Baghatur ( otk, 𐰉𐰍𐰀, Baga; mn, ''Baγatur'',

Khalkha Mongolian The Khalkha dialect ( mn, Халх аялгуу / / , ) is a dialect of central Mongolic widely spoken in Mongolia. According to some classifications, the Khalkha dialect includes Southern Mongolian varieties such as ''Shiliin gol'', ''Ulaanch ...

: Баатар ''Bātar''; tr, Bağatur, Batur, Bahadır; russian: Богатырь

Bogatyr A bogatyr ( rus, богатырь, p=bəɡɐˈtɨrʲ, a=Ru-богатырь.ogg) or vityaz ( rus, витязь, p=ˈvʲitʲɪsʲ) is a stock character in medieval East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear ma ...

; bg, Багатур Bagatur; fa, بهادر; pa, ਬਹਾਦੁਰ , بہادر ) is a historical

Turkic Turkic may refer to: * anything related to the country of Turkey * Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages ** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation) ** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language * ...

and

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

honorific title, in origin a term for "

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

" or "valiant warrior". The Papal envoy

Plano Carpini Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, variously rendered in English as ''John of Pian de Carpine'', ''John of Plano Carpini'' or ''Joannes de Plano'' (c. 11851 August 1252), was a medieval Italian diplomat, archbishop and explorer and one of the firs ...

(-1252) compared the title with the equivalent of European Knighthood. The word was common among the Mongols and became especially widespread, as an honorific title, in

Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr /> Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent) Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin ...

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe ...

in the 13th century; the title persisted in its successor-states, and later came to be adopted also as a

regnal title A regnal title is the title held by a monarch while in office. Monarchs can have various titles, including king or queen, prince or princess (Sovereign Prince of Monaco), emperor or empress (Emperor of Japan, Emperor of India), or even duke or gra ...

in the

Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...

, in Timurid dynasties, etc. The word was also introduced into many non-Turkic languages as a result of the Turco-Mongol conquests, and now exists in different forms such as bg, Багатур (Bagatur), links=no, russian: Богатырь (

), links=no, Polish '' Bohater'' (meaning "hero"), hu, Bátor, links=no (meaning "brave"),

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

''Bahador'', Georgian ''Bagatur'', and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

''Bahadur''. It is also preserved in the modern Turkic and Mongol languages as

Altai Altai or Altay may refer to: Places *Altai Mountains, in Central and East Asia, a region shared by China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Russia In China * Altay Prefecture (阿勒泰地区), Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China * Altay City (阿� ...

''Баатыр (Baatïr)'', Turkish ''Batur/Bahadır'',

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

and

Kazakh Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kazakhstan *Kazakhs, an ethnic group *Kazakh language *The Kazakh Khanate * Kazakh cuisine * Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan *Qazax, Azerbaijan *Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...

''Батыр (Batyr)'', Uzbek ''Batyr'' and Mongolian ''Baatar'' (as in Ulaanbaatar). The concept of the Baghatur has its roots in Turco-Mongolian folklore. Like the

bogatyrs A bogatyr ( rus, богатырь, p=bəɡɐˈtɨrʲ, a=Ru-богатырь.ogg) or vityaz ( rus, витязь, p=ˈvʲitʲɪsʲ) is a stock character in medieval East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear m ...

of Russian traditional tales, Baghaturs were heroes of extraordinary courage, fearlessness, and decisiveness, often portrayed as being descended from heaven and capable of performing extraordinary deeds. Baghatur was the heroic ideal Turco-Mongolian warriors strove to live up to, hence its use as a military honorific of glory.

Etymology

The term was first used by the steppe peoples to the north and west (

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 millio ...

) of China as early as the 7th century as evidenced in Sui dynasty records. It is attested for the

Second Turkic Khaganate The Second Turkic Khaganate ( otk, 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰰:𐰃𐰠, Türük el, State of the Turks, , known as ''Turk Bilge Qaghan country'' ( otk, 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰝:𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰏𐰀:𐰴𐰍𐰣:𐰃𐰠𐰭𐰀, Türük Bilgä Qaγan eli) in Ba ...

in the 8th century, and among the

Bulgars The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region during the 7th century. They became known as nomad ...

of the First Bulgarian Empire in the 9th century. Some authors claim Iranian origin of the word, the first syllable is very likely the

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

title word *bag "god, lord". According to

Gerard Clauson Sir Gerard Leslie Makins Clauson (28 April 1891 – 1 May 1974) was an English civil servant, businessman, and Orientalist best known for his studies of the Turkic languages. The eldest son of Major Sir John Eugene Clauson, Gerard Clauson atte ...

, ''bağatur'' by origin almost certainly a Xiongnu (which Clauson proposes to be Hunnic) name, and specifically of the second Xiongnu Chanyu, whose name was transliterated by Han Chinese as (with ''-n'' for foreign ''-r''), now pronounced ''Mòdùn'' ~ ''Màodùn'' in

standard Chinese Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern standa ...

List of individuals with this title

The term Baghatur and its variants – Bahadur, Bagatur, or Baghadur, was adopted by the following historical individuals: *

Modun Modu, Maodun, Modun (, from Old Chinese (220 B.C.E.): *''mouᴴ-tuən'' or *''mək-tuən'', c. 234 – c. 174 BCE) was the son of Touman and the founder of the empire of the Xiongnu. He came to power by ordering his men to kill his father in 209 ...

, the founding

chanyu Chanyu () or Shanyu (), short for Chengli Gutu Chanyu (), was the title used by the supreme rulers of Inner Asian nomads for eight centuries until superseded by the title "''Khagan''" in 402 CE. The title was most famously used by the ruling ...

of the Xiongnu empire. *

Tonyukuk Tonyukuk ( otk, 𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰏𐰀:𐱃𐰆𐰪𐰸𐰸, Bilgä Tuňuquq, lit=Tunyuquq the Wise, zh, , c=暾欲谷, p=Tunyugu, , born c. 646, died c. 726) was the baga-tarkhan (supreme commander) and adviser of four successive Göktürk khaga ...

, military commander of

. *Bagatur Bagaina Sevar, 9th century commander in First Bulgarian Empire *

Alogobotur Alogobotur ( bg, Aлогоботур) (died 926) was a Bulgarian noble and military commander during the reign of Tsar Simeon the Great (893–926). He was probably a ''komit'' (duke) of one of Bulgaria's provinces. Some scholars indicate that ...

, 10th century commander in the First Bulgarian Empire *

Bartan Baghatur Yesugei Baghatur or Yesükhei ( Traditional Mongolian: ; Modern Mongolian: Есүхэй баатар, ''Yesukhei baatar'', ; ) (b. 1134 – d. 1171) was a major chief of the Khamag Mongol confederation and the father of Temüjin, later known as ...

, the

Borjigin A Borjigin, ; ; russian: Борджигин, Bordžigin; English plural: Borjigins or Borjigid (from Middle Mongolian);''Histoire des campagnes de Gengis Khan'', p. 119. Manchu plural: is a member of the Mongol sub-clan, which started with ...

Prince and Grandfather of

Yesugei Yesugei Baghatur or Yesükhei ( Traditional Mongolian: ; Modern Mongolian: Есүхэй баатар, ''Yesukhei baatar'', ; ) (b. 1134 – d. 1171) was a major chief of the Khamag Mongol confederation and the father of Temüjin, later known a ...

, the father of

, is called Yesugei Baghatur *The Mongol general

Subutai Subutai ( Classical Mongolian: ''Sübügätäi'' or ''Sübü'ätäi''; Modern Mongolian: Сүбээдэй, ''Sübeedei''. ; ; c. 1175–1248) was a Mongol general and the primary military strategist of Genghis Khan and Ögedei Khan. He directed ...

is referred to in the ''

Secret History of the Mongols ''The Secret History of the Mongols'' ( Middle Mongol: ''Mongɣol‑un niɣuca tobciyan''; Traditional Mongolian: , Khalkha Mongolian: , ; ) is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolian language. It was written for the Mongol royal fa ...

'' as ''baghatur''. *

Ilkhan The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...

Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan (June 2, 1305 – December 1, 1335) ( Persian, Arabic: ), also spelt Abusaid Bahador Khan, Abu Sa'id Behauder ( mn, , ''Busayid Baghatur Khan'', ''Бусайд баатар хаан'' / ''Busaid baatar khaan'', in mod ...

took the title Ba'atur after his name for his victory over the rebellion of the Mongol Keraits in Iran. *

Bayan of the Merkid Bayan of the Merkid (died 1340), or Bayan (), was a Mongol general of the Merkid clan and an official in the Yuan dynasty. Life Bayan was born into a family with military background. Many of his family members had served as soldiers during the ...

, the Grand councillor of the Yuan dynasty, was awarded Baghatur for his merit during the Ogedeid-Yuan conflict.Ed. Herbert Franke and others - ''The Cambridge History of China'': Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 710-1368, p.568 *Two

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperors were named Bahadur Shah:

Bahadur Shah I Bahadur Shah I (14 October 1643 – 27 February 1712), also known as Muhammad Mu'azzam and Shah Alam I. was the eighth Mughal Emperor who ruled from 1707 until his death in 1712. In his youth, he conspired to overthrow his father Aurangzeb, t ...

and

Bahadur Shah Zafar II Bahadur Shah II, usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah ''Zafar'' (; ''Zafar'' Victory) was born Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad (24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862) and was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor as well a ...

. *

Banda Singh Bahadur Banda Singh Bahadur (born Lachman Dev) (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a commander of Khalsa army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery a ...

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ' ...

warrior and general *

Altani Altani was a heroine of the Mongols and was the wife of Genghis Khan's mother Oelun's adopted son Borokhul. Heroism Altani stayed in the camp of Hoelun, mother of Genghis Khan. A Tatar by the name of Qargil Shira entered the tent in which both ...

, daughter of Genghis Khan * Stephen IX Báthory (1533–1586), Prince of Transylvania, and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. *

Erdeni Batur Erdeni Batur (in modern Mongolian: Эрдэнэбаатар, Erdenebaatar; ; d. 1653) was a Choros-Oirat prince generally considered to be the founder of the Dzungar Khanate, centered in the Dzungaria region, currently in north-westernmost part ...

, founder of the

Dzungar Khanate The Dzungar Khanate, also written as the Zunghar Khanate, was an Inner Asian khanate of Oirat Mongol origin. At its greatest extent, it covered an area from southern Siberia in the north to present-day Kyrgyzstan in the south, and fro ...

. * Abulghazi, ruler of the

Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva ( chg, ''Khivâ Khânligi'', fa, ''Khânât-e Khiveh'', uz, Xiva xonligi, tk, Hywa hanlygy) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm in Central Asia from 1511 to 1920, except for ...

, had the title of Bahadur Khan. He wrote the famous epic of the Mongols called the genealogical tree of the Mongols (or General history of Tatars). * Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Sir Khengarji III Sawai Bahadur - the ruler of Kutch, was the first ruler of Princely State of Cutch to be given title of Sawai Bahadur. * Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Vijayaraji Khengarji Sawai Bahadur - the ruler of Kutch, used Bahadur as a hereditary title. * Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Madansinhji Vijayaraji Sawai Bahadur - the ruler of Kutch, used Bahadur as a hereditary title. *Field Marshal

Sam Manekshaw Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), widely known as Sam Manekshaw and Sam Bahadur ("Sam the Brave"), was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of ...

, the second Indian soldier to be so honored, was known as "Sam Bahadur." *

Damdin Sükhbaatar Damdin Sükhbaatar ( mn, Дамдины Сүхбаатар, Damdinii Sühbaatar, ; February 2, 1893 – February 20, 1923) was a Mongolian communist revolutionary, founding member of the Mongolian People's Party, and leader of the Mongolia ...

, was a founding member of the

Mongolian People's Party The Mongolian People's Party (MPP) is a social democratic political party in Mongolia. It was founded as a communist party in 1920 by Mongolian revolutionaries and is the oldest political party in Mongolia. The party played an important role ...

and leader of the Mongolian partisan army that liberated

Khüree Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north cen ...

during the

Outer Mongolian Revolution of 1921 The Mongolian Revolution of 1921 (Outer Mongolian Revolution of 1921, or People's Revolution of 1921) was a military and political event by which Mongolian revolutionaries, with the assistance of the Soviet Red Army, expelled Russian White Guar ...

. Enshrined as the "Father of Mongolia's Revolution", he is remembered as one of the most important figures in Mongolia's struggle for independence. *

Ospan Batyr Osman Islambayuly Batur ( kk, Оспан батыр, ''Ospan Batyr'', وسپان باتىر; zh, t=烏斯滿·巴圖爾; mn, t=Осман дээрэмчин, Осман дээрэмчин (Osman the Bandit); Mongolian: sometimes spelled as Ut ...

Notes

References

*{{cite book , last=Beckwith , first=Christopher I. , author-link=Christopher I. Beckwith , date=16 March 2009 , title=Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5jG1eHe3y4EC , publisher=

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent Academic publishing, publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, ...

, isbn=978-0691135892 , access-date=30 May 2015 * Brook, Kevin Alan. ''The Jews of Khazaria.'' 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2006. *Grousset, R. ''The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia''. Rutgers Univ. Press, 1988. *Saunders, J. ''The History of the Mongol Conquests''. Univ. of Penn. Press, 2001. Turkish titles Honorary titles Mongol Empire Bulgarian noble titles Titles of the Göktürks

Etymology

List of individuals with this title

See also

Notes

References