Rise and Fall of the Rouran Mongol Empire

After the Fall of the Xiongnu Empire in the first century, the Steppe World of Eastern Eurasia descended into chaos. As several Xiongnu successor states were established further south, and the so called Huna people appeared in the West, the central Mongolian Plains became a battlefield of Turko-Mongol infighting, dominated by the Xianbei tribes. After nearly two hundred years, a new stable state emerged that managed to unite most of the tribes under its banner: the Rouran Khaganat. Its ruling dynasty descended from the Mongolic Donghu tribe – the same one that had been driven out of Mongolia by the Xiongnu. Now, the once defeated made their turn. The Rouran established the first “true” steppe empire with a sophisticated hierarchy and bureaucracy, and expanded their territory into Manchuria in the east and Kazakhstan in the west. Over time they aimed control over the Silk Roads and got into conflict with the Wei Empire in China and the Hephthalite Empire in Central Asia.

After 200 years of supreme rule, the Rouran were defeated by the ascending Ashina tribe of Bumin and Istemi, the Celestial Türks. But their dynasty did not “vanish”. Instead, large parts found refuge in China and tried to regain control over the Eastern Steppes, which resulted in a prolonged war against the Turks. Another part migrated even further away, to the west. Suspiciously, just as these Rouran nobles appeared on the vicinity of Eastern Europe, the so-called Avars appear in ancient sources, too. For a long time, connections between the Rouran and Avars had been suggested in such sources but negated in modern academia. Now, new studies confirm that the rulers of the Avars were indeed the Rouran refugees from Asia. Ultimately, they created the Avar Khaganat in Pannonia and waged wars against the Eastern Roman and the Frankish Empire. In this documentary, we are going to explore the earliest history of the Rouran, explain their lifestyle and ideology, the political and economic dynamics of their Khaganat – and try to understand how Rouran refugees managed to create the mighty Avar Empire, in the middle of Europe.

Featuring Professor Peter B. Golden (Rutgers University) who has actively researched Central Asian and Steppe History for more than 50 years!

WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/KhansDen
GÖKTÜRK MOVIE 01: https://bit.ly/GokturkMovie1
GÖKTÜRK MOVIE 02: https://bit.ly/GokturkMovie2
GÖKTÜRK MOVIE 03: https://bit.ly/GokturkMovie3
PATREON: http://bit.ly/3BR6M3T
PODCAST: https://bit.ly/KhansDenPodcast
BOOK 1: https://amzn.to/3fwqmKR
BOOK 2: [Coming Soon]