Merkits

The Merkit (; ; ) was one of the five major tribal confederations of MongolHistory of the Mongolian People's Republic. — Nauka Pub. House, Central Dept. of Oriental Literature, 1973. — p. 99.
/ref> Jeffrey Tayler. Murderers in Mausoleums: Riding the Back Roads of Empire Between Moscow and Beijing.
— Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. — p. 1. — .Bertold Spuler. The Muslim world: a historical survey. — Brill Archive, 1969. — p. 118.
/ref>Elza-Bair Mataskovna Gouchinova. The Kalmyks.
— Routledge, 2013. — p. 10. — . or Turkic origin in the 12th-century Mongolian Plateau.

The Merkits lived in the basins of the Selenga and lower Orkhon River (modern south Buryatia and Selenge Province).History of Mongolia, Volume II, 2003 After a struggle of over 20 years, they were defeated in 1200 by Genghis Khan and were incorporated into the Mongol Empire.

Etymology

The word ''Merkit'' (''Merged'') with a hard "g" is a plural form derived from the Mongolian word ''mergen'' (мэргэн), which means both "wise" and "skillful marksperson", e.g. adept in the use of bow and arrow. The word is also used in many phrases in which it connotes magic, oracles, divination, augury, or religious power. Mongolian language has no clear morphological or grammatical distinction between nouns and adjectives, so ''mergen'' may mean "a sage" as much as "wise" or mean "skillful" just as much as "a master". ''Merged'' becomes plural as in "wise ones" or "skillful markspeople". In the general sense, ''mergen'' usually denotes someone who is skillful and wise in their affairs.

Three Merkits

The Merkits were a confederation of three tribes, inhabiting the basin of the Selenga and Orkhon Rivers.
* The Uduyid Merkits lived in Buur-kheer, near the lower Orkhon River;
* The Uvas Merkits lived in Tar, between the Orkhon and Selenge Rivers;
* The Khaad Merkits ("Kings" Merkits) lived in Kharaji-kheer, on the Selenge River.

Ethnic relations

The Merkits were related to the Mongols, Naimans, Keraites, and Khitan people.

Conflict with Genghis Khan

Temüjin's mother Hoelun, originally from the Olkhonud, had been engaged to the Merkit chief Yehe Chiledu by 1153. She was abducted by Temüjin's father Yesugei, while being escorted home by Yehe Chiledu.

In turn, Temüjin's new wife Börte was kidnapped by Merkit raiders from their campsite by the Onon river around 1181 and given to one of their warriors. Temüjin, supported by his brother (not blood-related) Jamukha and his ''khan etseg'' ('khan father') Toghrul of the Keraites, attacked the Merkit and rescued Börte within the year. The Mergids were dispersed after this attack. Shortly thereafter she gave birth to a son named Jochi. Temüjin accepted paternity, but the question lingered throughout Jochi's life. These incidents caused a strong animosity between Temüjin's family and the Merkits. From 1191 to 1207, Temujin fought the Merkits five times.

By the time he had united the other Mongol tribes and received the title Genghis Khan in 1206, the Merkits seem to have disappeared as an ethnic group. Those who survived were likely absorbed by other Mongol tribes (Oirats, Buryats, Khalkhas) and others who fled to the Kipchaks mixed with them. In 1215–1218, Jochi and Subutai crushed the remnants of them under their former leader Toghta Beki's family. The Mongols clashed with the Kankalis or the Kipchaks because they had sheltered the Merkit.

Genghis Khan had a Merkit khatun (queen) named Khulan. She died while Mongol forces besieged Ryazan in 1236. In 1236, during the Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria, a body of the Merkit was found in the area of land dominated by the Bulgar and Kipchak.

Late Merkits

A few Merkits achieved prominent position among the Mongols, but they were classified as Mongols in Mongolian society. Great Khan Guyuk's beloved khatun Oghul Qaimish, who was a regent from 1248 to 1251, was a Merged woman. The traditionalist Bayan and his nephew Toqto'a served as grand chancellors of the Yuan dynasty. After the fall of the Yuan dynasty, they were a clan of a banner in the Northern Yuan dynasty.

Notes

References

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Mongol peoples
Nomadic groups in Eurasia
11th-century establishments in Asia
1200s disestablishments in Asia
Former confederations
Former monarchies
Nomadic confederacies