Merkites
The Merkites were a Mongolian tribe who played a major role in the era of Genghis Khan . They lived from hunting and fishing.
The following clans are known:
- Tschachat , under Khagatai Darmala Khan
- Uduyit , under Toghtoga Bei Khan
- Uwa , under Dayir Usun Khan
Settlement areas
Their settlement area was the lower reaches of the Selenga / Senga , south of Lake Baikal . Neighboring peoples were the Keraiten , the Naimanen and the Iskit-Sacha .
history
Legend has it that the people were subjected to the Mongol Kabul Khan roughly between 1130 and 1151.
Contemporary testimonies, including the The Secret History of the Mongols , selectively describe warlike and other incidents from that era. The princely bride Hoelun, stolen by Yesügai Batur, was a Merkitin and the mother of Genghis Khan. This later led to the robbery of Börte , the bride of the Khan by the Merkites. Their son Dschötschi ( the stranger ) may have been the son of a Merkite prince, but was accepted as the firstborn by Genghis Khan.
Parts of the people were annexed to the Mongols in 1205 , while the ruling class fled across the taiga to Turkestan , only to be arrested at Tschüi in 1217 and destroyed.