How Abtai Sain Khan Tied His Rule to a Larger Institution

The Challenge

In the sixteenth century the Khalkha Mongols were divided among the descendants of Gersenji, a son of Dayan Khan. Each prince claimed authority by descent from Chinggis Khan, and none stood clearly above the rest.

The Approach

• Abtai, a grandson of Gersenji, founded Erdene Zuu monastery beside the ruins of Karakorum in 1585
• In 1587 he met the Third Dalai Lama at Guihua (present-day Hohhot) and received from him the title of khan
• On his return he declared Tibetan Buddhism the official religion of his realm

The Impact

Buddhism became the centre of Khalkha religious and political life. Erdene Zuu was the first of hundreds of monasteries, and Abtai's great-grandson Zanabazar became the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the head of Mongolian Buddhism.

Three centuries later the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu became the Bogd Khan, head of the independent Mongolian state of 1911. Abtai's line held the Tüsheet Khan title until 1923.

The Lesson for Leaders

Authority anchored in a lasting institution can outlive the leader who chose it. Abtai added a new source of legitimacy to descent and tied his house to it. The institution he backed ended up shaping his nation for centuries.