| Modu Chanyu | |
|---|---|
| Xiongnu Chanyu | |
Statue of an imagined depiction of Modu Chanyu in Söğüt, Turkey |
|
| Reign | 209–174 BCE |
| Full name | Chanyu |
| Born | c. 234 BCE |
| Birthplace | Modern-day Mongolia |
| Died | 174 BCE |
| Predecessor | Touman |
| Successor | Laoshang |
| Dynasty | Maodun |
| Father | Touman |
Modu Chanyu (Maodun, Maotun, Mode simplified Chinese: 冒顿单于; traditional Chinese: 冒頓單于; pinyin: Mòdú Chányú, sometimes also transcribed Modun and Maodun) was born c. 234 BCE was the fourth known emperor[1] and founder of the Xiongnu Empire after he killed his father in 209 BCE. The years of his rule were 209 BCE to 174 BCE. He was a military leader under his father Touman, and later the Chanyu and king of the Xiongnu, centered in modern day Mongolia.[1]
Once he had secured the throne, he established a powerful Xiongnu Empire by successfully unifying the tribes of the Mongolian steppes and hence posed an imminent threat to the Chinese Qin Dynasty. His Xiongnu Empire was one of the largest of his time – the eastern border stretched as far as the Liao River, the western borders of the empire reached the Pamir Mountains whilst the northern border reached Lake Baikal.[2]
He was succeeded by his son Laoshang.
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Several scholars have suggested that the reconstructed pronunciation of "modu" 冒頓 is /mək-twən/ and is equivalent to the Turkic title Baghatur /baɣaːtuːr/ in Mongol word its too meaning bagaatar baatar; this "appears to represent a foreign *baγtur, a relative of the later-attested Central Asian culture word baγatur 'hero'. The etymology of the word is unknown, though the first syllable may be the Iranian word *baγ 'god, lord', an element in many later Central Asian titles."[3] The original origin may not be Iranian, as suggested by Clauson,[4] who claims it an original Xiongnu name/title.
The only details of his early years is recorded in chapter 110 of the Shiji,[5] but, although they are based on history, they seem to contain some legendary elements.[6]
He was the eldest son of Touman, the leader of the Xiongnu at the time. Since his childhood, Modu was well-known for his outstanding courage and valor. He was so valourous that he was regarded as one of the most heroic men in the realm. However, a beauty called E'shi was the favourite wife of Touman and he decided to raise her son to be his successor. Touman's new wife had wanted to kill Modu so she adopted a cruel plot to kill Modu by another person's hands: his father sent him to the Yuezhi, a different tribe of peoples, as a hostage and then he waged wars against them, to make Modu the victim. Fortunately, Modu had sensed something suspicious so he pretended to be seriously sick when he was staying in the Yuezhi camp. His guards then slackened their guard. In the evening when Touman was massing his troops to attack the Yuezhi tribe, Modu killed the guards, stole the Yuezhi's precious horse and fled. To avoid the pursuit of the Yuezhi tribe and a surprise attack by his father, Modu disguised himself and was able to return.
Later for his bravery his father gave him a tumen of soldiers. He controlled his 10,000 men strictly, and trained them hard every day for battle. According to Sima Qian he had some arrows made that whistled in flight and trained his men to shoot at anything his whistling arrow struck. One day he shot at one of his best horses and executed any man that failed to follow suit. Later, when on a hunting expedition with his father, he shot a whistling arrow at his father, as did all his men.
Also his father's wife and the rival heir were executed. After this he gained the leadership of all the tribes his father had controlled and he was crowned as the new Xiongnu ruler. He disciplined all the tribes for warfare and to follow his every command. He was respected by his men, and none would challenge his authority. After his army was ready for war, he began his conquests.
First he marched on the Donghu, the Xiongnu’s eastern neighbours, and brought them under his rule in 208 BC. After his Donghu campaign (the Donghu split into Xianbei and Wuhuan); he defeated the Dingling and other peoples living in Northern Mongolia and finally he brought the Yuezhi under his rule in 203 BC. After these conquests all Xiongnu lords submitted to him.
With these victories, he was able to gain control of the important trade routes, which later supplied the Xiongnu with a large income. He later (in 200 BC) fought a three-year campaign with the Han Dynasty of China, and decisively defeated the Han ruler Gaodi (by shrewdly trapping him and his forces), forcing him to pay humiliating yearly tributes to the Xiongnu: when Emperor Gao of Han Dynasty launched a military offensive against him, Modu (with 40,000 soldiers) lured the Han army into a trap and ambushed the emperor reputedly with 300,000 elite Xiongnu cavalry, and encircled them for seven days at Baideng. The emperor was cut off from supplies and reinforcements. The siege was only relieved when the Han royal court sent spies to bribe Modu's wife. The result of this campaign resulted in Han China resorting to the humiliating "marriage alliance" strategy with Xiongnu for the next seventy years.
Modu never tried to conquer China completely, because he thought that a foreign dynasty could not rule such a vast country for a long time. After his Chinese campaign, Modu forced the Yuezhi and the Wusun to become vassals of the Xiongnu.
During his reign, many peoples were brought under Xiongnu rule. He united all of them under one empire, all the nomad horse archer tribes of the steppes. Apart from his nomadic subjects, Modu also made the oasis city-states of the Tarim Basin swear fealty to him. His organizations in both military and administration were later used by many other Central Asian peoples and states.
Under his rule, he launched 26 major war campaigns to conquer 26 kingdoms, and became greatly feared throughout Asia, even in the mighty Han Empire. He was a great warrior and a master tactician and was nearly undefeated in his battles against many empires including the Han Dynasty.
Christopher I. Beckwith[7] has pointed out that the story of the young Modu resembles a widespread class of folk tales in which a young hero is abandoned, goes on a quest, proves his worth, gains a group of trusted companions, returns to his home country, slays a powerful figure and becomes a king.
The name of Maodun has been associated with Oguz Kagan, an epic ancestor of the Turkic people. The reason for that is a striking similarity of the Oguz-Kagan biography in the Turko-Persian manuscripts (Rashid al-Din, Hondemir, Abulgazi) with the Maodun biography in the Chinese sources (feud between the father and son and murder of the former, the direction and sequence of conquests, etc.), which was first noticed by N.Ya. Bichurin (Collection of information, pp. 56–57)".[8][9]
Another suggestion connects it with the name of the Magyar (Mad'ar) royal tribe of the Hungarians (匈牙利) and with their distant relatives Mators, now extinct.[10] He has been linked with the Dulo known from the Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans[11] and this, in the form *Duh-klah Tuqi, with the Hungarian/Magyar Gyula (D'ula) clan.[12] It has been suggested that his name, as Bixtun or Beztur, appears in the genealogy as the ancestor of Attila the Hun.
| Preceded by Touman |
Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu Empire 209–174 BCE |
Succeeded by Laoshang Chanyu |