Tatar (; 1388 – 12 June 1635) was a general term used by the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

to refer to the nomadic peoples in the north. During 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 ...

, it specifically referred to the Eastern Mongols. In the early 15th century, the Mongolian tribes were divided into two major groups: the Eastern and the Western. The eastern part of the Mongolian grasslands was composed of tribes that were originally ruled by the

Northern Yuan 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 ...

court. They were nomadic and inhabited both the northern and southern regions 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 ...

. The Ming dynasty referred to them as "Tatars." The western part was inhabited by the

Oirats Oirats (; ) or Oirds ( ; ), formerly known as Eluts and Eleuths ( or ; zh, 厄魯特, ''Èlǔtè'') are the westernmost group of Mongols, whose ancestral home is in the Altai Mountains, Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia. ...

, located in the northwest of the Mongolian Plateau. The "Tatars" were ruled by the descendants of

Kublai Khan 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 emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the ...

, or by other Mongol branches who were not direct descendants but still considered part of the

Chinggisids The Chinggisids were the descendants of Genghis Khan, also known as Chinggis Khan, and his first wife Börte. The dynasty, which evolved from Genghis Khan's own Borjigin tribe, ruled the Mongol Empire and its successor states. The "Chinggisid p ...

. Their ancestors were the Black Tatars mentioned in the ''New History of Yuan''. The Mongols who were referred to as "Tatars" by the Ming called themselves The Forty ümenMongols (;

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 ...

: ; ''Döchin Mongol''), and are also known as the Mongol proper in modern times. During that period, Eastern Mongolia was divided into various independent tribes. After

Dayan Khan Dayan Khan (; ), born Batumöngke ( , ; ''Bātúméngkè''; 1472–1517) was a khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty, reigning from 1480 to 1517. During his rule, he reunited the Mongols under Chinggisid supremacy. His reigning title, "Dayan" ...

unified the Eastern Mongols, they were divided into six Tümens, and the name Six Tümens (; ''Zurgaan tümen'') was used in Mongolian thereafter until Inner Mongolia was conquered by the Later Jin. Later, it was further divided into the left and right wings. The left wing consisted of the Chahars,

Khalkha The Khalkha (; ) have been the largest subgroup of the Mongols in modern Mongolia since the 15th century. The Khalkha, together with Chahars, Ordos Mongols, Ordos and Tumed, were directly ruled by Borjigin khans until the 20th century. In cont ...

Uriankhai Uriankhai is a term of address applied by the Mongols to a group of forest peoples of the North, who include the Turkic-speaking Tuvans and Yakuts, while sometimes it is also applied to the Mongolian-speaking Altai Uriankhai. The Uria ...

, and Khorchin tribes, while the right wing included the Yunshebuu, Ordos,

Tumed 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 ...

, and Asud tribes.

References

{{Reflist States and territories established in 1388 States and territories disestablished in 1635 History of Inner Mongolia Former countries in Chinese history