In respect of the explanations about the Steppe Turkish "Il" (State), we should deal with the issues of "kara-bodun; Tarhanlik" and "Orun-ulus" in brief. The term of bodun (tribal union) was sometimes used with the adjective of "kara" (black). However, the existence of a term of "ak-bey?" (white-bey) seemed to lead an interpretation about the existence of an "aristocratic" class within the Turkish society (for example, H. Namik Orkun translated the last term as "nobble men"). It was natural that the beys that were in the capacity of the assistants of the ruler in the state administration were distinguished as superior to the people that were governed by them. However, it is difficult to infer the domination of a privileged class from this situation. It was stated in the addresses within the inscriptions that the "buyruk" (orders) of the rulers were superior to the beys that were assigned at the highest-rank offices of the states. It has been also asserted that the adjective of "kara" (black) in Turkish language indicated a high and sublime level rather than an inferior state (and the examples of Kara Han, Kara Ordu, Karaton, etc. were provided as the evidence for this fact).Accordingly, it seems more realistic to infer that the expressions within the inscriptions had the meaning of the "actual and crowded tribal union". It is beyond doubt that the beys with the relatively few number of the tribes were addressed as "ak" (white). Although it has been alleged that some of the high-rank offices were hereditary in the ancient Turkish states, this does not prove as an evidence for the inheritance of "bey principality" from father to son (excluding the members of the ruler's dynasty). We have mentioned about the election of the beys above. This situation was also effective in respect of the "beys" that were superior to the khan in respect of dominion and executions among the Pecenek and Khazar people.As it has been explained in Dede Korkut stories, it was required to shed blood (not necessarily to enter a war, for example; to hunt a wild animal), to feed and to cloth the poor people in order to become a bey. The qualifications included the aforesaid conditions.
The classification of "Khan, dynasty, tribal union, sadabid beys, tarhan people, orderlies, Nine-Oguz beys that was stated within the inscriptions must not have indicated a "class" hierarchy. It must have been an ordered organisation of the state ranging from the governors towards the sections that are governed directly in the state. The way of thinking that was dominant in the Steppe culture also necessitates this ordered classification. There is not any sign that shows that the beys and the orderlies were exempted from taxes or any kind of obligations. The Tarhan (ministrant) people existed since the period of Tabgaç people and had an important place in the Gok-Turk Empire. These "tarhan" people (civil or military ministers, ministrants: the title of Tonyukuk: Boyla baga Tarhan) were not privileged on the contrary to the widespread conviction in our historical literature. In the further periods, these Ministrant people were entitled with the name of "Suyurgal" by the ruler in the period of the Mongolian era and they were equipped with the lands that were transferred through inheritance. Similarly, they were exempted from taxes and they had the immunity against any penalties due to the crimes committed by them. Since all these characteristics were effective for 9 centuries, they had a privileged status in the society. Therefore, the institution of Tarhan (Ministrant) came into existence.
Similarly, "Orun" (Protocol) was alleged to play an important role in the Turkish tribal organisation stipulated that the members of the specific tribes would be seated in specific places in the councils, extensive meetings and toy (official feasts) organisations.The foods in these types of meetings and ceremonies were specific to these members and each of them was obliged to eat the specific meat of the sheep peculiar to them (ülüş= share of food). These types of characteristics must have turned into traditional customs in the further periods. There were some determinations such as "the orun (protocol) and ülüş (share) of each tribe were taken into consideration in the course of sharing the war spoils, and that the tribe or branch that lost its protocol and share in one of the important meetings would be deprived of their rights on the pastures, grasslands, preys, etc. These kinds of determinations seem to be related with the Mongolian period.
Actually, these characteristics were only included within the work of the historian Reşidü'd-din (died in1318) contemporary with the Mongolian period. There are not any records oriented towards this interpretation within any Turkish documents, Orhun inscriptions, and the work of Kutadgu-Bilig pertaining to the preceding periods. (The recent researcher, A. Karader has confused the weak term of "kemik" (bone) that he observed in the inscriptions with the term of Ak-süyek "white bone" that expressed aristocracy in the Central Asian Turks that had been under the influence of the Mongolians in the second half of the receding century. Therefore, he supposed that there was an aristocratic class within the Gok-Turk State. However, the term cited within the inscriptions expressed directly the bones in the human body rather than a social term.)
It was accurate that each tribe that joined the tribal union in the further periods was generally settled in the borders and these border tribes were used as the vanguard forcers in the wars that positioned in the places under the threat of enemies. However, these tribes were not obliged to protect these "positions" on a permanent basis. As a result of the new annexations of the tribes, the vanguard tribes would withdraw from the forefronts and they would be considered as equal to the other members of the tribal union. This mechanism can also explain that the 5 Hun tribes seemed to have been "privileged"- taking into consideration that these tribes had relative relations with Tanhu family within the Asian Hun Empire. It is natural that the groups that provided great services in the foundation of the state became the governors with the authorities of command and administration and they had a relative difference from the groups that were governed within the state. This sociological rule has not changed within any place and in any periods.
This type of "privileges" were not considered as the conclusive evidence for the possible existence of a class of slaves within Hun State as we have stated above with the characteristics of slavery. Since there was not a personal slavery in the Asian Hun State, it is doubtful that there were "slave tribes" bound to the tribes. Actually, the collective slavery that was transferred through inheritance was only observed among the Mongolian people in Asia. In the Steppe Turkish State, the equipment of the people with rights and freedoms as we have stated above is related with the formation style of the Turkish states. The Steppe Turkish State was not a union of groups that was formed under the oppression of any family through resorting to force.
This Steppe Turkish State was a political organisation that was established through the efforts of the mass groups of people that cooperated with the governors and participated in the activities. The issue about the foundation of the Turkish State will be illuminated with the lines in the inscriptions that dealt with the origination of the Gok-Turk State II:"My Father Khan (Ilteriş) set in motion with 17 soldiers. The people in the mountains and plain lands that heard of the news came down and they collected together. 70 people became 700 people then They founded the (Khanate) in accordance with the traditions of their ancestors " (Kül-Tegin, Bilge), "Some of the people who came with them were troopers while some of them were composed of infantry men", "I have been one of the people that participated in the feast" (Tonyukuk).
In such a state that was established as stated above, the people would naturally demand their rights and freedoms and expect these qualities from their leaders. These demands of the people were realised through the application of the moral laws and traditions in the Turkish states. Töre (with the original term of törü= laws) that generally had the meaning of "law" indicated the entire unit of the ancient Turkish legal provisions and it included the "compulsory" rules that regulated the social life. The term of "töre" (moral laws) was cited for 11 times within Orhun inscriptions and 6 of them were used with the term of "il" (State). The other 5 usages of this term were obviously related with "il" (State). Therefore, the Turkish State was an institution that depended on its laws (provisions of laws). The existence of the state was based on these legal provisions: "They founded the state and established the laws and regulations Hey, Turkish Tribal Union! Who on earth can abolish your state and laws? Our state and laws that we have attained were in that way He left his state and laws He (Ilteriş) organised his tribal union in accordance with the legal provisions of his ancestors My uncle ascended the throne as required by the laws ".
The provisions of these rules did not have unchangeable patterns. The Turkish ruler could issue new rules and provisions in accordance with the requirements of the regions and the periods providing the approval of the "councils". This way was followed by Mo-tun in the Asian Hun State, Bumin and Ilteris in the Gok-Turk State, and Krum in the Danube Bulgarian State (Krum Khan's laws). The term of töre (laws) is used as a common word in all the Turkish dialects and it was also borrowed by the Mongolian language in the further periods. According to our knowledge, this term had existed since the period of Tabgaç people and it was possible to date back the original form of törü to a more ancient period (the verb of "yasa yapmak" (lawmaking) that constituted the base for the word of yasa (law) was only cited once in the Turkish inscriptions and records: "Tengri yasar- The God regulates and makes laws." The word of casah, yasak (=prohibition) that was derived from this issue was also used in the Mongolian language with the meaning of "law". The word of yasa (law) that is used today is the abbreviation of this word).
Unfortunately, the constitutional principles of the laws could not be written down in that era. However, these principles with the quality of a constitution could be determined through the assistance of the work titled as Kutadgu-Bilig. These principles include the following characteristics: Könilik (justice), uz'luk (kindness, usefulness), tüz'lük (equality) and kişilik (humanity, universality).