Let’s focus on a major course theme: connectedness. The Mongols, Europeans, and Islamic empires enjoyed a great deal of cultural, economic, and intellectual exchang

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The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of

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Igor de Rachewiltz The Australian National University

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Rachewiltz, Igor de, "The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century" (2015). Shorter version edited by John C. Street, University of Wisconsin―Madison. Books and Monographs. Book 4. http://cedar.wwu.edu/cedarbooks/4

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The Secret History of the Mongols

A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century

TRANSLATED BY IGOR DE RACHEWILTZ The Australian National University

SHORTER VERSION Edited by John C. Street

December 11, 2015

The Secret History of the Mongols, Translation by Igor de Rachewiltz is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit www.creativecommons.org.

Cover illustration: Ögödei Qa’an (Ogedei Khan), third son and successor of ƒinggis Qan (Genghis Khan, ?1162-1227), reigned from 1229 to 1241. He was the real founder of the Mongol empire and, in the author’s opinion, he played an essential role in the composition of the Secret History of the Mongols.

Colour on silk, date unknown (? 14th c). Courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

THE SECRET HISTORY 201

order.1 But if the elders of the companies do not proclaim

this order to the guards they shall be guilty and liable to

punishment. Further, elders of the companies without

permission from Us shall not, merely on the ground of

seniority, reprimand my guards who have enrolled as

guards equal to them. If any of them breaks the law let it

be reported to Us. Those liable to death We shall

certainly cut down. Those liable to punishment We shall

certainly discipline. If, without informing Us, they

themselves2 on the ground of seniority lay hands on my

guards, as requital for fists they shall be repaid with fists,

and as requital for strokes of the rod they shall be repaid

with strokes of the rod.’3 Thus he spoke.

Further, he ordered as follows: ‘My guards are of

higher standing than the outside commanders of a

thousand; the attendants of my guards are of higher

standing than the outside commanders of a hundred and

of ten. If outside leaders of a thousand quarrel with my

guards We shall punish those who are leaders of a

thousand.’4

279 Further, Ögödei Qa’an said, ‘We shall not cause

suffering to the nation that Our father Činggis Qa’an

established with so much toil. We shall make the people

rejoice, causing them to rest

Their feet upon the ground,

Their hands upon the earth.

Sitting now on the throne made ready by Our father the

Qa’an, so that people do not suffer, every year from these

people one two-year-old sheep out of every flock shall be

given as levy for Our soup.5 They shall also provide one

sheep out of every hundred sheep and give it to the poor

and needy within the same unit. And when the Qa’an’s

brothers and the numerous troops6 and guards gather

————– 1 See above, §227 ad fin. 2 I.e., the elders of the companies. 3 See above, §227 ad fin. 4 See above, §228. 5 I.e., for the support of the Qa’an. 6 I.e., the Qa’an’s family and the officers.

202 CHAPTER TWELVE

together at feasts and meetings, how could drink for all be

levied every time from the people? From the various

units of a thousand of different areas mares shall be

provided and milked, and the mare-milkers shall be the

ones to tend them. The camp-masters shall constantly

provide replacements of mares and shall in turn be

herders of the milch mares. And when the Qa’an’s

brothers gather together We shall give them gifts and

rewards. Conveying satins, gold and silver ingots,

quivers, bows, breastplates, weapons and the land-tax

grains into the storehouses, We shall have people guard-

ing them: storemen and grainkeepers must be selected

from different areas and made to guard the storehouses.

And, dividing camps1 and waters, We shall give them to

the people. If We select campmasters from the various

units of a thousand to reside in the camps, that will surely

be an appropriate measure.

‘Moreover, as there is nothing but wild animals in the

Čöl2 country, Čanai and Ui’urtai, being put in charge of

the campmasters, shall make them dig wells in the Čöl for

people to live in this rather vast area, and they shall build

brick walls around the wells to protect them from wild

animals.

‘Further, when the messengers ride in haste We allow

them to ride moving freely among the population, and as

a result the pace of these riding messengers is slow and

they are an affliction on the people. Now We shall settle

the matter once and for all by providing post-station

masters and post-horse keepers from the various units of a

thousand of different areas, by setting up a post station at

every stage, by not allowing the messengers to move

freely among the population unless on urgent business,

but instead by having them ride in haste through the post

stations. If we do this, it will surely be an appropriate

measure.

————– 1 I.e., the grazing grounds (nuntuq). 2 Lit., ‘the Desert’ (= the Gobi; cf. above, §188), but perhaps more

generally ‘the desert country’ (RSH 2.1027).

THE SECRET HISTORY 203

‘When Čanai and Bolqadar,1 being well informed,

proposed these measures to Us We considered that they

were indeed right and said, “Let elder brother Ča’adai

decide. If these measures under discussion are appro-

priate and he approves them, let the decision come from

elder brother Ča’adai.”’

After Ögödei Qa’an had sent this message, a reply

came from elder brother Ča’adai, saying, ‘I approve these

very measures about which you have asked me in your

message – all of them. Thus, act accordingly!’

Further, elder brother Ča’adai’s word came, saying,

‘From here I shall have post stations connecting with

yours.2 Also, from here I shall send messengers to Batu,

and Batu shall have his post stations connected with

mine.’ And a further word came from him, which he sent

saying, ‘Of all the measures, the one concerning the

establishment of post stations is the most appropriate that

has been proposed.’

280 Thereupon Ögödei Qa’an said, ‘Elder brother Ča’adai

and Batu, and the other brothers, princes of the right

hand3 – all of them; Otčigin Noyan and Yegü, and the

other brothers, all the princes of the left hand;4 the

princesses and sons-in-law of the centre, and the com-

manders of ten thousand, of a thousand, of a hundred and

of ten, have all together approved the following: “If, for

the soup of the Universal Ruler5 one provides every year

one two-year-old wether out of every flock, it won’t be a

burden at all. To provide one one-year-old sheep out of

every hundred sheep and give it to the poor and needy is

good. If we have post stations set up and provide post-

station masters and post-horse keepers to manage them

there will be peace for the many peoples, and for the

messengers in particular convenience in travelling.” They

unanimously approved this.’

————– 1 The Bulqadar of §278 above. 2 I.e., to facilitate communications. 3 I.e., of the west. 4 I.e., of the east. 5 I.e., for the support of the Qa’an. Cf. above, §279.

204 CHAPTER TWELVE

Having taken counsel with elder brother Ča’adai

regarding the order of the Qa’an, and this having been ap-

proved by elder brother Ča’adai, all the people from the

various units of a thousand of different areas according to

the Qa’an’s order were made to provide every year one

two-year-old wether out of every flock for the soup of the

Qa’an, and one one-year-old sheep out of every hundred

sheep for the poor and needy. They were made to pro-

vide mares, and herders of milch mares were also

assigned. They were made to provide herders of milch

mares, storemen and grainkeepers. They were made to

provide post-station masters and post-horse keepers, and

measuring the distance between each stage they had post

stations set up. Aračan and Toqučar were put in charge of

them. At a single stage of the post there had to be twenty

post-horse keepers, and at every stage there had to be a

post station with twenty post-horse keepers each.

The Qa’an ordered: ‘With regard to the geldings to be

used as post horses, the sheep to be used as provisions,

the milch mares, the oxen to be harnessed to carts, and the

carts, from the amount fixed by Us from now on,

If one causes even a piece of string to be lacking,

He shall be guilty and liable

To “splitting in half along the top of the head”;1

If one causes even a spoon-shaped spoke of a

wheel to be lacking,

He shall be guilty and liable

To “splitting in half along the nose.”’1

281 Ögödei Qa’an said, ‘This I have done after I sat on the

great throne of my father:

‘I campaigned against the ‡aqut people2 and I destroy-

ed them.3

‘As my second deed, I had post stations set up so that

our messengers could ride in haste all along the way; and

for that purpose I had all necessities conveyed to the post

stations.

————– 1 I.e., to the confiscation of half his goods. See RSH 2.1031-32. 2 I.e., the people of north China. See RSH 2.1032-33. 3 Lit., ‘I destroyed the ‡aqut people.’

THE SECRET HISTORY 205

‘As to the next1 deed, I had wells dug in places with-

out water and had the water brought forth, thus providing

the people with water and grass.

‘Further,2 I established scouts and garrison troops

among the people of cities everywhere and so I let the

people live in peace, causing them to rest

Their feet upon the ground,

Their hands upon the earth.3

‘After my father the Qa’an I have indeed added four

good deeds to his.

‘But, being placed on the great throne by my father

the Qa’an and being made to take upon myself the burden

of my many peoples, I was at fault to let myself be

vanquished by wine. This was indeed one fault of mine.

‘As to my second fault, to listen to the word of a

woman without principle, and to have the girls of my

uncle Otčigin’s domain brought to me was surely a

mistake.4 Even though I was the Qa’an and lord of the

nation, to participate in wrong and unprincipled actions,

this was indeed one fault of mine.

‘To secretly injure5 Doqolqu was also a fault of mine.

And why was it a fault? Because to secretly injure

Doqolqu who strove fiercely in the service of his rightful

lord, my father the Qan, was a fault and a mistake. Who

will now strive so fiercely in my service? Therefore, I

have myself acknowledged the fault of having secretly

harmed, without discernment, a person who diligently

observed the principle of loyalty in the service of my

father the Qa’an and in the service of all.

‘Further,6 being greedy and saying to myself, “What if

————– 1 I.e., the third. 2 I.e., as the fourth deed. 3 See above, §279. 4 For this complicated incident, nowhere mentioned in the Secret

History, see RSH 2.1034-36. 5 = ‘poison’? Cf. above, §68. And for this third fault, see RSH 1036-

37. 6 I.e., as the fourth fault (for which we have no direct additional

evidence). See RSH 2.1037-38.

206 CHAPTER TWELVE

the wild animals born with their destiny ordained by

Heaven and Earth go over to the territory of my

brothers?”, I had fences and walls built of pounded earth

to prevent the animals from straying. As I was thus con-

fining them, I heard resentful words coming from my

brothers. That, too, was a fault of mine.

‘After my father the Qa’an, I indeed added four good

deeds to his, and four deeds of mine were surely faults.’

Thus he spoke.

282 The writing of this book was completed at the time

when the Great Assembly convened and when, in the

Year of the Rat, in the month of the Roebuck, the Palaces

were established at Dolo’an Boldaq of Köde’e Aral on the

Kelüren River, between Šilginček and […].1

————– 1 The name of the second locality is missing owing to a lacuna in the

text.