Khamag Mongol

Khamag Mongol (Mongolian Cyrillic: Хамаг монгол, lit. "Whole Mongol") was a major tribal confederation (khanlig) in Mongolian plateau in 12th century. It is sometimes also considered a predecessor state^[1] to the Mongol Empire.^[2]

After the fall of Khitan Liao Dynasty in North China and eastern Mongolia in 1125, the Khamag Mongols began to play important role in the Mongolian plains.^[3] They occupied one of the most fertile lands of the country—the basins of the river Onon, Kherlen and Tuul in the Khentii mountains. Khamag Mongol consisted of the four core tribes Khiyad, Taichuud, Jalayir and Jirukhen.

The first Khan of Khamag Mongol recorded in history is Khabul Khan from Borjigin clan. Khabul Khan successfully repelled the invasions of Jin Dynasty. Khabul Khan was succeeded by Ambaghai Khan from Taichuud clan. Ambagai was captured by the Tatars while he came to deliver his daughter as a bride to the Tatar confederacy and was given to the Jurchens of Jin Dynasty who cruelly executed him. Ambaghai was succeeded by Hotula Khan, a son of Khabul Khan. Hotula Khan was engaged in 13 battles with the Tatars endevouring to revenge for Ambagai Khan.

Khamag Mongol was unable to elect a Khan after Hotula died, however Khabul's grandson Yesukhei who was a chief of the Khiyad tribe, was an effective and foremost leader of Khamag Mongol. Temujin, the future Genghis Khan, was born into Yesukhei's family as the first son in Deluun Boldog on the upper reaches of the Onon river in 1162.

When young Toghoril asked help from Yesukhei, the ruler of the Khamag Mongol,^[4] to dethrone his brothers of the Kereit tribe, the Mongols helped him defeat the Kereit leaders and put him on the throne in early 12th c.

Yesukhei was poisoned by the Tatars in 1170 and shortly after Yesukhei died. However, the Khamag Mongol began to disintegrate after Yesugei's death in 1171. Political anarchy and vacuum of power had lasted until 1189 when Temujin became the Khan of the Khamag Mongol. The war broke out between the latter and other Turco-Mongol tribes soon. Temujin's friend Jamukha was recognized by the rival tribes as Gur-Khan (the universal ruler) in 1201 but he was defeated by the alliance of Khamag Mongol and Kereit.

When Wang Khan refused to cement the alliance with the Khamag Mongols, Temujin's wars with the tribes nearly destroyed him. Temujin united all tribes on the Mongolian plateau at last in 1206 when he was regarded as Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khan).

See also

• List of medieval Mongolian tribes and clans

Notes

References

• Akademiiya nauk SSSR - History of the Mongolian People's Republic, Nauka Pub. House, Central Dept. of Oriental Literature, 1973
• Bat-Ochir Bold - Mongolian Nomadic Society, St. Martin's Press, 1999. ISBN 0312228279
• The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, 1974: Macropaedia Me-Ne ISBN 0852292902
• László Lőrincz - Histoire de la Mongolie, Akadémiai Kiadó,the University of Michigan, 1984. ISBN 9630533812