THE FIRST FEMALE RULER IN TURKISH HISTORY: TOMRIS

Tomris Hatun, known as the first female ruler in Turkish history, was a Saka Turk and her name means iron/temir. Sakas established one of the most powerful Turkish kaganates of the 6th century. There is no clear information in the sources about who her father was. It is thought that she was the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Iskapay, the Khan of the Sakas or the legendary leader Spargalis (Spargapis). According to legend, she is also considered to be the granddaughter of Alp Er Tunga, one of the most important ancestors of the Turks.
Tomris Hatun lost her mother shortly after she was born, and her father Spargalis never remarried and gave her all his love, knowledge and experience. That is why Tomris was able to stand steadfastly on a horse on the steppe by the age of five, to use a sword, bow and arrow at six, and to become a master warrior at thirteen, mastering the sword and spear.


Tomris married Rustem, the son of Saki Tigrahaud Kavad, the ruler of the neighboring state, and had a son with him. Shortly after the birth of her son, her father Spargalis died and she was asked to abdicate the throne, which she did. However, after a while she abandoned this idea and organized a strong military unit consisting only of women to fight. Very soon, thanks to these magnificent women cavalrymen with high military maneuverability, she was able to regain her throne and unite it with her husband's lands. Meanwhile, the Persians had become a great power and began to threaten them. When the Persian King Cyrus came to their borders with the aim of expanding his lands with great power, his wife Rustem fought with Cyrus, but lost both the war and his life in the end. Thereupon, he combined the throne inherited from his father with the throne inherited from his wife and tried to ensure that his people lived in prosperity on the one hand, and on the other hand, he tried to ensure the security of his borders by securing them.
He also gave all his love and attention to his only son and mobilized all his means to raise him well. Meanwhile, King Cyrus, after taking many places, targeted her country and captured the southern parts of West Turkistan. At first, Tomris did not react too much to these attacks and only took defensive measures. When Kirus did not encounter the reaction he expected, he started to raid them continuously. As a matter of fact, when he advanced into the Saka lands, he was glad that he did not encounter any vanguard troops; however, when he encountered burnt fields, his anger went beyond the mountains. He had to turn back because riding horses in burnt fields and leading soldiers on foot carried great risks and exhausted the soldiers.


When he returned to his country, he thought that it was the right decision to marry the woman who applied this corrosive tactic to him and sent envoys to Tomris and told her that he had proposed marriage to her, that he would not fight them if she accepted the offer and that this offer was a blessing for them. While he thought that Tomris would accept this proposal with great satisfaction, when he received a refusal, he became enraged and immediately took action and declared war against the Sakas. Although Tomris knew very well that he could not stop Cyrus, who was coming against them with a large army and wild dogs, he still sent envoys to try to dissuade Cyrus, and although he told Cyrus the following, he could not make him listen:
"King Cyrus, I say to you, come and give up these things; you don't know whether what you are doing is for your own good or not. Leave us, you govern your people and don't interfere with us governing ours. But I know that you will not want to follow my advice? If you say I want to take on the Sakas no matter what, then don't go to so much trouble to unite the two sides of the river. We are three days away from the river. If you don't want us to come, cross the river and come to our land!"


When Tomris Hatun realized that the war was inevitable, she divided her troops into two to implement the war tactic known in history as the Turanian Tactic or Wolf Trap. Cyrus, on the other hand, devised a plan to get the reconnaissance-advance unit sent by the Sakas (which included Tomris' son) drunk with wine and girls and taken prisoner. He killed all the captive soldiers, leaving only Tomris' son untouched. When the news reached Tomris, she did not know what to do because of her grief; on the one hand she agonized for her son and on the other hand she felt great sorrow for her soldiers who had been killed. In this sorrow, as a mother, a woman and most importantly as a ruler, she sent an envoy to Cyrus and addressed him as follows: "Cyrus, the bloody murderer who is not satisfied with blood, do not boast of your success. You have lost your mind after this victory. Don't forget that wine is actually poison and that poison has made you the master of my son by trickery. Now let me give you some good advice; listen to me and give me back my son. Be content with this crude victory over a third of the Saka army and withdraw from this land. If you do not do as I say, I swear as the ruler of the Sakas that I, the man who is not satisfied with bloodshed, will feed you with blood."


Cyrus dismissed the words of the messenger as a mother's cry and empty words that could not be fulfilled. Meanwhile, when Tomris Hatun's son recovered from his drunkenness and came to his senses, he was deeply disheartened to see his hands tied and thrown into a corner. He was devastated that he had dishonored his mother and when he had the chance, he took the dagger of the soldier next to him and ended his life. Tomris's deep sorrow when she learned what her son had gone through was indescribable, but she lived her pain inside. Showing great fortitude, she put her motherhood aside and gathered her army and decided to attack the Persians. At this time, she turned to her companions and said, "Bloodthirsty Cyrus! You killed my son not with valor, but with the wine you drank. But I swear I will feed you with blood!" He said.


The battle, which took place in 528/29 BC, took place in a narrow strait pass and she led the battle herself. After a fierce hand-to-hand battle, Tomris Hatun was victorious despite the superior numbers of the Persian army. She asked her soldiers about Cyrus while walking around the battlefield; when they brought the news of his death, she felt a little cold inside, but this was not enough for her. She asked for the lifeless body of Cyrus to be found and brought to her, and her request was effective in teaching an exemplary lesson to Cyrus and those like him, who shed the blood of hundreds of innocent people throughout his life. He told his soldiers to bring a barrel full of blood, and after the barrel was brought, he ordered them to separate Cyrus' head from his body and put it in the barrel. Rising from his seat, he came to the barrel and said in a loud voice: "My life is alive and I have come out of the war victorious, but you have killed my son by capturing him by deception. Now it is as I promised you. You had never had enough of blood in your life, now you have had enough of blood at my hand." He tried to cool his anger a little.
After the end of the war, he returned home; since his son had died very young, he organized a funeral ceremony befitting his age and position, dressed him in gold clothes as if he was going to a wedding, and had his grave decorated with precious jewels. He also had his favorite horse buried with him to accompany him to the afterlife. However, the deep pain he experienced shortly after taking his revenge did not allow him to live any longer and he was reunited with his son shortly afterwards.


Tomris Hatun, the first female ruler in Turkish history, has left her mark on this magnificent history by taking her rightful place in Turkish history with her courage, warriorism and fair administration.

I leave the movie for those who want to watch it.