Uruwu Jochitai

Biography

Family Background and Early Life

Jochitai came from the old Uru'ut clan of the Mongolian Plateau. According to the History of Yuan, his ancestor Lachin Baatar—called Nachin Baatar in the New History of Yuan—was renowned among the tribes for martial ability. He was said to descend from the seventh son of Menen Tudun, an eighth-generation ancestor of Genghis Khan. Lachin Baatar had two sons: the elder Uru'utai and the younger Mang'ut, whose descendants took their names as clan designations. The Uru'ut, Mangghud, Jalayir, Onggirat, and Ikires were described as the “Five Appanage Tribes,” important groups that had attached themselves to Temüjin before the foundation of the Mongol state.

In his early years, Jochitai followed Jamukha of the Jadaran clan. Jamukha and Temüjin had once sworn brotherhood as anda but later became rivals for leadership of the Mongol tribes. In 1201, Jamukha assembled more than ten tribes, including the Tatars and Tayichi'ud, against Temüjin in the Battle of the Thirteen Wings. After the battle, Jamukha's brutal treatment of captives caused widespread resentment. Jochitai and Quyildar, leader of the Mangghud, each led their followers away from Jamukha and joined Temüjin. When Temüjin withdrew toward the Onon River region recorded in the source as Zheniele, the arrival of Jochitai and Quyildar substantially strengthened his forces and gave him some of his most effective troops.

Wars to Unify the Tribes

After joining Temüjin, Jochitai quickly became one of his most trusted generals because of his bravery and his repeated willingness to fight in the vanguard. The Uru'ut troops under his command were known for hard fighting and repeatedly served as a principal striking force.

In 1203, relations between Temüjin and Ong Khan of the Kereit broke down completely. Encouraged by Jamukha, Ong Khan attacked with a much larger army. The two sides fought at Qalaqaljid Sands, in the southern part of present-day Dornod Province, Mongolia. Ong Khan's son Senggüm was regarded as both clever and brave. Before the battle, Jamukha warned Ong Khan that the Uru'ut and Mangghud were especially formidable fighting groups. Ong Khan therefore sent the commander Qadaq against them.

As battle approached, Temüjin's commanders, seeing themselves greatly outnumbered, urged that Jochitai lead the vanguard. Quyildar also volunteered. The two drove forward with their followers and first defeated the force under Qadaq. The Kereit commander Achiq-Shirun then came to reinforce the battle with Tübegen troops and wounded Quyildar, knocking him from his horse; the Mangghud turned back to rescue him. Jochitai, however, continued forward with the Uru'ut, defeating the Tübegens, the Dongqayids, and the force of Quri Šilemün. He then drove into Ong Khan's center. Senggüm personally entered the fighting, and Jochitai struck him in the cheek with an arrow. Senggüm fell badly wounded, and Ong Khan finally withdrew. The source presents Jochitai's fighting as crucial to preventing the destruction of Temüjin's army.

After the battle, Temüjin reached Dalan Nemürges with only 2,600 horsemen. Temüjin took half along the western bank of the Qalqa River, while Jochitai and Quyildar led the other half along the eastern bank; Jochitai was also sent to persuade the Onggirat to submit. Temüjin later attacked Ong Khan at the Jej'er Heights, again sending Jochitai and Arqai Qasar in the vanguard. They marched day and night and launched a surprise attack. Ong Khan and his son were drinking fermented mare's milk in the golden tent and were unprepared. Their followers were captured, the two fled, and Ong Khan was later killed by Naiman. The Kereit were thereby eliminated as an independent power.

Campaign against the Naiman and Enfeoffment

In 1204, the Naiman and Merkit joined forces against Temüjin. Some groups were secretly aligned with the Naiman, but Temüjin arrived unexpectedly and they scattered. Jochitai fought vigorously and captured Jakha Gambhu—also represented in Chinese sources by another transcription and identified there as Ong Khan's younger brother—together with his two daughters. Temüjin swore an alliance with Jakha Gambhu and released him. After Jakha Gambhu later rebelled again, Jochitai used a stratagem to attack and kill him, ending the renewed resistance.

In 1206, Temüjin convened a quriltai near the source of the Onon River, raised the nine-tailed white standard, assumed supreme rule, and took the title Genghis Khan. In the distribution of rewards after the founding of the state, Jochitai was appointed commander of four thousand Uru'ut households of the left wing, with the command made hereditary. This grant greatly exceeded that of an ordinary commander of a thousand and was treated as an exceptional reward. Jochitai was counted among the ten leading meritorious commanders. Genghis Khan gave him Ibaqa Beki, daughter of the Kereit noble Jakha Gambhu, as wife. Ibaqa had previously been one of Genghis Khan's consorts. Her younger sister Sorghaghtani Beki was the principal wife of Tolui and later the mother of Kublai Khan. The marriage therefore connected Jochitai's family closely with the Toluid branch of the Chinggisid house.

Campaign against the Jin and Later Years

In 1213, Genghis Khan launched a major campaign against the Jin dynasty. Jochitai took part in the siege of Zhongdu, present-day Beijing. When the Mongol army divided into three routes, Jochitai and Genghis Khan's younger brother Qasar led the left army and took Ji, Ping, Luan, and other prefectures in western Liaoxi. Records of Jochitai become sparse thereafter, and he is said to have died around the 1220s.

His son Kehetei was described as exceptionally capable in war. He served through four reigns from Ögedei to Kublai Khan and was enfeoffed as Prince of Deqing. In 1236, remembering Jochitai's service, Ögedei granted his descendants twenty thousand households in Dezhou as a hereditary estate. In 1281, the estate was increased by twenty-one thousand households, with Zhaoqing Circuit, Lianzhou, Dezhou, and subordinate districts included in the grant. After Kehetei's death, his son Temüjin Baatar inherited the title Prince of Deqing. Thereafter the family remained prominent, and nine descendants from Kehetei onward were said to have held princely titles.

Major Activities

Military Contributions

Jochitai spent his life in war and participated in nearly all the major campaigns by which Genghis Khan unified the Mongol tribes, repeatedly serving in the vanguard. His principal military achievements included:

1. Battle of Qalaqaljid Sands (1203): Facing a Kereit army several times larger than his own side, Jochitai led the Uru'ut forward through successive enemy formations, penetrated the center, and shot Senggüm in the cheek. The wound forced Ong Khan to withdraw and, according to the source, saved Temüjin's army from possible destruction.

1. Destruction of the Kereit (1203): With Arqai Qasar in the vanguard, he marched by night against Ong Khan's encampment at the Jej'er Heights and launched a surprise attack. Ong Khan and Senggüm fled, and the Kereit were defeated.

1. Campaign against the Naiman (1204): He fought in the battle recorded as Naqu Mountain, helped break the enemy, and captured Jakha Gambhu and his two daughters. After Jakha Gambhu later rebelled again, Jochitai killed him in a surprise attack.

1. Campaign against the Jin (1213): With Qasar and others, he commanded the left army and captured Ji, Ping, Luan, and other prefectures of Liaoxi, contributing to the Mongol war against the Jin.

Political Activity

Jochitai was not only a general but also an important political figure during the foundation of the Mongol state. In 1206, when the Mongol Empire was established, he was appointed commander of four thousand Uru'ut households of the left wing and ranked among the ten leading meritorious commanders. The exceptional size and hereditary nature of the grant reflected Genghis Khan's extraordinary confidence in him. Genghis Khan also gave his former consort Ibaqa Beki to Jochitai as wife and bestowed servants on him, an act represented in the source as an especially high sign of trust.

Travels and Campaign Range

Jochitai spent most of his life campaigning across the Mongolian Plateau. The History of Yuan states that he began by campaigning against the Kereit and traveled from an unidentified place preserved in the Chinese source as “罕哈” through Buir Lake, covering immense distances. The source identifies the latter with present-day Buir Lake. His campaigning range extended east to the Greater Khingan, west toward the Altai Mountains, north toward Lake Baikal, and south to the Jin frontier.

Relations with Contemporaries

Jochitai was closely associated with Quyildar, leader of the Mangghud. The two joined Temüjin together and fought side by side in the vanguard at Qalaqaljid Sands. Genghis Khan relied heavily on Jochitai and, according to the source, addressed him respectfully as an elder. Jochitai also served with Genghis Khan's brother Qasar as a commander of the left army in the Jin campaigns. Through Ibaqa Beki, Jochitai's family was linked closely with the Toluid line: Ibaqa's younger sister Sorghaghtani Beki was Tolui's principal wife and the mother of Kublai Khan.

Personal Relations

Family

• Ancestor: Lachin Baatar (Nachin Baatar), a leader associated with one of the pre-imperial “Five Appanage Tribes”
• Wife: Ibaqa Beki, daughter of the Kereit noble Jakha Gambhu, elder sister of Sorghaghtani Beki, formerly a consort of Genghis Khan before being given to Jochitai
• Son: Kehetei, renowned for martial ability, served four reigns, and was enfeoffed as Prince of Deqing
• Grandsons: Temüjin Baatar, who inherited the title Prince of Deqing; Qadaq, who participated in campaigns against Ariq Böke and in suppressing the Li Tan rebellion
• Great-grandsons: Toghon, Qingtong, and others, who received princely titles
• Clansmen: Buǰir, a meritorious commander of a thousand; Čanai, who was appointed commander of a thousand and head of a keshig unit

Ruler and Minister

• Genghis Khan (Temüjin): ruler who placed exceptional trust in Jochitai
• Qasar: younger brother of Genghis Khan and fellow commander of the left army during the Jin campaign

Associates

• Quyildar: leader of the Mangghud; joined Temüjin with Jochitai and fought beside him in the vanguard at Qalaqaljid Sands
• Jamukha: Jochitai's early lord, whom he left because of dissatisfaction with Jamukha's brutality

Enemies

• Ong Khan (Toghrul): leader of the Kereit and principal opponent at Qalaqaljid Sands
• Senggüm (Nilqa Senggüm): son of Ong Khan, wounded in the cheek by Jochitai
• Jakha Gambhu: Ong Khan's younger brother, captured and later killed by Jochitai after renewed rebellion

Historical Assessment

Yuan Period

• The History of Yuan describes Jochitai as courageous, skilled in horsemanship and archery, and foremost in bravery in his time. It also records Genghis Khan's praise comparing his expectation of Jochitai to the shadow before a high mountain.
• The New History of Yuan likewise describes him as courageous and exceptionally brave and records that Genghis Khan held him in very high esteem.
• The source tradition also states that Genghis Khan addressed Jochitai as an elder and repeatedly praised him after battle.

Ming and Qing Periods

• The historian Ke Shaomin, in the New History of Yuan, gave a detailed account of Jochitai's campaigns, describing his joint defection from Jamukha with Quyildar and praising his martial courage.
• Qing-period scholars studying Mongol history gave high praise to Jochitai's role at Qalaqaljid Sands and regarded the battle as a major turning point in the Mongol wars of unification.

Modern and Contemporary

• The Dictionary of Chinese History, edited by Zheng Tianting, Wu Ze, Yang Zhijiu, and others, describes Jochitai as a “general of the Mongol state” and lists him among the ten leading meritorious commanders.
• Modern researchers of Mongol history generally regard Jochitai as one of Genghis Khan's most trusted followers and the Uru'ut under his command as one of the most effective vanguard forces of the Mongol army.
• Japanese scholarship on The Secret History of the Mongols has paid particular attention to his performance at Qalaqaljid Sands and treats his wounding of Senggüm as a key turning point in the battle.