Khagan or Great Khan (Old Turkic kaɣan; Mongolian: хаган; Chinese: 可汗; pinyin: kēhan; alternatively spelled Chagan, Khaghan, Kagan, Kağan, Qagan, Qaghan), is a title of imperial rank in the Turkic and Mongolian languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a Khaganate (empire, greater than an ordinary Khan, but often referred to as such in western languages). It may also be translated as Khan of Khans, equivalent to King of Kings. The seven Great Khans and the regents of the Mongol Empire in world history are as follows: The Cyrillic alphabet (pronounced also called azbuka, from the old name of the first two letters) is actually a family of alphabets, subsets of which are used by certain Slavic languages — Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Rusyn, Serbian, and Ukrainian—as well as many other languages of the former Soviet Union... Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz redirects here. ... Japanese name Kanji: Hiragana: Korean name Hangul: Hanja: Vietnamese name Quốc ngữ: Hán tá»±: A Chinese character or Han character (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a logogram used in writing Chinese, Japanese, sometimes Korean, and formerly Vietnamese. ... Japanese name Kanji: Hiragana: Korean name Hangul: Hanja: Vietnamese name Quốc ngữ: Hán tá»±: A Chinese character or Han character (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a logogram used in writing Chinese, Japanese, sometimes Korean, and formerly Vietnamese. ... Map of eastern China and Taiwan, showing the historic distribution of Mandarin Chinese in light brown. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Jamo redirects here. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... The Turkic language spoken by the Göktürks and used on the Orkhon inscriptions. ... Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz redirects here. ... The Turkic language spoken by the Gokturks and used on the Orkhon inscriptions. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... This article is about the political and historical term. ... The Turkic languages constitute a language family of some thirty languages, spoken across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are traditionally considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family. ... An emperorrefers to Nick Herringshaw, a title, empress may only indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort. ... This article is about the title. ... This article is about the title. ... Khan (sometimes spelled as xan, han) is a title meaning ruler in Mongolian and Turkish. ... King of Kings is a lofty title that has been used by several monarchies (usually empires in the informal sense of great powers) throughout history, and in many cases the literal title meaning King of Kings, i. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ... Expansion of the Mongol Empire Historical map of the Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire, also known as the Mongolian Empire (Mongolian: , Mongolyn Ezent Güren; 1206–1405) was the largest contiguous empire in history and for sometime was the most feared in Eurasia. ...

• Genghis Khan
• Tolui Khan (as regent)
• Ögedei Khan
• Töregene Khatun (as regent, with the title "Great Khatun")
• Guyuk Khan
• Mongke Khan
• Kublai Khan

In modern Mongolian, the title became Khaan with the 'g' sound becoming almost silent or non-existent [i.e., a very light voiceless velar fricative]. The common western rendering as Great Khan or Grand Khan, notably in the case of the Mongol Empire, is technically not correct, but it has been well established by long-standing convention and is reasonably clear in suggesting paramount status. This article is about the person. ... Tolui,also rendered Toluy or Tolui Khan (Mongolian: ; Chinese: ; pinyin: ; 1190–1232), was the youngest son of Genghis Khan by Börte. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ... Ögedei Khan, (Mongolian: , Ögöödei; also Ogotai or Oktay; c. ... Töregene Khatun ruled as regent of the Mongol Empire from the death of her husband Ögedei Khan in 1241 until the election of her eldest son Güyük Khan in 1246. ... Güyük (c. ... Möngke Khan (1208-1259, also transliterated as Mongke, Mongka, Möngka, Mangu) was the fourth khan of the Mongol Empire. ... For other uses, see Kublai Khan (disambiguation). ... This article is about the dinosaur. ... Expansion of the Mongol Empire Historical map of the Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire, also known as the Mongolian Empire (Mongolian: , Mongolyn Ezent Güren; 1206–1405) was the largest contiguous empire in history and for sometime was the most feared in Eurasia. ...

[edit] Origin

The title was first seen in a speech between 283 and 289, when the Xianbei chief Murong Tuyuhun tried to escape from his younger step-brother Murong Hui, and began his route from Liaodong to the areas of Ordos Desert. In the speech one of the Murong's general named Yinalou addressed him as kehan (可寒, later as 可汗), some sources suggests that Tuyuhun might also have used the title after settling at Koko Nor in the 3rd century.^[1] The Tuyuhun (Chinese: 吐谷渾) were a nomadic tribe of East Asia who flourished in the 4th-7th centuries, thought to be related to the Xianbei. ... Murong Hui (慕容廆), (269—333) Xianbei chief and Duke Xiang of Liaodong, posthumously honored as Prince Wuxuan of Yan. ... The Liaodong Peninsula (sim. ... Ordos Desert 1912 The Ordos Desert (Chinese: 鄂尔多斯沙漠; Pinyin: ÈěrduōsÄ« Shāmò) is a desert and steppe region lying on a plateau in the south of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Qinghai Lake (Chinese: 青海湖; pinyin: qīnghǎi hú; Mongolian: Koro Nor; Tibetan: Tso Ngonpo; the green-blue sea) is the largest and highest lake in China and is the second largest inland saltwater lake on Earth (after the Great Salt Lake in the United States). ...

The first to adopt the title for the state was the nomadic Juan Juan confederacy (4th–6th century AD) or the Xianbei, on China's northern border. Juan Juan (wg), Ruanruan (py), Ru Ru (py) or Rouran 柔然 (py) was the name of a confederacy of nomadic tribes on the northern borders of China proper from late 4th century until late 6th century. ... Xianbei belt buckles, 3-4th century CE. The Xianbei (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsien-pei) were a significant nomadic people residing in Manchuria and eastern Mongolia, or Xianbei Shan. ...

The Avars, who may have included Juan Juan elements after the Turks crushed the Juan Juan who ruled Mongolia, also used this title. The Avars invaded Europe, and for over a century ruled the Hungarian region. Westerners Latinized the title "Khagan" into "Gaganus" or Cagan et Iugurro principibus Hunorum. Late Avar period Map showing the location of Avar Khaganate, c. ...

[edit] Mongolian Khagans

Main article: List of Mongol Khans

The Mongolian script on the right writes "Genghis Khan" and the two dots in the second word means English "g" and is therefore written as "Khagan." Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This is the list of Mongol Khans and Khagans. ... The term Mongolian alphabet may refer to any of three scripts used over the centuries to write the Mongolian language. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

By far the most famous incumbents were from the dynasty of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, who united all Mongol nomad tribes. His grandson Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty in China. Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... This article is about the person. ... For other uses, see Kublai Khan (disambiguation). ... Capital Dadu Language(s) Mongolian Chinese Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1260-1294 Kublai Khan  - 1333-1370 (Cont. ...

The ruling descendants of (the senior line of the house of) Genghis Khan are often referred to as the Great (or Grand) Khans. These include Ögedei Khan, Güyük Khan, Möngke Khan and Kublai Khan. Ögedei Khan, (Mongolian: , Ögöödei; also Ogotai or Oktay; c. ... Güyük (c. ... Möngke Khan (Мөнх хаан), also transliterated as Mongke, Mongka, Möngka, Mangu or Mangku (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; c. ... For other uses, see Kublai Khan (disambiguation). ...

The Secret History of the Mongols, written for that very dynasty, clearly distinguishes Khaghan and Khan: only Genghis and his descendants are called Khaghan, while other rulers are referred to as Khan. Over time, though, the distinction became blurred by the large number of rulers who claimed it. The Secret History of the Mongols is the first literary work of Mongolian culture. ...

The gh sound in "Khaghan" later weakened and disappeared becoming Khaan in modern Mongolian.

[edit] Among Turkic peoples

The title became associated with the Ashina rulers of the Göktürks and their dynastic successors among such peoples as the Khazars (cf. the compound military title Khagan Bek). Minor rulers were rather relegated to the lower title of Khan. Ashina (also Asen or Asena), the ruling dynasty of the ancient Turks, according to Xin Tangshu they were related to the northern tribes from Xiongnu, though four theories were already established prior to the present under Zhoushu, Suishu and Youyang Zazu from as early as the 7th-century [1]. The... The Göktürks or Kök-Türks were a Turkic people of ancient Central Asia and China. ... The Khazars (Hebrew Kuzari כוזרי Kuzarim כוזרים; Turkish Hazar Hazarlar; Russian Хазарин Хазары; Tatar sing Xäzär Xäzärlär; Crimean Tatar: ; Greek Χαζάροι/Χάζαροι; Persianخزر khazar; Latin Gazari or Cosri) were a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia, many of whom converted to Judaism. ... Title used by the Bek of the Khazars. ... This article is about the title. ...

Interestingly, both Khakhan as such and the Turkish form Hakan, with the specification in Arabic al-Barrayn wa al-Bahrayn (meaning literally "of both lands and both seas"), or rather fully in Ottoman Turkish Hakan ül-Berreyn vel-Bahreyn, were among the titles in the official full style of the Great Sultan (and later Caliph) of the Ottoman Empire (Sultan Hân N.N., Padishah, Hünkar, Sovereign of the House of Osman, Sultan of Sultans, Khan of Khans, Commander of the Faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe; next followed a series of specifical 'regional' titles, starting with Protector of the Holy Cities of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem), reflecting the historical legitimation of the dynasty's rule as political successor to various conquered (often Islamised) states. Arabic redirects here. ... Ottoman Turkish is the variant of the Turkish language which was used as the administrative and literary language of the Ottoman Empire, containing extensive borrowings from Arabic and Persian and written in Arabic script. ... Ottoman redirects here. ... Padishah, Padshah, Padeshah, Badishah or Badshah (Persian پادشاه Pādishāh) is a very prestigious title, which is composed from the Persian words Pati master and the better-known title Shāh King, which was adopted by several Islamic monarchies claiming the highest rank, roughly equivalent to Christian Emperors or the... Sultan of Sultans is the literal English translation of the original Turkish Sultan es-Selatin or Sultan us-Selatin. ...

[edit] Among the Slavs

Main article: Rus' Khaganate

In the early 10th century, princes of Eastern Slavs employed the title of kagan (or qaghan), reported by the Arab geographer Ibn Rusta writing between 903 and 913. This tradition endured in the eleventh century, as the metropolitan of Russia Hilarion calls both grand prince Vladimir (978–1015) and grand prince Iaroslav (1019–1054) by the title of kagan, while a graffito on the walls of the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kiev gives the same title to the son of Iaroslav, grand prince Sviatoslav II (1073–1076). The Rus Khaganate was a polity that flourished during a poorly documented period in the history of Eastern Europe (roughly the late 8th and early to mid-9th centuries CE). ... Ibn Rustah (in Persian: احمد ابن رسته اصفهانی - Aḥmad ebn Roste Eá¹£fahānÄ«) was a 10th century Persian explorer and geographer born in Rosta district, Isfahan, Persia [1][2] He wrote a geographical compendium. ... In hierarchical Christian churches, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop (then more precisely called Metropolitan archbishop) of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of an old Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital. ... St. ... The title Grand Prince (Latin, Magnus Princeps; German, Großfürst, Finnish Suuriruhtinas, Swedish Storfurste, Lithuanian Didysis kunigaikÅ¡tis, Russian Великий князь Velikii kniaz) ranks in honour below Emperor and Tsar but higher than a sovereign Prince (Fürst) or Royal Prince. ... Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great (c. ... Yaroslav I the Wise (978?-1054) (Christian name: Yury, or George) was thrice prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. ... Look up Sophia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted Coordinates: , Country Ukraine Oblast Kiev City Municipality Raion Municipality Government  - Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi Elevation 179 m (587 ft) Population (2006)  - City 4,450,968  - Density 3,299/km² (8,544. ... Svyatoslav Yaroslavich (1027—1076) was the Prince of Chernigov from 1054 to 1073 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 1073 until his death. ...

[edit] Notes

[edit] Sources and references

• Mark Whittow, The Making of Byzantium, 600–1025, University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, 1996.
• Zhou, Weizhou [1985] (2006). A History of Tuyuhun. Guilin: Guangxi Normal University Press. ISBN 7-5633-6044-1.

]] Yam is a supply point route messenger system developed by Genghis Khan. ... The Pax Mongolica or Mongol Peace is a phrase coined by Western scholars to describe the effect of the conquest of the Mongol Empire on the social, cultural and economic life of the inhabitants in the 13th and 14th centuries. ... Yassa, alternatively Yasa or Yasaq, is a written code of laws created by Genghis Khan. ... Kurultai (Tatar: Qorıltay, Azerbaijani: Qurultay; Kurulmak meaning to assemble in Turkish, also Khural meaning meeting in Mongolian) is a political and military council of ancient Mongol and Turkic chiefs and khans. ... A nerge is a Mongolian military tactic that originated as a hunting technique. ... A type of horse archer in Age of Kings available only to the Mongols. ... Tumen was the part of decimal system used by Turkic, Proto-Turkic (such as the Huns) and by Mongol peoples for their army. ...

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