Chahar (Mongols)

The Chahar (Chinese: 察哈尔) are a tribe of the Mongols. The same name is also given to a Mongolian dialect spoken in the area of Chahar.

The Chahar were originally one of estates of Khubilai located around Jingzhao (now Xian). They moved from Shaanxi to Southeastern Mongolia in the 15th century. The Chahar became a tümen under Dayan Khan and were led by his successors.

Oppressed by Altan Khan, the Chahar, led by Darayisun, moved eastward onto the Liao River in the middle of the 16th century. In the early 17th century Ligden Khan made an expedition to the west because of the Manchu pressure. When he died in Gansu on his way to Tibet, his son surrendered to the Manchu.

The Chahar royal family kept favorable relations with the Manchu imperial family until Makata Gege, who was a daughter of Hong Taiji and married to the Chahar prince, died in 1663. When the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories erupted in 1673, the Chahar prince revolted against the Qing Dynasty. He was soon crushed and, as a result, the Chahar were reorganized into the Chahar Eight Banners and moved to around Janjhuu Hill. The Chahar did not belong to a league ("chuulghan") but were directly controlled by the Emperor.

See also

* Chahar, a province of China from 1912 to 1936.