CHRISTIAN TURKS IN HISTORY Turkish Christians(Moscow Ethmological Museum Wikipedia, from the free Encyclopedia Turkish Christians Tombstone from Kyrgyzstan (thirteenth / fourteenth century) with Syriac Christian inscriptions Total population More than 1.8 Million(Hungary) Regions with significant populations Russia c. 1,500,000[1]Ukraine Moldova c. 126.000[2] Kazakhstan c. 40.300[3][4] Ukraine c. 32.000[5] Iraq has about 30,000[6] Kyrgyzstan c. 25.000-50.000[7] Uzbekistan c. 10.000[8] Bulgaria c. 5.425[9] Azerbaijan c. 5.000[10][11] Turkey c. 4.500-35.000[12] Languages Turkish languages Religion Predominantly Eastern Orthodoxy Minority Protestantism, Catholicism Turkish Christians are ethnic Turkish people who follow Christianity. The Christian Turkic peoples represent the intersection of Turkish and Christian cultural and historical dynamics, especially in the context of Central Asia and the Caucasus. Historically, the most prominent group in this category were Bulgarians. At present, the main Christian-Turkic peoples include the Chuvashians of Chuvashia and the Gagauz (Gokoguz) of Moldova and the Yakuts of the Sakha Republic. Dec. The vast majority of Chuvash and Gagauz are Eastern Orthodox Christians.[13][14][15] Bulgarians, 5. and 7. they were Turkic semi-nom Decadent warrior tribes that flourished between the centuries on the Pontic-Caspian steppes and in the Volga region.[16] They became known as nomadic horsemen in the Volga-Ural region, but some researchers believe that their ethnic roots can be traced back to Central Asia.[17] The Bulgarians, in the early medieval period, 10. they converted to Christianity around the century. Khan Boris I (r. 852-889), they officially accepted Christianity in 865 and adopted Eastern Orthodoxy in 879.[18] Their Christian identity was shaped by a mixture of Byzantine and local Eastern Christian traditions, which significantly influenced their cultural and political relations with neighboring states.[18] 9. and 14. Decadently, the Eastern Church, often referred to as the Nestorian Church, had a notable presence among the Turkic peoples Decadently including the Naimans, a prominent Turkic tribe. 9. and 14. Decadently, it represented the largest Christian denomination in the world in terms of geographical scope and was one of the three major Christian powerhouses of Eurasia in the Middle Ages, alongside Latin Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy.[19] From the Mediterranean and present-day Iraq and Iran to India (St. Thomas Syrian Christians of Kerala), to Mongol kingdoms and Turkic tribes in Central Asia and during the Tang dynasty (7.-9. centuries) established dioceses and communities that stretched as far as China. This period marked a significant expansion of the Church's influence into Central Asia and beyond.[20] During the Yuan dynasty, it revived in Gaochang and expanded in Xinjiang.[21][22] [23] The rise of Islam in the region and the decline of Mongol power contributed to the persecution and eventual disappearance of the Church of the East from Central Asia.[24][25] 19. During the century, numerous Turkic groups within the Russian empire, such as the Nagaybäk, the Chuvash of Chuvashia, and the Yakuts of the Sakha Republic, increasingly adopted Russian ways of life. Many of these communities converted to Russian Orthodox Christianity en masse during this period, reflecting the wider cultural and religious influences of the empire.[26] Most of the Nağaybäks are Christians and are largely 18th Century. he converted to religion in the century.[27] History the middle ages More information: Bulgarians and Cumans 7 From a church in the city of Karahoja, Chinese Turkestan. or 8. the Palm Sunday procession of Nestorian clergy in a century-old mural Bulgarians, a Turkish semi-nomadic semi-nomadic warrior tribe, 5. 7 of the century. until the turn of the century, it flourished in the vast landscapes of the Pontic-Caspian steppes and the Volga region. Bulgarians from Central Asia have become famous as skilled riders and fierce fighters, adapting to the demands of their environment while establishing a formidable presence in the region. 10. By the turn of the century, they had begun to embrace Christianity, an important transformation that would shape their identity and influence in the wider Eurasian context.[18] The conversion of the Bulgarians to Christianity was effected by the reign of I, who reigned from 852 to 889. The khan was formalized during the reign of Boris. Under his leadership, the Bulgarians officially accepted Christianity in 865, and then adopted Eastern Orthodoxy in 879.[18] This change was not just a religious change, but a complex interaction of cultural changes with the Byzantine empire and local Eastern Christian traditions. As a result, Christian identities emerged from a rich veil of influences that significantly influenced their political and cultural relations with neighboring states and peoples.[18] The Uyghur Khaganate had established itself in 744 AD.[28] Ordu Balik, the capital of central Mongolia in the Orkhon Valley, became a rich commercial center thanks to the commercial relations it established with China, [29] and a significant part of the Uyghur population abandoned their nomadic lifestyle for a sedentary lifestyle. The Uyghur Khaganate produced extensive literature and a relatively high number of its inhabitants were literate.[30] The official state religion of the early Uyghur Khaganate was Manichaeism, which emerged when Bögü Kagan was converted by the Sogdians after the An Lushan Rebellion.[31] The Uyghur Khaganate was tolerant of religious diversity and practiced various religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, shamanism, and Manichaeism.[32] The term "Gagauz" collectively refers to the Turkish people in the Balkans who speak the Gagauz language, as opposed to the Balkan Gagauz Turkish. There are two main theories about its origins. Firstly, he suggests that the Gagauz are the descendants of the Pechenegs and Cumans who migrated south to Bulgaria and interbred with the Oghuz Turks, which may explain their Christian beliefs.[33] However, the Gagauz language shows no signs of Kipchak influence and is classified only as a Polish of Western Oghuz Turkic.[34] The second theory is that the Seljuk Turks from Anatolia were 13. he suggests a purely Oghuz origin, suggesting that they migrated to the Byzantine Empire in the century, converted to Christianity and settled in Dobruja, now part of Bulgaria and Romania.[35] The Diocese of the Russian Church (Krutitsy) historically served as the residence of the Palace The Cumans were a Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia, part of the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation.[36] in 1227, King Charles II of Hungary. They were baptized en masse in Moldova by Archbishop Robert of Esztergom, following the orders of Bortz Khan, who had pledged allegiance to Andrew.[37] As a result, many Cumans in the region began to adopt Catholicism.[38] In 1228, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cumania was established as a Latin rite diocese west of the Siret River in modern-day Romania and existed until 1241. This region has been under the control of the Kuman since 1100 years. The Catholic missions in the region were founded by King Philip II. It started after Andrew gave Burzenland to the Germanic Knights in 1211. Although Andrew expelled the Knights from the region in 1225, the Dominican monks continued their mission to convert the Cumans. Two years later, Robert further solidified the Cumans' conversion to Catholicism by baptizing Boricius, a prominent Cuman chieftain.[39] The term Cumania meant any Catholic subject to the Diocese of Milkovul, so much so that in some cases the terms Cuman and Wallachia (more precisely Catholic Wallachia, since Orthodox Christians were considered schismatic and the Pope did not officially recognize them) could be interchangeable. Church of the East Main article: Church of the East Anikova dinner: a Nestorian Christian dish with a Jericho decoration surrounded by Sogdian artists under the rule of Karluk, [40] Semirechye Church of the East, 9. and 14. it played an important role in the history of Christianity in Asia between the centuries Dec, represented the largest Christian denomination in the world in terms of geographical scope, and was one of the three major Christian powerhouses of Eurasia in the Middle Ages, alongside Latin Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy.[19] He founded dioceses and communities that stretched from the Mediterranean and present-day Iraq and Iran to India (the Syrian Christians of Saint Thomas of Kerala), the Mongol kingdoms and Turkic tribes in Central Asia, and China during the Tang dynasty (7.-9. centuries). 13. and 14. Over the centuries, the church experienced a final period of expansion under the Mongol empire, when the influential Church of the Eastern clergy sat in the Mongol palace.[41][42] Many Mongol and Turkic tribes were Nestorian Christians, such as the Keraits, [43] Naimans, Merkit, Ongud, [44] and to a large extent the Kara Khitai (who practiced it side by side with Buddhism), [45] etc.[46] Keraites, 11. they had converted to the Church of the East (Nestorianism) at the beginning of the century and are one of the possible sources of the European legend of John the Priest.[47] The Naimans, who adopted Nestorianism, probably 11. they converted during the century when the Keraits adopted the religion.[48] The Karluks were a prominent nomadic Turkic tribal confederation residing in the Kara Irtish (Black Irtish) and Tarbağatay Mountains regions west of the Altay Mountains in Central Asia. About 15 years after the Karluks established themselves in the Jetisu region, AD 8. at the end of the century they converted to Nestorian Christianity.[40] It was the first time the Eastern Church had received such a large sponsorship by an eastern power.[49] The Chigiles, in particular, were Christians of the Nestorian sect.[50] Toghrul Khan's depiction as "John the Priest" in Le Livre des Merveilles, 15. century