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43-627: According to The Secret History of the Mongols , Genghis Khan chose the area when he went hunting near the Burkhan Khaldun mountain in the Khentii Mountains of his homeland. He sat down to rest under a tree, and was so impressed by the scenery that he said: "What a beautiful view! Bury me here when I pass away." Burkhan Khaldun was also greatly important to Genghis Khan because of his origins near there and because he escaped from Merkit enemies on

86-588: A code of ethical conduct specifically directed toward future generations of Mongolian ruling nobility. Duke Jamiyan discovered and brought the original pen copy of the Altan Tobchi to Ulaanbaatar in 1926 from a Taiji (Genghisid prince) called Dari living in Dornod Province, Mongolia . It was studied in depth by Jamsrangiin Tseveen and Byambyn Rinchen , and was translated into English by Charles Bawden in 1955. It

129-514: A foothold amongst the Mongols, and an increase in literacy resulted in a new Altan Tobchi being created by an unknown author in the 1620s. This Altan Tobchi included the earlier parts of the Secret History and combines it with the earlier apocryphal legend cycle. In 1651, the monk Lubsang-Danzin expanded this narrative (now usually called the Lu Altan Tobchi after the author) and included

172-563: A full two-thirds of the Secret History . This was discovered in 1926 by Duke Jamiyan  [ mn ] from Dornod , as part of the academic and cultural revival in the Mongolian People's Republic . The Secret History has been translated into over 40 languages. In foreign scholarship, Russian monk and sinologist Palladius was the first to offer a translation of the abridged Chinese running translation in 1866 while serving as

215-506: A native Mongolian in 1990, based on a 1980 Inner Mongolian version by Eldengtei. This was republished as The Secret History of the Mongols: The Life and Times of Chinggis Khan in 2001. A further English translation by Christopher P. Atwood appeared in 2023. Altan Tobchi The Altan Tobchi , or Golden Summary ( Mongolian script : ᠠᠯᠲᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠪᠴᠢ Altan Tobči ; Mongolian Cyrillic : Алтан товч , Altan tovch ),

258-506: A running, often abridged translation into Chinese. Due to this work's compilation almost a century after the original, it has been noted that the Mongolian transcriptions would likely reflect the pronunciation of the then-Mongols in Beijing, rather than the original Middle Mongol of Genghis Khan's era. This text, divided according to length into 12 parts and 282 sections, was eventually folded into

301-399: A separate reconstruction and translation in 1941, while French scholar Paul Pelliot worked on a full reconstruction and translation into French that was published posthumously in 1949. The latter two scholars had access to the Lu Altan Tobchi as a contributing source. B. I. Pankratov published a translation into Russian in 1962. Duke Tsengde  [ mn ; zh ] (1875–1932) was

344-475: A supernatural glowing man who came in through the smoke-hole at the top of the ger . The youngest of Alan Gua's three divinely-born children was Bodonchar , founder of the Borjigin . The description of Temüjin's life begins with the kidnapping of his mother , Hoelun , by his father Yesügei . It then covers Temüjin's early life following his birth around 1160; the difficult times after the murder of his father; and

387-429: A whole the Altan Tobchi is not a religious text, either of Tibetan Buddhism or of the well-developed shamanic Cult of Genghis Khan. It is largely secular and deals with affairs of the state. The Buddhist introduction is irrelevant to the main thrust of the work. It is not a set of laws, although decrees of Genghis Khan are included in the Secret History section. Examples of codified nomadic law exist separately and include

430-662: Is a 17th-century Mongolian chronicle written by Guush Luvsandanzan . Its full title is Herein is contained the Golden Summary of the Principles of Statecraft as established by the Ancient Khans . The work is also named the Lu Altan Tobchi ( Mongolian script : Lu Altan Tobči ; Mongolian Cyrillic : Лу Алтан товч , Lu Altan tovch ) after its author to distinguish it from previous works with similar titles. It

473-525: Is a pious Buddhist attempt to link the Mongol state with the legendary Chakravarti kings. In the next major section the chronicle follows with the 233 chapters of the Secret History interspersed with additional materials that add to the Altan Tobchi's particular value. It is within this second major section that the 13th-14th century work called the "Wise Debate of an Orphan Boy with the Nine Generals of Genghis"

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516-523: Is added. Also within the second section, following the Wise Debate of the Orphan Boy, is another independent work dealing with Genghis Khan's conversations with his Nine Generals which is itself followed by an entire section containing the "Wisdom of Genghis". The second major section ends with the chapters of the Secret History dealing with the last deeds and death of Genghis Khan. The third and last section of

559-584: Is generally considered second in dignity to the Secret History of the Mongols as a historical chronicle and piece of classical literature in Mongolia. In fact, the work is special in that it contains 233 of the 282 chapters of the Secret History not only verbatim but with additional detail in certain parts. It is also significant in that it is a major source of knowledge on the "Chingisiin Bilig" or Wisdom of Genghis ,

602-650: Is not included in the Chinese-transcribed titles of the copies known today, but that may be the result of a corruption ). This title was altered to Secret History of the Yuan Dynasty ( 元朝秘史 ; Yuáncháo bìshǐ ) when it was included as part of the Yongle Encyclopedia . While modern definitive versions are all based on these Ming-era copies, various partial copies of the text have been found in Mongolia and Tibet ( Tholing Monastery ). The most notable of these

645-576: Is one of the most frequently quoted sources in Mongolian publications. The Altan Tobchi is composed of three major sections that differ significantly from each other, but nonetheless woven into a whole in order to meet Luvsandanzan's purpose of providing a summary of Mongolian state ideology at that time. It begins with a mythological genealogy of the descent of Borte Chino, the ancestor of Genghis Khan , from King Mahasammadi of India and various Tibetan rulers like Namri Songtsen (the grandfather of Borte Chino and father of Tengri Khan ). This first section

688-504: Is regarded as a piece of classic literature in both Mongolia and the rest of the world, and has been translated into more than 40 languages. The work begins with a semi-mythical genealogy of Genghis Khan , born Temüjin. According to legend, a blue-grey wolf and a fallow doe begat the first Mongol , named Batachiqan. Eleven generations after Batachiqan, a widow named Alan Gua was abandoned by her in-laws and left with her two boys Bügünütei and Belgünütei. She then bore three more sons with

731-614: Is the Altan Tobchi ( Mongolian : ᠯᠤ᠋ ᠠᠯᠲᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠪᠴᠢ ), an expanded Mongolian Buddhist-influenced narrative written in 1651 and discovered in 1926 that contains two-thirds of the Secret History verbatim. The Ming-era text was compiled at the Hanlin Academy as an aid to help interpreters learn Mongolian , consisting of three parts: a transcription of the Mongolian pronunciation in Chinese characters; an interlinear gloss in Chinese; and

774-675: The Yongle Encyclopedia as a 15-part work in 1408. The original 12-part work was also published around 1410 in Beijing . After the fall of the Ming and rise of the Qing dynasty these texts began to be copied and disseminated. The oldest dated full copy is of the 12-part version in 1805 by Gu Guangqi  [ zh ] (1766–1835), kept in the National Library of China . A copy of the 15-part version

817-538: The Darkhad , a group of elite warriors and their families, who were given the task of ensuring that no one else entered under penalty of death. The only legitimate reason for entrance was to bury a relative of Genghis Khan. The Darkhads and their descendants faithfully carried out their assignment for more than 700 years, from the Khan's death in 1227 until the establishment of the Mongolian People's Republic (a satellite state of

860-677: The Government of Mongolia decreed that a copy of The Secret History of the Mongols covered with golden plates was to be located to the rear part of the Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar . The Secret History ends with a colophon stating its original date of completion at Khodoe Aral : The writing of this book was completed at the time when the Great Assembly convened and when, in the Year of

903-560: The Northern Yuan , and a cult of worship formed around the image of Genghis Khan as a supernatural being amidst a decline in literacy. This resulted in works such as the Chinggis Qaan-u Altan Tobchi ( lit.   ' Golden Chronicle of Genghis Khan ' ) containing an apocryphal image of the Khan that replaced the semi-historical narrative of the Secret History . Starting in the late 16th century, Tibetan Buddhism gained

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946-488: The Persian and Chinese languages. Its value as a historically accurate source is more controversial: whereas some experts, such as René Grousset , assess it positively in this regard as well, others, such as Igor de Rachewiltz , believe that the value of the source lies primarily in its "faithful description of Mongol tribal life", and Arthur Waley considered the Secret History's "historical value almost nil". In 2004

989-410: The Secret History also appear in slightly different versions in the 17th-century Mongolian chronicle Altan Tobchi ( lit.   ' Golden Chronicle ' ) by Lubsang-Danzin . The Secret History is regarded as the single most significant native Mongolian account of Genghis Khan. Linguistically, it provides the richest source of pre- Classical Mongol and Middle Mongol . The Secret History

1032-473: The USSR ) in 1924. The Soviets feared that if the region were made publicly accessible memories of Genghis Khan would encourage Mongolian nationalism , so they declared the land a 'Highly Restricted Area' and cordoned off 10,400 square-kilometers of surrounding land. The first archeological expedition to the region was the 1989 "Three Rivers" expedition, which was carried out by a joint Mongolian– Japanese team with

1075-471: The ethnography , language, literature and varied aspects of the Mongol culture. In terms of its value to the field of linguistic studies, it is considered unique among the Mongol texts as an example free from the influence of Buddhism prevalent in later texts. It is especially valued for its vivid and realistic depictions of daily tribal life and organization of Mongol civilization in the 12th and 13th centuries, complementing other primary sources available in

1118-504: The Altan Tobchi includes a very brief chronicle of the Yuan dynasty followed by a somewhat detailed account of the Northern Yuan dynasty till its fall with the death of Ligdan Khan in 1634. The third section is followed by a brief summary of the Golden Summary, a statement of the author's identity and an eloquent prayer directed to the "spirits of the Khans descended from mighty Tengri ". Taken as

1161-581: The Code of Altan Khan (c. 1577), and the Parchment Laws of the Khalkha (1570s-1639). It is not a simple king list from the legendary Chakravarti kings to Ligdan Khan. Although the title says it deals with "statecraft", the work is not political philosophy nor a treatise concerned with the machinations of the legislative, executive and judicial functions of the state. It does not treat of any state policy in detail (e.g.

1204-604: The Mongols The Secret History of the Mongols ( Mongolian : ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠨ ᠨᠢᠭᠤᠴᠠ ᠲᠣᠪᠴᠢᠶᠠᠨ [ˌmɔɴɢɜˈɮʲiːɴ ˈnuːt͡sʰ ˌtʰɞɸˈt͡ɕʰɔː] , Khalkha Mongolian : Монголын нууц товчоо , Mongoliin nuuc tobhchoo ) is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolian language . Written for the Mongol royal family some time after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, it recounts his life and conquests, and partially

1247-638: The Rat , in the month of the Roebuck, the Palaces were established at Dolo’an Boldaq of Köde'e Aral on the Kelüren River , between Šilginček and [...] The original text corresponding to this date has not survived to the present day. The Year of the Rat in question has been conjectured to be 1228 ( Cleaves , Onon ), 1229 (Rachewiltz), 1240, 1252 (Atwood), and 1264 ( Hung ). Proponents of the earlier dates argue that portions of

1290-571: The first full translation into English was in 1982 by Francis Woodman Cleaves , titled The Secret History of the Mongols: For the First Time Done into English out of the Original Tongue and Provided with an Exegetical Commentary . The archaic language adopted by Cleaves was not satisfying to all and, between 1972 and 1985, Igor de Rachewiltz published a fresh translation in eleven volumes of

1333-499: The first native Mongolian scholar to attempt a reconstruction of The Secret History , in 1915–17, though it was only published posthumously in 1996. Tsengde's son Eldengtei and grandson Ardajab continued this work and published a translation in 1980 in Hohhot . The Inner Mongolian authors Altan-Ochir and Bokekeshig independently published reconstructions of the text in Kailu in 1941 as part of

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1376-549: The head of the Russian Orthodox mission in Beijing. Using Bao Tingbo's copy, he also attempted an unpublished transcription of the phonetic Mongolian in 1872–78. Japanese historian Naka Michiyo published a translation in 1907. The first reconstructions of the Mongolian text were done by the German sinologist Erich Haenisch in 1937, with a translation published in 1941 (second edition 1948). Russian scholar Sergei Kozin published

1419-418: The many conflicts against him, wars, and plots before he gains the title of Genghis Khan in 1206. The latter parts of the work deal with the campaigns of conquest of Genghis and his third son Ögedei throughout Eurasia; the text ends with Ögedei's reflections on what he did well and what he did wrong. Scholars of Mongolian history consider the text hugely important for the wealth of information it contains on

1462-475: The mountain in the late 1100s; he pledged at the time to honor the mountain from then on with sacrifices and prayer every morning. It is not known whether he really was buried there , but the Mongols took several steps to give the impression that he was. The area, already made difficult to reach by a series of mountains covered in thick forest, was declared sacred, and off limits to everyone except family members and

1505-650: The national revival in Mengjiang . The most influential adaptation of the work into modern Mongolian was completed by Tsendiin Damdinsüren in 1947 using Mongolian script , a subsequent version in Mongolian Cyrillic was published in 1957 and is considered a classic of modern Mongolian literature . In the English language Arthur Waley was the first to publish a translation of the Secret History 's running Chinese, while

1548-564: The reign of his successor Ögedei Khan . The author is unknown and wrote in the Middle Mongol language using Mongolian script . The date of the text is uncertain, as the colophon to the text describes the book as having been finished in the Year of the Mouse , on the banks of the Kherlen River at Khodoe Aral , corresponding to an earliest possible figure of 1228. While the Secret History

1591-494: The relay post system or military strategy). Rather the work is clearly designed to be a manual of ethics for the Mongolian nobility with special emphasis on preserving the unity of the state. The work is essentially didactic and instructional in nature. Its code of conduct is loosely analogous to the Way of the Samurai and chivalry . Although the near entirety of the ethical code contained in

1634-407: The series Papers on Far Eastern History accompanied by extensive footnotes commenting not only on the translation but also various aspects of Mongolian culture, which was published as a two-volume set in 2003. In 2015 this was republished as an open access version omitting the extensive footnotes of the original. The Daur Mongol scholar Urgunge Onon published the first translation into English by

1677-467: The support of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. The team worked from 1989 to 1992 using ultrasound technology, which enabled them to find 1380 possible graves of Mongolian nobles. The idea of archaeological excavations, however, offends many Mongolians, who due to either superstition or respect for the leader believe that the Khan's resting place should be left undisturbed. The Secret History of

1720-512: The work whose events post-date the Year of the Rat were added at a later date. This is however disputed by some including Atwood, arguing that thematic elements and chronology posits that the text was always intended to lead up to, and including, the reign of Ögedei Khan. The month of the Roebuck corresponds to the seventh lunar month, i.e. middle of summer. Some scholars beginning with Naka Michiyo  [ ja ] have argued that this original work

1763-480: Was made by Bao Tingbozh  [ zh ] (1728–1814) around the same time, and this copy is kept by Saint Petersburg State University . A version based on the 1805 text was published in 1908 by Ye Dehui , with subsequent scholarship collating this and other partial copies of the Secret History of the Yuan Dynasty to high accuracy. After the disintegration of the Mongol Empire, the Mongols retreated to form

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1806-581: Was preserved in part as the basis for a number of chronicles such as the Jami' al-tawarikh , Shengwu qinzheng lu , and Altan Tobchi , the full Mongolian body only survived from a version made around the 1400s at the start of the Ming dynasty , where the pronunciation was transcribed into Chinese characters as a tool to help interpreters under the title The Secret History of the Yuan Dynasty ( Chinese : 元朝秘史 ; pinyin : Yuáncháo Mìshǐ ). About two-thirds of

1849-553: Was shorter and titled The Origin of Chinggis Khan ( Chinggis Qan-u ujaγur ) – corresponding to the first words of the text. The common name of the work as it is referred to today is The Secret History of the Mongols , corresponding to the edited work compiled in the late 1300s with the Chinese title Secret History of the Yuan ( 元秘史 ; Yuán mìshǐ ) and the Mongolian title Mongγol-un niγuča tobčiyan , re-transcribed from Chinese ( 忙中豁侖紐察脫卜察安 ; Mánghuòlún Niǔchá Tuōbǔchá'ān —the 卜

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