Khutughtu Khan (;

Mongolian script The traditional Mongolian script, also known as the Hudum Mongol bichig, was the first Mongolian alphabet, writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most widespread until the introduction of Cyrillic script, Cy ...

: ; ), born Kuśala (Mongolian: Хүслэн ; ; , meaning "virtuous"/"wholesome"), also known by his

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

as the Emperor Mingzong of Yuan (; 22 December 1300 – 30 August 1329), was a son of Khayishan (Emperor Wuzong) who seized the throne 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 in 1329, but died in suspicious circumstances six months later.Herbert Franke, Denis Twitchett, John King Fairbank-The Cambridge History of China: Alien regimes and border states, 907–1368, p. 545. Apart from the

Emperor of China Throughout Chinese history, "Emperor" () was the superlative title held by the monarchs of imperial China's various dynasties. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was the " Son of Heaven", an autocrat with the divine mandat ...

, he is considered as the 13th

Great Khan Khagan or Qaghan ( Middle Mongol:; or ''Khagan''; ) or zh, c=大汗, p=Dàhán; ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan, Khaqan, Xagahn, Qaghan, Chagan, Қан, or Kha'an is a title of imperial ...

of 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 ...

, although it was only nominal due to the division of the empire.

Early life and exile

Kusala was the eldest son of Khayishan (

Külüg Khan Külüg Khan (Mongolian language, Mongolian: Хүлэг; Mongolian script: ; ), born Khayishan (Mongolian: Хайсан ; , , meaning "wall"), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Wuzong of Yuan () (August 4, 1281 – January 27, 1311), ...

or Emperor Wuzong) and a

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

-Ikhires woman. Due to the unstable balance present in the Khayishan administration with the tense rivalry between Khayishan, his younger brother Ayurbarwada and their mother Dagi of the

Khongirad The Khongirad (; ; ; ) was one of the major divisions of the Mongol tribes. Their homeland was located in the vicinity of Hulun Lake, Lake Hulun in Inner Mongolia and Khalkha River in Mongolia,M. Sanjdorj, History of the Mongolian People's Repub ...

clan, Khayishan appointed Ayurbarwada as Crown Prince on the condition that he would pass the status to Kusala after succession. However, after Khayishan's death, Ayurbarwada succeeded to the throne in 1311. In 1320, Dagi, Temüder and other members of the Khongirad faction installed Ayurbarwada's son Shidebala as the new ruler instead of Kusala, due to the knowledge of Kusala coming from an Ikhires background, rather than the more noble Khongirad lineage. To ensure Shidebala's succession, Kusala was rewarded with the title of king of Chou and relegated to

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

in 1316; but fled to Esen Bukha-ruled

Chagatai Khanate The Chagatai Khanate, also known as the Chagatai Ulus, was a Mongol and later Turkification, Turkicized khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan, second son of Genghis Khan, and his descendants and successors. At its height in the l ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

, as a pro-Khayishan official advised, after a failed revolt in

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

. When the Chagatayid Khan Esen Bukha heard that Kusala was living near his realm, he came to greet him. After that, Kusala was backed by the Chagatayid princes. While in exile in Central Asia, he married Mailaiti, a daughter of Temuder of the Qarluq.

Brief accession and sudden death

Although the rival faction was purged by Yesün Temür Khan (Emperor Taiding) when Shidibala Khan (Emperor Yingzong) was assassinated, he remained in Central Asia. He extended his influence in his stronghold, which was located to the west of

Altai Mountains The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The ...

. In 1328, when Yesün Temür Khan died, a civil war known as the War of the Two Capitals erupted between

Shangdu Shangdu (; lit. "Upper Capital"; ), known in the West as Xanadu, was the summer capital of the Yuan dynasty under Kublai Khan. Located in what is now Zhenglan Banner, Inner Mongolia, it was designed by Chinese architect Liu Bingzhong and served as ...

-based

Ragibagh Ragibagh (Mongolian language, Mongolian: Рагибаха or Ражабаг; ; Arigabag), also known by his Chinese era name, era name as the Tianshun Emperor of Yuan (), was a son of Yesün Temür (Yuan dynasty), Yesün Temür (Taiding Emperor) ...

and Dadu-based Tugh Temür. The former was a son of Yesün Temür and was backed up the former Yesün Temür administration led by Dawlat Shah, and the latter was Kuśala's younger brother who was supported by the former Khayishan faction led by the Qipchaq commander El Temür and the

Merkit The Merkit (; ; ) was one of the five major tribal confederations of MongolBayan Bayan may refer to: Educational institutions * Bayan Islamic Graduate School, Chicago, IL Places *Bayan-Aul, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan *Bayan Mountain, an ancient mountain name for part of Tarbagatai Mountains at Kazakhstan in Qing Dynasty period *B ...

, a governor 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 ...

. This ended in the victory of Tugh Temür since he secured support from most of the princes, aristocrats and warlords in the south of the

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (, , ; ) is a large, cold desert and grassland region in North China and southern Mongolia. It is the sixth-largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word ''gobi'', used to refer to all of th ...

. Tugh Temür summoned his brother to come to Dadu. At the same time, Kuśala, with support from the Chaghadayid leaders

Eljigidey Eljigidey was Khan of the Chagatai Khanate, a division of 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 Mo ...

and Duwa Temür, entered

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

from the Tarbagatai region (in the

Khangai Mountains The Khangai Mountains form a mountain range, range in central Mongolia, some west of Ulaanbaatar. Name Two provinces of Mongolia are named after the Khangai mountains: Arkhangai (North Khangai) and Ovorkhangai (South Khangai). The mild climat ...

). He also got support from princes and generals of Mongolia, and with overwhelming military power in the background, put pressure on Tugh Temür, who had already ascended the throne. Kuśala enthroned himself on 27 February 1329, north of

Karakorum Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...

. Tugh Temür abdicated on 3 April 1329, and a month later El Temür brought the imperial seal to Kuśala in Mongolia, announcing Dadu's intent to welcome him. Kuśala responded by making Tugh Temür his heir apparent on 15 May. Kuśala had proceeded to appoint his own loyal followers to important posts in the Secretariat, the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the Censorate. Taking 1,800 men with him, Kuśala set out for Dadu. On 26 August, he met with Tugh Temür in Ongghuchad (Onggachatu), where Tugh Temur had built the city of Zhongdu. He suddenly died only 4 days after a banquet with Tugh Temür. The

Yuan shi The ''History of Yuan'' (), also known as the ''Yuanshi'', is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' of China. Commissioned by the court of the Ming dynasty, in accordance to political tradition, th ...

states that the luckless Kuśala Khan died of violence. It seems that Kuśala was poisoned by El Temür, who feared losing power to princes and officers of the

and Mongolia, who followed Kuśala.Fujishima Tateki-Gen no Minso no shogai, p. 22. Tugh Temür was restored to the throne on 8 September.

Family

Khutughtu Khan had two wives who were Mailaiti, a descendant of the famous Qarluq chief, Arslan, who submitted to

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 ...

and Babusha of the Naiman. They gave birth to two Mongol emperors, including

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 ...

, the last Mongolian emperor to rule China. * Parents: ** Külüg, Emperor Wuzong of Yuan (; 4 August 1281 – 27 January 1311) ** Concubine Shoutong () * Wives and children: ** Empress Zhenyuhuisheng of Karluks (; d. 1320), personal name Mailaiti (迈来迪) *** Budaxini, Princess Minghui of Zhenyi (不答昔你明慧貞懿公主), 2nd daughter *** Toghon Temür, Emperor Huizong (; 25 May 1320 – 23 May 1370), first son ** Empress Anchuhan () ** Empress Yuelusha () *** Yuelu, Grand Princess of Chang State (), 1st daughter ** Empress Buyanhuludou () ** Empress Yesu () ** Empress Tuohusi () ** Empress Babusha, of Naiman Borjigit clan (; d. 1330) *** '' Rinchinbal, Prince of Fu'' (; 1 May 1326 – 14 December 1332), second son

References

*Ч.Далай – ''Монголын түүх 1260–1388'' *Д.Цэен-Ойдов – ''Чингис богдоос Лигдэн хутагт хүртэл монголын хаад'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mingzong Great Khans of the Mongol Empire Emperors of the Yuan dynasty Yuan dynasty Buddhists Chinese Buddhist monarchs 14th-century Chinese monarchs 14th-century Mongol khans 1300 births 1329 deaths Murdered emperors of China Mongolian Buddhist monarchs

Early life and exile

Brief accession and sudden death

Family

See also

References