Il Khan (also il-khan, ilkhan, elkhan, etc.),[1] in
Turkic languages and
Mongolian, is a title of leadership. It combines the title
khan with the prefix el/il, from the word ulus – 'tribe, clan', 'the people', 'nation', 'homeland', 'state', 'tribal union', etc.[2]
Meaning
The exact meaning depends on context:
Khan of the nation. The earliest mention of a similar title in this meaning, namely "Illig Qaghan", refers to
Bumin Qaghan and dates to 552 CE. (In fact,
Nikolai Gumilyov transcribes Bumin's title as "ilkhan".)[3]
More recently, the tribal chief that heads both branches of the
Bakhtiari people, under whom several khans operate (20th century CE).[4]
In the context of the
Hulaguid dynasty, commonly known as the
Ilkhanate, the title Ilkhan was borne by the descendants of Hulagu and later other
Borjigin princes in
Persia, starting from c. 1259-1265.[5] Two interpretations have been proposed:
'submissive', 'peaceable', 'obedient', or 'subservient' khan, or 'polity prince'. Possibly equivalent to Chinese kuo-wang, and to Islamic sultan.[6] Here the lesser "khanship" intended to indicate the initial deference of Hulagu to
Möngke Khan and his successor Great Khans of the
Mongol empire.
Sovereign khan. From ilig khan. It was possibly equivalent to Chinese zhenming huangdi ('Emperor with a genuine mandate'). It was to be construed as a power over regional affairs, not in opposition to the Great Khan, yet not conferred by him.[7]
In fiction
In
BattleTech, the IlKhan is the highest leader of The Clans.
^Allsen, Thomas T. (2001). Culture and conquest in Mongol Eurasia. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 21–22.
ISBN0-511-01782-0.
OCLC52611293.
^Jackson, Peter (2017). The Mongols & the Islamic world : from conquest to conversion. New Haven. pp. 138–139.
ISBN978-0-300-22728-4.
OCLC980348050.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)