Dayan Khan facts for kids

Dayan Khan (Mongolian: Даян Хаан), born Batumöngke (Mongolian: Батмөнх), was a powerful leader of the Northern Yuan dynasty. He ruled from 1479 to 1517. During his time, he brought the different Mongol groups back together. He made them strong again under the leadership of the Borjigin family, who were descendants of Genghis Khan.

His special title, "Dayan," means "Great Yuan." This showed that he saw himself as the Great Khan of the Great Yuan, bringing back the glory of the old Yuan dynasty. Dayan Khan and his queen, Mandukhai, worked together. They removed the power of the Oirats, another Mongol group, and got rid of a system where local warlords had too much control. Dayan Khan's victory at Dalan Tergin was very important. It united the Mongols and made them feel like one people again. He also divided Eastern Mongolia into six large areas for his sons to rule. This helped keep the Borjigin family in charge for about 100 years.

Childhood and Early Life

Batumongke was born in 1464 in Outer Mongolia. His father was Bayanmongke, a prince of the Borjigin clan. His mother was Shiker Taiko from the Uriyangkhai tribe. His family faced tough times when he was young. His father was murdered, and his mother had to give him away to keep him safe.

Even though he was separated from his family, people took good care of Batumongke. This was because he was a descendant of the great Genghis Khan. When he was only five years old, the ruler Manduul Khan died suddenly. Later, Batumongke was adopted by Mandukhai Khatun, who was Manduul Khan's widow. When Mandukhai's loyal followers found Batumongke, he was sick. Mandukhai made sure he got treatment, and he soon got better.

Dayan Khan's Reign

Since Batumongke was a direct descendant of Kublai Khan, Mandukhai helped him become the new ruler. He took the throne and became known as "Dayan Khan." When he was 19, he married Mandukhai. She was very wise and continued to have a lot of influence in the government and military. Together, they worked to unite the Mongol groups in the eastern region.

Mandukhai's military skills helped them defeat the Oirats. This allowed them to regain control over the Eastern Mongols. In 1483, Batumongke and Mandukhai led their armies against a warlord named Ismayil. He was defeated and later killed. Dayan Khan's mother, Shiker, was brought back and given the title of empress dowager. However, she did not live much longer after that.

Many Mongol tribes supported Dayan Khan. Most of the Oirats who remained in Mongolia joined him and provided soldiers. Only one leader, Khoosai of the Tumed, refused to accept Dayan Khan's rule, but he was also defeated.

Uniting the Mongols

One of the most important things Dayan Khan and Mandukhai did was defeat the Oirats. The Oirats had been fighting against the Borjigin rulers for a long time. By 1495, Batumongke also brought three other groups, called the Three Guards, under his control. These groups used to pay tribute to the Ming dynasty. Dayan Khan added them to his own system of six large Mongol groups, called "tumens."

Conflicts with the Ming Dynasty

Dayan Khan wanted to have good relations with the Ming dynasty in China at first. He sent messengers to try and set up trade. But when one of his messengers was killed by the Ming court, he started military attacks on China. Dayan Khan was a strong ruler and did not want to be part of the Ming's tribute system.

He teamed up with other Mongol groups and launched a big attack on Ningxia in 1500. They took over some lands. The Ming dynasty fought back strongly, and Dayan Khan barely escaped. He moved his base, but large attacks continued along the border until 1507.

Dealing with Internal Unrest

Some Mongol groups, especially those on the "Right Wing," invited Dayan Khan to rule them. This was because they were having problems with other warlords. Dayan Khan sent his sons to help. But one of his sons, Ulusbold, was killed in a riot. To get revenge, Dayan Khan attacked these groups with his own "Left Wing" tumens.

In 1510, he defeated the Right Wing groups. He also broke up a rebellious group called the Uriankhais and spread them among other Mongol groups. Instead of punishing the Right Wing groups, Dayan Khan made his son Barsubolad their new leader in 1513. He got rid of old titles that gave warlords too much power. He also made his soldiers free from taxes. This helped bring peace to the Mongols.

After defeating these internal enemies, Dayan Khan and Mandukhai were able to remove the influence of other non-Mongol warlords from the Northern Yuan court.

Later Fights with Ming China

From 1513, Mongol attacks on the Ming Empire started again. Dayan Khan built forts near the Ming border and stationed many cavalry soldiers there. His armies, sometimes as large as 70,000, invaded the Ming Empire in 1514 and 1517. His sons set up permanent bases along the Ming border to watch the Ming troops. Dayan Khan kept trying to establish trade with the Ming, but when they refused, he turned more and more to warfare.

The Mongols were at their strongest in 1517 when Dayan Khan even moved towards Beijing. Even though the Ming dynasty fought them off, Dayan Khan and the rulers after him continued to threaten China until 1526. The Mongol armies attacked the Ming dynasty not only in the north but also in the west.

By the time Dayan Khan died, his nation stretched far and wide. It went from the cold lands of Siberia in the north, across the Gobi Desert, to the Yellow River in the south. It also extended from the forests of Manchuria in the east to the steppes of Central Asia in the west.

Dayan Khan's Reforms

Dayan Khan reorganized the Eastern Mongols into six main groups, called "tumens." Each tumen was like a military unit and also managed its own tribal affairs. These groups were:

• Left Wing: Khalkha, Chahar, and Uriankhai
• Right Wing: Ordos, Tümed, and Yöngshiyebü (which included the Asud and Kharchin)

He gave these tumens to his sons and other family members to rule. This created a system where power was shared, but it brought peace and helped the Mongols expand for about 100 years. There was a lot of agreement among the ruling families, and there were no major civil wars until much later.

In Fiction

Dayan Khan's early life is told in a fictional way in books three and four of the Fractured Empire Saga by Starr Z. Davies. These books are Mother of the Blue Wolf and Empress of the Jade Realm.

He is also an important background character in the historical novel "Manduchai," written by German author Tanja Kinkel in 2014.

Family

Dayan Khan married Mandukhai the Wise, Guushi, and Jimsgene.

• Parents:
  • Bayanmunh
  • Shihir Taihu
• Wives and children:

1. Mandukhai
   1. Turbolad
   2. Ulusbold
   3. Arsubolad
   4. Barsubolad
   5. Töröltu
   6. Ochirbolad
   7. Alchubolad
   8. Albolad
2. Jimsgene
   1. Gersenji
   2. Gerbolad
3. Guushi
   1. Gert
   2. Chintaiji

His sons became leaders of different tribes. Many princes in the Mongolian Plateau were his descendants, like Altan Khan and Ligden Khan. Chinese historians of the Ming dynasty saw him as a great emperor who brought back the glory of the Mongol Empire. There is some uncertainty about the exact year Dayan Khan died, with dates ranging from 1517 to 1543.