Ambaghai or Hambaqai Khan (; ) ( ? – died 1156) was a

khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *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 ...

of the

Khamag Mongol Khamag Mongol ( mn, Хамаг монгол, Khamag mongol, lit=the whole Mongol; ) was a major Mongolic tribal confederation (khanlig) on the Mongolian Plateau in the 12th century. It is sometimes considered to be a predecessor state to the ...

, one of the great grandsons of

Khaidu Khan Kaidu (b. 1025 – d. 1100; Middle Mongol: ; mn, Хайду, Haidu, ) was a Mongol ruler of the Borjigin Clan who was the great-great-grandson of Bodonchar Munkhag (c. 850 – 900). Kaidu's great-grandson was Khabul Khan (died 1149), and Khab ...

and the cousin and predecessor of

Hotula Khan Hotula Khan or Qutula Khan ( Traditional Mongolian:; ;) (b. 1111 – d. 1161) was a Khan of Khamag Mongol and the son of Khabul Khan, and thus great-uncle of the Genghis Khan, and the nephew of Khaduli Barlas who was the ancestor of Barlas Mon ...

, he was the Leader of

Taichud The Tayichiud (Mongolian Cyrillic: Тайчууд, Taichuud) was one of the three core tribes of the Khamag Mongol confederation on the Mongolian Plateau during the 12th century, founded by Ambaghai Khan in 1148 CE, and finally ended with Sultan ...

Clan one of sub-branch of Borjigid, and also son and successor of Charaqai Lingqum.

Life

Ambaghai was born to Sorqaduqtu China, a son of Charaqai Lingqum who in turn was son of

. His father is mentioned as Senggüm Bilge in ''

The Secret History of the Mongols ''The Secret History of the Mongols'' (Middle Mongol: ''Mongɣol‑un niɣuca tobciyan''; Traditional Mongolian: , Khalkha Mongolian: , ; ) is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolian language. It was written for the Mongol royal fam ...

.'' A member of the cadet branch of Borjigin clan, he was ruler of the

Taichuud The Tayichiud (Mongolian Cyrillic alphabet, Mongolian Cyrillic: Тайчууд, Taichuud) was one of the three core tribes of the Khamag Mongol confederation on the Mongolian Plateau during the 12th century, founded by Ambaghai Khan in 1148 CE, and ...

tribe and later khan of

. According to Rashidaddin, he succeeded

Khabul Khan Khabul Khan ( mn, Хабул хан; ), also rendered as Qabul Khan, Kabul Khan and Khabul Khagan, (b. 1090s/1100 – d. 1130 CE.) was the founder and first known Khan of the Khamag Mongol confederation and great-grandfather of Genghis Khan. and ...

, because he was seniormost in Borjigid line. Toward the end of his rule, he was captured alongside

's son Tödö'en Otchigin by the

Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

when he was on a trip to marry his son Qadaan Taishi to a daughter of the chief of the Airu'ut Tatars. In fact, this was done under the commands of the Jurchen Jin dynasty in response to the Mongols' growing power. He was brought to the Jin capital

Zhongdu Zhongdu (, lit. "Central Capital") was the capital of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in medieval China. It was located in the southwestern part of Beijing's Xicheng District. It had a population of nearly one million by the late 12th century, and ...

, crucified, and then hacked to death. Sources do not give exact date on Ambaghai's reign or death date. According to Chih-Shu Eva Cheng's calculation, he died at same time as Marcus, khan of the

Naimans The Naiman ( Mongolian: Найман, Naiman, "eight"; ; Kazakh: Найман, Naiman; Uzbek: Nayman) were a medieval tribe originating in the territory of modern Western Mongolia (possibly during the time of the Uyghur Khaganate), and are one o ...

and father of

Cyriacus Cyriacus ( el, Ἅγιος Κυριακός, fl. 303 AD), sometimes Anglicized as Cyriac, according to Christian tradition, is a Christian martyr who was killed in the Diocletianic Persecution. He is one of twenty-seven saints, most of them mart ...

. While

Christoph Baumer Christoph Baumer (born June 23, 1952) is a Swiss explorer and historian of Central Asia. From 1984 onwards, he has conducted explorations in Central Asia, China, Tibet and the Caucasus, the results of which have been published in numerous books ...

states he reigned through 1146–1156. He was followed by

, his distant cousin. His son Qadaan Taishi followed him as de facto chief of Taichuud and joined Hotula Khan on his campaigns against Tatars. But he was poisoned in 1160s, possibly by his brothers and cousins over succession. Qadaan seems to be succeeded by Targutai Kiriltuk - a rival of

Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...

later. In 1211

instigated the

Mongol–Jin War The Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty, also known as the Mongol–Jin War, was fought between the Mongol Empire and the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in Manchuria and North China. The war, which started in 1211, lasted over 23 years and ended wi ...

, ending in the fall of the Jin dynasty, in sworn revenge for Ambaghai's kidnapping and execution.

Family

He left several sons with his two wives - Orbei and Sokhatai: # Adal Khan ## Targutai Kiriltuk (d. 1201) — chief of Taichuuds and a rival of

. # Au'chu Baghatur # Qadaan Taishi # Quril Baghatur # Töda'a — one of the sub-chiefs of Taichuuds during reign of Genghis Khan. # Qodun Orchang # Bakhachi # Udor Bayan

In Media

* He was portrayed by Wuri Jitu in ''Genghis Khan'' (2004 TV series)

Life

Family

In Media

References

See also