The "khagan" title as a marker of supreme power in the Mongolian chronicle tradition
Main Article Content
Abstract
The hierarchy of power relations was of prime importance when a special title was used to designate the supreme rulers. In Mongolian political culture, the khagan title, adapted from the ancient Turkic khaganates tradition, was applied. Already known in the 13th c., e. g. the early stage of Mongolian history, this title legitimized the right of the claimant upon supreme power in the Mongolian society, i. e., right to be considered "the one being in charge of the Mongols". Since the establishment of the Mongol Empire by Chinggis Khan, the title was retained by the senior descendants of the Golden Lineage (altan urug). This practice confirmed the genealogical continuity and legitimacy of their power over the Mongols. Thus, for example, regardless of the Oirats success in conquering the Mongols and their claim for the supreme power, they were never called khagans in Mongolian chronicles. The Mongolian chronicle tradition provides only two examples when the khagan title was applied to people non-representatives of the Chinggisid dynasty. The first one is related to Khalkha, which was given by Dayan Khan to his youngest son Geresenze. The fact that his descendants, starting from his grandson, were called khagan akhai, i. e., senior khagans, denotes that by the beginning of the 17th c. Khalkha had become an independent political actor. The title was also applied to the Manchu emperors, which confirmed the Mongols recognition of their subordinate position.
Downloads
Metrics
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Древнетюркский словарь. Л. : Наука, 1969. 676 с.
Желтая история (Шара туджи). М. : Наука — Восточная литература, 2017. 407 с. Золотое сказание // История в трудах ученых лам. М. : Товарищество научных изданий КМК, 2005. 275 с.
Козин С. А. Сокровенное сказание: Монгольская хроника 1240 г. // Труды института востоковедения. Т. XXXIV. М. ; Л., 1941. 620 с.
Монгольская летопись «Эрдэнийн эрихе». Материалы по истории Халхи. 1636-1736. СПб., 1883. 413 с.
Сравнительно-историческая грамматика тюркских языков. Лексика. М. : Наука, 1997. 800 с.
Kollmar-Paulenz, Karenina. Erdeni tunumal neretu sudur. Die Biographie des Altan qayan der Tumed-Mongolen / Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der religionspolitischen Beziehungen zwischen der Mongolei und Tibet im ausgehenden 16. Jahrhundert. Wiesbaden.: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2001. 390 s. (на англ. яз.).
Rachewiltz I. de. Index to the Secret History of the Mongols. — Indiana University Publications. Uralic and Altaic Series. Vol. 121. Bloomington, 1972. 352 p. (на англ. яз).
Sagan Secen. Erdeni-yin tobci ("Precious summary"). A Mongolian Chronicle of 1662. The Urga Text Transcribed and Edited by M. Go, I. de Rachewiltz, J. R. Krueger and B. Ulaan. Vol. 1. Canberra.: 1990. 270 p. (на англ. яз.).