Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan

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Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan
Birth and death: 1416–1452¹
Family name: Clan Name (Obogh)
Borjigin
Khalkha Mongolian: Боржигин
Chinese: 孛兒只斤
Given name: Toghtoa Bukha (Toγtoγa Buqa)
Chinese: 脱脱不花
Dates of reign: 1433–1452
Dynasty: Northern Yuan (北元)
Era name: None
Era dates: 1433–1452²
Temple name: 太宗
Posthumous name:
(short) 		 None
Posthumous name:
(full) 		 None Given
General note: Dates given here are in the Julian calendar.
They are not in the proleptic Gregorian calendar.

Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) (1416 - 1452), was the Mongol Khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in Mongolia. After Oyiradai Khan’s death in 1425, the in fights among Oirats and western Mongol clans left the throne of khan vacant for several years as Mongol nobles who held the real power struggled for dominance. The central and eastern Mongol clans, in the meantime, proclaimed Adai Khan as the great khan shortly after Oyiradai Khan’s death in 1425, and the legitimacy of Oirats, the leading clan of western Mongols was threatened, at least in name. In response, Oirats finally crowned Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) as their own khan in 1433. This resulted in half a decade of the simultaneous existence of two khans supported by opposing Mongol clans.

Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) was a direct descendant of Kublai Khan: he was the grandson of the younger brother of Elbeg Nigülesügchi Khan, Emperor Dagu of Northern Yuan (i.e. he was the grandnephew of Elbeg Nigülesügchi Khan, Emperor Dagu of Northern Yuan). Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) was an ambitious khan wanting to obtain real power and recover the former glory of Yuan Dynasty, which inevitably lead to conflicts with powerful Oirats nobles who held the real power. Although Oirats shared the same ambition of recover the former glory of Genghis Khan with Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa), they were well aware that they must make peace with Ming Dynasty first so that they could unify all Mongols before their conquest of expansion. Oirats therefore were careful not to enrage Ming Dynasty by not officially proclaiming Yuan Dynasty which was overthrown by Ming Dynasty, and obtained help from Ming Dynasty to defeat Adai Khan’s eastern Mongol clans, killing Adai Khan in the process. Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) on the other hand, felt that the Ming Dynasty was already weakened and not worth worrying about, openly reclaimed the era of Yuan Dynasty by proclaiming himself as the Taizong (太宗) of Northern Yuan Dynasty, a move supported by most Mongol populace, except Oirats, who felt it was not the time yet and they needed time to consolidate their gains first. Fortunately, Ming Dynasty was indeed weakened to the point that it could no longer launch any deep strike into the Mongol heartland like Yongle Emperor had done, and all Ming Dynasty could do was to show its disapproval by calling Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) Tayisung Khan (岱总汗) instead of Taizong (太宗) of Yuan Dynasty.

Although Mongols did not come to war with Ming Dynasty, the internal power struggle proved to be much more serious: One of Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa)’s concubine was the elder sister of Oirats leader Esen Tayisi, who wanted Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) to name his elder sister’s son as the crown prince so that he would become the khan in the future. The request was denied and Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) and Esen Tayisi went to war in 1451, which eventually resulted in Esen Tayisi’s victory. As Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan (Toghtoa Bukha or Toγtoγa Buqa) fled, he was killed by his subordinates in 1452 who later defeated to Esen Tayisi.

Tayisung Khan, Emperor Taizong of Northern Yuan
Died: 1433-1452
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Oyiradai Khan		 Khan of the Mongols
1433 - 1452		 Succeeded by
Esen Tayisi of the Oriate Horde
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Oyiradai Khan		 — TITULAR —
Emperor of Yuan Dynasty
1433-1452
Reason for succession failure:
Ming Dynasty overthrew the Yuan Dynasty in 1368		 Succeeded by
Esen Tayisi
Zhengtong Emperor of Ming Dynasty wielded actual authority over China