Rudan Khan

Rudan Khan was a younger brother of Taspar Khan, the ruler of the Göktürk realm, and so a member of the house of Ashina.^[1] The Chinese histories name him once, in the account of Taspar’s accession in 572. They name him as the father of the lesser khan whom Taspar set over the west.^[2]

The appointment of 572

When Taspar became khan, he made his nephew Ishbara Erfu Khan and gave him the command of the east.^[1] He made a son of his younger brother Rudan Khan the Buli Khan and set him in the west.^[1] The Zizhi tongjian enters the appointment under 572, the year of Mukan’s death, and has the same words.^[3] One modern account identifies the son with the Börü Khan.^[4]

The sources differ. The Sui Shu, the Tongdian and the Zizhi tongjian make the Buli Khan the son of Rudan Khan.^[5] The Bei Shi lacks the word for son. In its version Taspar makes Rudan Khan himself the Buli Khan.^[6] A modern translation of the Sui Shu notes the difference.^[7]

The four khans

In 581 the assembly that chose Taspar’s successor said that Ishbara was the wisest of the sons of the four khans.^[1] One translation takes the four khans for four brothers who all bore the title: Issik, Mukan, Taspar and Rudan.^[8] The Sui Shu does not name them.^[1] Nothing is recorded of Rudan Khan’s own command, of the years in which he held it, or of his death.

Name

褥但可汗ChineseSui Shu 84
但耨可汗ChineseTongdian 197

The Tongdian writes the name 但耨, Danou, where the other histories have 褥但, Rudan. It adds a note on the reading of the second character.^[9] The same two characters 褥但 name Rudan Tegin, a brother of Tulan Khan. He brought a jade staff to the Sui court.^[1] The Sui Shu does not connect the two men.^[1]