Imperial Sons-in-law on the Move: Oyirad and Qunqirad Dispersion in Mongol Eurasia

• In Event: Asia In Motion under Mongol rule: The Routes of Cultural Transfer

Abstract

Aside from anda (blood brothers), nökers (companions), and keshig (the imperial guard and household), güregens (sons-in-law of the Chinggisid Golden lineage) were one of the pillars of the Mongol power structures throughout Eurasia. An intense net of matrimonial relations (quda) between the imperial clan and the powerful tribes penetrated the United Empire and the Khanates. The in-laws were often in command of big military units and/or originating from the tribes of high status due to their early connections with Chinggis Khan himself, therefore these ties were of strategic importance for the rule of the Chinggisid dynasties. Despite the general policy of the royal clan to maximise the variety of those connections, matrimonial relations with the Oyirad and the Qunqirad are a clear example of the simultaneous usage of the “preferential marriage policy” by the Golden lineage. Following the waves of conquest, the imperial sons-in-law, tightly connected with Chinggis Khan since the early 1200s, moved across Eurasia, accompanied by significant amounts of military units. Oyirad tribal groups came as far as the Ilkhanate and the Mamluk Sultanate, whereas the Qunqirad played a significant role mainly in the Yuan realm and the Golden Horde. The paper aims at analyzing the patterns of migration of these two tribes, as well as showing how this analysis can enrich the overall understanding of the tribal movements throughout Eurasia under Mongol rule, a process which shaped the map of most of Eurasia from the post-Chinggisid times until today.

Author

• Ishayahu Landa, Hebrew University