Uskhal Khan ( Mongolian: Усхал;

Mongolian script The traditional Mongolian script, also known as the Hudum Mongol bichig, was the first Mongolian alphabet, writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most widespread until the introduction of Cyrillic script, Cy ...

: ; ), also called the Last Lord of Northern Yuan () or by his era name the Tianyuan Emperor (), born Tögüs Temür (; 7 March 1342 – 18 November 1388), was an emperor of the

Northern Yuan dynasty 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 ...

, reigning from 1378 to 1388. He was the last powerful khagan of the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

until Dayan Khan. Tögüs Temür was the younger brother of Biligtü Khan (Emperor Zhaozong) and son of Toghon Temür (Emperor Huizong), the last Yuan emperor. Before ascending to the Northern Yuan throne, he held the noble title of Prince of Yi (益王). He succeeded to the throne with the title of Uskhal Khan after Biligtü Khan died in 1378. During the funeral of the late emperor, the Ming court sent an embassy to participate in it and released the Northern Yuan prince, Maidarbal, who had been captured at the battle of Yingchang in 1378. Uskhal Khan Tögüs Temür mobilized troops near Yingchang and Karakorum. He continued to press the Ming dynasty from the north, cooperating with Naghachu of the Jalayir in

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 ...

. The Ming launched a massive attack on the Northern Yuan in return in 1380, sacking Karakorum. The Ming army crushed the Northern Yuan garrison under Iliyasan in northern China in June 1380. Uskhal Khan's commanders, Öljei-Buqa and Nair-Buqa, invaded Lulun city, killing the Ming officer Liu Guang in the same year. The Ming dispatched a large army against the Northern Yuan the next year. 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 ...

of the Ming dynasty decided to exterminate Naghachu's force in Manchuria in 1387 and two sides suffered heavier losses at a battle near Changchung city. Tögüs Temür suddenly faced a predicament in 1387 when Naghachu surrendered to the Ming due to a devastating famine. The Ming now turned their attention to the Uskhal Khan Tögüs Temür who lived in Yingchang. In 1388, he was raided by the Ming on the Buir Lake. In his escape to Karakorum, he was suddenly attacked and defeated on the Tuul River by Yesüder, a descendant of Ariq Böke, who allied with the

Oirats Oirats (; ) or Oirds ( ; ), formerly known as Eluts and Eleuths ( or ; zh, 厄魯特, ''Èlǔtè'') are the westernmost group of Mongols, whose ancestral home is in the Altai Mountains, Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia. ...

.Reuven Amitai-Preiss, Reuven Amitai, David Morgan-The Mongol empire and its legacy, p. 293. Yesüder's general killed the king and his son. Uskhal Khan had intended to flee westwards to join his commander Markhas. This event marked the decline of the Kublaid power and the rise of the Oirats on the Mongolian Plateau.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Temur, Togus, Uskhal Khan 1342 births 1388 deaths Emperors of the Yuan dynasty Northern Yuan khans 14th-century Mongol khans 14th-century Chinese monarchs

See also

References