Galdan Tseren
Encyclopedia
Galdan Tseren was a Choros
-Oirat
prince and the Khun Tayishi
of the Zunghar Khanate
from 1727 until his death in 1745.
Galdan was the oldest son of Tsewang Arabtan. After the assassination of his father by rival factions, a civil war followed between his sons of which Galdan emerged victorious and crowned himself the new Zunghar Khan. Galdan continued his fathers policies of confrontation with the Qing Dynasty
. He refused to surrender Lobdzan Dandzin, the leader of the revolt of the Kokonor
Khoshut Mongols of 1723, and he initiatied a policy of harassment's on the Khalkha Mongols, the Manchu's allies.
In the spring of 1729 war broke out against the Chinese and Galdan's forces obtained numerous victories against the Manchu. The war dragged on until 1737. Peace negotiations had already started in 1734. In 1737 both sides finally made peace and the Galdan Tseren accepted the condition of tributary.
Galdan not only view war as the only medium to strengthen his Kingdom he also worked to improve its economic and technological base. On his campaigns he captured many learned men and put them to work for the benefit of his state. Turkic oasis dwellers worked on developing irrigation projects for agriculture, he build factories to produce velvet, paper, cloth.
Galdan possessed a powerful army of 80-100,000 cavalrymen, all armed with firearms and with sufficient mounts. He also developed his own small military industry with the help of captured officers like the Swedish Johan Gustaf Renat
.
But the base of galdan's finances lay in the profits gained of his control of the trade route between Russia and China, the famous Tea Road
, from where the valuable chinese products flowed to Moscow.
Galdan Tseren died in 1745, the empire which he had strengthened would fall prey of a succession dispute among his sons, and it was later annexed to the Manchu Empire.
Choros
Choros was the ruling clan of the Zungars and Dorbets and once ruled the whole Four Oirats. They founded the Zunghar Empire in the 17th century. According to a myth, their chiefs reckoned their descent from a boy nourished by a sacred tree, a legend shared with the Uyghur royal family.In the late...
-Oirat
Oirats
Oirats are the westernmost group of the Mongols who unified several tribes origin whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of western Mongolia. Although the Oirats originated in the eastern parts of Central Asia, the most prominent group today is located in the Republic of Kalmykia, a federal...
prince and the Khun Tayishi
Khong Tayiji
Khong Tayiji is a title of the Mongols.Khong Tayiji derives from Chinese Huangtaizi . At first it also meant crown prince in Mongolian. It was originally given only to descendants of Genghis Khan...
of the Zunghar Khanate
Zunghar Khanate
The Zunghar Khanate was a nomadic power on the Eurasian steppe. It covered the area called Dzungaria and stretched from the west end of the Great Wall of China to present-day eastern Kazakhstan, and from present-day northern Kyrgyzstan to southern Siberia .In 1678 Galdan received from the Dalai...
from 1727 until his death in 1745.
Galdan was the oldest son of Tsewang Arabtan. After the assassination of his father by rival factions, a civil war followed between his sons of which Galdan emerged victorious and crowned himself the new Zunghar Khan. Galdan continued his fathers policies of confrontation with the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. He refused to surrender Lobdzan Dandzin, the leader of the revolt of the Kokonor
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
Khoshut Mongols of 1723, and he initiatied a policy of harassment's on the Khalkha Mongols, the Manchu's allies.
In the spring of 1729 war broke out against the Chinese and Galdan's forces obtained numerous victories against the Manchu. The war dragged on until 1737. Peace negotiations had already started in 1734. In 1737 both sides finally made peace and the Galdan Tseren accepted the condition of tributary.
Galdan not only view war as the only medium to strengthen his Kingdom he also worked to improve its economic and technological base. On his campaigns he captured many learned men and put them to work for the benefit of his state. Turkic oasis dwellers worked on developing irrigation projects for agriculture, he build factories to produce velvet, paper, cloth.
Galdan possessed a powerful army of 80-100,000 cavalrymen, all armed with firearms and with sufficient mounts. He also developed his own small military industry with the help of captured officers like the Swedish Johan Gustaf Renat
Johan Gustaf Renat
Johan Gustaf Renat was a Swedish military and cartographer. He is mainly known for his role in bringing detailed maps of Central Asia to Europe after several years in captivity.-Early career and Russian Captivity:...
.
But the base of galdan's finances lay in the profits gained of his control of the trade route between Russia and China, the famous Tea Road
Siberian Route
The Siberian Route , also known as the Moscow Route and Great Route , was a historic route that connected European Russia to Siberia and China. Previously Siberian transport had been mostly by river via Siberian River Routes...
, from where the valuable chinese products flowed to Moscow.
Galdan Tseren died in 1745, the empire which he had strengthened would fall prey of a succession dispute among his sons, and it was later annexed to the Manchu Empire.