Bagha Qaghan
Bagha Qaghan was the seventh khagan of the Göktürk First Turkic Khaganate. He has been erroneously associated with Šāwa, Sāva, or Sāba in Persian sources.
Biography
Early life
Bagha Qaghan was the second son of Issik Qaghan and was probably born sometime between 540 and 550. His personal name was recorded as Ashina Chuluohou in Chinese sources, which was probably rendering of the Turkic name Čoluq.He was made Töli shad by his elder brother Ishbara Qaghan in 581, thus receiving viceroyalty over eastern wing of the empire. Probably around this time he also came to be known as Yabghu Khagan. He married Princess Qianjin in a levirate marriage. During this time, Emperor Wen of Sui used Zhangsun Sheng, a companion of Princess Qianjin, to sow discord among the Göktürks. According to his report, Chuluohou was cunning, but weak in power. He had earned the hearts of the people, which made Ishbara jealous and uneasy, despite outward appearances suggesting otherwise. In reality, Ishbara harbored deep suspicions and fears.
Reign
He was appointed heir by Ishbara sometime before 587 in his will. When Ishbara died, a messenger was sent by Ashina Yongyulü to his uncle, to fulfill the will and invite him to ascend the throne. However, Chuluohou stated that in recent generations, the Göktürks had not adhered to lateral succession, and it would not be in accordance with tradition for him to take the throne while Ishbara's son was still alive. He requested Yongyulü to ascend the throne instead and declared his allegiance to him. However, Yongyulü did not accept the request and insisted on carrying out his father's will. Bagha Qaghan made his nephew a yabgu after his coronation.Bagha continued his predecessor's alliance policy with the Sui dynasty and focused on removing rivals. He moved on to eliminate Apa Qaghan who by that time had fortified himself near Bukhara and captured him alive. Permission was requested from the Sui emperor to kill the captured Apa, but Zhangsun Sheng opposed the idea, urging the Emperor to keep him alive to keep the Göktürks in check.