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The so-called "Mongols" are actually a heterogenous group of different nomad peoples of Turk and "Tartar" origin. The word "Mongol" is derived the name of a tribe called Manghol. Although the cultural stage of these ethnical groups was quite different, they had a common language that allowed a unification under the hand of the strongest clan. The strongest ethnics were the Naiman, Kereyid, Kirghiz, Oirat, Burjat, Merkid and Tatar, socially divided into aristocracy, common people, slaves and prisoners of war. Except animism, the higher religions of Nestorian Christianity, Manicheism and Buddhism had won followers among the "Mongols". The economical base of these nomad people was cattle-breeding, hunting and the trade with different Inner Asian kingdoms and China.The unifier of the nomad peoples, Chinggis Qaghan (Genghis Khan), was a vasall of the Kereyid people that was employed by the Jin rulers to subdue the Kereyid Tatars. In 1206 Chinggis could defeat his opponents and unified the Mongol people under his rule as "ocean-wide emperor". Chinggis used the knowledge of the Uighurs - that had reached a higher cultural stage than the nomad steppe peoples - to crush the empires in northern China, the Western Xia (Xixia 西夏) and Jin 金. These empires were intended to play the role of an economical and military base for the intrusions into the rest of China. The capital of the early Mongol empire was Karakorum at the Orkhon River. A political balance between Persia and the new Mongol empire was not very easy, and some difficulties between these two empires lead to the first Mongol expedition to the west: Northern Persia and southern Russia became part of a huge steppe empire.The Öködei Ulus ("Wokuotai hanguo 窩闊台汗國")Chinggis' son Ögedei created an alliance with the Southern Song emperors to crush the Jin Empire. Korea came under the rule of the Mongols, and Chinggis' grandson Batu (by the Europeans called "Bathy rex Tartarorum") conquered a great part of the Russian principalities, the Turk Kipchaks and the Volga and Kama Bulgars. The European kingdoms were frightened by the "black riders coming out of the Tartarus, the Hell", because the Medieval knight armies had nothing to counter the lightning-like attacks of the light Mongol cavalry. But the hilly, forested middle of Europe was topologically not too interesting for the nomad people, and the death of Ögedei forced the Mongol troops to withdraw. But the European powers did not only fear the Mongols: for the Pope and the kings of France, the religious liberal Mongol rulers seemed to be a first-class ally against the Muslims in the Near East. Diplomats like Piano Carpini visited the court of the Mongol rulers. While the new Qaghan Möngke tried to act as a governor of the vast empire, his brothers took over the mililtary tasks: Hülagü conquered Persia, the relations to China were laid in the hands of Khubilai, the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. Khubilai acted like a traditional Chinese emperor when he mounted the throne of Northern China. His armies not only occupied the rest of China after the defeat of the Song emperors, but Mongol troops even advanced to Cambodia and Burma. The plan of an occupation of Japan was defeated by strong winds, send by the Japanese gods ("kamikaze" 神風).The end of the military expansion was reached by the mid of 13th century. The vast empire of the Mongol Qaghans entered a phase of peaceful time ("Pax Mongolica" in Latin, "Mongol Peace", after the "Pax Romana" of the Roman Empire) of trade and exchange of thoughts, the Mongol language served as a business language ("lingua franca" in Latin, "Free (or rather French) Language" like Greek, Latin and French). The Öködei Ulus Khans | | Öködei ("Wokuotai 窩闊台", son of Genghis Qan "Chengjisi Han 成吉思汗") | 1229-1241 | | Naimaĵin Töregene ("Naimazhen Tuoliegena 乃馬真脫列哥那", daughter of Genghis Qan) | 1241-1246 | | Güyük ("Guiyou 貴由") | 1246-1248 | | Oγul Qaimiš ("Wowuli Haimishi 斡兀立海迷失", daughter of Töregene) | 1248-1251 | | Möngke ("Mengge 蒙哥", son of Tölüi "Tuolei 拖雷", grandson of Genghis Qan) | 1251-1259 | | Qubilai ("Hubilie 忽必烈", brother of Möngke) Founder of the Yuan Dynasty 元朝. His descendants see rulers of Yuan. | 1260-1294 |
The Qibčaq Ulus (Kipchak, Golden Horde; "Qincha hanguo 欽察汗國")After the death of Ögedei, Batu stayed in eastern Europe and founded his own empire, the empire of the "Golden Horde", with intense relations to the court of Mamluk rulers in Egypt. But the Mongol empire at Volga River gradually integrated into the Turkish and Islamic enviroment. 1243-1502The Qibčaq Khans | | Batu ("Badu" 拔都, son of Ĵoči "Zhuchi 朮赤", grandson of Genghis Qan "Chengjisi Han 成吉思汗") | 1243-1256 | | Sartaq ("Salida 撒里答") | 1256-1257 | | Ulaħchi ("Wulachi 兀剌赤") | 1257 | | Berke ("Bierge 別兒哥") | 1257-1266 | | Möngke-temür ("Mangge-tiemur 忙哥帖木兒") | 1266-1282 | | Töde-möngke ("Tuotuo-mengge 脫脫蒙哥") | 1282-1287 | | Tola-buqa ("Tula-buhua 禿剌不花") | 1287-1291 | | Toqtoħa ("Tuotuo 脫脫") | 1291-1313 | | Oz-beg ("Yueji-bo 月即伯") | 1313-1341 | | Tini-beg ("Dini-bie 遞尼別") | 1341-1342 | | Jani-beg ("Zhani-bie 札尼別") | 1342-1357 | | Berdi-beg ("Bierdi-bo 別兒迪伯") | 1357-1359 | | Qulina ("Hulina 忽里納") | 1359-1360 | | Neürüz ("Niewulusi 捏兀魯思") | 1360-1361 |
The Čaqadai Ulus (Chagatai Horde; "Chahetai hanguo 察合台汗國")The Čaqadai Ulus Khans | | Čaqadai ("Chahetai 察合台", son of Genghis Qan "Chengjisi Han 成吉思汗") | ?-1241 | | Qara-hülegü ("Hela-xulie 合剌旭烈") | 1242-1246 | | Yesü-möngke ("Yesu-mengge 也速蒙哥") | 1246-1251 | | Orqina ("Wuluhunai 兀魯忽乃", widow of Qara-hülegü) | 1252-1260 | | Alγu ("Aluhu 阿魯忽") | 1260-1265 | | Mubārak Šhāh ("Mubala Sha 木八剌沙") | 1265 | | Boraq ("Bala 八剌") | 1266-1271 | | Negübei ("Niegubo 聶古伯") | 1272-1274 | | Buqa-temür ("Buhe-tiemur 不合帖木兒") | 1274 | | Du-a ("Duwa 篤哇") | 1275 ?-1306 | | Künček ("Kuandu 寬闍") | 1307-1308 | | Taliqu ("Talihu 塔里忽") | 1309-1310 | | Esen-buqa ("Yexian-buhua 也先不花") | 1310-1320 | | Kebek ("Jiebie 怯別") | 1320-1327 | | Elĵigidei ("Yanzhijitai 燕只吉台") | 1327-1330 | | Durai-temür ("Dulai-tiemur 篤來帖木兒") | 1330-1331 | | Darmašrin ("Darmashili 答兒麻失里") | 1331-1334 | | Būzān ("Buzan 不贊") | 1334 | | Čangši ("Changshi 敞失") | 1335-1338 | | Yesün-temür ("Yesun-tiemur 也孫帖木兒") | 1338-1339 | | Alī Sulţan ("Ali Suanduan 阿里算端") | 1340 | | Muhammad ("Mahamode 麻哈沒的") | 1341- ? | | Qazān Sulţan ("Hezan Suanduan 合贊算端") | ? -1347 | | Dašman ("Dashiman 答失蠻") | 1347-1349 | | Bayan-quli ("Baiyan-huli 拜延忽里") | 1349-? | | Adil ("Adile 阿的勒") | ?-? | | Qabul ("Hebule 合不勒") | 1362-? | | Siur-qaimiš ("Xiwur-haimishi 昔兀兒海迷失") | ?-? | | Mahmūd Sulţan ("Mahamode Suanduan 麻哈沒的算端") | ?-? |
The Il-Qaγan Ulus (Ilkhans; "Yili hanguo" 伊利汗國)Hülagü founded his own empire in Iran or Persia as Jl Khan. But his empire disintegrated under his followers and equally vanished, adopting the refined Persian culture. The "second" Mongol Empire was founded by Timur Lenk or Tamerlan, a descendant of Chenggis Qaghan. He is ill-reputed by the cruelty by which he treated defeated enemies. After the Yuan emperor fled China in the 14th century, the rest of the Mongol people in China merged with the Chinese. The Ming emperor Hongwu had firmly established his rule and expelled the Mongols, it was only during the 15th century that Mongol tribes again were able to attack the Chinese frontiers under Dayan Qaghan. The Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty accepted the submission of the Mongol rulers, and Mongolia became a part of China. In 1924 a Mongolian People's Republic was founded that stood firmly under the influence of the Soviet Union. The Il Khans | | Hüleħü ("Xuliewu 旭烈兀", son of Tölüi "Tuolei 拖雷", grandson of Genghis Qan "Chengjisi Han 成吉思汗") | 1256-1265 | | Abaqa ("Abaha 阿八哈") | 1265-1282 | | Tegüder Aħmad ("Tiegudier Ahema 帖古迭兒阿合馬") | 1282-1284 | | Arγun ("Aluhun 阿魯渾") | 1284-1291 | | Rinchen-dorji Qaiqatu ("Yilinzhen-duorzhi Haihedu 亦鄰真朵兒只海合都") | 1291-1295 | | Baidu ("Baidu 拜都") | 1295 | | Qazan ("Hezan 合贊") | 1295-1304 | | Qarbanda Ölĵejtu ("Herbanda Wanzhedu 合兒班答完者都") | 1304-1316 | | Abū Sa'īd ("Abu Saiyin 阿不賽因") | 1317-1335 | | Arpa ("Arba 阿兒巴") | 1335-1336 | | Mūsā ("Musa 木撒") | 1336-1337 | | Muħammad ("Mahema 麻合馬") | 1336-1338 | | Toq-temür ("Tuohe-tiemur 脫合帖木兒") | 1338-1352 | | Jiqan-temür ("Zhihan-tiemur 只罕帖木兒") | 1339-1341 | | Queen Sātī-beg ("Sadibie 撒迪別", sister of Ölĵejtu) | 1339-1340 | | Sulaimān ("Sulaiman 速來蠻") | 1339-? | | Nušerwān ("Nushierwan 努失兒完") | 1344-? |
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period before (Song Dynasty)
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