Career
As was the custom, his personal name and the name after assuming the title Khagan were different. His personal name was: 阿史那默棘連, Ashǐnà mòjílián, a-shih-na mo-chi-lan). His name after assuming the title was Bilge Khagan (or Bilge Qhagan).
"Bilge" meaning "wise" or "one who has wisdom" in Turkic languages.
Khagan (Kağan) is a title for ruler (like king, earl, etc). "Bilge", as is the case with many pure Turkic names, is a unisex name.
Even in today"s Turkey, Bilge continues to be adopted both as a male and female name. Kağan or Kaan, however, is used only as a male name in contemporary Turkish.
In 716, Kapaghan Khagan the second khaghan of the khaganate was killed in his campaign against Toquz Oghuz and his severed head was sent to Chang"an.
Mojilan"s brother Kul Tigin and Tonyukuk carried out a coup d"état against Inel Qaghan. They killed Inel Qaghan and made Mojilan a khagan with the name Bilge Qaghan. His name literally means "wise king".
Bilge"s khaganate spanned vast steppes from the Caspian Sea to Manchuria.
He also invaded the western sections of the Chinese territories. After his death from poisoning, several stelae were erected in the capital area by the Orkhon River.
These Orkhon inscriptions are the first known texts in the Old Turkic language. He was poisoned by Buyruk Chor (梅錄啜/梅录啜, méilù chuò, mei-lu-ch"o).
He didn"t die immediately and he had time to punish the family of Buyruk Chor with death.
