APersonIndependent states
Bögü Qaghan
Uyghur khagan (759-779): he made Manichaeism the state religion and turned the Uyghurs towards a culture of writing and books.
Bögü Qaghan (Mouyu in Chinese sources) was Bayanchur's son. In 762, campaigning in China against the remnants of the An Lushan rebellion, he met Manichaean priests in Luoyang, took them back with him to Ordu-Baliq and in 763 adopted Manichaeism.
It is the only case in history of Manichaeism becoming a state religion. Sogdian Manichaeans brought writing, books and urban life to the Uyghurs, and the Uyghur alphabet itself grew out of the Sogdian script. In 779, as Bögü Qaghan planned a new campaign into China, his cousin Tun Baga Tarkan killed him and took the throne.
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Updated: November 12, 2026