Baghatur ( otk, 𐰉𐰍𐰀, Baga; mn, ''Baγatur'', Khalkha Mongolian: Баатар ''Bātar''; tr, Bağatur, Batur, Bahadır; russian: Богатырь Bogatyr; bg, Багатур Bagatur; fa, بهادر; pa, ਬਹਾਦੁਰ , بہادر ) is a historical

Turkic Turkic may refer to: * anything related to the country of Turkey * Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages ** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation) ** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language * ...

and Mongol honorific title, in origin a term for " hero" or "valiant warrior". The Papal envoy

Plano Carpini Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, variously rendered in English as ''John of Pian de Carpine'', ''John of Plano Carpini'' or ''Joannes de Plano'' (c. 11851 August 1252), was a medieval Italian diplomat, archbishop and explorer and one of the firs ...

(-1252) compared the title with the equivalent of European Knighthood. The word was common among the Mongols and became especially widespread, as an honorific title, in

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 , ...

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

in the 13th century; the title persisted in its successor-states, and later came to be adopted also as a regnal title in the Ilkhanate, in Timurid dynasties, etc. The word was also introduced into many non-Turkic languages as a result of the Turco-Mongol conquests, and now exists in different forms such as bg, Багатур (Bagatur), links=no, russian: Богатырь ( Bogatyr), links=no, Polish '' Bohater'' (meaning "hero"), hu, Bátor, links=no (meaning "brave"), Persian ''Bahador'', Georgian ''Bagatur'', and Hindi ''Bahadur''. It is also preserved in the modern Turkic and Mongol languages as

Altai Altai or Altay may refer to: Places *Altai Mountains, in Central and East Asia, a region shared by China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Russia In China * Altay Prefecture (阿勒泰地区), Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China * Altay City (阿� ...

''Баатыр (Baatïr)'', Turkish ''Batur/Bahadır'', Tatar and

Kazakh Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kazakhstan *Kazakhs, an ethnic group *Kazakh language *The Kazakh Khanate * Kazakh cuisine * Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan *Qazax, Azerbaijan *Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...

''Батыр (Batyr)'', Uzbek ''Batyr'' and Mongolian ''Baatar'' (as in Ulaanbaatar). The concept of the Baghatur has its roots in Turco-Mongolian folklore. Like the bogatyrs of Russian traditional tales, Baghaturs were heroes of extraordinary courage, fearlessness, and decisiveness, often portrayed as being descended from heaven and capable of performing extraordinary deeds. Baghatur was the heroic ideal Turco-Mongolian warriors strove to live up to, hence its use as a military honorific of glory.

Etymology

The term was first used by the steppe peoples to the north and west ( Mongolia) of China as early as the 7th century as evidenced in

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

records. It is attested for the Second Turkic Khaganate in the 8th century, and among the

Bulgars The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region during the 7th century. They became known as nomad ...

of the

First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire ( cu, блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, blagarysko tsesarystviye; bg, Първо българско царство) was a medieval Bulgar- Slavic and later Bulgarian state that existed in Southeastern Europ ...

in the 9th century. Some authors claim Iranian origin of the word, the first syllable is very likely the Iranian title word *bag "god, lord". According to Gerard Clauson, ''bağatur'' by origin almost certainly a Xiongnu (which Clauson proposes to be Hunnic) name, and specifically of the second Xiongnu Chanyu, whose name was transliterated by Han Chinese as (with ''-n'' for foreign ''-r''), now pronounced ''Mòdùn'' ~ ''Màodùn'' in

standard Chinese Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern Standar ...

List of individuals with this title

The term Baghatur and its variants – Bahadur, Bagatur, or Baghadur, was adopted by the following historical individuals: * Modun, the founding

chanyu Chanyu () or Shanyu (), short for Chengli Gutu Chanyu (), was the title used by the supreme rulers of Inner Asian nomads for eight centuries until superseded by the title "''Khagan''" in 402 CE. The title was most famously used by the ruling L ...

of the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 ...

empire. * Tonyukuk, military commander of Second Turkic Khaganate. *Bagatur Bagaina Sevar, 9th century commander in

* Alogobotur, 10th century commander in the First Bulgarian Empire * Bartan Baghatur, the

Borjigin A Borjigin, ; ; russian: Борджигин, Bordžigin; English plural: Borjigins or Borjigid (from Middle Mongolian);''Histoire des campagnes de Gengis Khan'', p. 119. Manchu plural: is a member of the Mongol sub-clan, which started with Bo ...

Prince and Grandfather of

* Yesugei, the father of

, is called Yesugei Baghatur *The Mongol general

Subutai Subutai (Classical Mongolian: ''Sübügätäi'' or ''Sübü'ätäi''; Modern Mongolian: Сүбээдэй, ''Sübeedei''. ; ; c. 1175–1248) was a Mongol general and the primary military strategist of Genghis Khan and Ögedei Khan. He directed m ...

is referred to in the '' Secret History of the Mongols'' as ''baghatur''. *

Ilkhan The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...

Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan took the title Ba'atur after his name for his victory over the rebellion of the Mongol Keraits in Iran. * Bayan of the Merkid, the Grand councillor of the Yuan dynasty, was awarded Baghatur for his merit during the Ogedeid-Yuan conflict.Ed. Herbert Franke and others - ''The Cambridge History of China'': Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 710-1368, p.568 *Two

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperors were named Bahadur Shah: Bahadur Shah I and Bahadur Shah Zafar II. * Banda Singh Bahadur,

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

warrior and general *

Altani Altani was a heroine of the Mongols and was the wife of Genghis Khan's mother Oelun's adopted son Borokhul. Heroism Altani stayed in the camp of Hoelun, mother of Genghis Khan. A Tatar by the name of Qargil Shira entered the tent in which both ...

, daughter of Genghis Khan * Stephen IX Báthory (1533–1586), Prince of Transylvania, and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. * Erdeni Batur, founder of the Dzungar Khanate. * Abulghazi, ruler of the

Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva ( chg, ''Khivâ Khânligi'', fa, ''Khânât-e Khiveh'', uz, Xiva xonligi, tk, Hywa hanlygy) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm in Central Asia from 1511 to 1920, except fo ...

, had the title of Bahadur Khan. He wrote the famous epic of the Mongols called the genealogical tree of the Mongols (or General history of Tatars). * Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Sir Khengarji III Sawai Bahadur - the ruler of Kutch, was the first ruler of Princely State of Cutch to be given title of Sawai Bahadur. * Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Vijayaraji Khengarji Sawai Bahadur - the ruler of Kutch, used Bahadur as a hereditary title. * Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Madansinhji Vijayaraji Sawai Bahadur - the ruler of Kutch, used Bahadur as a hereditary title. *Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the second Indian soldier to be so honored, was known as "Sam Bahadur." * Damdin Sükhbaatar, was a founding member of the Mongolian People's Party and leader of the Mongolian partisan army that liberated

Khüree Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north cen ...

during the Outer Mongolian Revolution of 1921. Enshrined as the "Father of Mongolia's Revolution", he is remembered as one of the most important figures in Mongolia's struggle for independence. * Ospan Batyr

Notes

References

*{{cite book , last=Beckwith , first=Christopher I. , author-link=Christopher I. Beckwith , date=16 March 2009 , title=Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5jG1eHe3y4EC , publisher= Princeton University Press , isbn=978-0691135892 , access-date=30 May 2015 * Brook, Kevin Alan. ''The Jews of Khazaria.'' 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2006. *Grousset, R. ''The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia''. Rutgers Univ. Press, 1988. *Saunders, J. ''The History of the Mongol Conquests''. Univ. of Penn. Press, 2001. Turkish titles Honorary titles Mongol Empire Bulgarian noble titles Titles of the Göktürks

Etymology

List of individuals with this title

See also

Notes

References