Known in medieval Chinese sources as Tujue ( 突厥 tú jué ), the Göktürks under the leadership of Bumin / Tuman Khan / Khaghan ( d. 552 ) and his sons established the first known Turkic state around 552 in the general area of territory that had earlier been occupied by the Xiongnu, and expanded rapidly to rule wide territories in Central Asia.

Before the rise of the Mongols in the 13th century, what is now central and western Inner Mongolia, especially the Hetao region, alternated in control between Chinese agriculturalists in the south and Xiongnu, Xianbei, Khitan, Jurchen, Tujue, and other Mongol nomads of the north.

In 630, when Emperor Gaozu, who had been submitting tributes to Eastern Tujue throughout his reign, heard that Emperor Taizong had sent the general Li Jing to defeat and capture Eastern Tujue's Jiali Khan Ashina Duobi, commented, " Gaozu of Han was trapped at Baideng in modern Datong, Shanxi ) by Xiongnu forces and could not avenge himself.

The term Turkic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people including existing societies such as the Turkish, Azerbaijani, Chuvashes, Kazakhs, Tatars, Kyrgyz, Turkmens, Uyghurs, Uzbeks, Bashkirs, Qashqai, Gagauzs, Yakuts, Turkic Karaites, Krymchaks, Karakalpaks, Karachays, Balkars, Nogais and as well as past civilizations such as the Göktürks, Kumans, Kipchaks, Avars, Bulgars, Turgeshes, Khazars, Seljuk Turks, Ottoman Turks, Mamluks, Timurids and possibly Huns and the Xiongnu.

** Alans | Avars | Gepids | Goths | Huns | Rugians | Xiongnu

That the Mongols referred to Western Xia as " Tangut " to represent the founding ethnic group, the Tuyühu Xianbei, is consistent with the theories of the Mongol origins postulated by the Outer Mongolian scholars, who have held that the Mongols had descended from the Xiongnu, more specifically the eastern Xiongnu who spoke proto-Mongolic language, as opposed to the western Xiongnu who spoke proto-Turkish language.

This equated the Mongols to be " Mongol Xianbei ," which was likely associated with the submission of the Xiongnu under Xianbei.

That the Mongolian term " Tangut " represented " the Donghu people ," the Xianbei and their descendants who had founded the Tuyühu and Western Xia empires, would validate the theories of the Outer Mongolian scholars that the Mongols had descended from the Xiongnu.

The fact that there were Wuhuan groups, who were part of the Donghu federation and followed Tuyühu Khan in the westward migration, would make the interpretation that " Tangut " represented " the Donghu people " stronger, not only from reflecting that the Wuhuan joined the Xianbei in the Tuyühu and Western Xia empires, but also contrasting that the Mongols had descended from the Xiongnu.

The reference of " Qara " ( or " Black ") as a prefix in the name of the Khitans and " Khara " ( or " Black ") in that of the Mongols may indicate that both groups had substantial input from the Xiongnu, who by self proclaiming to be " Xianbei " earlier made it hard in distinguish in the Chinese records.

The Xiongnu were a nomadic tribal confederation, most likely of Mongols origins.

Chinese foreign policy was often aimed at containing the threat of so-called " barbarian " invaders ( such as the Xiongnu, Mongols, and Jurchen ) from the north.

To the north of China proper, the nomadic Xiongnu chieftain Modu Chanyu ( r. 209 – 174 BCE ) conquered various tribes inhabiting the eastern portion of the Eurasian Steppe.

** Mete Khan, emperor and founder of the Xiongnu Empire, who has united various Hun confederations under his rule ( b. 234 BC )

The difficult relationship between the Han court and various nomadic groups lasted from the start of the second century to the early 160s and the appearance of Tanshihuai ( 檀石槐 b. 120s-d. 181 ), an illegitimate son of a low ranking military officer of Xianbei mercenaries deployed against the Southern Xiongnu.

* Mete Khan, emperor and founder of the Xiongnu Empire, who has united various Hun confederations under his rule ( b. 234 BC )

Since the early 19th century, Western scholars have proposed various language families or subfamilies as the affines of the language of the Xiongnu.

After the fall of Han Dynasty it was under the rule of various nomadic tribes such as the Xiongnu during Northern Liang and the Turkic Tuoba during Northern Wei.

According to Hanshu, the various states of the Western Regions, including Yanqi, were controlled by the Xiongnu, but later came under the influence of the Han Dynasty after its show of force when it attacked Dayuan ( Fergana ) late 2nd century BC.

The Great Soviet Encyclopaedia infers that between the years 265 and 460 the Ashina had been part of various late Xiongnu confederations.

Although some scholars maintain that they were proto-Mongols, the fact that Chinese histories trace certain Turkic tribes from the Xiongnu complicates the issue.

The earliest separate Turkic peoples appeared on the peripheries of the late Xiongnu confederation ( contemporaneous with the Chinese Han Dynasty ).

Turkic people may be related to the Xiongnu, Dingling and Tiele people.

Although little is known for certain about the Xiongnu language ( s ), it seems likely that at least some Xiongnu tribes spoke a Turkic language.

On the other hand, genetics research from 2003 confirms the studies indicating that the Turkic people originated from the same area and so are related with the Xiongnu.

These mummified remains may have been of people who spoke Indo-European languages, that remained in use in the Tarim Basin, in the modern day Xinjiang region, until replaced by Turkic influences from the northern Xiongnu Empire, and by Chinese influences from the eastern Han Dynasty, who spoke a Sino-Tibetan language.

Nomadic empires that have held power in the region since are chronologically, the Xiongnu tribes, Uighur Empire, Turkic Kaganate, Kara-Khanid Khanate, Great Seljuk Empire, Mongol Empire, Golden Horde, and the Kazakh Khanate.

The Rourans were the first people who used the titles Khagan and Khan for their emperors, replacing the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, whom Grousset and others assume to be Turkic.

The Rourans were the first people who used the titles Khagan and Khan for their emperors ( which are, therefore, assumed to be Mongolic in origin ), replacing the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, whom Grousset and others assume to be Turkic.

Tengri ( Proto-Turkic * teŋri / * taŋrɨ ; Mongolian script:, Tngri ; Modern Mongolian: Тэнгэр, Tenger ; Old Turkic: ; Modern Turkish: Tanrı ), is one of the names for the primary chief deity in the religion of the early Turkic ( Xiongnu, Hunnic, Bulgar ) and Mongolic ( Xianbei ) peoples.

They succeeded in separating the Xiongnu from the Qiang peoples to the south, and also gained direct access to the Western Regions.

The Xiongnu took the opportunity to regain control of the western regions, as well as neighbouring peoples such as the Wuhuan.

The Chinese name for Tian Shan may be derived from the Xiongnu language name qilian (), which was described by Sima Qian in the Records of the Grand Historian as the homeland of the pre-Xiongnu peoples of the region, the Yuezhi, and has been said to refer to the Tian Shan rather than to the range further east now known by this name.

Fu Jiān's force was composed of many smaller armies levied from the conquered northern territories, along with cavalry drawn from the nomadic peoples of the north ( the Xianbei and Xiongnu ).

Despite its extensive territory, its northern border was frequently subject to harassment by the Xiongnu and other northern nomadic peoples.

Early literary tradition in China, for example in a third-century description by Fu Xuan, Ode to Pipa, associates the Han pipa with the northern frontier, Princess Liu Xijun, and Wang Zhaojun, who were married to nomad rulers of the Wusun and Xiongnu peoples in what is now Mongolia and northern Xinjiang respectively.

Endemic warfare between these two nomadic peoples reached a climax in the latter part of the 3rd century and the early decades of the 2nd century BC ; the Xiongnu were triumphant.

The Donghu were among the first peoples conquered by the Xiongnu.

By 317 all of China north of the Yangtze River ( Chang Jiang ) had been overrun by nomadic peoples: the Xianbei from the north ; some remnants of the Xiongnu from the northwest ; and the Chiang people of Gansu and Tibet ( present-day China's Xizang Autonomous Region ) from the west and the southwest.

It appears from Chinese sources that a Yeniseian group might have been among the peoples that made up the tribal confederation known as the Xiongnu, who have traditionally been considered the ancestors of the Huns, but these suggestions are difficult to substantiate due to the paucity of data.

Yuwen were descendants of the nomadic Xiongnu who became assimilated with the Xianbei after 89 CE and ruled the Kumo Xi and Khitan ( both Mongolic peoples ) before being defeated by Murong Huang in 344 CE, upon which Yuwen separated from the Kumo Xi and Khitan.

In the succeeding years, Yuan played an active role in discussions at court regarding the stance of the Han Empire toward the Xiongnu peoples of the northern frontier.

After these victories, Chinese armies were tasked with the goal of holding the new territories against incursions and revolts by peoples such as the Qiang, Xianbei and Xiongnu who had come under Chinese rule.

Cao Cao also commanded the services of a considerable number of Xiongnu, and claimed that his army included contingents of Dingling, Di, Qiang, and several other northern nomadic peoples.

After Qin Shi Huang conquered the six other Chinese kingdoms of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi, he turned his attention to the Xiongnu tribes of the north and west and the Hundred Yue peoples of what is now southern China.