Jamuqa was a Mongol military and political leader and the chief rival to Temüjin, later Genghis Khan, in the unification of the Mongol tribes. Born in the Jadirat, a sub-tribe of the Kerait, Jamuqa was a childhood friend and a blood brother to Temüjin. For the German pop band, see Dschinghis Khan Genghis Khan (1155/1162/1167–August 18, 1227) (Cyrillic: Чингис Хаан), (also spelled as Chingis Khan, Jenghis Khan, etc. ...  , (c. ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... For the anti-Talmudic Jewish sect, see Karaite Judaism. ...

When Borte, wife of Temujin, was abducted by the Merkit tribe, Wang Khan, Jamuqa and Temüjin combined forces against the Merkits to recover her. The Merkit were an Asian tribe inhabiting southeastern Siberia during the Middle Ages, regarded by their neighbours as being particularly ferocious. ... Wang Khan was the title given to the Kerait ruler Toghrul by the Jurchen Jin Dynasty of China. ...

In 1201, a khuriltai elected Jamuqa as Gur Khan, universal ruler, a title used by the rulers of the Kara-Khitan Khanate. Jamuqa's assumption of this title was the final breach with Temüjin and Jamuqa, leading Temüjin to form a coalition of tribes to oppose him. // Events The town of Riga was chartered as a city. ... Mongol term, also khuriltai, signifying a tribal assembly, convened to determine military campaigns and problems of leadership. ... Khan (Persian: خان) (sometimes spelled as Xan, Han, Polish Chan) is a title with many meanings, originally commander, leader or ruler, in Mongolian and Turkish. ... The Kara-Khitan Khanate (Simplified Chinese: 西辽; Traditional Chinese: 西遼; pinyin: XÄ« Liaó) (1124 or 1125-1218), also known as Western Liao was established by Yelü Dashi (耶律大石) who led around 100,000 Khitan remnants after escaping Jurchen conquest of their native country, the Khitan dynasty (also known as Liao Dynasty). ...

Jamuqa was less successful in coalition-building because, unlike Temüjin, he maintained traditional divisions between tribes in his forces and assigned commands by hereditary rank rather than merit. In particular, Jamuqa did not recruit shepherds who lacked tribal status in the Mongol tradition. This allowed Temüjin to recover from a series of military defeats inflicted by Jamuqa and to emerge victorious. It was also believed that Jamuqa was a harsh and unforgiving man, and that he inherited his leadership by murdering his family.

Jamuqa was eventually betrayed to Temüjin by his followers in 1206. Temüjin executed Jamuqa's betrayers on the principle that betrayal merits the harshest punishment. The Secret History of the Mongols states that Temüjin offered renewal of their brotherhood, but Jamuqa insisted that just as there was room for only one sun in the sky, there was room only for one Mongol lord. So he asked to be executed by a noble death without spilling blood, so his back was broken. Events Temujin is proclaimed Genghis Khan of the Mongol people, founding the Mongol Empire Qutb ud-Din proclaims the Mameluk dynasty in India, the first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. ... The Secret History of the Mongols is the first literary work of Mongolian culture. ...

References

Heirs to Discord: The Supratribal Aspirations of Jamuqa, Toghrul, and Temüjin