Relationship Between II. Eastern Turks Khanate and Balhae Kingdom According to Chinese Sources

Balhae Kingdom, surrounded by Tang, K’i-tan, Shiwei, Kara Mohe and Silla, was established in Northeast Asia at the end of the seventh century. So far, information on the diplomatic contacts between this kingdom and the Secondary Eastern Turks Khanate can hardly be found among historical records. However, there should be some contacts between these two countries which appeared at the same period of time in the same area even through they are not neighboring countries. According to Chinese historical records, Balhae Kingdom was once dependent on the Secondary Eastern Turks Khanate. Very soon after the founding of the kingdom, Dae Jo Young, the king of Balhae, “sent messenger to the Turks and established contact with them.” And the khans of the Secondary Eastern Turks Khanate sent their representatives to Balhae to guarrantee its loyalty to the khanate. The dependency of Balhae Kingdom to the Turkish Khanate lasted for a certain period of time. This relationship became weaker when the kanate started to decline and was terminated in the last days of the Secondary Eastern Turks Khanate. Based on the records from Chinese hictorical works, this paper tries to reveal the relationship between Balhae Kingdom and the Secondary Eastern Turks Khanate. Such a conclusion is drawn: even its history was not long, as one of the strongest countries in Asia in the 7th and 8th centries, the Secondary Eastern Turks Khanate did have very strong and deep influence on other Asian countries and regional politics during its time.

Keywords

The Secondary Eastern Turks Khanate, Balhae Kingdom, Tang Dynasty