Kurultai

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Kurultai (Tatar: Qorıltay, Azerbaijani: Qurultay; Kurulmak meaning "to assemble" in Turkish, also Khural meaning "meeting" in Mongolian) is a political and military council of ancient Mongol chiefs and khans. All Great Khans of the Mongol Empire, for example Genghis Khan and Ogedei Khan, were formally elected in a Kurultai.

Khuriltai were imperial and tribal assemblies convened to determine, strategize and analyze military campaigns and assign individuals to leadership positions and titles. One such example is Genghis Khan was declared Khan in 1206 Kuriltai. Most of the major military campaigns were first planned out at assemblies such as this and there were minor and less significant Kurultais under the Mongol Empire under political subordinate leaders and generals.

The Kuriltai, however, required the presence of the senior members of the tribes participating, who were also in charge militarily. Thus, the deaths of Ögedei and Möngke in 1241 and 1259, respectively, necessitated the withdrawal of Mongol leaders (and troops) from the outskirts of Vienna (in 1241) and from Syria (in 1259), hamstringing military operations against the Austrians and Mamluks that might otherwise have continued.

[edit] Modern usage

Various modern Turkic peoples use it in political or administrative sense, as a synonym for parliament, congress, conference, council, assembly, convention, gathering. Examples are: "World Qorıltay of Bashkirs", "Fourth Qurultay of Crimean Tatars", "National Kurultai of Kyrgyzstan". "Mongolian State Great Khural", "Buryatian Narodnyi Khural". parliament