Köke Temür (; Mongolian: ᠬᠥᠬᠡᠲᠡᠮᠦᠷ, Köketemür, Хөхтөмөр; died 1375),
sinicized name Wang Baobao (), was a prominent general of the
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...
of China.
History

He was born in
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
province. His paternal line originated in
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
, probably of recent
Bayad Mongol descent. His mother was of
Naiman origin, and was the sister of
Chaghan Temür. Köke Temür was adopted by his maternal uncle Chaghan Temür, a Mongol warlord who fought against the
Red Turban Rebellion. When his uncle died in war in
Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
in 1362, he succeeded Chaghan Temür's post and corps, and soon demonstrated military talent in battles with the Red Turban Rebels in Shandong.
He intensified a feud with
Bolad Temür a Datong-based warlord, and entered
Taiyuan
Taiyuan; Mandarin pronunciation: (Jin Chinese, Taiyuan Jin: /tʰai˦˥ ye˩˩/) is the capital of Shanxi, China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. It is an industrial base foc ...
to confront him. He took the side of
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent.
''Crown prince ...
Ayushiridara (future Emperor Zhaozong) against the faction of
Toghon Temür (Emperor Huizong) in a factional dispute in
Dadu since Bolad Temür supported the anti-crown prince faction.
In 1364, Bolad Temür advanced from
Datong on Dadu and seized the reins of the central government under the khan. Crown Prince Ayushiridara fled to Taiyuan to seek support from Köke Temür. The Crown Prince struck back with Köke Temür, and Bolad Temür was betrayed when Köke Temür attacked Dadu in 1365. He reinstated the Crown Prince, and was appointed as vice minister of the Secretariat and the king of Henan in return. However, this conflict helped
Zhu Yuanzhang's rise to power in southern China.
Köke Temür commanded the Yuan army against anti-Yuan rebels, but faced betrayal by subordinates including ethnic Han officers who had followed him since the very early stage. What was worse was that he got alienated from Ayushiridara, who was given political and military controls by Toghon Temür. After two major defeats (he fled alone in both occasions), he lost Henan and Taiyuan to the rising Ming corps and fled to
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
. The Yuan dynasty was forced to retreat from
China proper
China proper, also called Inner China, are terms used primarily in the West in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China centered in the southeast. The term was first used by Westerners during the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dyn ...
in 1368.
In 1370 when Toghon Temür died and Ayushiridara succeeded to the throne,
[The Cambridge history of China, by Denis Twitchett et al., pp 99–100, Cambridge University Press, ] Koke Temur entered the
Mongolian Plateau from
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
and joined the new khan, who was based in
Karakorum
Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...
. He undertook the defense of the khan. The
Hongwu Emperor
The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, founding emperor of the Ming dyna ...
invited him seven times and offered bribes. But Koke Temur did not abandon his
khagan
Khagan or Qaghan (Middle Mongol:; or ''Khagan''; ) or zh, c=大汗, p=Dàhán; ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan, Khaqan, Xagahn, Qaghan, Chagan, Қан, or Kha'an is a title of empire, im ...
in his misfortune.
[''Mingshi''] The most notable service was an overwhelming desert victory over a Ming army led by
Xu Da in 1372.
It is said that he killed 20,000 Ming soldiers. But in a further encounter against Xu Da in Gansu, Köke Temür's army was badly mauled by the Ming dynasty and forced to flee across the
Gobi desert.
Köke Temür's sister was married to prince
Zhu Shuang, the second son of the Hongwu Emperor.
He advanced southward with the Yuan troops to take China proper back for the Yuan remnants (known as the
Northern Yuan
The Northern Yuan was a dynastic state ruled by the Mongol Borjigin clan based in the Mongolian Plateau. It existed as a rump state after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty in 1368 and lasted until its conquest by the Jurchen people, Jurchen-led ...
in historiography), and expanded his influence to
Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
. However, he died in 1375
[Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle, by Shih-shan Henry Tsai, p 23, University of Washington Press, 2001, ] and was followed by Ayushiridara in 1378. Their deaths radically weakened the Northern Yuan dynasty, extinguishing any hope of recapturing China proper.
In popular culture
He is featured in
Jin Yong's
wuxia
( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...
novel ''
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber
''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'', also translated as ''The Sword and the Knife'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong, Jin Yong (Louis Cha) and the third part of the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and ''The Re ...
'' and its television and movie adaptations as the older brother of one of the heroines,
Zhao Min.
He is featured in some
Zhu Yuanzhang drama television series such as ''
The Legend of Beggar Emperor and the Big Foot Empress Consort''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Temur, Koke
Yuan dynasty generals
Northern Yuan generals
1375 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Chinese princes
Transition from Yuan to Ming
People from Gushi County