Baghatur is a historical Turkic and Mongolic honorific title, in origin a term for "

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

" or "valiant warrior". The Papal envoy

Plano Carpini Giovanni da Pian del Carpine (or Carpini; anglicised as ''John of Plano Carpini''; – 1 August 1252) was a medieval Italian diplomat, Catholic archbishop, explorer and one of the first Europeans to enter the court of the Great Khan of t ...

( 1185–1252) 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 the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, 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 Euro ...

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 grand ...

in the

Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

and the

Timurid dynasty The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani (), was the ruling dynasty of the Timurid Empire (1370–1507). It was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim dynasty or Barlās clan of Turco-Mongol originB.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in Encyclopaedia of I ...

, among others. In the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

which was a successor state of the Timurids, the term was pronounced as "Bahadur". The concept of the Baghatur is present in

Turco-Mongol tradition The Turco-Mongol or Turko-Mongol tradition was an ethnocultural synthesis that arose in Asia during the 14th century among the ruling elites of the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate. The ruling Mongol elites of these khanates eventually as ...

, one instance is the Bashkir epic poem

Ural-batyr ''Ural-batyr'' or ''Oral-batır'' (, pronounced , from Ural Mountains, Ural + Turkic language, Turkic Baghatur, ''batır'' 'hero, brave man') is the most famous ''kubair'' (epic poetry, epic poem) of the Bashkirs. It is a telling of heroic deeds ...

. The

Bogatyr A bogatyr (, ; , ) or vityaz (, ; , ) is a stock character in medieval Bylina, East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear mainly in Kievan Rus', Rus' epic poems—Bylina, ''bylinas''. Historically, they came i ...

of Eastern Slavic

legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, comic books, and theater * ''Legend'' (Gemmell novel), a 1 ...

is derived from the Turkic term. 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 Turkic and Mongolic warriors strove to live up to, hence its use as a military honorific of glory.

Etymology and distribution

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

China proper China proper, also called Inner China, are terms used primarily in the West in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China centered in the southeast. The term was first used by Westerners during the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dyn ...

as early as the 7th century as evidenced in

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

records. It is attested for the

Second Turkic Khaganate The Second Turkic Khaganate was a khaganate in Central and Eastern Asia founded by the Ashina clan of the Göktürks that lasted between 682–744. It was preceded by the Eastern Turkic Khaganate (552–630) and the early Tang dynasty period ( ...

in the 6th century, and among the

Bulgars The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic peoples, Turkic Nomad, semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region between the 5th and 7th centu ...

of the

First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh of Bulgaria, Asparuh, moved south to the northe ...

in the 6th century. Some authors claim Iranian origin of the word, the first syllable is very likely the

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

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. He was born in Malta. The eldest son of Major Sir John Eugene Clauso ...

, ''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 the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

as zh, s=冒頓, labels=no (with ''-n'' for foreign ''-r''), now pronounced ''Mòdùn'' ~ ''Màodùn'' in

standard Chinese Standard Chinese ( zh, s=现代标准汉语, t=現代標準漢語, p=Xiàndài biāozhǔn hànyǔ, l=modern standard Han speech) is a modern standard form of Mandarin Chinese that was first codified during the republican era (1912–1949). ...

. The word was introduced in many cultures as a result of the Turco-Mongol conquests, and now exists in different forms in various languages: ; ''Baγatur'',

Khalkha Mongolian The Khalkha dialect is a dialect of central Mongolian widely spoken in Mongolia. According to some classifications, the Khalkha dialect includes Inner Mongolian varieties such as ''Shiliin gol'', ''Ulaanchab'' and ''Sönid''. As it was the basis ...

: Баатар ''Bātar''; zh, t=巴特爾; ; ; ; ; ; ; ''Bahador''; ka, ბაგატურ ''Bagatur''; and Hindustani ''Bahadur'' . It is also preserved in the modern Turkic and Mongol languages as Altai ''Баатыр (Baatïr)'', Turkish ''Batur/Bahadır'',

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

and Kazakh ''Батыр (Batyr)'', Uzbek ''Batyr'' and

Mongolian Mongolian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia * Mongolian people, or Mongols * Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924 * Mongolian language * Mongolian alphabet * ...

''Baatar'' (as in

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...

). It is the origin of a number of terms and names, such as ''Bahadur'' (in

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 ...

, South Asian Muslim,

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a 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 ''Si ...

and other cultures),

Bahadır Bahadır is a common masculine Turkish name, Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Bahadır" means "brave", "galahad", "hero", "valiant", and/or "gallant". This name is written with a dotless ı. It appears as BAHADIR in uppercase and bahadır in low ...

(a popular male name in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Baturu Baturu (Manchu language, Manchu: ''baturu''; ) was an official title of China's Qing dynasty, awarded to commanders and soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield. In Manchu, ''baturu'' means "warrior" or "brave." It is originally from the Mon ...

Bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

Mete Mete is a common masculine Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Mete" means "brave", "galahad", "hero", "valiant", and/or "gallant". Mete is a deformed version of "Mo - du" which is the regional name of Modu Chanyu who was the founder of Xiongnu Empi ...

Metehan Metehan is a masculine Turkish given name. Mete is the Turkish derivation of standard Chinese "Modu" "墨毒" (<

Middle Chines ...

, , Polish '' Bohater'' (), (meaning "brave"), among others.

Titles Incorporating ''Bahadur''

''Bahadur'' was often included in titles in

and later during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

to signify a higher level of honor above the title without the word. For example: * '' Nawab Bahadur'', a

title of honour A title of honor or honorary title is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits. Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed ...

bestowed during

and later during

. * ''

Rao Bahadur Rai Bahadur (in North India) and Rao Bahadur (in South India), R.B., was a title of honour bestowed during British Raj, British rule in India to individuals for outstanding service or acts of public welfare to the British Empire, Empire. From ...

'' or ''Rai Bahadur'', a

bestowed during

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

in India * ''

Sawai Sawai may refer to: *Sawai (surname), a Japanese surname *Sawai (title), a title of honor used in India *Sawai language, a South Halmahera language of Austronesian stock spoken in Indonesia *Sawai, Car Nicobar, a village in the Andaman and Nicobar ...

Bahadur, used as a title for rulers of Kutch. See individuals below. * Informally used to upgrade a title or title of address (often sarcastically) in South Asia. For example ''Saahab Bahadur'' (see, for example, the movie

Saheb Bahadur ''Sahib Bahadur'' is a 1977 Indian Hindi cinema, Hindi film directed by Chetan Anand. Plot In a small town of Chamba (Himachal Pradesh), situated in a picturesque Indian valley, lives a corrupt Deputy collector, Hare Murari, an equally corrupt ...

); ''Company Bahadur'' (for the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

); ''Angrez Bahadur'' (for the

); and so on.

List of individuals with this title

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

Modu Chanyu Modu () 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 BCE. Modu ruled from 209 to 174 BCE. He was a military leader under his father Touman and later ''chanyu ...

, 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 AD. The title was most famously used by the ruling L ...

of the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

empire. *

Tonyukuk Tonyukuk (, 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 khagans – Ilterish Qaghan, Qapaghan Qaghan, Inel Qaghan and Bilge Qaghan. He conducted v ...

, military commander of

. *Bagatur Bagaina Sevar, 6th century commander in

Alogobotur Alogobotur () (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 the name is not a perso ...

, 10th century commander in the First Bulgarian Empire * Habich Baghatur, a tribal

Khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

Borjigin A Borjigin is a member of the Mongol sub-clan that started with Bodonchar Munkhag of the Kiyat clan. Yesugei's descendants were thus said to be Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and Inner Mongolia u ...

and son of the founder of Borijigid Clan

Bodonchar Khan Bodonchar Munkhag or, Bodonchar Khan (Mongol: Бодончар Мөнх, b. around late-9th Centuries – d. 10th Century CE.) was a renowned Mongol Borjigin Tribal-Chieftain and Warlord, he was known as founding patriach of Borjigins and ruling ...

Bartan Bagatur Yesükhei () or Yesugei Baghatur ( 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, who later bec ...

, the

prince and grandfather of

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

Yesugei Yesükhei () or Yesugei Baghatur ( 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, who later be ...

, the father of

, is called Yesugei Baghatur *The Mongol general

Subutai Subutai (c. 1175–1248) was a Mongol general and the primary military strategist of Genghis Khan and Ögedei Khan. He ultimately directed more than 20 campaigns, during which he conquered more territory than any other commander in history a ...

is referred to in the ''

Secret History of the Mongols The ''Secret History of the Mongols'' is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolic languages. Written for the Mongol royal family some time after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, it recounts his life and conquests, and partially the r ...

'' as ''baghatur''. *

Il khan Il Khan (also ''il-khan'', ''ilkhan'', ''elkhan'', etc.), in Turkic languages and Mongolian, is a title of leadership. It combines the title ''khan'' with the prefix ''el/il'', from the word ''ulus'' – 'tribe, clan', 'the people', 'nation', 'h ...

Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan (June 2, 1305 – December 1, 1335; ), also spelled Abusaid Bahador Khan, Abu Sa'id Behauder (Modern , ''Abu sayid Baghatur Khan'', in modern Mongolian Cyrillic alphabet, Mongolian), was the ninth ruler (c. 1316 – 1335) ...

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 emperors The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty ( House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire i ...

used the regnal name Bahadur Shah:

Bahadur Shah I Bahadur Shah I (Muhammad Mu'azzam; 14 October 1643 – 27 February 1712) or Shah Alam I, was the eighth Mughal Emperor from 1707 to 1712. He was the second son of the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who he conspired to overthrow in his youth ...

(also called ''Shah Alam I''), and Bahadur Shah II, more commonly referred to as Bahadur Shah ''Zafar'', incorporating his

takhallus In Persian language, Persian, Turkic languages, Turkic, Hindustani language, Hindustani and Punjabi language, Punjabi, the word ''takhallus'' (from Arabic , ; ; ; ; , ) means a pen name. Pen names were widely adopted by Persian, Turkic, Urdu and Pu ...

, or pen name as a poet. *

Banda Singh Bahadur Banda Singh Bahadur, born Lachman Dev (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a Jathedar, general of the Khalsa Fauj, Khalsa Army. At age 15, he left home to become an Sannyasa, ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Baira ...

warrior and general *

Altani Boroqul (, also known as Boroghul, Boro'ul, and Borokhula; –1217) was one of the foremost generals of Temüjin (later Genghis Khan) during his rise to power. Raised as a foundling by Temüjin's mother Hoelun, he won great renown by saving t ...

, relative of Genghis Khan *

Stephen Báthory Stephen Báthory (; ; ; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586) as well as Prince of Transylvania, earlier Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576). The son of Stephen VIII 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 ( Mongolian: ), also known as the Zunghar Khanate or Junggar 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 Kyrgyz ...

. *

Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur ( Chagatai and , Abulgazi, Ebulgazi, Abu-l-Ghazi, August 24, 1603 – 1663) was the Khan of Khiva from 1643 to 1663. He was a member of the Uzbek Shaybanid dynasty. He spent ten years in Persia before becoming khan, and was ...

, ruler of the

Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva (, , uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva xonligi, Хива хонлиги, , ) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarazm, Khorezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Afsharid Iran, Afsharid occupat ...

, 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). * Bahadur Shah, Chautaria & Prince Regent of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

from 31 August 1778 to 20 June 1779. * Shree Tin Jung Bahadur Rana, Founder of the Rana Dynasty, 1st Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski, Prime Minister and the de facto ruler of

from 15 September 1846 to 1 August 1856 and again from 28 June 1857 to 25 February 1877. *

Khengarji III Maharajadhiraj Mirza (noble), Mirza Maharao Sir Khengarji III Sawai (title), Sawai Baghatur, Bahadur (23 August 1866 – 15 January 1942) was a progressive and List of longest-reigning monarchs, one of the longest ruling monarchs and also the l ...

, was the first ruler of Kutch to be given title of ''Sawai Bahadur''. *

Vijayarajaji Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Sir Vijayarajaji Khengarji Sawai Bahadur, (2September 188526February 1948) was the ruling Rao of Kutch from 1942 to his death in 1948.

, ruler of Kutch, used Bahadur as a hereditary title. *

Madansinhji Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Madansinhji Vijayaraji Sawai Bahadur (12 October 1909 – 21 June 1991) was the last official ruler of the Princely State of Cutch, from 26 February 1948 to 1 June 1948.Kutch, used Bahadur as a hereditary title. *Field Marshal

Sam Manekshaw Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), also known as Sam Bahadur ("the Brave") was an Indian Army general officer who was the Chief of the Army Staff (India), Chief of the army staff during the Banglade ...

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

Damdin Sükhbaatar Damdin Sükhbaatar (2 February 1893 – 20 February 1923) was a Mongolian revolutionary, founding member of the Mongolian People's Party, and leader of the Mongolian partisan army that took Khüree during the Mongolian Revolution of 19 ...

, 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 during the

Mongolian Revolution of 1921 The Mongolian Revolution of 1921 was a military and political event by which Mongolian revolutionaries, with the assistance of the Soviet Red Army, expelled Russian White movement, White Guards from the country, and founded the Mongolian People' ...

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

Osman Batur Osman Batur (1899 – April 29, 1951) also known mononymously as Osman was a Kazakh military leader active in the Altai Mountains. He led a personal army of fellow Kazakhs and fought alongside the Soviet-backed Second East Turkestan Republic, b ...

, a Chinese warlord of Kazakh ethnicity

Notes

References

*. *Brook, Kevin Alan. ''The Jews of Khazaria.'' 3rd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2018. *Grousset, René. ''The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia''. Rutgers University Press, 1970. . *Saunders, J. J. ''The History of the Mongol Conquests''. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. {{ISBN, 9780812217667. Turkish titles Honorary titles Mongol Empire Chinese royal titles Bulgarian noble titles Titles of the Göktürks