[1] The khaganate's territory at its height would briefly include parts of modern-day China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Russia.

Before 201 BC, Xiongnu chanyu Modun conquered the Kyrgyzes, then known to Chinese as Gekun (鬲昆), along with the Hunyu (渾庾), Qushe (屈射), Dingling (丁零), and Xinli (薪犁).

[6] During those times, Kyrgyz people lived in the Borohoro Mountains and the Manasi River valley on east Tengir-Too, about 7,000 li (4,000  km) west of Ordos – the center of Xiongnu's territory.

[7] other transcriptions are Jiegu (結骨), Hegu (紇骨), Hegusi (紇扢斯), Hejiasi (紇戛斯), Hugu (護骨), Qigu (契骨), Juwu (居勿), and Xiajiasi (黠戛斯),[8] Peter Golden reconstructs underlying *Qïrğïz < *Qïrqïz< *Qïrqïŕ and suggests a derivation from Old Turkic qïr 'gray' (horse color) plus suffix -q(X)ŕ/ğ(X)ŕ ~ k(X)z/g(X)z.

In 709, the Gokturk army defeated the Chiks and Azs, capturing Tuva and a bridgehead for the invasion of the Kyrgyz lands.

the Gokturk army, having made a roundabout maneuver, crossed the Sayan Range and suddenly fell upon the Kyrgyz.

[15] He received Kyrgyz ambassador named Shiboqu Azhan (失鉢屈阿棧) who was later appointed to the Yanran (燕然) Commandery.

All available evidence suggests that despite some brief extensions of their power onto the Mongolian Plateau, the Kyrgyz did not maintain a significant political or military presence there after their victories in the 840s.

[11]The Yenisei Kyrgyz Khaganate of the Are family bolstered his ties and alliance to the Tang imperial family against the Uyghur Khaganate by claiming descent from the Han dynasty general Li Ling who had defected to the Xiongnu and married a Xiongnu princess, daughter of Qiedihou Chanyu and was sent to govern the Jiankun (Ch'ien-K'un) region which later became Yenisei.

[21] The Yenisei Kyrgyz and Tang dynasty launched a victorious successful war between 840 and 848 to destroy the Uyghur Khaganate and its centre at the Orkhon valley using their claimed familial ties as justification for an alliance.

At a general council of senior officials, they decided that the titles were given to the Uyghurs when they were strong, and if the Yenisei Kyrgyz were awarded as well, they would become proud and become dangerous.

[11]According to the Tobchiyan and Jami' al-tawarikh, title of the Yenisei Kyrgyz Khagan was Īnāl (Persian: اینال, Chinese: 亦纳勒).