Overview
Galdan, son of Erdeni Batur, turned the Dzungars into the strongest power of the steppe. He was the first Dzungar ruler to take the khan title, and his war with the Qing over Khalkha decided the fate of the Mongols.
Rise to Power
Born in 1644, he was sent to Tibet as a boy and studied for about twenty years under the Fifth Dalai Lama. When his brother Sengge was murdered in 1670, he returned, defeated the murderers in 1671 and took power; the Dalai Lama gave him the title Boshugtu Khan, 'khan by divine mandate', in 1678–1679.
Rule and Achievements
- Defeated the Khoshut Ochirtu Setsen Khan in 1676
- Conquered Kashgar and Yarkand in 1680, bringing Eastern Turkestan under Dzungar rule
- Fought the Kazakhs from 1681 and took Turfan and Hami
- Invaded Khalkha in 1688; the Khalkha khans and Zanabazar fled south and submitted to the Qing
- Was defeated by Qing armies at Ulaan Butun in 1690 and at Zuunmod, near the Terelj, on 12 June 1696, where his wife Anu was killed
Legacy
With his army destroyed and his nephew Tsewang Rabtan in control of Dzungaria, he died near Khovd in spring 1697, possibly by poison.