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Merkit

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Three Merkits
ᠮᠡᠷᠬᠢᠳ
11th century–1200
Mongol Empire c.1207
Mongol Empire c.1207
StatusNomadic confederacy
CapitalNot specified
Religion
Shamanism, Syriac Christianity
GovernmentElective monarchy
Toyon 
Historical eraPost-classical history
• Established
11th century
• Disestablished
1200
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Liao dynasty
Mongol Empire
Today part ofMongolia, Buryatia
History of Mongolia
Prehistoric period
Afanasievo culture 3300–2500 BC
Chemurchek culture 2750–1900 BC
Munkhkhairkhan culture 1800–1600 BC
Sagsai culture 1500–1000 BC
Ulaanzuukh culture 1450–1150 BC
Deer stones culture 1400–700 BC
Slab-grave culture 1100–300 BC
Chandman culture 700–300 BC
Pazyryk culture 600–300 BC
Ancient period
Xiongnu 209 BC–93 AD
Xianbei state 93–234
Dai 310–376
Rouran Khaganate 330–555
Northern Wei 386–535
Northern Zhou 557–581
Göktürks (First, Eastern, and Second Turkic Khaganates) 555–630
682–744
Xueyantuo 628–646
Tang protectorate 647–682
Uyghur Khaganate 744–840
Liao dynasty 907–1125
Medieval period
Mongol khanates 9th–12th century
Khamag Mongol 1130–1206
Mongol Empire 1206–1368
Yuan dynasty 1271–1368
Northern Yuan 1368–1635
Oirat Confederation 1399–1634
Dzungar Khanate 1634–1757
Qing dynasty 1691–1911
Modern period
National Revolution 1911
Bogd Khaganate 1911–1919
Chinese occupation 1919–1921
People's Revolution (Soviet intervention in Bogd Khanate) 1921
1921–1924
People's Republic 1924–1992
Democratic Revolution 1990
Modern Mongolia 1990–present

The Merkit (/ˈmɜːrkɪt/; Mongolian: [ˈmircɪt]; lit. 'Wise Ones') was one of the five major tribal confederations of Mongol[1][2][3][4] or Turkic origin[5][6][note 1] in the 12th-century Mongolian Plateau.

The Merkits lived in the basins of the Selenga and lower Orkhon River (modern south Buryatia, Bulgan Province and Selenge Province).[8] After a struggle of over 20 years, they were defeated in 1200 by Genghis Khan and their lands were incorporated into the Mongol Empire.

Etymology

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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.[citation needed]

Three Merkits

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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.

Relations

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The Merkits established contact with the Mongol Confederation and Keraites. They were related to Naimans, Khitans,[9] Telengits and Kirghiz.[10]

According to Rashid al-Din Hamadani, the Merkits were a branch of the Mongols.[11] Western European authors of the 13th century mention the Merkits. They believed that they shared a similar appearance and spoke the same language with other Mongol tribes.[12]

Conflict with Genghis Khan

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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 Merkits 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 absorbed by other Mongol (Oirats,[13] Buryats,[14] Khalkhas[15]) and Turkic tribes (Kazakhs, Kyrgyzes) 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.

Late Merkits

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A few Merkits achieved prominent positions among the Mongols. Great Khan Guyuk's beloved khatun Oghul Qaimish, who was a regent from 1248 to 1251, was a Merkit woman. The traditionalist Bayan and his nephew Toqto'a served as grand chancellors of the Yuan dynasty.

Notes

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  1. ^ They were always counted as a part of the Mongols within the Mongol Empire, however, some scholars believe that they were Turkic people.[7]

References

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  1. ^ History of the Mongolian People's Republic. — Nauka Pub. House, Central Dept. of Oriental Literature, 1973. — p. 99.
  2. ^ Jeffrey Tayler. Murderers in Mausoleums: Riding the Back Roads of Empire Between Moscow and Beijing. — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. — p. 1. — ISBN 9780547523828.
  3. ^ Bertold Spuler. The Muslim world: a historical survey. — Brill Archive, 1969. — p. 118.
  4. ^ Elza-Bair Mataskovna Gouchinova. The Kalmyks. — Routledge, 2013. — p. 10. — ISBN 9781135778873.
  5. ^ Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. — Cambridge University Press, 2000. — p. 104. — ISBN 978-0521657044.
  6. ^ Гурулёв С. А. Реки Байкала: Происхождение названий. – Иркутск: Восточно-Сибирское книжное издательство, 1989 – 122 с. ISBN 5-7424-0286-4
  7. ^ Christopher P. Atwood – Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire ISBN 9780816046713, Facts on File, Inc. 2004.
  8. ^ History of Mongolia, Volume II, 2003
  9. ^ Weatherford, Jack (2005). Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Crown/Archetype. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-307-23781-1.
  10. ^ Акеров Т. А. Великий Кыргызский каганат: Роль этнополитических факторов в консолидации кочевых племен Притяньшанья и сопредельных регионов (VIII—XIV вв.). – Баку: Институт истории и культурного наследия Национальной академии наук Кыргызской Республики, 2012. – P. 40-42. – ISBN 5-7424-0286-4
  11. ^ Jamiʻuʼt-tawarikh. Compendium of chronicles. A History of the Mongols. Part One / Translated and Annotated by W. M. Thackston. Harvard university. 1998. p. 52.
  12. ^ Ушницкий В. В. (2013). "Загадка племени меркитов: проблема происхождения и потомства". Вестник Томского государственного университета. История (in Russian) (1 (21)): 191–195.
  13. ^ Авляев, Г. О. (2002). Происхождение калмыцкого народа (in Russian). Калм. кн. изд-во. p. 13.
  14. ^ Ушницкий В. В. (2009). "Исчезнувшее племя меркитов (мекритов): к вопросу о происхождении и истории". Вестник НГУ. Серия: История, филология (in Russian) (3): 212–221.
  15. ^ Аюудайн, Очир (2016). Монгольские этнонимы: вопросы происхождения и этнического состава монгольских народов (in Russian). КИГИ РАН. p. 109.


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