Overview
Qabul Khan is the first ruler the Secret History of the Mongols calls qahan. He led the Khamag Mongol confederation of the Onon and Kherlen valleys and was the great-grandfather of Temüjin.
Rise to Power
He was of the Borjigin clan, a descendant of Qaidu, the ancestor the Secret History places six generations before Genghis Khan.
Rule and Achievements
- United the Mongol clans in the Khamag Mongol confederation
- Resisted the Jurchen Jin dynasty, which ruled northern China after 1125; Persian historians tell of a visit to the Jin court that ended in hostility
- Named Ambaqai of the Taichiud clan, not one of his own seven sons, to succeed him
Legacy
His sons and grandsons, among them Qutula Khan and Bartan Baatar, Yesügei's father, led the Mongols in the following generation. Dates for the three Khamag Mongol khans are approximate; the Secret History gives their order but no years, and modern estimates differ.