Muqali
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Muqali ( mn, Мухулай; 1170–1223), also spelt Mukhali and Mukhulai, was a Mongol general ("bo'ol", "one who is bound" in service) who became a trusted and esteemed commander under
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 , ...
. The son of Gü'ün U'a, a
Jalair Jalair ( mn, Жалайр; ; ), also Djalair, Yyalair, Jalayir, is one of the Darliqin Mongol tribes according to Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's ''Jami' al-tawarikh''. They lived along the Shilka River in modern Zabaykalsky Krai of Russia.History of ...
leader who had sworn fealty to the Mongols, he became known by his epithet "Muqali", "one who dulls", earned through his committed and able service to the
Great Khan Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...
and the
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, ...
. During the invasion of Jin China, Muqali acted as Genghis Khan's second-in-command, was promoted to Viceroy of China, and was entrusted with a great degree of autonomy once Genghis Khan departed to conquer Central Asia. Unlike many Mongol leaders who were willing to massacre to gain any advantage, Muqali usually attempted to convert foes into friends by more conciliatory means. By the time of Ogedei's reign (1229–1241), he was viewed as the best of the extraordinarily talented pool of Mongol generals. Given his undefeated record despite very limited resources, he might be regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history. He was "unquestionably one of the leading Mongol personalities and a supreme leader". His wisdom in dealing with local matters has been emphasized.


Life

Muqali, third son of Gü'ün U'a, was born into the 'White' clan of the
Jalair Jalair ( mn, Жалайр; ; ), also Djalair, Yyalair, Jalayir, is one of the Darliqin Mongol tribes according to Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's ''Jami' al-tawarikh''. They lived along the Shilka River in modern Zabaykalsky Krai of Russia.History of ...
tribe, who had been the hereditary serfs of the Borjigin Mongols. Originally associated with the Jurkin branch of the Borjigin, Muqali's father and uncles pledged allegiance to
Temujin ''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 , ...
(Genghis Khan's original name) when he defeated the Jurkin in 1197. Gü'ün U'a offered his son Muqali to
Temujin ''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 , ...
as a personal slave (''emčü bo'ol''). Several servants of Genghis Khan would be later appointed to prominent positions in his army, such as
Jelme Jelme ( mn, Зэлмэ, ''Zelme'', ; 1160 – 1207) was a general and close companion of Genghis Khan. He was the older brother of Subutai and was of the Uriankhan clan.Richard A. Gabriel, ''Subotai the Valiant: Genghis Khan's Greatest General'', ...
, who was promised as a slave to Genghis as an infant, and later rose to the position of captain of a
Mingghan Mingghan was a social-military unit of 1,000 households created by Genghis Khan. From this group could be recruited a Mongol regiment of 1,000 men. It is part of the ancient method of organization developed by the nomads of Central Asia based on the ...
. During his time spent as Genghis Khan's servant, he and Genghis Khan presumably became very close. This intimacy would result in him becoming one of Genghis' closest advisors. During the coronation of Genghis Khan in 1206, the latter recalled Muqali's support, and he was rewarded with the command of the third tumen and control over the eastern
mingghan Mingghan was a social-military unit of 1,000 households created by Genghis Khan. From this group could be recruited a Mongol regiment of 1,000 men. It is part of the ancient method of organization developed by the nomads of Central Asia based on the ...
s. He played a prominent role in the following campaign against Jin, including in the 1211
Battle of Yehuling The Battle of Yehuling, literally the Battle of Wild Fox Ridge, was a major decisive battle fought between the Mongol Empire and Jurchen-led Jin dynasty during the first stage of the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty. The battle was fought ...
, the decisive battle in the first stage of the
Mongol conquest The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire (1206-1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the destruction under t ...
of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in northern China. After Genghis Khan decided to go to war with the
Khwarazmian Empire The Khwarazmian or Khwarezmian Empire) or the Khwarazmshahs ( fa, خوارزمشاهیان, Khwārazmshāhiyān) () was a Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire that ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran in the app ...
, he left Muqali in control of Northern China as viceroy, and gave him the title of ''gui ong'' or ''kuo-wang'', a title not given to any other in Genghis Khan's army, and the title of ''taishi'', a Chinese title also used by the Mongols. Despite Genghis Khan having most of the main Mongol forces taken away and sent to the West, Muqali was able to subdue most of northern China with his small force of around 20,000 Mongols, although some historians give figures of between 40,000 and 70,000 men to account for his foreign auxiliaries. In 1217, Muqali attacked modern-day
Hebei Province Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...
, northern Shandong Province, and northern
Shaanxi Province Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ni ...
, controlled by the Jin dynasty. This was an important agricultural area, which Muqali had largely subdued by 1219. In 1220, Muqali turned his attention to the rest of Shandong Province, conquering part of it; four towns were captured, but the hard-pressed Jin forces managed to hold on elsewhere in the province. After suffering a number of devastating defeats by Muqali in the field, the Jin learned that they could only hope to resist him by holding their cities and outlasting Muqali's staying power.


Final campaign and death

Muqali's last campaign was in the 1220s. He crossed the Ordos in mid-1221, spending the rest of the year conquering major cities in northern and central Shensi. He crossed the Yellow River into Shensi, first conquering, in November 1221, the strategic Chia-chou. Then, in the following months, he conquered the major Jin strongholds in northern and western Shensi. Crossing again the Yellow river on ice from the operational area near the Lo River in the Spring of 1222, he recaptured many towns in Shansi, including Hsi-chou and Tai-chou. He then left Mönggü Buqa (Bukha) in charge in Shensi and Kansu, and moved with the main army to Yü-chou, from thence to Chi-chou, conquering all the Jin strongholds in the valley of the Fen River. He then took the strategic Ho-chung in the end of 1222, conquering the major cities along the river. However, the cities of Ching-chao and Feng-hsiang resisted. As he was consolidating his position on both sides of the Yellow River, he became seriously ill and died in the Spring on 1223, at 53 years of age. On his deathbed, Muqali declared with pride that he had never been defeated. By the time of Ogedei's ascension in 1229, however, the Mongol detachments in China had suffered numerous setbacks, which led to a mini-revival of Jin fortunes until
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 ...
and
Tolui Tolui (also Toluy, Tului; , meaning: "the mirror"; – 1232) was a Mongol khan, the fourth son of Genghis Khan by his chief khatun, Börte. At his father's death in 1227, his ''Orda (organization), ulus'', or territorial inheritance, was the ...
were dispatched with the main Mongol army in 1232.


Appearance and family

He was described by Chao Hang as a very tall man with a dark complexion and wavy whiskers, who was "generous and fond of conviviality, and amusing episodes about him have been preserved in the Sung envoy's account". His chief wife's name was ''Lai-am'' (''Naiman''/''Buqalun''). He had eight other wives, four Mongols and four Jurchen. After his death, Genghis Khan gave command to Muqali's son, , who had seven sons: , , , Bai Inal, Emegen, Ebügen, and Arkis. Tas (also called ''Čalawun'') was Muqali's favorite grandson, and the title of ''gui ong'' passed to him.


Legacy

He received many posthumous honours, since as early as the 1320s. After his death, descendants of Mukhali served the
Great Khan Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...
of the Mongols, especially those of the
Tolui Tolui (also Toluy, Tului; , meaning: "the mirror"; – 1232) was a Mongol khan, the fourth son of Genghis Khan by his chief khatun, Börte. At his father's death in 1227, his ''Orda (organization), ulus'', or territorial inheritance, was the ...
d lineage: prominent among these were Dorjeban and . A few of his descendants, such as
Antong Antong (), alternatively rendered as Hantum (1245 or 1248–1293), was a prominent official the Yuan dynasty of China, serving during the reign of the Yuan founder Kublai Khan. As a great-grand son of Muqali of the Jalayir clan, one of the greates ...
and , later became prominent officials in the
Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...
fashion of the
Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
founded by Genghis Khan's grandson,
Kublai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (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 of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of th ...
. Members of Muqali's Jalair tribe, as retainers of the Toluid
Hulagu Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...
, participated in the conquest of
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, then called
Mollai Mollai ( fa, ملائي, also Romanized as Mollā’ī; also known as Maḩalleh-ye Mollā’ī) is a village in Sigar Rural District, in the Central District of Lamerd County, Fars Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Repub ...
, and later founded the
Jalayirid The Jalayirid Sultanate was a culturally Persianate, Mongol Jalayir dynasty which ruled over Iraq and western Persia after the breakup of the Mongol khanate of Persia in the 1330s.Bayne Fisher, William. ''The Cambridge History of Iran'', p.3: ...
Dynasty which ruled from
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
after the collapse of the Hulaguid
Ilkhanate 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, ...
. Another descendant, Naγaču, survived the collapse of the Yuan and maintained his power under the
Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
.Louis Hambis (1954). Le chapitre CVIII du Yuan che : les fiefs attribués aux membres de la famille impériale et aux ministres de la cour mongole d'après l'histoire chinoise officielle de la dynastie mongole. Monographies du Tʿoung pao, v. 3. Tableau5,généalogie de muqali Muqali is considered a superb leader, and one of the "very few men who could exert a real influence on Genghis Khan's decisions". In seven years of campaigning in northern China, he had reduced the Jin dynasty's territories to only
Henan Province Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
. A statue of Muqali, together with
Bo'orchu Bo'orchu ( mn, Боорчи, ''Boorchi'') was one of the first and most loyal of Genghis Khan's friends and allies. He first met Genghis Khan as a boy. At that time, Genghis Khan (then Temujin) was looking for his stolen horses. Bo'orchu helped to ...
, flanks the statue of Genghis Khan in
Sükhbaatar Square Sükhbaatar Square ( mn, Сүхбаатарын талбай, pronounced ''Sükhbaatariin Talbai'') is the central square of Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar. The square was named for Mongolian's revolutionary hero Damdin Sükhbaatar after his death ...
in
Ulaanbaatar 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 ce ...
.


References

{{Generals and ministers of Genghis Khan 1170 births 1223 deaths 13th-century monarchs in Asia Generals of the Mongol Empire