Coordinates	52°24′29″N1°30′38″N
Common name	Kipchaks
Native name	Desht-i Qipchaq
Conventional long name	Kipchak–Cuman confederation
Continent	Eurasia
Region	Eurasian steppe
Status	Khaganate
Year start	900
Year end	1220
P1	Kimek Khanate
P2	Khazar Empire
S1	Mongol Empire
Image map caption	Kipchak–Cuman confederation in Eurasia on the eve of the Mongol invasions
Stat area1	}}

Kipchaks (also spelled as ''Kypchaks'', ''Kipczaks'', ''Qipchaqs'', ''Qypchaqs'', ''Kıpçaklar'') (Turkic: ''Kypchak'', ''Kıpçak'') were a Turkic tribal confederation. Originating in the Kimek Khanate, they conquered large parts of the Eurasian steppe during the Turkic expansion of the 11th to 12th centuries together with the Cumans, and were in turn conquered by the Mongol invasions of the early 13th century.

Under Mongol rule, the Kipchak Khanate ruled much of Eastern Europe for another 150 years before disintegrating due to internal quarrels, its last remnants as the Tatar Crimean Khanate surviving into the 18th century before being absorbed into the Russian Empire.

History

The Kipchaks (known in Russian and Ukrainian as ''Polovtsy'') were a tribal confederation which originally settled at the River Irtysh, possibly connected to the Kimäks. They were joined by Cumans, who had originated east of the Yellow River, and in the course of the Turkic expansion they migrated into western Siberia and further into the Trans-Volga region, enventually occupying a vast territory in the Eurasian steppe, stretching from north of the Aral Sea westward to the region north of the Black Sea, establishing a state known as ''Desht-i Qipchaq''. The Cumans expanded further westward, by the 11th century reaching Moldavia, Wallachia, and part of Transylvania.

In the late 11th and early 12th centuries, the Cumans and Kipchaks became involved in various conflicts with the Byzantines, Kievan Rus, the Hungarians (Cuman involvement only), and the Pechenegs (Cuman involvement only), allying themselves with one or the other side at different times. In 1089, they were defeated by Ladislaus I of Hungary, again by Knyaz Vladimir Monomakh of the Rus in the 12th century. They sacked Kiev in 1203.

They were finally crushed by the Mongols in 1241. During the Mongol empire, Kipchaks constituted a majority of the khanate comprising present-day Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, called the Golden Horde, the westernmost division of the Mongol empire. After the fall of the Mongol Empire, the Golden Horde rulers continued to hold Saraj until 1502.

The Kuman fled to Hungary, and some of their warriors became mercenaries for the Latin crusaders and the Byzantines. Members of the Bahri dynasty, the first dynasty of Mamluks in Egypt, were Kipchaks/Cumans; one of the most prominent examples was Sultan Baybars, born in Solhat, Crimea. Some Kipchaks served in the Yuan dynasty and became the Kharchins.

Language and culture

The Kipchaks and Cumans spoke a Turkic language (Kipchak language, Cuman language) whose most important surviving record is the Codex Cumanicus, a late 13th-century dictionary of words in Kipchak and Cuman and Latin. The presence in Egypt of Turkic-speaking Mamluks also stimulated the compilation of Kipchak/Cuman-Arabic dictionaries and grammars that are important in the study of several old Turkic languages.

According to Mahmud Kashgari the Kimeks and the Oghuz differed from the rest of the Turkic nations by the mutation of initial ''y'' to ''j'' (''dj'').

The Kipchaks - Cumans are also known to have converted to Christianity, around the 11th century, at the suggestion of the Georgians as they allied in their conflicts against the Muslims. A great number were baptized at the request of the Georgian king David IV who also married a daughter of the Kipchak khan Otrok. From 1120, there was a Kipchak national Christian church and an important clergy. Following the Mongol conquest, Islam rose in popularity among the Kipchaks of the Golden Horde.

Modern times

The modern Northwestern branch of the Turkic languages is often referred to as the Kipchak branch. The languages in this branch are mostly considered to be descendants of the Kipchak language, and the people who speak them may likewise be referred to as Kipchak peoples. Some of the groups traditionally included are the Siberian Tatars, Kumyks, Nogays, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tatars and Crimean Tatars.

There is also a village named 'Kipchak' in Crimea.

See also

Battle of the Kalka River

Battle of the Stugna River

Codex Cumanicus

Cumans

Notes

References

"Kipchak". Encyclopædia Britannica, Academic Edition. 2006.

"Polovtsi". The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05.

Further reading

Csáki, E. (2006). ''Middle Mongolian loan words in Volga Kipchak languages''. Turcologica, Bd. 67. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 344705381X

External links

Codex Cumanicus

Kipchak dateline

Category:History of the Turkic people Category:Eurasian nomads

az:Qıpçaqlar cv:Кăпчаксем cs:Polovci de:Kyptschaken el:Κιπτσάκ eo:Kipĉakoj fr:Coumans ko:킵차크인 it:Kipčaki ka:ყივჩაყები kk:Қыпшақ hu:Kipcsakok ja:キプチャク no:Kiptsjaker uz:Qipchoqlar pl:Połowcy pt:Kiptchaks ru:Кыпчаки fi:Kiptšakit sv:Kiptjaker tr:Kıpçaklar

The Turkic peoples (also Turkics and Turks) are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds. The term ''Turkic'' represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people including existing societies such as the Turkish, Azerbaijani, Chuvashes, Kazakhs, Tatars, Kyrgyzs, Turkmen, Uyghur, Uzbeks, Bashkirs, Qashqai, Gagauzs, Yakuts, Crimean Karaites, Krymchaks, Karakalpaks, Karachays, Nogais and as well as past civilizations such as the Kumans, Kipchaks, Avars, Bulgars, Turgeshes, Seljuks, Khazars, Ottoman Turks, Mamluks, Timurids, and possibly the Xiongnu and Huns.

Demographics

The distribution of people of Turkic cultural background ranges from Siberia, across Central Asia, to Eastern Europe. Presently, the largest groups of Turkic people live throughout Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, in addition to Turkey and Iran. Additionally, Turkic people are found within Crimea, East Turkistan region of western China, northern Iraq, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Afghanistan, and the Balkans: Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, and former Yugoslavia. A small number of Turkic people also live in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. There is also a small number in eastern Poland and southeastern part of Finland. There are also considerable populations of Turkic people (originating mostly from Turkey) in Germany, United States, and Australia, largely because of migrations during the 20th century.

Sometimes the above list is grouped into six branches: the Oghuz Turks, Kipchak, Karluk, Siberian, Chuvash, and Sakha/Yakut branches. The Oghuz have been termed Western Turks, while the remaining five, in such a classificatory scheme, are called Eastern Turks.

One of the major difficulties perceived by many who try to classify the various Turkic languages and dialects is the impact of Soviet and particularly Stalinist nationality policies—the creation of new national demarcations, suppression of languages and writing scripts, and mass deportations—had on the ethnic mix in previously multicultural regions like Khwarezm, the Fergana Valley, and Caucasia. Many of the above-mentioned classifications are therefore by no means universally accepted, either in detail or in general. Another aspect often debated is the influence of Pan-Turkism, and the emerging nationalism in the newly independent Central Asian republics, on the perception of ethnic divisions.

All the Turkic peoples native to Central Asia are of mixed Caucasoid and Mongoloid origin. Of these Central Asian Turks, Kazakhs and the Kyrgyz are closer to Mongoloids racially. Karakalpak are mixed almost evenly. Uighur in Xinjiang China, Uzbek and Turkmen are more close to Caucasoid. The genetic distances between the different populations of Uzbeks scattered across Uzbekistan is no greater than the distance between many of them and the Karakalpaks. This suggests that Karakalpaks and Uzbeks have very similar origins. The Karakalpaks have a somewhat greater bias towards the eastern markers than the Uzbeks. Reference: The Karakalpak Gene Pool (Spencer Wells, 2001) & Discussion and Conclusions at www.karakalpak.com/genetics.html

The Turkic people display a great variety of ethnic types. They possess physical features ranging from Caucasoid to Northern Mongoloid. Mongoloid and Caucasoid facial structure is common among many Turkic groups, such as Chuvash people, Tatars, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Hazaras, and Bashkirs. Historically, the racial classification of the Turkic peoples was sometimes given as "Turanid". Western (Anatolian) Turks are largely the genetic descendants of Turkified/Islamized Indo-European/Semitic groups such as Armenians, Kurds, Jews, Greeks, Assyrians, Arabs, and Slavs.

The following is an incomplete list of Turkic people with the respective groups's core areas of settlements and their estimated sizes (in million):

! People	! Region	! Population	! Modern Language
Turkish people	:*Meskhetian Turks	:*Syrian Turkmens	:*Iraqi Turkmens	Turkey, Germany, Bulgaria, Georgia, Syria, Iraq	70 M
Azerbaijanis	Azerbaijan Republic, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Georgia	22 to 30 M
Uzbeks	Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan	28,3 M
Kazakhs	Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Uzbekistan	13.8 M
	China (Xinjiang), Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey	9 M
	Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan,	8 M
Tatars	Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Poland, Lithuania, Finland	7 M
	Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, China, Tajikistan	4,5 M
	Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan	2 M
Crimean Tatars		0.5 to 2 M
Qashqai	Iran	1.7 M
	Russia	1.7 M
Karakalpaks	Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan	0.6 M
Yakuts	Russia	0.5 M
Kumyks	Russia	0.4 M
Karachays and Balkars	Russia, Turkey	0.4 M
Tuvans	Russia	0.3 M
	Moldovia	0.2 M
Crimean Karaites and Krymchaks	Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Turkey	0.2 M	Karaim language

Geographical distribution

Many of the Turkic peoples have their homelands in Huns in the middle of [the] fifth century. They were living in [[Liang Dynasty">Liang territory when it began to be overrun by the greater principality of Wei. Preferring to remain under the rule of their own kind, they moved westward into what is now the province of Kansu. This was the territory of kindred Huns, who were called the Rouran. The Turks were a small tribe of only five hundred families, and they became serfs to the Rouran, who used them as iron-workers. It is thought that the original meaning of "Turk" is "helmet", and that they may have taken this name because of the shape of one of the hills near which they worked. As their numbers and power grew, their chief made bold to ask for the hand of a Rouran princess in marriage. The demand was refused, and war followed. In 546, the iron-workers defeated their overlords." Since then Turkic languages have spread, through migrations and conquests, to other locations including present-day Turkey. While the term "Turk" may refer to a member of any Turkic people, the term ''Turkish'' usually refers specifically to the people and language of the modern country of Turkey.

The Turkic languages constitute a language family of some 30 languages, spoken across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, to Siberia and Western China, and to northern edges of Pakistan and the Middle East.

Some 170 million people have a Turkic language as their native language; an additional 20 million people speak a Turkic language as a second language. The Turkic language with the greatest number of speakers is Turkish proper, or Anatolian Turkish, the speakers of which account for about 40% of all Turkic speakers. More than one third of these are ethnic Turks of Turkey, dwelling predominantly in Turkey proper and formerly Ottoman-dominated areas of Eastern Europe and West Asia; as well as in Western Europe, Australia and the Americas as a result of immigration. The remainder of the Turkic people are concentrated in Central Asia, Russia, the Caucasus, China, northern Iraq.

At present, there are six independent Turkic countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan; There are also several Turkic national subdivisions in the Russian Federation including Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Khakassia, Tuva, Yakutia, the Altai Republic, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachayevo-Cherkessiya. Each of these subdivisions has its own flag, parliament, laws, and official state language (in addition to Russian).

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in western China and the autonomous region of Gagauzia, located within eastern Moldova and bordering Ukraine to the north, are two major autonomous Turkic regions. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine is a home of Crimean Tatars. In addition, there are several Iraq, Georgia, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and western Mongolia.

In the age of nationalism, Turkic speakers were among the first Muslim people to take up Western ideas of liberalism and secular ideologies. Pan-Turkism first sprang up at the end of the 19th century in the Russian Empire and was advanced by leading Turkish intellectuals like Crimean Tatar Ismail Gasprinski, Azerbaijan philosophers like Mirza Fatali Akhundov and Tatar Yusuf Akçura, as a reaction to Panslavist and Russification policies of the Russian Empire. The first fully democratic and secular republics in the Islamic world were Turks: the ill-fated Idel-Ural State established in 1917, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918 (both annexed and absorbed by the Soviet Union), and in 1923 Republic of Turkey. In 1991 Azerbaijan became an independent Azerbaijan Republic.

The Turks in Turkey are over 60 million to 70 million worldwide, while the second largest Turkic people are the Azerbaijanis, numbering 22.5 to 40 million worldwide; most of them live in Azerbaijan and Iran.

Turks in India are very small in number. There are barely 150 Turkish people from Turkey in India. These are recent immigrants. Descendants of Turkish rulers also exist in Northern India. Mughals who are part Turkic people also live in India in significant numbers. They are descendants of the Mughal rulers of India. Karlugh Turks are also found in small amounts in Srinagar region of Kashmir. Small amount of Uyghurs are also present in India. Turks also exist in Pakistan in similar proportions.One of the tribe in Hazara region of Pakistan is Karlugh Turks which is direct descendent of Turks of Central Asia. Turkish influence in Pakistan can be seen through the national language, Urdu, which comes from a Turkish word meaning "horde" or "army".

Western Yugur at Gansu in China, Salar at Qinghai in China, Dolgan at Krasnoyarsk Krai in Russia, Nogai at Dagestan in Russia are the Turk minorities at the respective regions. Beauty of Yugur Culture, Beauty of the Dolgan and Northern Tungus Culture, Beauty of Yakut Sakha Culture, Beauty of Khakass Culture at youtube show the facial feature of the Turks native to Asian Russia and China

Nomenclature

The first known mention of the term ''Turk'' applied to a Turkic group was in reference to the Göktürks in the 6th century. A letter by Ishbara Qaghan to Emperor Wen of Sui in 585 described him as "the Great Turk Khan." The Orhun inscriptions (735 CE) use the terms ''Turk'' and ''Turuk''.

Previous use of similar terms are of unknown significance, although some strongly feel that they are evidence of the historical continuity of the term and the people as a linguistic unit since early times. This includes Chinese records Spring and Autumn Annals referring to a neighbouring people as Beidi.

In modern Turkey, a distinction is made between "Turks" and the "Turkic peoples" in loosely speaking: the term ''Türk'' corresponds specifically to the "Turkish-speaking" people (in this context, "Turkish-speaking" is considered the same as "Turkic-speaking"), while the term ''Türki'' refers generally to the people of modern "Turkic Republics" (''Türki Cumhuriyetler'' or ''Türk Cumhuriyetleri''). However, the proper usage of the term is based on the linguistic classification in order to avoid any political sense. In short, the term Turkic can be used for Turk or vice versa.

According to Book of Zhou, the original meaning of "Turk" is "helmet", and that they may have taken this name because of the shape of the Altai Mountains. According to Mahmud of Kashgar, an 11th century Turkic scholar, and various other traditional Islamic scholars and historians, the name "Turk" stems from Tur, one of the sons of Japheth, and comes from the same lineage as Gomer (Cimmerians) and Ashkenaz (Scythians, Ishkuz) who, according to tradition, were some of the earliest Turks. For millennia, a long string of historical references specifically linked Herodotus’ Scythians with various tribes, such as the Hunno-Bulgars, Avars, Türks, Mongols, Khazars etc. Between 400 CE and the 16th century the Byzantine sources use the name Σκΰθαι in reference to twelve different Türkic peoples.

Alp Er Tunga is a mythical hero in Turkic tradition; the Göktürks of the 6th century carried on the tradition of Alp Er Tunga and they too had a myth according to which they themselves were descendants of a wolf.

History

Origins and early expansion

It is generally agreed that the first Turkic people lived in a region extending from Central Asia to Siberia with the majority of them living in China historically. The earliest separate Turkic peoples appeared on the peripheries of the late Xiongnu confederation (contemporaneous with the Chinese Han Dynasty). Turkic people may be related to the Xiongnu, Dingling and Tiele people. According to the Book of Wei, the Tiele people were the remaining of the Chidi (赤狄), the red Di people competing with the Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period. Turkic tribes, such as Khazars and Pechenegs, probably lived as nomads for many years before establishing the Göktürk Empire in the 6th century. These were Chinese herdsmen and nobles who were searching for new pastures and wealth. The first mention of Turks was in a Chinese text that mentioned trade of Turk tribes with the Sogdians along the Silk Road. The first recorded use of "Turk" as a political name is a 6th-century reference to the word pronounced in Modern Chinese as ''Tujue''. The Ashina clan migrated from Li-jien (modern Zhelai Zhai) to the Juan Juan seeking inclusion in their confederacy and protection from the prevalent dynasty. The tribe were famed metal smiths and was granted land near a mountain quarry which looked like a helmet, from which they were said to have gotten their name 突厥 (''tūjué''). A century later, their power had increased such that they conquered the Juan Juan and established the Gök Empire.

Turkic peoples originally used their own alphabets, like Orkhon and Yenisey runiform, and later the Uyghur alphabet. The oldest inscription was found near the Issyk river in Kyrgyzstan. Traditional national and cultural symbols of the Turkic peoples include wolves in Turkic mythology and tradition; as well as the color blue, iron, and fire. Turquoise blue, from the French word meaning "Turkish", is the color of the stone turquoise still used as jewelry and a protection against evil eye.

It has often been suggested that the Xiongnu, mentioned in Han Dynasty records, were Proto-Turkic speakers. Although little is known for certain about the Xiongnu language(s), it seems likely that at least some Xiongnu tribes spoke a Turkic language. Some scholars see a possible connection with the Iranic-speaking Sakas, while others believe they were probably a confederation of various ethnic and linguistic groups. On the other hand, genetics research from 2003 confirms the studies indicating that the Turkic people originated from the same area and so are related with the Xiongnu. So the scientific genetic results show clearly that the Turks originated nearby the Centre-west part of modern China.

Xiongnu writing, older than Turkic is agreed to have the earliest known Turkic alphabet, the Orkhon script. This has been argued recently using the only extant possibly Xiongu writings, the rock art of the Yinshan and Helanshan. It is dated from the 9th millennium BC to 19th century, and consists mainly of engraved signs (petroglyphs) and few painted images. Excavations done during 1924–1925, in Noin-Ula kurgans located in Selenga River in the northern Mongolian hills north of Ulan Bator, produced objects with over 20 carved characters, which were either identical or very similar to that of to the runic letters of the Turkic Orkhon script discovered in the Orkhon Valley.

The Hun hordes of Attila, who invaded and conquered much of Europe in the 5th century, might have been Turkic and descendants of the Xionghu. Some scholars argue that the Huns were one of the earlier Turkic tribes, while others argue that they were of Mongolic origin. Linguistics studies by Otto Maenchen-Helfen's support a Turkic origin. In all probability, they were closely related as the borders were not settled unlike modern times and migrations were common to distant places.

In the 6th century, 400 years after the collapse of northern Xiongnu power in Inner Asia, leadership of the Turkic peoples was taken over by the Göktürks. Formerly in the Xiongnu nomadic confederation, the Göktürks inherited their traditions and administrative experience. From 552 to 745, Göktürk leadership united the nomadic Turkic tribes into the Göktürk Empire. This was the first known political entity to be called "Turk". The name derives from ''gok'', "blue" or "celestial". Unlike its Xiongnu predecessor, the Göktürk Khanate had its temporary ''khans'' from the Ashina clan that were ''subordinate'' to a sovereign authority controlled by a council of tribal chiefs. The Khanate retained elements of its original shamanistic religion, Tengriism, although it received missionaries of Buddhist monks and practiced a syncretic religion. The Göktürks were the first Turkic people to write Old Turkic in a runic script, the Orkhon script. The Khanate was also the first state known as "Turk". It eventually collapsed due to a series of dynastic conflicts, but the name "Turk" was later taken by many states and peoples.

Turkic peoples and related groups migrated west from Turkestan and what is now Mongolia towards Eastern Europe, Iranian plateau and Anatolia and modern Turkey in many waves. The date of the initial expansion remains unknown. After many battles, they established their own state and later created the Ottoman Empire. The main migration occurred in medieval times, when they spread across most of Asia and into Europe and the Middle East. They also participated in the Crusades.

Later Turkic peoples include the Avars, Karluks (mainly 8th century), Uyghurs, Kyrgyz, Oghuz (or Ğuz) Turks, and Turkmens. As these peoples were founding states in the area between Mongolia and Transoxiana, they came into contact with Muslims, and most gradually adopted Islam. Small groups of Turkic people practice other religions, including Christians, Jews (Khazars), Buddhists, and Zoroastrians.

Middle Ages

Turkic soldiers in the army of the Abbasid caliphs emerged as the de facto rulers of most of the Muslim Middle East (apart from Syria and Egypt), particularly after the 10th century. The Oghuz and other tribes captured and dominated various countries under the leadership of the Seljuk dynasty and eventually captured the territories of the Abbasid dynasty and the Byzantine Empire.

Meanwhile, the Kyrgyz and Uyghurs were struggling with one another and with the Chinese Empire. The Kyrgyz people ultimately settled in the region now referred to as Kyrgyzstan. The Tatar peoples conquered the Volga Bulgars in what is today Tatarstan, following the westward sweep of the Mongols under Genghis Khan in the 13th century. Other Bulgars, who had initially invaded Europe in 5th-6th centuries, as part of the Hunnic tribal confederation, finally settled in Southastern Europe in the 7th-8th centuries,and mixed with the Slavic population, adopting what eventually became the Slavic Bulgarian language. Everywhere, Turkic groups mixed with the local populations to varying degrees. In 1090–91, the Turkic Pechenegs reached the walls of Constantinople, where Emperor Alexius I with the aid of the Kipchaks annihilated their army.

Islamic empires

As the Seljuk Empire declined following the Mongol invasion, the Ottoman Empire emerged as the new important Turkic state, that came to dominate not only the Middle East, but even southeastern Europe, parts of southwestern Russia, and northern Africa.

The Mughal Empire was a Turkic empire that, at its greatest territorial extent, ruled most of the South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and parts of Uzbekistan from the early 16th to the early-18th century. The Mughal dynasty was founded by a Chagatai Turkic prince named Babur (reigned 1526–30), who was descended from the Turkic conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) on his father's side and from Chagatai, second son of the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan, on his mother's side. The Mughal dynasty was notable for the ability of its rulers, who through seven generations maintained a record of unusual talent, and for its administrative organization. A further distinction was the attempt of the Mughals to integrate Hindus and Muslims into a united Indian state.

The Ottoman Empire gradually grew weaker in the face of maladministration, repeated wars with Russia and Austro-Hungary, and the emergence of nationalist movements in the Balkans, and it finally gave way after World War I to the present-day republic of Turkey.

Language

The Turkic alphabets are sets of related alphabets with letters (formerly known as runes), used for writing mostly Turkic languages. Inscriptions in Turkic alphabets were found from Mongolia and Eastern Turkestan in the east to Balkans in the west. Most of the preserved inscriptions were dated to between 8th and 10th centuries DE.

The earliest positively dated and read Turkic inscriptions date from ca. 150, and the alphabets were generally replaced by the Uyghur alphabet in the Central Asia, Arabic script in the Middle and Western Asia, Greek-derived Cyrillic in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans, and Latin alphabet in Central Europe. The latest recorded use of Turkic alphabet was recorded in Central Europe's Hungary in 1699 CE.

The Turkic runiform scripts, unlike other typologically close scripts of the world, do not have a uniform palaeography as, for example, have the Gothic runes, noted for the exceptional uniformity of its language and paleography. The Turkic alphabets are divided into four groups, the best known of them is the Orkhon version of the Enisei group.

The Turkic language family is traditionally considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family. The Altaic language family includes 66 languages spoken by about 348 million people, mostly in and around Central Asia and northeast Asia.

The various Turkic languages are usually considered in geographical groupings: the Oghuz (or Southwestern) languages, the Kypchak (or Northwestern) languages, the Eastern languages (like Uygur), the Northern languages (like Altay and Yakut), and one existing Oghur language: Chuvash (the other Oghur languages, like Hunnic and Bulgaric, are now extinct). The high mobility and intermixing of Turkic peoples in history makes an exact classification extremely difficult.

The Turkish language belongs to the Oghuz subfamily of Turkic. It is for the most part mutually intelligible with the other Oghuz languages, which include Azeri, Gagauz, Turkmen and Urum, and to a varying extent with the other Turkic languages.

Mythology

Tengriism and other shamanistic religions had been the dominant religions for most of Turkic history.

In one tradition, described in the ancient Zoroastrian text called the ''Zend-Avesta'' – similar to the biblical story of Noah – the Turkic peoples are descendants of "Tur" or "Tura", a grandson of Yima, who was the sole survivor of a catastrophe that depopulated the Earth.

Animals

The Wolf symbolizes honour and is also considered the mother of most Turkic peoples. Asena (Ashina Tuwu) is the wolf mother of Tumen Il-Qağan, the first Khan of the Göktürks.

The Horse is also one of the main figures of Turkic mythology. Türks consider the horse an extension of the human, one creature.

The Dragon, also expressed as a Snake or Lizard, is the symbol of might and power. It is believed, especially in mountainous Central Asia, that dragons still live in the mountains of Tian-Shan (Tangri Tagh) and Altay. Dragons also symbolize the god Tengri (Tanrı) in ancient Turkic tradition, although dragons themselves aren't worshipped as gods.

Personalities

Geser (Ges'r, Kesar) is a Tibetan/Mongolian religious epic about 'Geser' (also known as 'Bukhe Beligte') a Turkic prophet who taught Türks the new monotheistic religion Tengriism. It is unknown when he lived, and there are not many historical documents that mention him. Tengriism isn't approved by most Muslim scholars, but sura 108 of the Quran has the name Al-Kawthar,in which the word ''kawthar'' could potentially be read as 'Käusar', which may be an Arabisation of the Turkic name 'Geser'. The name of this sura is conventionally interpreted as "all goods" or "abundance", but this is not certain and many scholars have different opinions on this sura.

The legend of Timur (Temir) is the most ancient and well-known. Timur found a strange stone that fell from the sky, an iron ore meteorite. He was a smith and decided to make a sword of it. Few knew about iron in Asia before then. He tried to make a sword from it by using the usual bronze sword making process. He mentioned that this material, iron, was very easy to change and manipulate, though it was even stronger than bronze. Today, the word "temir" or "timur" means "iron". The melting process was known before in Egypt and India, but it wasn't used that widely in other parts of Asia, because of the very high iron price (much higher than gold) in the Mediterranian and Europe at that time.

Religion

Various pre-Islamic Turkic civilizations of the 6th century adhered to shamanist and Tengriist traditions which are reflected in the state symbols of Kazakhstan. The Shamanist religion is based on spiritual and natural elements of earth. Tengriism involves belief in Tengri as the god who ruled over the skies. and remain in use by speakers of those languages as a term for God regardless of their religions.

Some Turkic peoples (particularly in the Russian autonomous regions and republics of Altay, Khakassia and Tuva) are largely Tengriists. Tengriism was the predominant religion of the different Turkic branches prior to the 14th century, when the majority accepted Islam. In the Siberian region, the Altay, some Tuvan and Hakas are Tengriist, having kept the original religion of Turkic peoples.

Traditional Inner Asian cults, commonly referred to as shamanism, survive in many places, often submerged in other religions. In post-Soviet Siberia, 300 years after their forced conversion, some Yakuts (Sakha) and others have completely rejected Eastern Orthodox Christianity in favor of a revived shamanism.

Tengri Bögü Khan made the now extinct Manichaeism the state religion of Uyghur Khaganate in 763 and it was also popular in Karluks. It was gradually replaced by the Mahayana Buddhism. It existed in the Buddhist Uyghur Gaochang up to the 12th century.

Tibetan Buddhism, or Vajrayana was the main religion after Manichaeism. They worshipped Täŋri Täŋrisi Burxan, Quanšï Im Pusar and Maitri Burxan. Turkic Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent and west Xinjiang attributed with a rapid and almost total disappearance of it and other religions in North India and Central Asia. The Sari Uygurs "Yellow Yughurs" of Western China, as well as the Tuvans of Russia are the only remaining Buddhist Turkic peoples.

Many Karaims and Krymchaks of Eastern Europe (Especially Crimea) are Jewish, and there are Turks of Jewish backgrounds who live in major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara and Baku. The Khazars, who existed long before Islam appeared, widely practiced Judaism.The Yakuts of Yakutia in northeastern Siberia are traditionally Shamanists, yet many have converted to Christianity. In addition, there are small scattered populations of Turks belonging to other religions such as the Bahá'í Faith and Zoroastrianism. Nowruz is still celebrated by many non-Zoroastrian Turkic peoples.

Even though many Turkic peoples became Muslims under the influence of Sufis, often of Shī‘ah persuasion, most Turkic people today are Sunni Muslims, although a significant number in Turkey are Alevis. Alevi Turks, who were once primarily dwelling in eastern Anatolia, are today concentrated in major urban centers in western Turkey with the increased urbanism.

The major Christian-Turkic peoples are the Chuvash of Chuvashia and the Gagauz (''Gökoğuz'') of Moldova. The traditional religion of the Chuvash of Russia, while containing many ancient Turkic concepts, also shares some elements with Zoroastrianism, Khazar Judaism, and Islam. The Chuvash religious calendar cycle and the agrarian cult that it was based on combined ancestor worship and worship of earth, water and vegetation. The Chuvash converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity for the most part in the second half of the 19th century. As a result, festivals and rites were made to coincide with Orthodox feasts, and Christian rites replaced their traditional counterparts. A minority of the Chuvash still profess their traditional faith. Church of the East was popular among Turks such as the Naimans. It even revived in Gaochang and expanded in Xinjiang in the Yuan dynasty period. It disappeared after its collapse.

International organizations

There are several international organizations created with the purpose of furthering cooperation between countries with Turkic-speaking populations, such as the Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture (TÜRKSOY) and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries (TÜRKPA).

The newly established Turkic Council, founded on November 3, 2009 by the ''Nakhchivan Agreement'' Mongolian confederation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey, aims to integrate these organizations into a tighter geopolitical framework.

Gallery

People

Flags of the Turkic peoples

Notes and references

Further reading and references

Alpamysh, H.B. Paksoy: Central Asian Identity under Russian Rule (Hartford: AACAR, 1989)

Amanjolov A.S., "History of тhe Ancient Turkic Script", Almaty, "Mektep", 2003, ISBN 9965-16-204-2

Baichorov S.Ya., "Ancient Turkic runic monuments of the Europe", Stavropol, 1989 (In Russian)

Baskakov, N.A. 1962, 1969. ''Introduction to the study of the Turkic languages''. Moscow. (In Russian).

Beckwith, Christopher I. (2009): ''Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present''. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-13589-2.

Boeschoten, Hendrik & Lars Johanson. 2006. ''Turkic languages in contact''. Turcologica, Bd. 61. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-05212-0.

Chavannes, Édouard (1900): ''Documents sur les Tou-kiue (Turcs) occidentaux.'' Paris, Librairie d’Amérique et d’Orient. Reprint: Taipei. Cheng Wen Publishing Co. 1969.

Clausen, Gerard. 1972. ''An etymological dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Deny, Jean et al. 1959–1964. ''Philologiae Turcicae Fundamenta''. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.

Findley, Carter Vaughn. 2005. ''The Turks in World History''. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516770-8; ISBN 0-19-517726-6 (pbk.)

Golden, Peter B. ''An introduction to the history of the Turkic peoples: Ethnogenesis and state-formation in medieval and early modern Eurasia and the Middle East'', (Otto Harrassowitz (Wiesbaden) 1992) ISBN 3-447-03274-X

Heywood, Colin. ''The Turks (The Peoples of Europe)'', (Blackwell 2005), ISBN 978-0-631-15897-4.

Hostler, Charles Warren. ''The Turks of Central Asia'', (Greenwood Press, November 1993), ISBN 0-275-93931-6.

Ishjatms N., "Nomads In Eastern Central Asia", in the "History of civilizations of Central Asia", Volume 2, UNESCO Publishing, 1996, ISBN 92-3-102846-4.

Johanson, Lars & Éva Agnes Csató (ed.). 1998. ''The Turkic languages''. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-08200-5.

Johanson, Lars. 1998. "The history of Turkic." In: Johanson & Csató, pp. 81–125. Classification of Turkic languages

Johanson, Lars. 1998. "Turkic languages." In: ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''. CD 98. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 5 September. 2007. Turkic languages: Linguistic history.

Kyzlasov I.L., "Runic Scripts of Eurasian Steppes", Moscow, Eastern Literature, 1994, ISBN 5-02-017741-5.

Lebedynsky, Iaroslav. (2006). ''Les Saces: Les « Scythes » d'Asie, VIII^e siècle apr. J.-C.'' Editions Errance, Paris. ISBN 2-87772-337-2.

Malov S.E., "Monuments of the ancient Turkic inscriptions. Texts and research", M.-L., 1951 (In Russian).

Mukhamadiev A., "Turanian Writing", in "Problems Of Lingo-Ethno-History Of The Tatar People", Kazan, 1995, ISBN 5-201-08300 (Азгар Мухамадиев, "Туранская Письменность", "Проблемы лингвоэтноистории татарского народа", Казань, 1995. с.38, ISBN 5-201-08300, (In Russian)

Menges, K. H. 1968. ''The Turkic languages and peoples: An introduction to Turkic studies''. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.

Öztopçu, Kurtuluş. 1996. Dictionary of the Turkic languages: English, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tatar, Turkish, Turkmen, Uighur, Uzbek. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-14198-2

Samoilovich, A. N. 1922. ''Some additions to the classification of the Turkish languages''. Petrograd. Classification of Türkic languages

Schönig, Claus. 1997–1998. "A new attempt to classify the Turkic languages I-III." ''Turkic Languages'' 1:1.117–133, 1:2.262–277, 2:1.130–151.

Vasiliev D.D. Graphical fund of Turkic runiform writing monuments in Asian areal. М., 1983, (In Russian)

Vasiliev D.D. Corpus of Turkic runiform monuments in the basin of Enisei. М., 1983, (In Russian)

Voegelin, C.F. & F.M. Voegelin. 1977. ''Classification and index of the World's languages''. New York: Elsevier.

See also

Turkiate society

Chigils Turks

Shato

Pan-Turanism

Pan-Turkism

Turkic European

Turkic languages

Turkic migrations

Turkic states and empires

Turko-Iranian

Turko-Persian tradition

Turko-Mongol

Turkology

List of ethnic groups

European ethnic groups

Peoples of the Caucasus

External links

Turkic Republics, Regions, and Peoples: Resources – University of Michigan

Turkic Cultures and Children's Festival, Turkic Fest

Encyclopedia Britanica 1911 Edition

turkicworld

Ethnographic maps

International Turcology and Turkish History Research Symposium

Istanbul Kültür University

Examples of traditional Turkish and Ottoman Clothing

Türkçekent Orientaal's links for Turkish Language Learning

Türkçestan Orientaal's links to Turkic languages

Ural-Altaic-Sumerian Etymological Dictionary

Crimean Tatar Internet Resources

Nationwide game of Turks

Crimean Tatar Web Site

Kemal's Crimean Tatar Web Site with Crimean Tatar Language Resources

Murad Adji's site Contains books in English

New DNA Results

"Probable ancestors of Hungarian ethnic groups: an admixture analysis"C. R. GUGLIELMINO1, A. DE SILVESTRI2 and J. BERES

MtDNA and Y chromosome polymorphisms in Hungary: inferences from the Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Uralic influences on the modern Hungarian gene pool

World History Study Guide'': "Dastan Turkic" at BookRsgs.com

The ''Altaic Epic''

Downloadable article: "Evidence that a West-East admixed population lived in the Tarim Basin as early as the early Bronze Age" Li et al. ''BMC Biology'' 2010, 8:15.

Category:Ethnic groups in China Category:Central Asian people Category:Eurasian nomads

ar:ترك az:Türk xalqları ba:Төрки телле халыҡтар bs:Turski narodi bg:Тюркски народи cs:Turkické národy de:Turkvölker el:Τουρκικά φύλα es:Pueblos túrquicos eo:Tjurkaj popoloj fa:مردمان ترک‌تبار fr:Peuples turcs fy:Turkske folken ko:투르크족 hi:तुर्क लोग hr:Turski narodi id:Bangsa Turkik it:Turchi he:עמים טורקיים ka:თურქულენოვანი ხალხები lv:Tjurki lt:Tiurkai mk:Турски народи ml:തുർക്കിക് ജനത arz:ترك nl:Turkse volkeren ja:テュルク no:Tyrkere uz:Turkiy xalqlar pl:Ludy tureckie pt:Povos turcos ro:Popor turcic ru:Тюрки sah:Түүр омуктар sk:Turkické národy sr:Турски народи fi:Turkkilaiset kansat sv:Turkfolk tt:Törki xalıqlar th:กลุ่มชนเตอร์กิก tr:Türk halkları uk:Тюрки ur:ترک ug:تۈرك vi:Các dân tộc Turk zh:突厥

The following is an incomplete list of historical dynasties which were at some time Turkic or the country they ruled were Turkic-speaking and of modern countries with significant Turkic populations or with an official Turkic language.

Historical confederation of tribes and Turkic dynasties

Dingling (丁零), Gaocha (高車/高车), Gaocha-Tiele (高車丁零/高车丁零), Tiele (鐵勒/铁勒), Chile (敕勒)

Oguzes (烏古斯人)

*Toquz Oghuz (九姓乌护) -> Uyghur

*Uc-Oghuzes -> Karluks: Chigil, Tukhsi, Yagma

Turkic Khaganate (552–744) (Göktürks)

*First Turkic Kaghanate

**Eastern Turkic Kaghanate

***Second Eastern Turkic Kaghanate

**Western Turkic Kaghanate

Xueyantuo

Türgesh

Uyghur Khaganate (744–840)

*Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom

*Gaochang Uyghur Kingdom

Kimeks

Kipchaks/Cumans

Oghuz (aka Uzes)

Pechenegs (860-1091)

*Kangly

Kyrgyz State (840–920)

Kara-Khanid Khanate (840–1042)

Anatolian beyliks

Ottoman Empire (1299-1922)

Turkic dynasties in Europe

Khazar Empire (7th–10th century)

Volga Bulgaria Great Bulgaria First Bulgarian Empire

Turkic dynasties in China

Wei (Dingling) in China (388–392, founded by Dingling) Later Tang Dynasty in China (923–936, founded by Shato) Later Jin Dynasty in China (936–947, founded by Shato)

Turkic dynasties in the Arab World

Tulunids (868–905)

Ikhshidid dynasty (935–969)

Rasulids (1228–1455)

Bahri dynasty of Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) (1250–1382)

Turkic dynasties in the Indian subcontinent

Delhi Sultanate in India (1206–1526)

*Mamluk dynasty (1206–90)

*Khilji dynasty (1290-1320)

*Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1413)

Turco-Mongol dynasties

Keraits Naimans Öngüts

Chagatai Khanate (Qara'unas)

Golden Horde (aka Kipchak Khanate) (1227–1502) (Turkicized nomadic confederation, originally ruled by a Mongol elite)

Sufids (1361–1379) (aka Kingdom of Khwarizm)

Timurid dynasty (1370–1506) (Persianized dynasty of Turko-Mongol origin)

Jagoldai (15th–17th century)

Astrakhan Khanate (1430s–1554)

Siberia Khanate (1430s–1576)

Kazan Khanate (1438–1552)

Crimean Khanate (1441–1783)

Kazakh Khanate (1456–1731)

Mughal Empire (Built and ruled by the Baburid dynasty of Turco-Mongol origin, with the adoption of the Persian culture and language).

Qasim Khanate (15th–17th centuries)

Turco-Afghan dynasties

Delhi Sultanate in India (1206–1526)

* Khilji Dynasty (1290–1320)

Turco-Persian states

Some Turco-Persian states were founded in Greater Iran. Ghaznavid Empire (962–1187) (ruled by a thoroughly Persianized family of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin) Khwarezmian Empire (ruled by a family of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin.) Great Seljuk Empire (1073–1307) (ruled by a predominantly Persian-speaking clan of originally Oghuz Turkic descent. The majority of the population was Iranian.)

Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm (1077–1307)

Black Sheep Turcomans (1375–1468)

White Sheep Turcomans (1378–1508)

Safavid dynasty (1501–1736)

Afsharid dynasty (1736–1796)

Qajar dynasty (1781–1925) (A Persianized dynasty of originally Turkic Oghuz descent which ruled Persia).

Former and defunct Turkic governments

(1913) Crimean People's Republic (1917–1918) (1918–1919) (1918–1919) Azerbaijan People's Government (1945–1946) Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918–1920) Turkestan ASSR (1918–1924) Bukhara People's Soviet Republic (1920–1924) Khorezm People's Soviet Republic (1920–1924) Azerbaijan SSR (1920–1991) People's Republic of Tannu Tuva (1921–1944) Uzbek SSR (1924–1991) Turkmen SSR (1924–1991) Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan (1933–1934) Kazakh SSR (1936–1991) Kyrgyz SSR (1936–1991) Hatay State (1938–1939) East Turkistan Republic (1944–1949)

Current states

Independent states

Azerbaijan (1991) – 90% Azeris. Kazakhstan (1991) – 67% Kazakhs. Kyrgyzstan (1991) – 64.9% Kyrgyzs, 13.8% Uzbeks. Turkey (1923) - 70–75% Turkish, 1.14% Azeris Turkmenistan (1991) – 85% Turkmens Uzbekistan (1991) – 80% Uzbeks, 3% Kazakhs, 2.5% Karakalpaks, 1.5% Tatars.

De facto state

This republic is recognized only by Turkey. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (1983) – 67.54 % Turkish Cypriot, 32.45 % Turkish

Federal subjects of Russia

Turkic majority

– 29.8 % Bashkirs, 24.1 % Tatars, 2.9 % Chuvash

– 67.7 % Chuvash, 2.8 % Tatars

– 52.9 % Tatars, 3.4 % Chuvash

– 77 % Tuvans, 0.4 % Khakas

Turkic titular nation, but minority

– 33.5 % Altay, 6.0 % Kazakhs

– 38.5 % Karachays, 3.4 % Nogais

– 12 % Khakas

Yakutiya – 45.5 % Yakuts, 0.1 % Dolgans

– 11.5 % Balkars

Autonomous regions

Gagauzia in Moldova – 82 % Gagauzs. Crimea in Ukraine – 12 % Crimean Tatars

border|22px|Xinjiang Xinjiang in China – 45.21 % Uygurs, 6.74 % Kazakhs, 0.86 % Kyrgyzs, 0.66 % Uzbeks, 0.02 % Tatars.

Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan – 36 % Uzbeks, 32 % Karakalpaks, 25 % Kazakhs. border|22px|Azerbaijan Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan – 99 % Azeris. border|22px|Xunhua Xunhua Salar Autonomous County in China – 61.14 % Salars.

See also

Turkic peoples

Turkic languages

Timeline of the Turks (500–1300)

Nomadic empire

Historic states represented in Turkish presidential seal

Notes

Further reading

Cotterell, A., ''The Imperial Capitals of China: A Dynastic History of the Celestial Empire'', 2008, The Overlook Press. ISBN 978-1-59020-007-0

Findley, C.V., ''The Turks in World History'', 2005, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-517726-6

Forbes Manz, B., ''The Rise and Rule of Tamerlane'', 2002, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-63384-2

Grousset, R., ''The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia'', 1991, Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-1304-9

Hupchick, D.P., ''The Balkans: From Constantinople to Communism'', 2002, Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6417-3

Lewis, Bernard. "Istanbul and the Civilization of the Ottoman Empire", 1963, University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0806110600.

Nicole, D., PhD., ''Attila and the Huns'', 1990, Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-034-X

Paludan, A., ''Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial China'', 1998, Thames & Hudson Ltd. ISBN 978-0500050903

Saunders, J.J., ''The History of the Mongol Conquests'', 2001, Routledge & Kegan Ltd. ISBN 978-0812217667

Thackston, W.M., ''The Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor'', 2002, Modern Library. ISBN 978-0375761379

Vásáry, I., ''Cumans and Tatars: Oriental Military in the Pre-Ottoman Balkans, 1185–1365'', 2005, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521837569

Category:Turkic peoples Category:Former countries in Asia Category:Former countries in Europe Category:Turkic dynasties

az:Türk dövlətləri de:Turkstaat fa:فهرست سرزمین‌های ترک‌نشین fr:Royaumes turcs kk:Түркі тілді аумақтар lv:Turku impērijas crh:Türkiy devletler tt:Törki däwlätlär tr:Türk devletleri listesi

Coordinates	52°24′29″N1°30′38″N
Group	Kazakhs Қазақтар
Pop	approx. 13,800,000
Region1
Pop1	10,098,600
Ref1
Region2
Pop2	1,400,000 - 1,500,000
Ref2
Region3
Pop3	800,000 - 1,100,000
Ref3
Region4
Pop4	654,000
Ref4
Region5
Pop5	101,526
Ref5
Region6
Pop6	40,000 - 90,000
Ref6
Region7
Pop7	33,200
Ref7
Region8
Pop8	21,000
Ref8
Region9
Pop9	19,000-25,000
Ref9
Region10
Pop10	890
Ref10
Region11
Pop11	900
Ref11
Region12
Pop12	10,000-15,000
Ref12
Region13
Pop13	5,526
Ref13
Region16
Pop16	1,239
Ref16
Languages	Kazakh (and/or languages in country of residence)
Religions	Predominately Sunni Islam
Related	other Turkic peoples }}

The Kazakhs (also spelled Kazaks, Qazaqs; ; the English name is transliterated from Russian) are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia (largely Kazakhstan, but also found in parts of Uzbekistan, China, Russia, and Mongolia).

Kazakhs are descendants of the Turkic tribes - (Argyns, Khazars, Qarluqs; and of the Kipchaks., Turko-Mongol groups (Kiyat, Dughlat, Naimans, Nogais, Kerait, Onggirat, Manghud, Jalayir, Alshyn) and other Proto Turkic tribes such as the Huns, Kankalis, Wusun origin and Iranian tribes like the Sarmatians, Saka and Scythians. Kazakhs populated the territory between Siberia and the Black Sea and remained in Central Asia when the Turkic and Turko-Mongolic groups started to invade and conquer the area between the 5th and 13th centuries AD .

Etymology of ''Qazaq''

The Kazakhs began using this name during either the 15th or 16th centuries. There are many theories on the origin of the word Kazakh or Qazaq. Some speculate that it comes from the Turkish verb ''qaz'' (to wander), because the Kazakhs were wandering steppemen; or that it derives from the Mongol word ''khasaq'' (a wheeled cart used by the Kazakhs to transport their yurts and belongings).

In the 19th century, one etymological explanation was that the name came from the popular Kazakh legend of the white goose (''qaz'' means "goose", ''aq'' means "white"). In this creation myth, a white steppe goose turned into a princess, who in turn gave birth to the first Kazakh. This etymological derivation is regarded as flawed because, in Turkic languages, the adjective is put before the noun, and therefore "white goose" would be ''Aqqaz'', not ''Qazaq''.

Another theory on the origin of the word Kazakh (originally ''Qazaq'') is that it comes from the ancient Turkic word ''qazğaq'', first mentioned on the 8th century Turkic monument of Uyuk-Turan. According to the notable Turkic linguist Vasily Radlov and the orientalist Veniamin Yudin, the noun ''qazğaq'' derives from the same root as the verb ''qazğan'' ("to obtain", "to gain"). Therefore, ''qazğaq'' defines a type of person who seeks profit and gain.

Qazaq, Kirghiz, Kaisak, Kazakh

Qazaq was a common term throughout medieval Central Asia, generally with regard to individuals or groups who had taken or achieved independence from a figure of authority. Timur described his own youth without directory authority as his Qazaqliq (Qazaqness). At the time of the Uzbek Conquest of Central Asia, the Uzbek khan Abul-Khayr had differences with the Chinggisid chiefs Giray/Kirey and Janibeg/Janibek, descendants of Urus Khan. These differences probably resulted from the crushing defeat of Abul-Khayr Khan at the hands of the Qalmaqs. Kirey and Janibek moved with a large following of nomads to the region of Zhetysu/Semirechye on the border of Moghulistan and set up new pastures there with the blessing of the Moghul Chingisid Esen Buqa, who hoped for a buffer zone of protection against the expansion of the Oirats. It is not explicitly explained that this is why the later Kazakhs took the name permanently, but it is the only historically verifiable source of the ethnonym. The group under Kirey and Janibek are called in various sources Qazaqs and Uzbek-qazaqs (those independent of the Uzbek khans). Later Russian language sources incorrectly termed them Kirghiz and Kirghiz-kaisak.

The word ''Kazakh'' stems largely from a Russian convention seeking to distinguish the Qazaqs of the steppes from the Cossacks of the Russian Imperial military.

Kazakh - Казах

Cossack - Казак

The Cossacks take their ethnonym from the same Turkic etymological root, i.e. wanderer, brigand, independent free-booter.

Culture

Music

Many are also skilled in the performance of Kazakh traditional songs. One of the most commonly used traditional musical instruments of the Kazakhs is the ''dombra'', a plucked lute with two strings. It is often used to accompany solo or group singing. Another popular instrument is ''kobyz'', a bow instrument played on the knees. Along with other instruments, these two instruments play a key role in the traditional Kazakh orchestra. A notable composer is Kurmangazy, who lived in the 19th century. After studying in Moscow, Gaziza Zhubanova became the first woman classical composer in Kazakhstan, whose compositions reflect Kazakh history and folklore. A notable singer of the Soviet epoch is Roza Rymbaeva, she was a star of the trans-Soviet-Union scale. A notable Kazakh rock band is Urker, performing in the genre of ethno-rock, which synthesises rock music with the traditional Kazakh music.

[[Image:Жуз.svg|thumb|250 px|left|Approximate areas occupied by the three Kazakh jüz in the early 20th century. {| | | | |} ]]

Oral history

Due to their nomadic pastoral lifestyle, Kazakhs kept an epic tradition of oral history. The nation, which amalgamated nomadic tribes of various Kazakh origins, managed to preserve the distant memory of the original founding clans. It was important for a Kazakh to know his or her genealogical tree for no less than seven generations back (known as ''şejire'', from the Arabic word shajara - "tree").

Marriage

The Kazakh marriage system was exogamous (a cultural trait possibly coming from the Cumans/Kipchaks as their marriages too were said to be exogamous), with marriage between individuals with a common ancestor within nine generations considered taboo. In intertribal marriage, paternal descent is decisive.

The Three Kazakh Hordes

In modern Kazakhstan, tribalism is fading away in business and government life. Still it is common for Kazakhs to ask which tribe they belong to when they meet each other. Nowadays, it is more of a tradition than necessity. There is no hostility between tribes. Kazakhs, regardless of their tribal origin, consider themselves one nation.

The majority of Kazakhs of modern-day Kazakhstan belong to one of the three ''juzes'' (juz, roughly translatable as "horde" or "hundred"):

The Elder, Senior, or Great Horde (Ulı Juz)

The Junior, Younger, or Lesser Horde (Kişi juz)

The Middle Horde (Orta juz)

Each Horde consists of tribal groups (''taypa''), tribes (''ruw'') and small family-tied clans. Also considered Kazakhs, but of Chingisid descent, are the ''tore'' (direct descendants of Genghis Khan). In addition to these traditionally political leaders, there were religious families outside of the Hordes called ''Qozha''/Khoja (descendants of Arabian missionaries and soldiers). In addition there are also the ''Tolengit'' (descendants of Oirat captives), the "Sunak" (like "Qozha" Khoja - descendants of Arabian missionaries and soldiers) and the "Kolegen" (descendants of Ancient Sairam inhabitants).

History of the Hordes

There is much debate surrounding the origins of the Hordes. Their age is unknown so far in extant historical texts, with the earliest mentions in the 17th century. The Turkologist Velyaminov-Zernov believed that it was the capture of the important cities of Tashkent, Yasi, and Sayram in 1598 by Tevvekel (Tauekel/Tavakkul) Khan that separated the Qazaqs, as only a portion of the Century possessed the cities. This theory suggests that the Qazaqs then divided among a wider territory after expanding from Zhetysu into most of the Dasht-i Qipchaq, with a focus on the trade available through the cities of the middle Syr Darya, of which Sayram and Yasi belonged.

During the Barefoot Flight the Three Hordes temporarily united to face the threat of invasion from the Jungars.

In 1746, the English merchants Hogg and Thompson crossed the Kazakh steppe from Imperial Russia en route to Khiva, and stayed with Janibeg Batir, who informed them that the Kazakhs were divided into three Hordes, and that he (Janibeg) was governor of his Horde, though his title was Batir, not Khan.

Language

The Kazakh language is a member of the Turkic language family, as are Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tatar, Uyghur, Turkish, Azeri, Turkmen, and many other living and historical languages spoken in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Xinjiang, and Siberia.

Kazakh belongs to the Kipchak (Northwestern) group of the Turkic language family. Kazakh is characterized, in distinction to other Turkic languages, by the presence of in place of reconstructed proto-Turkic and in place of ; furthermore, Kazakh has where other Turkic languages have .

Kazakh, like most of the Turkic language family lacks phonemic vowel length, and as such there is no distinction between long and short vowels.

Kazakh was written with the Arabic script during the 19th century, when a number of poets, educated in Islamic schools, incited revolt against Russia. Russia's response was to set up secular schools and devise a way of writing Kazakh with the Cyrillic alphabet, which was not widely accepted. By 1917, the Arabic script was reintroduced, even in schools and local government.

In 1927, a Kazakh nationalist movement sprang up but was soon suppressed. At the same time the Arabic script was banned and the Latin alphabet was imposed for writing Kazakh. The Latin alphabet was in turn replaced by the Cyrillic alphabet in 1940.

Kazakh is one of the principal languages spoken in Kazakhstan, along with Russian. It is also spoken in the Ili region of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China, where the Arabic script is used, and in western parts of Mongolia (Bayan-Ölgii and Khovd province), where Cyrillic script is in use.

Religion

Islam was brought to ancestors of modern Kazakhs during the 8th century when the Arabs entered Central Asia. Islam initially took hold in the southern portions of Turkestan and thereafter gradually spread northward. Islam also took root due to the zealous missionary work of Samanid rulers, notably in areas surrounding Taraz where a significant number of Turks accepted Islam. Additionally, in the late 14th century, the Golden Horde propagated Islam amongst the Kazakhs and other Central Asian tribes. During the 18th century, Russian influence toward the region rapidly increased throughout Central Asia. Led by Catherine, the Russians initially demonstrated a willingness in allowing Islam to flourish as Muslim clerics were invited into the region to preach to the Kazakhs whom the Russians viewed as "savages" and "ignorant" of morals and ethics. However, Russian policy gradually changed toward weakening Islam by introducing pre-Islamic elements of collective consciousness. Such attempts included methods of eulogizing pre-Islamic historical figures and imposing a sense of inferiority by sending Kazakhs to highly elite Russian military institutions. In response, Kazakh religious leaders attempted to bring religious fervor by espousing pan-Turkism, though many were persecuted as a result. During the Soviet era, Muslim institutions survived only in areas where Kazakhs significantly outnumbered non-Muslims due to everyday Muslim practices. In an attempt to conform Kazakhs into Communist ideologies, gender relations and other aspects of the Kazakh culture were key targets of social change.

In more recent times however, Kazakhs have gradually employed a determined effort in revitalizing Islamic religious institutions after the fall of the Soviet Union. Some Kazakhs continue to identify with their Islamic faith, and even more devotedly in the countryside. Those who claim descent from the original Muslim soldiers and missionaries of the 8th century command substantial respect in their communities. Kazakh political figures have also stressed the need to sponsor Islamic awareness. For example, the Kazakh Foreign Affairs Minister, Marat Tazhin, recently emphasized that Kazakhstan attaches importance to the use of "positive potential Islam, learning of its history, culture and heritage."

Population

60.8

+Ethnic Kazakhs in percent of total population of Kazakhstan !	1897 % !	1911 % !! 1926 % !! 1939 % !! 1959 % !! 1970 % !! 1979 % !! 1989 % !! 1999 % !! 2008 % !! 2009 %
	73.9	|	59.5	38.0	30.0	32.6	36.0	39.7	53.4	59.8	63.1

Kazakh minorities

Russia

In Russia, the Kazakh population lives primarily in the regions bordering Kazakhstan. According to latest census (2002) there are 654,000 Kazakhs in Russia, most of whom are in the Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Samara, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Altai Krai and Altai Republic regions. Though ethnically Kazakh, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, these people acquired Russian citizenship.

0.33

+ Ethnic Kazakhs of Russianational censuses data	1939!!%!!1959!!%!!1970!!%!!1979!!%!!1989!!%!!2002!!%
	|	382 431	0.33	477 820	0.37	518 060	0.38	635 865	0.43	653 962	0.45

China

Kazakhs, called Hāsàkè Zú in Chinese (哈萨克族; literally "Kazakh people" or "Kazakh tribe") are among 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. After Sheng Shicai expelled 20,000 Kazakhs from Xinjiang to Qinghai, Hui led by General Ma Bufang massacred their fellow Muslim Kazakhs, until there were 135 of them left. In China there is one Kazakh autonomous prefecture, the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, three Kazakh autonomous counties, Aksai Kazakh Autonomous County in Gansu, Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County and Mori Kazakh Autonomous County in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Many Kazakhs in China are not fluent in Standard Chinese, instead speaking the Kazakh language. Since the early 21st century, Mamuer Rayeskan, a young Kazakh musician from Qitai, Xinjiang now living in Beijing, has achieved some renown for his reworking of Kazakh folk songs with his group IZ, with which he sings and plays acoustic guitar, dombra, and jaw harp.

Mongolia

Ethnic Kazakhs live predominantly in Western Mongolia in Bayan-Ölgii Province (88.7% of total province population) and Khovd Province (11.5% of total province population, living primarily in the Khovd city, Khovd sum and Buyant sum). In addition, a number of Kazakh communities can be found in various cities and towns spread throughout the country. Some of the major population centers with a significant Kazakh presence include Ulaanbaatar (90% in khoroo #4 of Nalaikh düüreg), Töv and Selenge provinces, Erdenet, Darkhan, Bulgan, Sharyngol (17.1% of population total) and Berkh cities. 4.34

+ Ethnic Kazakhs of Mongolianational censuses data	!1956!!%!!1963!!%!!1969!!%!!1979!!%!!1989!!%!!2000!!%!!2007	%
36,729	|	47,735	4.69	62,812	5.29	84,305	5.48	120,506	6.06	102,983	4.35	140,152	5.39

The Kazakh folk music is well known and loved in Mongolia. Most of Mongolian Kazakhs belong to "Middle juz" (''Orta juz''), the largest among three juzes.

Uzbekistan

400,000 Kazakhs live in Karakalpakstan and 100,000 in the Tashkent province. Since the fall of Soviet Union, vast majority of Kazakh people are returning to Kazakhstan, mainly to Manghistau Oblast'. Most Kazakhs in Karakalpakstan are descendants of one of the branches of "Junior juz" (''Kişi juz'')-Adai tribe.

Iran

Iranian Kazakhs live mainly in the Golestan province in northern Iran. According to ethnologue.org, in 1982 there were 3000 Kazakhs living in the city of Gorgan. Since fall of the Soviet Union number of Kazakhs in Iran decreased due to emigration to their historical Motherland."

Gallery of Famous Kazakhs

See also

Demographics of Kazakhstan

List of Kazakhs

Kipchak people - one of the ancestors of the Kazakhs

Cuman people - one of the ancestors of the Kazakhs

Notable Kazakhs

References

Khazars in Kazakhstan, Khazar Khaganate

External links

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Kazakh Language Courseware from University of Arizona Critical Languages Series

Ethnographic map of Kazakhstan

Kazakhs in France - AKFT

World Association of the Kazakhs

http://sana.gov.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id;=342

Massagan.com (The largest web site in kazakh language)

Suhbat (Atameken Toby)

Secrets of the Dead: Amazon Warrior Women (PBS)

Turk monument of Uyuk-Turan mentioning the word ''"qazğaq"''

Kazakh tribes

Category:Turkic peoples Category:Ethnic groups officially recognized by China Category:Ethnic groups in Russia Category:Ethnic groups in Kazakhstan Category:Ethnic groups in Kyrgyzstan Category:Ethnic groups in Mongolia Category:Ethnic groups in Tajikistan Category:Ethnic groups in Turkmenistan Category:Ethnic groups in Uzbekistan Category:Muslim communities Category:Muslim communities of China

ar:كازاخ an:Cazacos az:Qazaxlar be:Казахі be-x-old:Казахі bs:Kazasi bg:Казахи bxr:Хасагууд ca:Kazakhs cv:Казахсем cs:Kazaši da:Kasakh de:Kasachen et:Kasahhid es:Kazajo (etnia) eo:Kazaĥoj fa:مردم قزاق fr:Kazakhs fy:Kazakken hak:Hâ-sat-khiet-tshu̍k ko:카자흐족 hr:Kazasi id:Bangsa Kazakh it:Kazaki krc:Къазакълыла ka:ყაზახები kk:Қазақтар ky:Казактар lv:Kazahi lt:Kazachai mk:Казаци ml:കസാഖ് ms:Kazakh mn:Казах nl:Kazachen ja:カザフ no:Kasaker pl:Kazachowie pt:Cazaques kaa:Qazaqlar ro:Cazahi ru:Казахи sah:Казахтар sk:Kazaši sr:Казаси sh:Kazasi fi:Kazakit sv:Kazaker tt:Казакълар tr:Kazaklar tk:Gazaklar udm:Казахъёс uk:Казахи ug:قازاق مىللىتى vi:Người Kazakh yo:Kazakhs zh:哈薩克族

This is a list of people whose names in English are commonly appended with the phrase "''the Great''", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as ''e Bozorg'' and ''e azam'' in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus) assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "''the Great''".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers

Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran

Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India

Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia

Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia

Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias

Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex

Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire

Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty

Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),

Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire

Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand

Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland

Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)

Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)

Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden

Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland

Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia

Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India

Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans

Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)

Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks

Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen

Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor

Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media

Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire

Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire

Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent

Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse

Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile

Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia

Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire

Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader

Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea

Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC

Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)

Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre

Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea

Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris

Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France

Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)

Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat

Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia

John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve

John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre

Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor

Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i

Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India

Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia

Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty

Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales

Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland

Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand

Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan

Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)

Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)

Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom

Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus

Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)

Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya

Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)

K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque

Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka

Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia

Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia

Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily

Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar

Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar

Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.

Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India

Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt

Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)

Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties

Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)

Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev

Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders

Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent

Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre

Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire

Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king

Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia

Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire

Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)

Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks

Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)

Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty

Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie

Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire

Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor

Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia

Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia

Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire

Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark

Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor

Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus

Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy

William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon

William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou

Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)

Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China

Religious figures

Abraham the Great of Kashkar (ca. 492-586), monk and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East

Abraham Kidunaia (died c. 366, hermit, priest, and Christian saint of Mesopotamia

Albertus Magnus (1193/1206–1280), medieval German philosopher and theologian

Anthony the Great (c. 251–356), early Christian saint of Egypt

Babai the Great (c. 551–628), Assyrian church leader

Basil of Caesarea (330-379), Greek bishop and theologian

Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the previous section)

Euthymius the Great (377-473), abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint

Gertrude the Great (1256-c. 1302), German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint

Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604)

Hiyya the Great, 3rd-century rabbi, Palestine

Pope John Paul II (1920–2005)

Pope Leo I (c. 391 or 400-461)

Macarius of Egypt (c. 300-391), Egyptian hermit

Pope Nicholas I (c. 800-867)

Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–c. 893), Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople

William of Maleval (died 1157), founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites

Other

Beli Mawr, a figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies

Emmy the Great, folk singer

Matteo Rosso the Great, Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III

Prokop the Great, Hussite general in Bohemia

See also

Epithet

List of monarchs by nickname

List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility: G-I

James, son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus

Ajax (mythology), called Ajax the Greater

Notes

Category:Monarchs Great, List of people known as The Category:Greatest Nationals Category:Epithets

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