Bolad Temür (; ? – 1365) was a warlord of the
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...
of China. His daughter,
Bayan Khutugh
Bayan Khutugh (1324–1365), also Bayan Qudu (; Pai-yen Hu-tu; Mongolian script: ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨᠬᠤᠲᠤᠭ), was an empress consort of the Yuan dynasty as the second wife of Toghon Temür (Emperor Huizong). Her father was Bolod Temür.
Accor ...
, was the second wife of emperor
Toghon Temür
Toghon Temür (; Mongolian script: ; ; 25 May 1320 – 23 May 1370), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Huizong of Yuan (; ), bestowed by the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty, and by his posthumous name as t ...
.
Life
Bolad Temür was the son of
Dash Badalugh, the Yuan military organizer in
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
. After 1359, the Yuan government, feeling threatened by
Chaghan Temur's consolidation of power in northern China, gave Bolad control of
Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
and northern
Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
before ordering Chaghan to transfer control of central Shanxi to him. Chaghan's successful refusal revealed the strong regional interests of the nominal Yuan loyalists of northern China. Chaghan was murdered while besieging
Yidu
Yidu () is a county-level city in western Hubei Province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Yichang. It has a population of 395,000 residents, and covers an area of , divided into 1 subdistrict, 8 towns, and 1 t ...
in July 1362—possibly by men sent by Bolad—and was succeeded by his son,
Köke Temür
Köke Temür (; Mongolian: ᠬᠥᠬᠡᠲᠡᠮᠦᠷ, Köketemür, Хөхтөмөр; died 1375), sinicized name Wang Baobao (), was a prominent general of the Yuan dynasty of China.
History
He was born in Henan province. His paternal line ori ...
. Bolad joined
Li Siqi and other northern warlords to oppose Köke (even while rebel leader
Zhu Yuanzhang
The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1368 to 1398.
In ...
was expanding his power in southern China).
While Köke was consolidating his power in northern China, Bolad Temür plotted to remove the heir apparent,
Ayushiridara, from the line of succession; Ayushiridara was the son of emperor Toghon Temur's favourite concubine,
Öljei Khutuk, rather than Bolad's daughter, Empress Bayan Khutugh. Meanwhile, Bolad's insults directed towards Köke led to warfare between the two. In May 1364, Köke's imminent victory drove Bolad to flee to the capital,
Khanbaliq
Khanbaliq (; , ''Qaɣan balɣasu'') or Dadu of Yuan (; , ''Dayidu'') was the Historical capitals of China, winter capital of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in what is now Beijing, the capital of China today. It was located at the center of modern ...
, possibly to use the imperial family as
political hostages. His arrival frightened Ayushiridara, who fled to Köke's protection. The emperor, sick of Bolad's control over the Yuan court, ordered his assassination via an axe to the skull in August 1365; Bolad’s was sent to Ayushiridara to convince him to return to the capital. Li Siqi, along with three of Bolad's followers (
Zhang Liangbi,
Törebeg, and
Kong Xing), would continue to wage war against Köke Temur, preventing any possibility of Yuan restoration in southern China.
References
Citations
Books
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Temür, Bolad
Year of birth missing
1365 deaths
14th-century Chinese military personnel
14th-century Mongols
Yuan dynasty generals
Northern Yuan generals
Transition from Yuan to Ming