Bulugan or Bulukhan (,; ) was a

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 ...

princess, the consort of Yuan emperor

Temür Khan Öljeytü Khan ( Mongolian: Өлзийт; Mongolian script: '; ), born Temür ( mn, Төмөр ; ; October 15, 1265 – February 10, 1307), also known as Emperor Chengzong of Yuan () by his temple name ''Chengzong'', was the second emperor of the ...

(r. 1294–1307). Bulugan acted as regent for her ill husband and virtually ruled the empire.

Biography

She belonged to the Baya'ut tribe, the daughter of Torgus Küregen who had served

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 ...

. She was made empress following Shirindari's death in 1299. Bulugan acted as regent for her ill husband and virtually ruled the empire. She made her son Prince Dashi the heir apparent in June 1305. To ensure the boy's succession, she removed all the potential rivals from the court. For example,

Darmabala Darmabala (also known as Dharmapala - , , , ) — was a Mongol prince, grandson of Kublai Khan, son of his Crown Prince Zhenjin. He was an ancestor of subsequent Yuan monarchs who came after Temür Khan and the Goryeo kings after Gongmin. Biogr ...

's son

Ayurbarwada Buyantu Khan ( Mongolian: Буянт хаан; Mongolian script: ; ), born Ayurbarwada (Mongolian: Аюурбарбад ; ), also known by the temple name Renzong (Emperor Renzong of Yuan ( Chinese: 元仁宗, April 9, 1285 – March 1, 1320), was ...

was sent to

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

as the prince of Huaining.''The Cambridge History of China'': "Alien regimes and border states, 907-1368", p.505 But Dashi died in January 1306.

Later life

Later in 1307 when Temür Khan died, Bulugan kept away the

Khunggirad The Khongirad ( Mongolian: ᠬᠣᠩᠭᠢᠷᠠᠳ; Хонгирад; Khonghirad; ), also known as Qongirat (Qoŋğırat/Қоңғырат), was one of the major divisions of the Mongol tribes. Variations on the name include Onggirat, Ongirat, Q ...

-mothered brothers of Khaishan and

and attempted to set up Muslim Ananda, son of

Manggala Manggala (; , ) was a prince of the Mongol-led Chinese Yuan dynasty. He was a son of the Yuan founding emperor Kublai Khan. Biography Manggala was born around 1242 to Kublai Khan and his principal wife Chabi as their third son. He was created P ...

as new khagan. Bulugan herself married Ananda and converted to Islam. Her alliance was supported by some senior officials of the Secretariat under Aqutai. Ananda was a popular prince who successfully protected the provinces of the Yuan against the Ögedeid and Chaghatayid armies and had a bulk of the imperial army under him in Anxi. But he lacked of military power in the imperial capital city and was a Muslim opposed to the majority of the Buddhist and Tengriist Mongols. The Khongirad faction alarmed by it and arrested Ananda and Bulugan by coup and recalled Ayurbarwada and

Dagi Dagi was an ancient Egyptian vizier during the reign of pharaoh Mentuhotep II of the Eleventh Dynasty. Dagi is mainly known from his tomb in Western Thebes (TT103), which was once decorated with paintings and reliefs. From the reliefs only smal ...

from

. Then Khayishan decided to hold the coronation ceremony in

Shangdu Shangdu (, ), also known as Xanadu (; Mongolian: ''Šandu''), was the summer capital of the Yuan dynasty of China before Kublai decided to move his throne to the former Jin dynasty capital of Zhōngdū () which was renamed Khanbaliq (pre ...

just as his great-grandfather Khubilai Khan did, and advanced southward with the most part of his army. He was welcomed by Ayurbarwada, who gave up khanship, and ascended to the throne. They executed Ananda, Bulugan and their retainers in 1307.

References

13th-century Mongolian women 14th-century Mongolian women 14th-century women rulers Year of birth missing Yuan dynasty empresses 1307 deaths 14th-century executions 13th-century Chinese women 13th-century Chinese people 14th-century Chinese women 14th-century Chinese people {{Women-hist-stub