led by an erkin). Subsequently, a
representative of the yabghu khagan was sent to each of these confederations;
he was a member of the Ashina clan and bore the title shad. The khagan of
the Turks had absolute power and was regarded as a supreme judge and high
priest. The celestial origin of the ruling family is emphasized in the Orkhon
inscriptions. The khagan was the link between the Middle World and the Upper
World and was thus responsible for the prosperity of his people.139 The Karluks
had a version of this system; their ruling family was a branch of the Ashina
clan. In 840, when the Uyghur Khaganate collapsed, the Karluk ruler took the
khagan title (until then it had been yabghu). Thus the Kara-Khanid Khaganate
was born. It consisted of two tribal groups (an eastern and western one), led by
khagans, with the eastern one having supreme power.140
In accordance with the second model for dual kingship, the supreme ruler
was limited by a vicegerent who held the administrative and military powers.
This division was necessary due to the sacral status of the supreme ruler, which
imposed certain restrictions. He was first and foremost a religious figure that
provided a link between the world of the gods and the world of men and was
thus responsible both for fertility and any possible disasters, including unsuc-
cessful wars. His power was usually hereditary and belonged to one family. The
vicegerent was not a member of this family because of its sacral status. Such
is the view of the sacral king, presented in the classic work of James Frazer.
A typical example of such an organization is Japan during the Shogun Age.141
could not claim the shared throne” (Kradin 2001a, 228). This system is very similar to the
one typical for the Turkic khaganates in the following centuries.
139 Kliashtornyi and Sultanov 2000, 86–87, 141, 159, and 163; Zhumaganbetov 2006, 159–161;
the same applies to the Huns (Kradin 2001a, 142).
140 Kliashtornyi and Sultanov 2000, 101 and 105–106.
141 Frazer 2006, 169.