Arikah Map

Khan

"Khan" and "Khanate" redirect here. For other uses, see Khan (disambiguation) and Khanate (disambiguation).

Khan (sometimes spelled as Xan, Han, Ke-Han) is a title with many meanings, originally commander, leader or ruler, in Mongolian and Turkic languages. Khan also means a leader of a tribe. Presently Khans exist mostly in South Asia and Central Asia. The female alternative is Khatan.Most of Afghans(pashtuns) have the name Khan.


Contents

Khanate rulers and dynasties

Ruling Khans

A khan controls a khanate (sometimes spelled chanat). Whenever appropriate as ruler of a monarchy, Khan is also translated, albeit imprecisely, as king.

Originally khans only headed relatively minor tribal entities, generally in or near the vast Eurasian steppe, the scene of an almost endless procession of nomadic people riding out into the history of the neighbouring sedentary regions, mainly Europe and the Far East.

Khan:Eurasia on the eve of the Mongol invasions, c. AD 1200.
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Eurasia on the eve of the Mongol invasions, c. AD 1200.

Some managed to establish principalities of some importance for a while, as their military might repeatedly proved a serious threat to such empires as China, Rome and Byzantium.

Khan was also probably the title used by early Bulgar rulers, but is not attested in any inscriptions referring to them- the only similar title found so far, Kanasubigi, was used by only three of the Bulgarian rulers, namely Krum, Omurtag and Malamir , which were grandfather, son and a grandson, after them the title disappears. Starting from compound, non-ruler titles which were attested among Bulgarian noble class, kavkhan (vicekhan), tarkhan, and boritarkhan, scholars assume (if there was a vicekhan lol (kavkhan) so there was a khan, too) the title khan for the early Bulgarian leader. In fact, the inscriptions speak of archontеs (commander or magistrate in Greek) and knyaze (duke or prince in Slavic). The greatest Bulgar clan was the "Dulo". The Bulgar Khans came to prominence in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, when the they came to Europe. Among the best known Bulgar khans were: Khan Kubrat, founder of Great Bulgaria; Khan Asparukh, founder of Danubian Bulgaria (today's Bulgaria); Khan Tervel, "The savior of Europe"; Khan Krum, "the Terrible". "Khan" was the official title of the ruler until 864 AD, when Kniaz Boris (known also as Tsar Boris I) adopted the Eastern Orthodox faith.

The title Khan became unprecedently prominent when the tribal Mongol Temujin proved himself a military genius by creating the Mongol empire, the greatest land empire the world ever saw, which he ruled as Genghis Khan. His title was khagan 'Khan of Khans', see below, but is often 'shortened' to Khan (rather like the Persian Shahanshah -also meaning 'King of Kings'- is usually called Shah, equally incorrect, in most Western languages) or described as 'Great Khan' (like the Ottoman Padishah being called 'Great Sultan').

After Genghis' death, the empire would soon start a process of gradual disintegration. Soon the Mongol element waned nearly everywhere, except in desolate regions like its native Outer Mongolia (even in China's 'Inner Mongolia') by sedentary people, and mainly Turkic, nomadic tribes that entered the scene rather like the Mongols had done before, conquering on horseback, to be in turn either sedentarized or overrun. Still, Genghis' prestige was such that a claim to descent from him was as prized as would be descent from Caesar in the West.

The title Khan was also used to designate the rulers of the Jurchens, who, later when known as the Manchus, founded the Qing dynasty of China. The Mongolian title of the Qing emperors, Bogdikhan, would later be transmitted to the Russians in late 17th century. (Hsu, 1990, Rise of Modern China 4th Edition)


Once more, there would be numerous khanates in the steppe in and around Central Asia, often more of a people than a territorial state, e.g.:

While most Afghan principalities were styled emirate, there was a khanate of ethnic Uzbeks in Badakhshan since 1697.

Khan was the title of the rulers of various break-away states later reintegrated in Iran, e.g. 1747 - 1808 Khanate of Ardebil (in northwestern Iran east of Sarab and west of the southwest corner of the Caspian Sea), 1747 - 1813 Khanate of Khoy (northwestern Iran, north of Lake Urmia, between Tabriz and Lake Van), 1747 - 1829 Khanate of Maku (in extreme northwestern Iran, northwest of Khoy, and 60 miles south of Yerevan, Armenia), 1747 - 1790's Khanate of Sarab (northwestern Iran east of Tabrizlol), 1747 - c.1800 Khanate of Tabriz (capital of Iranian Azerbeidjan).

There were various small khanates in and near Transcaucasia. In present Armenia, there was a khanate of Erivan (sole incumbent 1807 - 1827 Hosein Quli Khan Qajar). Diverse khanates existed in Azerbaijan, including Baku (present capital), Ganja, Jawad, Quba (Kuba), Salyan, Shakki (Sheki, ruler style Bashchi since 1743) and Shirvan=Shamakha (1748 - 1786 temporarily split into Khoja Shamakha and Yeni Shamakha), Talysh (1747-1814); Nakhichevan and (Nagorno) Karabakh.

The title Khan was common in some of the polities of the various - generally Islamic - people called Ta(r)tars (not to be confused with the modern Volga Tatars) [1] in territories of the Mongol Golden Horde and its successor states, all in time to be subdued by Muscovia which became the Russian Empire, including a few major ones:

Examples of other, humbler Tatar khanate dynasties made vassals of Muscovy/ Russia are:

Further east, in imperial China's western Turkestan flank:

17th century divided into several minor khanates without importance, real power going to the so-called Khwaja, Arabic islamic religious leaders; title changed to Amir Khan in 1873, annexed by China in 1877.

Compound and derived princely titles

The higher, rather imperial title Khagan (Persian: خاقان) ("Khan of Khans") applies to probably the most famous rulers known as Khan: the Mongol imperial dynasty of Genghis Khan (his name was Temujin, Genghis Khan a never fully understood unique title), and his successors, especially grandson Kublai Khan: the former founded the Mongol Empire and the latter founded the Yuan Dynasty in China. The ruling descendants of the main branch of Genghis Khan's dynasty are referred to as the Great Khans.

Khan:Mongol Empire's largest extent outlined in red; Timur's empire is shaded
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Mongol Empire's largest extent outlined in red; Timur's empire is shaded

The title Khan of Khans was among numerous titles used by the Sultans of the Ottoman empire as well as the rulers of the Golden Horde and its descendant states. The title Khan was also used in the Seljuk Turk dynasties of the near-east to designate a head of multiple tribes, clans or nations, who was below an Atabeg in rank. Jurchen and Manchu rulers also used the title Khan (Han in Manchu); for example, Nurhaci was called Genggiyen Han. Rulers of the Gokturks, Avars and Khazars used the higher title Kaghan, as rulers of distinct nations.

Khanzada (Persian: خانزادہ)(the Persian suffix -zadeh means son or more generally male descendant; not to be confused with Khannazad: female harem attendant; for analogous titles see Prince of the Blood and links there) is a title conferred to princes of the dynasties of certain princely states, such as

Khatun, or Khatan (Persian: خاتون) is roughly equal to a King's queen in Mongolian, as by this title a ruling Khan's Queen-consort (wife) is designated with similar respect after their proclamation as Khan and Khatun. Also used in Hazari (instead of Khanum).Famous Khatuns include:

Khanum (Persian: خانم) is another female derivation of Khan, notably in Turkic languages, for a Khan's Queen-consort, or in some traditions extended as a courtesy title (a bit like Lady for women not married to a Lord, which is the situation modern Turkish) to the wives of holders of various other (lower) titles; in Afghanistan, for example, it ended up as the common term for 'Miss', any unmarried woman. The compound Galin Khanum (literally, "lady bride") was the title accorded to the principal noble wife of a Qajar..

Other khans

Military ranks

The title khan was also used as a military officer rank in certain armies, especially following the decimal organisation (already known from Achaemenid Persia) of Genghis Khan's conquering 'hordes' (actually under the strictest discipline).

In some Muslim-states in India, especially the Delhi sultanate (which absorbed all under the Mughal dynasty), a Khan was a high-ranking imperial general, commanding at least a lac (i.e. 100.000) horseman, being placed over 10 Maliks, each of which commanded Amirs (so 100 under a Khan), who each command 10 Sipah salars (so 1000 per Khan), each commanding 10 Sar-i-khails (so 10.000 per Khan) who each commanded 10 ordinary horsemen - thus it was described in person by Nasir ud din Mahmud, Sultan of Delhi, advising his son Muiz ud din Kaiqobad.

Nobiliar and honorary titles

In imperial Persia, Khan (female form Khanum) was the title of a nobleman, higher than Beg (or bey) and usually used after the given name. At the Qajar court, precedence for those not belonging to the dynasty was mainly structured in eitht classes, each being granted an honorary rank title, the fourth of which was Khan, or in this context synonymously Amir, granted to commanders of armed forces, provincial tribal leaders; in descending order, they thus ranked below Nawab (for princes), Shakhs-i-Awwal and Janab (both for high officials), but above 'Ali Jah Muqarrab, 'Ali Jah, 'Ali Sha'an (these three for lower military ranks and civil servants) and finally 'Ali Qadir (masters of guilds, etc.)

The titles Khan (the lowest commonly awarded) and Khan Bahadur (Bahadur from Mongolian bataar 'brave, hero'; but in India meaning simple 'one class higher') were also bestowed in feudal India by the Great mughal (whose protocol was largely Persian-inspired) upon Muslims and Parsis, and later by the British Raj, as an honor akin to the ranks of nobility, often for loyalty to the crown. Khan Sahib was another title of honour, one degree higher than Khan, conferred on Muslims and Parsis; again like Khan Bahadur, it was also awarded with a decoration during British rule.

In the major Indian Muslim state of Hyderabad, Khan was the lowest of the aristocratic titles bestowed by the ruling Nizam upon Muslim retainers, ranking under Khan Bahadur, Nawab (homonymous with a high Muslim ruler's title), Jang, Daula, Mulk, Umara, Jah. The equivalent for the courts Hindu retainers was Rai.

In Swat, a presently Pakistani Frontier State, it was the title of the secular elite, who, together with the Mullahs (Muslim clerics), proceeded to elect a new Amir-i-Shariyat in 1914.

It seems unclear whether the series of titles known from the Bengal sultanate, including Khan, Khan ul Muazzam, Khan-ul-Azam, Khan-ul-Azam-ul-Muazzam etc. and Khaqan, Khaqan-ul-Muazzam, Khaqan-ul-Azam, Khaqan-ul-Azam-ul-Muazzam etc., are merely honorific or perhaps relate to a military hierarchy.

Other uses

Like many titles, the meaning of the term has also extended downwards, until in Persia and Afghanistan it has become an affix to the name of any Muslim gentleman, like Effendi in Osmanli, Esquire in English.

See jirga for local mediators called Khan.

Furthermore, at a lower feudal level, Khanzada is the nickname(?) of the Muslim Shaik saidi Taluqdars (using various titles, last style Nawab raja) of Mahmudabad taluq in Oudh, not a title (the incumbent's sons are presently styled Rajkumar)

Khan and its female forms occur in many personal names, generally without any nobiliary of political relevance (although it remains a common part of noble names as well). Notably on the Indian subcontinent it has become a part of many Muslim names, especially when Pathan descent is claimed; thus Khan is used as a surname by the Usafzais, Utmanzais & [[Jah

N.B: As far as the Pathan association with the term Khan is concerned, it goes very deep. The word is used by them as a coutesy title for any rural aristocratic landowner, or for tribal and village notables in most areas. It is also the formal social term by which such classes here have styled themselves since time immemorial. Moreover ,it forms a suffix to the name of almost 80% of all classes of Pathans, and though it can't be really defined as a surname, many now use it as such. This term is believed to have come to this area with the invasion of Northern Persia, Afghanistan and Gandhara, in Northern India, by the Epthalite Huns lasting from circa 450 to 550 AD. The Epthalites introduced the feudal tenure in Pathan areas, of which fertile Gandhara formed the base. It is believed that this word was the title of Epthalite princes, as it was of all Hunnish and Khazar tribes; and many believe that "KHAN!" is actually the Persian corruption of the word "HUN!" itself. From Pakistan and Persia this name later spread to the rest of the Indian subcontinent, as it was from these regions that Islam got introduced to the Indian subcontinent, whose rulers for almost a millennium were Central Asian Muslims. Proof of the Hunnish origin for "Khan" in Pathan culture also lies in the fact that many Pathan "Khan families" have European physical features, that can be attributed to the Hunnish influence. (Though local legends abound, attributing these to the Greek influence under Alexander who invaded this place, that seems highly improbable. See the book "The Pathans", by Sir Olaf Caroe in this regard).

During the Russian Civil War following the Bolshevik takeover of 1917, White general Roman Ungern von Sternberg, who, admittedly was trying to reconstitute the empire of Genghis Khan, was often styled as "Ungern Khan" between 1919 and his death in 1921.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ an anachronistic reference to tartaros, the classical Greek hell, since Genghis Khan's conquering, ransacking Mongol hordes terrorized Islam and Christianity without precedent, as if the apocalypse had started

Sources and references

Categories


Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica | Court titles | Feudalism | Heads of state | Military ranks | Monarchy | Noble titles | Titles in Afghanistan | Titles in India | Titles in Pakistan | Turkish Titles

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