Merkit people
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The Merkit (literally ''"skillful/wise ones"''; mn, ᠮᠡᠷᠬᠢᠳ ; Мэргид, translit=, Mergid; ) was one of the five major tribal confederations (''khanlig'') of probably MongolHistory of the Mongolian People's Republic. — Nauka Pub. House, Central Dept. of Oriental Literature, 1973. — p. 99.
/ref> Jeffrey Tayler. Murderers in Mausoleums: Riding the Back Roads of Empire Between Moscow and Beijing.
— Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. — p. 1. — .
Bertold Spuler. The Muslim world: a historical survey. — Brill Archive, 1969. — p. 118.
/ref>Elza-Bair Mataskovna Gouchinova. The Kalmyks.
— Routledge, 2013. — p. 10. — .
or Turkic origin. in the 12th century Mongolian Plateau. The Merkits lived in the basins of the Selenga and lower
Orkhon River The Orkhon River (; mn, Орхон гол, ''Orkhon gol'', Old Chinese: 安侯水 ''(*arhoushui)'') is a river in Mongolia. The Orkhon river derives its name from the Old Turkic prefix "or" meaning "middle", and "khan" or king. It rises in ...
(modern south
Buryatia Buryatia, officially the Republic of Buryatia (russian: Республика Бурятия, r=Respublika Buryatiya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə bʊˈrʲætʲɪjə; bua, Буряад Улас, Buryaad Ulas, , mn, Буриад Улс, Buriad Uls), is ...
and
Selenge Province Selenge ( mn, Сэлэнгэ) is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia, located in the north of the country. The name is derived from the Selenge river. The capital is Sükhbaatar. The province of Darkhan-Uul Darkhan-Uul ( mn, Дарх ...
).History of Mongolia, Volume II, 2003 After a struggle of over 20 years, they were defeated in 1200 by
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 , ...
and were incorporated into 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, ...
.


Etymology

The word ''Merged'' (мэргэд) is a plural form derived from the Mongolian word ''mergen'' (мэргэн), which means both "wise" and "skillful marksperson", as in 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.


Three Mergeds

The Mergeds 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.


Ethnic relations

The Merkits were related to the Mongols, Naimans,
Keraites The Keraites (also ''Kerait, Kereit, Khereid''; ; ) were one of the five dominant Mongol or Turkic tribal confederations (khanates) in the Altai-Sayan region during the 12th century. They had converted to the Church of the East (Nestorianism) i ...
, and
Khitan people The Khitan people (Khitan small script: ; ) were a historical nomadic people from Northeast Asia who, from the 4th century, inhabited an area corresponding to parts of modern Mongolia, Northeast China and the Russian Far East. As a people desce ...
.


Conflict with Genghis Khan

Temüjin's mother Hoelun, originally from the
Olkhonud Olkhunut ( Mongolian: Олхуноуд, Олхонууд, Олгонууд, Olhonuud; ) was the clan of Hoelun, the mother of Genghis Khan. They helped Genghis to defeat the Naimans. The Olkhunut people were very closely related to the Hongirad tr ...
, had been engaged to the Merkit chief
Yehe Chiledu Nara ( Manchu: , Wade-Giles: nara hala, Chinese: , or ) is a clan name shared by a number of royal Manchu clans. The four tribes of the Hūlun confederation () – Hada (), Ula (), Hoifa () and Yehe () – were all ruled by clans bearing th ...
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 Jamukha ( mn, Жамуха; ) was a Mongol military and political leader and the chief rival to Temüjin (later Genghis Khan) in the unification of the Mongol tribes. Biography Jamukha was born in the Jadaran, a sub-tribe of the Khamag Mongol co ...
and his ''khan etseg'' ('khan father')
Tooril Khan Toghrul ( mn, Тоорил хан ''Tooril han''; ), also known as Wang Khan or Ong Khan ( ''Wan han''; ; died 1203) was a khan of the Keraites. He was the blood brother (anda) of the Mongol chief Yesugei and served as an important early patron ...
of the
Keraites The Keraites (also ''Kerait, Kereit, Khereid''; ; ) were one of the five dominant Mongol or Turkic tribal confederations (khanates) in the Altai-Sayan region during the 12th century. They had converted to the Church of the East (Nestorianism) i ...
, attacked the Merkit and rescued Börte within the year. The Mergids 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. Over the next two decades, he attacked them several times. By the time he had united the other Mongol tribes and received the title
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 , ...
in 1206, the Mergids seem to have disappeared as an ethnic group. Those who survived were likely absorbed by other Mongol tribes (
Oirats Oirats ( mn, Ойрад, ''Oirad'', or , Oird; xal-RU, Өөрд; zh, 瓦剌; in the past, also Eleuths) are the westernmost group of the Mongols whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia. Histor ...
,
Buryats The Buryats ( bua, Буряад, Buryaad; mn, Буриад, Buriad) are a Mongolic peoples, Mongolic ethnic group native to southeastern Siberia who speak the Buryat language. They are one of the two largest indigenous groups in Siberia, the oth ...
,
Khalkhas The Khalkha ( Mongolian: mn, Халх, Halh, , zh, 喀爾喀) have been the largest subgroup of Mongol people in modern Mongolia since the 15th century. The Khalkha, together with Chahars, Ordos and Tumed, were directly ruled by Borjigin khan ...
) and others who fled to the
Kipchaks The Kipchaks or Qipchaks, also known as Kipchak Turks or Polovtsians, were a Turkic nomadic people and confederation that existed in the Middle Ages, inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the 8th century as part of the Se ...
mixed with them. In 1215–1218, Jochi and
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 ...
crushed the remnants of them under their former leader Toghta Beki's family. The Mongols clashed with the
Kankalis The Kangly (康曷利; pinyin: Kānghélì; Middle Chinese ( ZS): /kʰɑŋ-ɦɑt̚-liɪH/ or 康里 pinyin: ''Kānglĭ'' < MC-ZS: /kʰɑŋ-lɨX/;
khatun (queen) named Khulan. She died while Mongol forces besieged Ryazan in 1236. In 1236, during the Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria, a body of the Merkit was found in the area of land dominated by the Bulgar and Kipchak.


Late Mergeds

A few Mergeds achieved prominent position among the Mongols, but they were classified as Mongols in Mongolian society. Great Khan Guyuk's beloved khatun Oghul Qaimish, who was a regent from 1248–1251, was a Merged woman. The traditionalist
Bayan Bayan may refer to: Eduational Institutions * Bayan Islamic Graduate School, Chicago, IL Places *Bayan-Aul, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan *Bayan Mountain, an ancient mountain name for part of Tarbagatai Mountains at Kazakhstan in Qing Dynasty period *B ...
and his nephew Toqto'a served as grand chancellors of the Yuan dynasty. After the fall of the Yuan dynasty, they were a clan of a banner in the Northern Yuan dynasty.


Notes


References

{{Authority control Mongol peoples Nomadic groups in Eurasia 11th-century establishments in Asia 1200s disestablishments in Asia Former confederations Former monarchies