Khutugtu Khan (; ), born Ligdan (; ), (1588–1634) was a khagan of the

Northern Yuan dynasty The Northern Yuan was a dynastic state ruled by the Mongol Borjigin clan based in the Mongolian Plateau. It existed as a rump state after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty in 1368 and lasted until its conquest by the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led ...

, reigning from 1604 to 1634. During his reign, he vigorously attempted to reunify the divided Mongol Empire, achieving moderate levels of success. However, his unpopular reign generated violent opposition due to his harsh restrictions over the Mongol tribes as he attempted to centralize the state. His alliance with the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, sponsorship of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

in Chakhar and the reorganization of Mongol political divisions were ineffective when the Later Jin dynasty became the major power in

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

Name

His name is from Mongolian "Ligden Khutugt Khan" (

Mongolian Cyrillic The Mongolian Cyrillic alphabet (Mongolian: , or , ) is the writing system used for the standard dialect of the Mongolian language in the modern state of Mongolia. It has a largely phonemic orthography, meaning that there is a fair degree of ...

: Лигдэн Хутугт хаан), title Ligden Khutugt from . His name is also written Lindan Han (

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

: ; 1588–1634).

Life and reign

Ligden (b. 1588) was a son of Mangghus Mergen Taiji and grandson of

Buyan Sechen Khan Sechen Khan (; ), born Buyan (; ), (1556–1604) was a khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty, reigning from 1592 to 1604. He was the eldest son of Jasaghtu Khan whom he succeeded. Reign During Buyan Khan’s rule, the Northern Yuan dynasty once ...

(r. 1593–1603). Because his father died early, Ligden was chosen to succeed his grandfather Buyan as

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 ...

of the

with the reign title Khutugtu in 1603. At the time the Khagan's

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

, Chakhar people, occupied Sira Mören valley.C.P.Atwood ''Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire'', 2004 p. 88. Ligden divided the Chakhar into right and left wings and built Chaghan city near Abaga Khara Mountain. Mongolia 1600-1680

During his early reign, Ligden had the respect and loyalty of other Mongol tümens. Boshigo

jinong Jinong () was a title of the Mongols. It was derived from Chinese ''Jinwang'' (, a title for crown prince, similar to Prince of Wales) although some historians have suggested it originates from ''Qinwang'' (). Whatever its relation with the Chine ...

of the Three Right Wing Tumens expressed his allegiance to Ligden Khan. Allied with princes of the Southern Khalkha (Baarin and Jarud), Ligden raided the

. However, from 1612 on, leaders of the

Khorchin The Khorchin (, ''Horchin''; ''Qorčin''; ) are a subgroup of the Mongols that speak the Khorchin dialect of Mongolian and predominantly live in northeastern Inner Mongolia of China. History The Ming dynasty gave Borjigin princes (descended ...

and the Jarud became in-laws with the rising

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

-led Later Jin dynasty. By the early 17th century, the Khan's court had lost most of its power and was under pressure from the Manchus in the east. Hoping that he could consolidate his power over the Mongol tümens, Ligden moved the

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

religious center of the Mongols to Chakhar and had himself declared both religious and political leader of the Mongols by a

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

an religious leader.Ж.Бор – Монгол хийгээд Евразийн дипломат шаштир, боть III, p. 123. Ligden revived the old Saskyapa order of

Kublai Kublai Khan (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first List of emperors of the Yuan dynasty, emperor of the Mongols, Mongol-l ...

's time (r. 1260–94), inviting the order's Sharba pandita, who was appointed his preceptor in 1617. Sharba installed Mahakala image in Ligden's capital Chagan. Ligden Khan also built temples at Küriye. In 1618, Ligden signed a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

with the Ming dynasty to protect their northern border from the Manchus in exchange for thousands of

tael Tael ( ),"Tael" entry
at the

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing, was the founding khan of the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin dynasty. As the leader of the House of Aisin-Gi ...

(r. 1616–1626) broke off relations and most of the Eastern Tümens deserted to Nurhaci in 1622–24. Ligden, on the other hand, by trying to assume this former power, ruled in a progressively aggressive fashion, so several Mongolian tribes opted to form a coalition with the Manchus. When the Khorchin and some formerly allied tribes bonded with the Manchus in 1624, Ligden undertook a

punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beha ...

and besieged the Khorchin nobleman Oba for 3 days, but retreated when Manchu relief troops arrived. When Ligden Khan called the northern Khalkhas to join him against the Manchus, only

Tsogt Taij Tümengken Choghtu Khong Tayiji ( Classical Mongolian: , ''Tümengken čoγtu qong tayiǰi''; modern Mongolian: , , Tümenkhen Tsogt Khun Taij; ; 1581–1637), was a noble in Northern Khalkha. He expanded into Amdo (present-day Qinghai) to h ...

accepted his appeal. Ligden aimed at centralizing Mongol rule. He appointed officials to rule the left and right wing tümens, and organized a special court nobility and a corps of 300 baaturs (warriors). In 1627, the other tümens were in full

revolt Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

. Princes ruling the Sunid, Uzemchin, and Abaga moved northwest and allied with the Three Right Wing Tumens against Ligden. They attacked Ligden at Zhaocheng. Ligden defeated the allies but lost 10,000 Chakhars. When the Ming court refused to pay

subsidy A subsidy, subvention or government incentive is a type of government expenditure for individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilizing the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having acc ...

, he raided the Ming Empire, forcing them to renew the treaty. The Ming increased his annual subsidy to 81,000 taels of silver. In 1631 Ligden passed the Khinggan Range and successfully attacked the Khorchin and the Tümed. A powerful alliance of Khorchin,

Tümed The Tümed (; ; "The many or ten thousands" derived from Tumen) are a Mongol subgroup. They live in Tumed Left Banner, district of Hohhot and Tumed Right Banner, district of Baotou in China. Most engage in sedentary agriculture, living in mixed ...

Yungshiyebu The Kharchin ( Mongolian: , , ; zh, c=喀喇沁部), or Kharachin, is a subgroup of the Mongols residing mainly (and originally) in North-western Liaoning and Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. There are Khalkha-Kharchin Mongols in Dorno-Gobi Province ( ...

, Ordos and Abaga was formed against Ligden. They destroyed 4,000 Chahar militias in

Hohhot Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the Capital (political), capital of Inner Mongolia in the North China, north of the China, People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrativ ...

and 3,000 soldiers who were going to take Ligden's subsidy from the Ming. In 1632, the Later Jin khan

Hong Taiji Hong Taiji (28 November 1592 – 21 September 1643), also rendered as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Qing, was the second khan of the Later Jin ...

and his Mongol allies undertook a campaign against Ligden who avoided a confrontation and with maybe 100,000 Chakhar fled to Kokenuur. Ligden made himself yet more unpopular by seizing the wife of Erinchin jinong and taking refuge in the Eight White Yurts of Genghis Khan in Kokenuur. Allied with the Tibetan monarchs, he opposed Dalai Lama V and Banchin Erdene IV. He died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

at Sira Tala (in modern

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

) in 1634 while marching to attack dGe-lugs-pa order (Yellow Hat sect) in

. After Ligden Khan's death, his son

Ejei Khan Erke Khongghor (; ), alternatively known as Ejei (; ; "Ejei" means "lord" in the Mongolian language), (?–1641) was the last khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty, ruling briefly from 1634 to 1635. He was the son of Ligdan Khan. The Northern Yuan ...

(Erke qongγor eje) returned and was handed over to the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

which soon after established control over

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...

Name

The name is borrowed from the

Classical Tibetan Classical Tibetan refers to the language of any text written in Tibetic after the Old Tibetan period. Though it extends from the 7th century until the modern day (along with Arabic, Ge'ez, and New Persian, it is one of the handful of 'living' ...

term ''legs-ldan''. There, the letters ''s'' and ''l'' had already become silent, ''g'' before ''d'' could be realized as and ''a'' before ''n'' got palatalized. In Mongolian sources, the most frequent ways to write the name are ''Ligda/en'' and ''Linda/en'', but the intermediate ''Lingda/en'' () does appear as well. ''a'' and ''e'' are not differentiated in normal Mongolian writing in this position, but ''a'' is attested in a strict transcription from Tibetan letters in the chronicle Bolur Erdeni. However, for any Mongolian reader who does not immediately perceive the name to be a loan, the letter ''g'' would (by means of

consonant harmony Consonant harmony is a type of "long-distance" phonology, phonological Assimilation (phonology), assimilation, akin to the similar assimilatory process involving vowels, i.e. vowel harmony. Examples In Athabaskan languages One of the more common ...

and its interaction with

vowel harmony In phonology, vowel harmony is a phonological rule in which the vowels of a given domain – typically a phonological word – must share certain distinctive features (thus "in harmony"). Vowel harmony is typically long distance, meaning tha ...

) indicate that the word only contains

front vowel A front vowel is a class of vowel sounds used in some spoken languages, its defining characteristic being that the highest point of the tongue is positioned approximately as far forward as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction th ...

s. This must have been perceived in this fashion at the time of i-breaking as well, as this

phonological process A phonological rule is a formal way of expressing a systematic phonological or morphophonological process in linguistics. Phonological rules are commonly used in generative phonology as a notation to capture sound-related operations and computati ...

took place in back-vocalic words only and would have resulted in * had it been . Today, western scholars tend to cling to the written form of the Tibetan word and write ''Ligdan'', while Mongolian scholars will usually write ''Ligden'', both pointing to a possible alternative with ''n''. In

, the name is written as 林丹, the standard

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

transcription being ''Líndān''.

Family

Consorts and issue: * ''Empress Dowager'', of

Yehe Nara clan The Yehe Nara clan (, ) is one of the main branches of the Nara clan of Manchu people, Manchu origin. It is the family surname of the (chieftains) of the Yehe tribe of the Haixi Jurchens. The clan's progenitor was a Mongols, Mongol named Singgen ...

(太后葉赫那拉氏), personal name Sutai (苏泰) ** Ejei, ''Khagan of Northen Yuan'' ''(''額哲; d.1641), 1st son * '' Empress Dowager Nangnang,'' of Abaga Borjigin clan (囊囊太后博爾濟吉特氏;? – 1674), personal name Namjung (娜木鐘) **

Abunai Abunai (阿布奈; 1635 – May 5, 1675), known as Prince Chahar of the First Rank (察哈尔亲王), was a Mongol prince of clan Borjigin, second son of Ligden Khan. He opposed Qing influence in his domain and was subsequently placed into house a ...

, Prince Chahar of the First Rank (察哈尔亲王阿布奈; 1635 – 1675), 2nd son **Shuchai (淑侪), 1st daughter * ''Empress Dowager'', of the

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 ...

clan (太后博爾濟吉特氏), personal name Erjei (俄尔哲依) * Empress Dowager Boqi (伯奇太后), personal name Tasina (苔丝娜) * Consort Doutumen of the Abaga Borjigin clan (窦土门福晋博爾濟吉特氏) personal name Batmadzoo (巴特瑪璪)married to Hong Taiji as Consort Shu and given a title of Consort Kanghuishu * Consort Gortumen (郭尔土门福晋), married later Gunchusi Sengge (衮出斯僧格)

References

{{Authority control 1588 births 1634 deaths Northern Yuan khans 17th-century Mongol khans 17th-century Chinese monarchs

Name

Life and reign

Name

Family

See also

References