Merkit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Merkit or Merged in Mongolian are a Mongol tribe that inhabited southeastern Siberia during the Middle Ages, regarded by their neighbours as being particularly ferocious.
Merkits (Merged in Mongolian) are a Mongol tribe, whose descendants and families still can be found in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia. Merged (means adept in Mongolian) were a Mongolian tribe which strongly opposed rise of Chinggis Khaan (Temuujin) who was supported in his attempt to unify Mongol tribes by other Mongolian tribes such as hereid (Kerait-means Crow tribe in Mongolian), Hongirats (Qonqirat), Jalairs (from Mongolian word Jalaat (Zalaat)) and others. In a bitter civil struggle Mergeds were defeated and later absorbed into a new united Mongol state of Temuujin (Chinggis Khaan), in 1206 declated Ikh Mongol Ulus (Great Mongolia).
Other Mongol tribes include:
- Kerait
- Qongirat
- Naiman
- Jalair or Jalair (pre-Genghis Mongols). All of these ancient families and clans can be found in modern Mongolia, Kalmykia, Buryatia and Inner Mongolia. Keraits or Crow family, Qongirats, Naiman (means Eight in Mongolian and others formed Mongolian state of Chinggis Khaan, which later greatly expanded and became Mongol Empire. Some members of these families and clans were later sent to occupied western areas of Mongol Empire and subsequently their names were taken by kypchak and other groups whom they ruled (Rashid ad Din).
[edit] History
The Mongol world conqueror Temüjin Borjigin (Genghis Khan) had a strong animosity toward Mergeds (merkits). His mother, Hoelun, originally from a Mongol tribe Hongirat, was supposed to marry a warrior Chiledu from another Mongol tribe of Merkits (Merged), however was abducted during a trip to Merkits by Temüjin's father Yesugei who was a son of grand-grandfather of Chinggis Khaan, Mongolian king Habul haan, who first established unified Mongol state called Hamag Mongol in 1130s. The abduction, described in detail in The Secret History of the Mongols, sparked a long-running feud between the tribes. Later, Temüjin's wife Börte was kidnapped by Merged (Merkit) raiders and given to one of their warriors. Temüjin, supported by his blood brother Jamuha and his foster-father Toghril, the Khan of the Keraits, attacked the Merkit and rescued Borte. Shortly thereafter she gave birth to a son; Temüjin accepted paternity of the boy but named him Jochi. Jochi went on to rule areas of Asia to the west of Mongolia.
During Temüjin's conquest of Mongolia the Merkit were subdued; they subsequently disappear as a separate ethnic group. Those who survived the initial conquest were probably dispersed among other Mongol tribes.
