We have observed that the Turks have founded several empires ranging from the Great Hun Empire until the Ottoman Empire. The name of the great state that was called as "Empire" by the Western people were the counterparts of the phrases of "Sultanate" or "Ilkhanate" among Turks. The words of "Hakan" (Ruler) or the "Ulu Hakan" (Great Ruler) were used with the meaning of "emperor".
The state that was founded as a result of the dissolution of the Sultanate or separation of the ruler's sons or nephews from the great Sultanate was the "Khanate" and their rulers were called as "Khan".
The number of the khanates that had been founded in the course of the history was 17. Some of them were short-lived khanates (for example, the Turkmenistan Khanate could only last for 25 years), and some of them survived for centuries.
We have mentioned about some of the khanates that were founded before the adoption of Islam by the Turks (such as Bulgarian Khanate, Pecenek Khanate, Uz Khanate, etc.) in their contemporary periods. We have observed how they were founded and how they collapsed. However, the most important khanates were the khanates established by the Muslim Turks.
Some of these khanates were founded in the Western Europe and the Kipchak steppe lands by the Northern Turks and some others were founded in Turkestan and Central Asia by the Eastern Turks.
Nearly all of the khanates were founded on the Turkish homelands where the Turks had settled in the past. Minimum 90% of the population of these khanates was composed of Turks. The other element of population was composed of the other tribes that had become Turks from every aspect. Their characteristic quality was the fact that the Khans were from the dynasty of Jenghiz Khan. However, in the course of time, the khans had become Turks in respect of blood tie due to the marriages and various factors. The Mongolian effect was maintained only in respect of administration; and this effect was eradicated in the khanates that were annexed to the Ottoman State.