Overview
Enian Qaghan was the last ruler to hold the title of qaghan of the Uyghur Khaganate. He led the remnant of Wujie Qaghan's followers after Wujie's death in 846, and his defeat by the Tang in 847 ended the last attempt to rebuild the khaganate on China's northern frontier.
Rise to Power
He succeeded Wujie Qaghan in 846 as leader of the surviving Uyghur group in the Tang borderlands.
Rule and Achievements
- Took command of the last organised Uyghur force on the Tang frontier in 846
- Was decisively defeated by Tang forces in 847
- His reign ended by 848, with the remaining Uyghurs dispersing, many to the Uyghur kingdoms forming at Gaochang in the Tarim and in Gansu
Legacy
Enian Qaghan's reign closes the history of the Uyghur Khaganate, a century after its founding in 744. The Uyghur people did not disappear: the kingdoms of Gaochang and Gansu carried their language, Manichaean and later Buddhist culture, and administrative skill forward, and Uyghur scribes later shaped the script adopted by the Mongol Empire.