Ming–Turpan Conflict

Ming–Turpan Border Wars
Date 1400s, 1500s Location Turpan, Hami, Gansu Result Ming military victory, status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Ming dynasty	Turpan kingdom	Oirat Mongols
Commanders and leaders
	Ali Ahmed Mansur Khan (Moghul Khan) Ibrahim (Iburai taishi)	Ensen
Strength
	Uyghur soldiers	Oirat Mongol Cavalry

The Ming–Turpan Border Wars were a series of conflicts between the Ming dynasty and kingdom of Turpan over disputes over borders, trade, and internal succession to the throne of Turpan.

Conflict

The Ming dynasty annexed Hami in 1404 and turned it into Hami Prefecture.^[1]

In 1406 the Ming dynasty defeated the ruler of Turpan.^[2]

In 1443, 1445, and 1448 the Mongol Oirats under Esen taishi occuped Qara Del Hami. Turpan under Ali (known as Yunus Khan) then seized Hami from the Mongol Esen in 1473, until Ali was repulsed by the Ming Dynasty into Turfan, but he reoccupied it after Ming left. Esen taishi's mongols recaptured Hami twice in 1482 and 1483, but the son of Ali, Ahmed (Ahmad Alaq), reconqured it in 1493 and captured the Hami leader and the resident of China in Hami (The Chagatayid Hami was a vassal state to Ming). In response, the Ming Dynasty imposed an economic blockade on Turfan and kicked out all the Uyghurs from Gansu. It became so harsh for Turfan that Ahmed left. Ahmed's son Mansur then took over Hami in 1517^[3]

In 1491, the Ming dynasty installed a Yuan dynasty heir to the position of Prince of Hami. They then appointed overseers of each ethnic group residing in Hami, the position was called tu-tu (In Wade Giles). One of them, Sayyid Husain who was the muslim overseer in July 1494 fled to China when Turfan invaded Hami, but he plotted with Turfan to be appointed as prince under the rule of Turfan. He was arrested in 1516 and sent to Beijing, but used bribery to enter the Zhengde Emperor's inner circle, eventually becoming his homosexual lover.^[4]

Around 1502 the Turpan "Tartar" ruler Hahema invaded Hami, and removed Prince Champa, the Mongol Prince of Hami who had been installed by the Ming chinese on the Hami throne.^[5] The Chinese army then marched on Hami, Hahema retreated, released Prince Champa, acknowledged his inferior position to the Chinese Emperor, and agreed for Champa to take the throne of Hami.^[6]

In the 1500s the Ming Dynasty defeated multiple raids by the Turpan Kingdom under Mansur and the Oirat Mongols, over disputes on tribute. In 1517, 1524, and 1528 battles brok out. The Ming had rejected many tribute missions from Turpan. Mansur tried to attack China in 1524 with 20,000 men, but was beaten by Chinese forces. The Ming forces repulsed the Turpan forces and Mongols from their raid on Suzhou District.^[7][8] The Chinese refused to lift the economic blockade and restrictions that had led to the battles, and continued restricting Turpan's tribute and trade with China. Turfan also annexed Hami.^[9]

References

1. ^ Muqi Che (1989). The Silk Road, past and present. Foreign Languages Press. p. 115. ISBN 0835121003. http://books.google.com/books?id=dJQOAQAAIAAJ&q=turpan+ming+tribute&dq=turpan+ming+tribute&hl=en&ei=4WrMTLvnLoL7lwfLsdHkCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBQ. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
2. ^ Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlt (2008). A History of the Moghuls of Central Asia: The Tarikh-I-Rashidi. Cosimo, Inc.. p. 103. ISBN 1605201502. http://books.google.com/books?id=1pkeWqq7pdgC&pg=PA103&dq=turfan+ming+tribute&hl=en&ei=F2vMTLX5MMOAlAeN0fnjCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=turfan%20ming%20tribute&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
3. ^ Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda (1996). International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania. Taylor & Francis. p. 323. ISBN 1884964044. http://books.google.com/books?id=vWLRxJEU49EC&pg=PA323&dq=turfan+ming+tribute&hl=en&ei=F2vMTLX5MMOAlAeN0fnjCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFYQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=turfan%20ming%20tribute&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
4. ^ Association for Asian Studies. Ming Biographical History Project Committee, Luther Carrington Goodrich, Chao-ying Fang (1976). Dictionary of Ming biography, 1368-1644. Columbia University Press. p. 1152. ISBN 023103833X. http://books.google.com/books?id=JWpF-dObxW8C&pg=PA1152&dq=cheng+te+sayyid&hl=en&ei=7Vf9TIGuAsGAlAfa3omNBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=cheng%20te%20sayyid&f=false. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 
5. ^ Demetrius Charles de Kavanagh Boulger (1882). History of China, Volume 2. W. H. Allen & co.. p. 125. http://books.google.com/books?id=vWFCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA126&dq=presence+of+a+chinese+army+at+hami+suffice+to+bring+hahema+prisoner+chinese+emperor&hl=en&ei=6hrTTK7OAYP6lwesu-HgDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=appointment%20mongols%20champa%20hami%20hahema%20marched%20against&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
6. ^ Demetrius Charles de Kavanagh Boulger (1882). History of China, Volume 2. W. H. Allen & co.. p. 126. http://books.google.com/books?id=vWFCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA126&dq=presence+of+a+chinese+army+at+hami+suffice+to+bring+hahema+prisoner+chinese+emperor&hl=en&ei=6hrTTK7OAYP6lwesu-HgDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
7. ^ Association for Asian Studies. Ming Biographical History Project Committee, Luther Carrington Goodrich, Chao-ying Fang (1976). Dictionary of Ming biography, 1368-1644. Columbia University Press. p. 1038. ISBN 023103833X. http://books.google.com/books?id=JWpF-dObxW8C&pg=PA1037&dq=turfan+ming+tribute&hl=en&ei=o3DMTPn-BcP7lweF28TjCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=chinese%20forces%20repelled%20the%20aggressor%20turfan&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
8. ^ Association for Asian Studies. Ming Biographical History Project Committee, Luther Carrington Goodrich, Chao-ying Fang (1976). Dictionary of Ming biography, 1368-1644. Columbia University Press. p. 1037. ISBN 023103833X. http://books.google.com/books?id=JWpF-dObxW8C&pg=PA1037&dq=turfan+ming+tribute&hl=en&ei=o3DMTPn-BcP7lweF28TjCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=turfan%20ming%20tribute&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
9. ^ Jonathan D. Spence, John E. Wills, Jr., Jerry B. Dennerline (1979). From Ming to Ch'ing: Conquest, Region, and Continuity in Seventeenth-Century China. Yale University Press. p. 177. ISBN 0300026722. http://books.google.com/books?id=riPEes0xs-YC&pg=PA177&dq=turfan+ming+tribute&hl=en&ei=F2vMTLX5MMOAlAeN0fnjCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=turfan%20ming%20tribute&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 

See Also

• Ming dynasty
• Turpan