Tögs-Ochir Namnansüren (1878 – April 1919), known by his full title Sain Noyon Khan Namnansüren, was a hereditary prince and prominent early 20th-century Mongolian independence leader. He served as the first prime minister of

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

under the

Bogd Khan Bogd Khan (13 October 1869 – 20 May 1924) was the khan of the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia from 1911 to 1924, following the state's ''de facto'' independence from the Qing dynasty of China after the Xinhai Revolution. Born in Tibet, he was the ...

from 1912 until 1915, when the office of prime minister was abolished. He was subsequently appointed Minister of the Army.

Biography

Namnansüren, who allegedly could trace his heritage directly back to

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

, was born in 1878 in present-day Uyanga district of

Övörkhangai Province Övörkhangai (; " South Khangai") is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. Its capital is Arvaikheer. The Shankh Monastery, one of the oldest and most important monasteries, is located in this province, as well as Erdene Zuu monast ...

. In 1896 he became prince, or 'khan', of Sain Noyon Khan Province, one of the four Khalkh Mongol provinces established by the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. He married in 1900. In 1911, Namnansüren persuaded Mongolia's religious leader

to call a congress of Mongol princes and high-ranking lamas in Khüree to initiate independence from China. The Bogd Khan then dispatched him to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in July 1911 as part of a delegation to seek Russian and West European support for Mongolian independence. The Bogd Khan appointed Namnansüren prime minister in July 1912, replacing Da Lam Tserenchimed who, as Minister of Internal Affairs, had acted as ''de facto'' head of government since the elevation of the Bogd Khan as national leader in December 1911. Other members of the Bogd Khan's government included the Da Lam Tserenchimed (Minister for Internal Affairs), Mijiddorjiin Khanddorj (Minister for Foreign Affairs), Dalai-Van Gombosuren (Defense Minister), Dambyn Chagdarjav (Finance Minister), and Erdene Van Namsrai (Minister of Justice). From November 1913 to January 1914 Namnansüren lead another delegation to St. Petersburg, this time to represent Mongolian interests during negotiations between Russia and China surrounding the tripartite Kyakhta treaty that would define the border between Russian Siberia and the Qing territories of Mongolia and

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

. Mongolian hopes for international recognition of its independence and support for a union between Inner and Outer Mongolia were ultimately dashed when the agreement re-confirmed the country's official status as an autonomous region within China. While in Russia, Namnansüren attempted to contact ambassadors from several western countries (the United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany) and to organize a trip to Western Europe to gain international support for Mongolia's independence but was prevented from doing so by Russian officials. Having failed to obtain any of his objectives, Namnansüren found his political influence to have diminished upon his return to Mongolia in 1914. In 1915 the Bogd Khan abolished the office of prime minister and Namnansüren was appointed

minister of war A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. In June 1918, faced with increased threats from the Chinese who were demanding Mongolia renounce its Pan-Mongolia ambitions and sign a decree 'voluntarily' relinquishing autonomy, Namnansüren again traveled to Russia, this time to

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

, to seek Russian assistance. There he met with two

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

representatives in what is believed to be the first meeting between Soviet and Outer Mongolian officials. The Bolsheviks, preoccupied with the revolution and the ongoing

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

in Russia, failed to offer much in the way of assistance. Not long after his return home, Namnansüren fell seriously ill and died sometime in April 1919. Many suspected he was assassinated by poisoning, along with many other figures involved in the revival of Mongolia's independence who apparently died premature deaths. Shortly thereafter the Chinese warlord Xu Shuzheng occupied Niislel Khüree and installed the more pliable Gonchigjalzangiin Badamdorj as prime minister.Baabar 1999, p. 189 In 1914 the Mongolian Namnansüren is known to have brought some films from Russia to show at the residence of the Bogd Khan. These are the first known film showings in Mongolia.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Namnasuren, Togs-Ochiryn 1878 births 1919 deaths Prime ministers of Mongolia People from Övörkhangai Province Chairmen of the State Great Khural