How Were Ancient Turks Ruled in 10 Articles? In these days when the Presidential System is being discussed, the “savior lasso from history” has come to our rescue again. We examine what the administrative codes of the ancient Turks, from the concept of Kut to the dual organization, from the ideal of world domination to the naive, say about today’s management system needs. While the discussions on the presidential system continue to flare up under the influence of current winds, we turn our faces to history, to the ancient Turks.

Here are the projections of the Presidential System in the ancient Turks in 10 items.  

Charismatic Leader / Single President

There is no one who hasn’t heard the Ergenekon legend. The story of the last elements of the Turkish tribe, who melted the iron mountain, reappearing on the stage of history under the guidance of a wolf… But in real history, the scene does not change much. In every period, when the Turks found a leader around whom they could unite, they made efforts to change the course of history. Teoman, the founder of the Asian Hun State, is the first example of these leaders.

Subsequently, Mete Han, who wrote his name on the pages of history, would appear on the stage and sit on the Hun throne in 209 BC. With the support he received from the public, he would soon win the wars with China and tax the country. He also made a breakthrough in the military order with the 10-man system, which continues to this day. Whenever a charismatic leader emerged among the Turks, a figure that would influence world history emerged.

The Turks, who united behind Bumin Khagan during the Gokturk period (552), soon became strong enough to tax the huge country of China. If we were to list the periods in which the Turkish society achieved success, we would come across a ‘charismatic’ leader and the people devoted to him with all their heart and blood. While systems and dynasties come to the fore in the history of other nations, leadership qualities are of critical importance in Turkish history.

As a matter of fact, deep-rooted successes in the Seljuks were achieved by figures such as Alparslan, Melikşah and Kılıçarslan. The first ones that come to mind among the Ottoman sultans are Fatih, Yavuz Selim, Suleiman the Magnificent and II. It will be Abdulhamid. The reason for this is the perception of the ‘powerful’ head of state that is engraved in our minds. Who forced us to switch to constitutional monarchy 140 years ago? Were all these ‘system’ changes to prevent the Turks from uniting around a leader again?

Were those who carried out the May 27 coup and executed Prime Minister Adnan Menderes worried that the people had fallen in love with this great leader? The answers are contained within the questions.

State and Kut: God Gave You This Position

Turks called the state ‘il’ (literally meaning: peace). Although it may seem contradictory that a community defined as warriors greeted the state with a word meaning peace, social peace was the most important condition for the survival of the state, as they adopted the principle of living in ‘justice’. Considering that the state is engraved in the minds of Turks with the figure of ‘father’, the duty of the nation is to be loyal to the father like a good son.

For this reason, in Turkish tradition, the heaviest punishments were applied to those who rebelled against the state. Their fondness for their independence can be demonstrated by examples from events that occurred in many periods of history. In the most difficult times, for example, when he was exposed to Chinese oppression, Kürşad emerged and gained his independence by striking China in the heart. In the international literature, the forms of dominance of states are evaluated in three types: traditionalist, charismatic and legal dominance.

The concept of kut, on which the Turkish state tradition is based, is at the center of the charismatic legitimacy theory. ‘Kut’ refers to the power granted to the ruler by God. It was believed that this power continued throughout the members of the same family. As long as success in government continues, the khagan sits on the throne; However, it was believed that he took back the “kut” given by God from the kagan, whose rule was experiencing political and economic difficulties, and according to the custom, he was dethroned.

Kut belief continued from the ancient Turks to the Ottomans. For example, the title of the Asian Hun Emperors is “Tanhu, the owner of the box, who was enthroned by the Sky God”. Not only in the Turkish states in the East, but also in the European Huns led by Atilla, the heads of state bore the title of “sword of God”. Ottoman sultans also used the title of ‘zillullah-ı fi’l ard’, meaning the shadow of Allah on earth.

The reason why the dynastic changes we often see in Europe are not seen in this geography should be sought in the understanding of kud. Let’s see how Yusuf Has Hacib gave clues in Kutadgu Bilig as to why Turks could not live without a state for centuries:
“The nature of the Kutun is service, its motto is justice. Virtue and fortune arise from the Kut… The road to Principality (Sovereignty) passes through it. Everything is under the hands of the Kutun, all desires are fulfilled through it… It is divine.

He tied a whole generation of power in the world, the wolf and the lamb lived together. Bey, you did not come to this position with your own power and will, God gave it to you. Rulers receive power from God…”
 

The Idea of ​​World Domination

Turks, united around a charismatic leader, took steps to dominate the world with the imagination of vastness they received from the sky. In this system, which is described as the concept of universal sovereignty, it is believed that there should be a single ruler on earth, based on the unity of the sky. From time to time, as a reflection of this understanding, Turkish states faced each other in battlefields.

Sadi Shirazî’s famous couplet “Forty dervishes can fit into one post, but two rulers are too small for one world” is a literary example of this concept. The war between Timur and Yıldırım Bayezid is the embodiment of the same idea. This imagination is also the basis on which the Futuwwa movement is based. This understanding is also the reason why Atilla was in the Hungarian plains and Suleiman the Magnificent was in Zigetvar on horseback in his old age. Byzantine historian Priskos (5th century)

According to the Goth historian Jordanes (6th century) and the Goth historian Jordanes (6th century), Atilla, who had the sword of God Ares, wanted to rule the world. It was not a coincidence that Mehmed the Conqueror conquered Otranto and chose Rome as his target. After the acceptance of Islam, the ideal of world domination, blended with the understanding of war and conquest, became the ‘red apple’ of the Turks.  

State Assembly: Toy

In the ancient Turkish states, three different meetings where state affairs were discussed are mentioned in the records, starting from the time of Mete Khan (209-174 BC). The first one was of a religious nature and was held in the palace. The second meeting held in Karakum is held with the arrival of spring; Economic issues were tried to be resolved. The third and last meeting was held in the autumn season, when the horses were gaining strength.

The general structure of the military forces, one of the ancient characteristics of the Turkish states, was discussed and information about the wars to be entered was reported to the state leadership. These assemblies were called “toy”. The issues discussed in the toys – if we compare them in modern terms – can be included in both the executive and the legislature. In these meetings, also called congresses, adherence to tradition is essential.

In the old Turkish states, although the legislature and executive belonged to the whole country, the ‘real’ owner of the responsibility was the Khagan. As a result of consultations on legal matters, the final say belonged to him. The most important of the meetings is the second one, which takes place in the spring. The new head of state, ‘Tanhu’, was also elected at the end of this meeting. It is a tradition for the leader’s wife, Hatun, to attend the meetings that started under the leadership of Tanhu.

The ‘chiefs’ of the military and civilian bureaucracy were present at the meetings. Today, we recommend those who criticize the Council of Ministers meeting under the chairmanship of the President to read some old Turkish history.  

Signs of the Ruler

In Turkish states, the terms tanhu, kağan, kan-han, yabgu, il-teber, idi-kut were used for rulers until the middle of the 5th century, but the most common one was ‘kağan’. Signs representing dominance are also given importance in Turkish culture. Especially the drum and the crest have been considered the signs of the independence of the states established in Central Asia for many years. They used the most valuable ornament of the period in Central Asia, horse tail, on their crests.

With the acceptance of Islam, reciting sermons in his name and printing money were also considered signs of rulership.  

Dual Organization Single Dominion

Ancient Turkish states generally governed the country in two parts. For example, Bulgarians and Hungarians have a large-small administrative organization, Oghuzs and Karluks have an internal-external organization, Asian Huns and Gokturks have a north-south administrative organization, and Tabgachs have an east-west administrative organization. In this division, one side was constantly obliged to recognize the dominance of the other. Following this administrative structure, members of the dynasty took part in the management of both banks.

The wisdom of this can be understood when considering the steppe geography where the ancient Turkish states were founded. The difficulty of managing large steppes from a single source and the fact that the economic structure of the Turkish states was strengthened by trade and plunder in the lands of neighboring countries pushed the administrators to make such a move. We see that this practice was abandoned with the arrival of the Turks in Anatolia.

The conclusion to be drawn is that Turkish states do not have a static structure and changes can be made in the organizational structure over time through experiences. Based on the dual organization, some researchers have put forward the ‘double kingdom’ theory. However, according to the information we obtained from Chinese sources, the Turkish state organization continued its life in a form of government from a single center.

We can say that the dual organizational structure adopted to facilitate management is a primitive model of the decentralization system advocated by the European Union today.  

Turkish Law: Custom

The most determining factor in the social life of Turks is custom. All the rules that the people had to follow, especially the presidency, were called customs. Although we know that it contains very strict rules in terms of legal binding, unfortunately we have limited information about the nature of the penalties given at that time. It is certain that there would be no compromise in crimes committed against the state. Murderers and adulterers were executed.

Thieves were also sentenced to death and their goods were subject to confiscation. Rape was one of the biggest crimes. Those who betrayed their homeland and evaded military service during the war were never allowed to do so and were killed. The fact that the state gave such strict punishments to criminals prevented blood feuds. In ancient Turks, the judicial organization was headed by the monarch.

The powers responsible for implementing customary provisions on behalf of the ruler were left to the lieutenant general and his entourage. It is recorded in the records that Atilla personally questioned the people who were preparing to assassinate him.  

Crown Prince: Merit is Essential

Just as in Sufism, the post belongs to those who deserve it and are competent, the situation is the same in the state mechanism. What matters is merit. The children of the ruler who were appointed as crown princes would command the army in wars in which the Khagan did not participate. Since there were no rules about who would ascend to the throne after the death of the ruler, there were periods when the crown princes who started to struggle for the throne weakened the state and civil wars occurred.

However, on the contrary, there are often cases where the candidate with the highest ability to govern ascends to the throne at the end of the wars and increases the prestige of the state.
 

Diplomacy: Doing Politics on the Steppe

If you want to maintain your dominance in a region such as Central Asia, which is at the crossroads of commercial routes, your diplomatic abilities must be as high as your military power. With the awareness of this, a very large diplomatic delegation fluent in foreign languages ​​was employed in the Turkish states established since the Asian Huns. Embassy delegations would visit friendly and allied states to inform them of the new khan’s accession to the throne.

In 1283, the embassy of Tuda Mengü, Khan of the Golden Horde, went to Egypt to inform them that their khan had accepted Islam and to congratulate Kalavun on his accession to the Mamluk throne. We also access the activities of Turkish ambassadors to the Chinese palace from Chinese annals. During periods when the state was strong, the Khagan would determine the amount of silk tax to be collected from China, and ambassadors would take this news to the Chinese palace.

These delegations, which also carried out official correspondence, were obliged to obtain the kagan’s approval in agreements to be made with foreign states. In those times when communication facilities were weak, espionage activities had a very important place in the fate of states. Rua, the Hun ruler, was very upset about the Byzantines entering his territory under the guise of merchants and beggars to spy on him, so he banned the entry of these people. As a matter of fact, I.

A series of espionage activities by the Chinese would accelerate the collapse of the Gokturk State.  

Army: Volunteer Soldier, Not Mercenary

“Army-nation” is the adopted concept of Turkish customs. They know no such thing as mercenary service. During war, everyone is a ready soldier (it is a historical fact that Byzantium once employed the Turks as mercenaries to benefit from their military power). The 10-system, which was Mete Han’s invention, had two important features. The first was to prevent social stratification.

No matter what family or social class you came from, the 10-member system was created regardless of any of these. It would be desirable for the richest and the poorest to act together in the same system. Secondly, the consciousness that everyone was a ‘soldier’ ​​was instilled in the subconscious of the society, thus ensuring that all civil and administrative units worked in military discipline.

In addition, since the steppe constituted an obstacle to settled life, nomadic Turks used many different activities, from entertainment to sports, to prepare for wartime. Sports such as javelin and wrestling were actually games to prepare for war. The most important point that should not go unnoticed is that most of the Turkish armies were made up of horse cavalry. The Chinese cannot stop talking about the horsemanship skills of the Turks.

The Chinese also wanted to use cavalry that shot arrows while riding on horses, and they built military schools for this purpose. As a result, with a charismatic leader and the army-nation that believed in him, the Turkish states established in the steppe emerged as one of the most powerful military powers of their era. Every page of Turkish history is full of examples of what the army-nation-kaghan understanding has achieved.