#jamukha

There are some famous Mongolian politicians and warlords from 12th and 13th century in my artworks.

Guyuk khan, Buri grandson of Jagatai and Mengu khan

Batu

Subutai baatar and Burundai

Jamukha and Temujin

Borakchin khatun

Now, at the beginning of Genghis Khan’s rise to power, there’s basically the same narrative about ‘friends to reluctant enemies’ that I tend to enjoy so much. It is told in translations and interpretations of the Secret History of Mongols, by itself a text that we only have as a Chinese transcription of the lost original.  See, Genghis Khan (birth name Temujin) also had a sworn brother. That guy was called Jamukha, a similarly highborn nobleman, and he was Temujin’s closest friend ever since they met when they were ~11. That was when they pledged friendship to each other for the first time, and they renewed this oath three times, each time exchanging gifts and promises; sleeping in the same bed, sharing one life, loving and safeguarding each other from any danger.  They fought together side by side on a number of occasions, most importantly when Temujin’s first wife Borte was kidnapped by a rival tribe and he asked for Jamukha’s and Wang Khan’s help in retrieving her. Wang Khan was his father’s sworn brother and thus also Temujin’s sworn father (and thus technically also a father to Jamukha himself, although in the tale Wang Khan more often calls Jamukha his younger brother). They joined forces and the mission went successfully, Borte was saved. After that, Temujin and Jamukha renewed their oath for the second time. However, as Temujin acquired more power and received the title of a khan, friction between him and Jamukha became inevitable. They were both apparently racked by paranoia whether their sworn brother still remained loyal, and those who surrounded them repeatedly fed into those suspicions. At this time, mongols were a divided people with a lot of infighting, many of them wary of Genghis Khan’s quick rise to power. A coalition of tribes formed against him, and Jamukha eventually found himself on the opposing side to his sworn brother. Finally, he was chosen as that coalition’s khan. Now, obviously we don’t have enough historical accounts to know the whole truth, but I like the way the tale implies that Jamukha saw the title as a heavy duty rather than as a long-awaited chance to betray his sworn friend. With his strong feudal principles, he found it difficult to refuse. That same feudal ideology lied in opposition to the new system Temujin was creating (more based on merit rather than right by birth), and thus they were meant to be enemies sooner or later. Anyway yeah, then they fought for a while and eventually Jamukha lost. Finally, his own men gave him out to Temujin.  Jamukha was outraged at the betrayal and asked Temujin whether he approved of that, and Temujin immediately reacted by executing the traitors before Jamukha’s eyes. Then he pleaded for Jamukha to once again join him as his ally, reminding him of all the times they spent together.  

In response, Jamukha gave a very poetic speech which basically amounted to ‘welllll i kinda stabbed you in the back though? and now that you’ve won i can’t really be of any use to you anyway, just kill me’.  I would intrude into your dreams in the dark night, I would trouble your heart in the bright day.

He only asked for an honorable death (without spilling blood).  When I lie dead, my bones buried in a high place, for ever and ever I shall protect you and be a blessing to the offspring of your offspring. Even though Temujin was a little bit peeved that Jamukha didn’t even try to ask for his forgiveness, he agreed that the man surely deserved a noble execution. So, Jamukha died after getting his spine broken.

THE FINAL MEETING OF TEMUJIN AND JAMUKHA, 1205/1206

The Mongolian warlord Temujin, known later as Chinggis Khan, had a long and troubled career before he was able to unify the Mongol tribes in 1206 and declare the Mongol Empire. Perhaps his most noteworthy opponent of this long career was his blood brother (anda) turned enemy, Jamukha, a fellow Mongol (of different clan). Becoming sworn friends in their childhoods, Jamukha assisted in the rescue of Temujin's wife Borte from the Merkit tribe (ca. 1180) and for a year and a half Temujin spent a blissful time in his friend's entourage. What exactly broke them apart is not quite clear. The main source, the Secret History of the Mongols, has Borte urge Temujin to flee Jamukha when the latter deliver a riddle seemingly hiding an insult to Temujin, or at least to his followers. Telling Temujin that Jamukha soon tired of his friends, it was best to leave while they still could. While that did not lead to war between them, a number of Jamukha's followers abandoned him for Temujin in the aftermath, and elected him Khan of the Borjigon Mongols, which may have stressed the relationship. What pushed things over the edge was the death of Jamukha's younger brother (or cousin) Taichar at the hands of one of Temujin's herders while trying to steal horses, which Jamukha saw as a declaration of war. Thus he mobilized the forces at his command and attacked, routing Temujin at the battle of Dalan Baljut (ca. 1186/7).

The two struggled for the remainder of the 12th century, and in 1201 a coalition of tribes even elected Jamukha Gur-Khan, 'universal ruler,' to combat Temujin's rising power. Temujin narrowly avoided utter ruin in 1203 when Jamukha and his allied forces overcame him, but Temujin bounced back and in the next three years effectively overran the opposition: the battle of Naqu Cliffs in 1204 essentially destroyed the final chance they had to defeat Temujin and determined Mongolia's future. Jamukha abandoned the coalition just before the battle, and spent the next year on the run, his followers steadily deserting him for Temujin until his final companions betrayed him, and handed him over.

For their treachery, Temujin had them executed, and sat down with Jamukha for the final time. In an emotional, dramatic scene from the Secret History of the Mongols, Temujin pleads Jamukha to rejoin him once more, but Jamukha declines.

"You have pacified all our peoples

you have unified all other peoples,

and the qan's throne has been assigned to you. Now that the world is at your disposal, of what use would I be as a companion to you? On the contrary, O my sworn friend,

I would intrude into your dreams in the dark night,

I would trouble your heart in the bright day,

I would be a louse in your collar,

I would be a thorn in the inner lapel of your coat.

I had many paternal grandmothers. When I became disloyal to my sworn friend I made a mistake. Now, in this life - that of the sworn friend and me- my fame has indeed passed from sunrise to sunset. You, sworn friend, had a wise mother. You were born a hero, and you had younger brothers, valiant companions and seventy-three geldings, you, my sworn friend, excelled me. As for me, I lost my parents when I was small and had no younger brothers. My wife is a prattler, my companions untrustworthy. because of this I was excelled by my sworn friend, whose destiny was ordained by Heaven. If you want to show favour to me, let me die swiftly and your heart will be at rest. And if you condescend to have me put to death, let them kill me without shedding blood. When I lie dead, my bones buried in a high place, for ever and ever I shall protect you and be a blessing to the offspring of your offspring."

-The Secret History of the Mongols, de Rachewiltz translation, section 201, page 124

Temujin followed his friend's wishes, and the next year (1206) declared the Mongol Empire, taking a new title: Chinggis Khan.

if someone out there is fixated on Genghis Khan and Jamukha's relationship then I highly recommend this book series (it made me cry ;w;)

ALTHOUGH it is very slow burn and the characters talk a lot so it was hard for my attention span to keep track of who was talking but I still managed to understand what was happening 😭

Jamukha: Not if we cook them first! Throw them in the boiling pot!