Altan Khan
Altan Khan (
1507-
1582)　(Chinese: 俺ç"æ±—), whose given name was
Anda, was the de facto ruler of the Right Wing of the
Mongols and exercised his power over the whole of
Mongolia.
He was the second son of the
Bars Bolud Jinong and a grandson of
Dayan Khan, who had re-unified the Mongolian nobility in an attempt to regain the glory of
Yuan Dynasty. Altan Khan ruled the
Tümed and belonged to the Right Wing of the Mongols along with his elder brother
Gün Bilig, who ruled the
Ordus. After Gün Bilig's death in 1542, Altan became the de facto leader of the Right Wing and was given the title "Tösheetü Sechen Khan."
When
Bodi Alagh Khan, the legitimate ruler of the Mongols from the
Chakhar, died in 1547, Altan forced Bodi Alagh's successor
Darayisung Küdeng Khan to flee eastward. In 1551 Darayisung made a compromise with Altan in exchange for giving the title "Gegeen Khan" to him.
Altan Khan is known for re-establishing ties between Mongolia and the religious leaders of
Tibet, inviting the
3rd Dalai Lama to Mongolia on two occasions (
1569,
1578) and embracing the
Tibetan Buddhist faith during the lama's second visit. It was the Altan Khan who created the title of
Dalai Lama ("Ocean of Wisdom") and bestowed it on the
Gelugpa lineage. The title was applied retrospectively to the first two
Dalai Lamas.
Altan Khan used his military strength to threaten
Ming Dynasty China, laying siege to
Beijing in
1550. The Chinese emperor was forced to grant special trading rights to the khanate, which further strengthened it economically.
Altan Khan also founded the city of
Hohhot (Köke Khota), the capital of
Inner Mongolia.
After his death he was succeeded as Khan by
Sengge Düüreng.
Altan Khan of the Khalkha refers to a later set of Mongolian rulers who ruled smaller khanates about a century later.
