{{Short description|Father of Genghis Khan (c. 1134–1171)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox royalty | name = Yesugei Bagatur<br>{{MongolUnicode|ᠶᠢᠰᠦᠭᠡᠢ ᠪᠠᠭᠠᠲᠤᠷ|lang=mn|font-size=1em|style=middle}} | caption = | reign = {{Circa}} 1160 – 1171 | coronation = | full name = Yesugei | predecessor = [[Hotula Khan]] | successor = [[Genghis Khan]] | spouse = [[Hö'elün]] <br> [[Sochigel]] | issue = [[Genghis Khan]]<br/>[[Qasar]]<br/>[[Hachiun]]<br/>[[Temüge]]<br/>[[Belgutei]]<br/>[[Behter]] | royal house = [[Borjigin]] | dynasty = | father = Bartan Bagatur | mother = Aicigel | birth_date = {{circa|1134}} | birth_place = [[Mongolian Plateau]] | death_date = {{Circa|1171}} <br> (aged 36–37) | death_place = [[Mongolian Plateau]] | religion = [[Tengrism]] | posthumous name = Emperor Shényuán (神元皇帝) | temple name = Liezu (烈祖) | image = | succession = ''[[De facto]]'' ruler of [[Khamag Mongol]] }}
'''Yesugei'''{{efn|{{zh|t=也速該|p=Yěsùgāi}}}} or '''Yesükhei Baghatur'''{{efn|{{langx|mn|{{MongolUnicode|ᠶᠢᠰᠦᠭᠡᠢ<br>ᠪᠠᠭᠠᠲᠤᠷ}}}}, {{small|[[Mongolian Cyrillic alphabet|cyrillized]]:}} {{lang|mn|Есүхэй баатар}}, {{IPA|mn|jesykʰei̯ b̥aɢatʰur|pron}}}} ({{circa}} 1134–1171) was a major chief of the [[Khamag Mongol]] confederation and the father of Temüjin, who later became known as [[Genghis Khan]]. Yesügei was from the [[Borjigin]] family, and his name means "like nine", meaning he had the auspicious qualities of the number nine, a lucky number to the [[Mongols]].
== Life == Yesügei was the son of Bartan Baghatur, who was the second son of [[Khabul Khan]]. Khabul was recognized as a [[khagan]] by the [[Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)|Jin Dynasty]]. Khabul Khan was, in turn, the great-grandson of the Mongol chief [[Khaidu Khan|Khaidu]], the first to try to unite the Mongols. Yesügei abducted his chief wife, [[Hö'elün]], a daughter of the [[Olkhunut]] forest people, with the help of his elder brother Negün Taishi and younger brother Daritai Otchigin, from her newlywed husband Chiledu of [[Merkit]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Waley|first=Arthur|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WIz5vdjhAvUC|title=The Secret History of the Mongols: And Other Pieces|date=13 May 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-74824-0|pages=222–225|language=en}}</ref> Yesügei [[Bride kidnapping|abducted]] Hoelun because of her beauty and indications of fertility.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Broadbridge|first=Anne F.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RHOFDwAAQBAJ|title=Women and the Making of the Mongol Empire|date=18 July 2018|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-63662-9|pages=45|language=en}}</ref>
After the Khamag Mongol confederation khan [[Hotula Khan|Hotula]] died, the confederation had no elected king, but ''de facto'' Yesügei ruled the confederation. Yesügei had a bloodbrother, or ''[[Anda (Mongol)|anda]]'', [[Toghrul|Toghrul Khan]] (later known as Wang Khan and Ong Khan). Yesügei helped Toghrul to defeat his uncle Gurkhan. After Yesügei's death, Toghrul initially helped Temüjin in arranging his marriage to [[Börte]] and uniting the tribes but later defected to Genghis' ''anda'' and rival, [[Jamukha]].
In 1171 Yesügei died when his son Temüjin was nine years old. ''[[Secret History of the Mongols|The Secret History of the Mongols]]'' records that Yesügei left Temüjin at the home of Dai Setsen, a noble man of the [[Khongirad]] tribe, after Yesügei and Dai Setsen had agreed that their children, Temüjin and Börte, would marry. When Yesügei was on his way home, he noticed an encampment where some Tatars were having a wedding feast.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Cleaves|first=Francis Woodman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qnc_AQAAIAAJ|title=The Secret History of the Mongols: Translation|date=1982|publisher=Harvard-Yenching Institute|isbn=978-0-674-79670-6|pages=17|language=en}}</ref> Yesügei wanted to join the celebration, but he knew he could not reveal his identity, since he was known among the Tatars as the person who killed their relative (called Temüjin Uge) in a battle eight years earlier. The Secret History of the Mongols records that Temüjin was named after Temüjin Uge in commemoration of this victory.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Weatherford |first=Jack |title=Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group]] |year=2005 |pages=18}}</ref> Yesügei tried his luck, but the Tatars recognized him and poisoned his food. Although ill, Yesügei managed to escape back to his family's camp.<ref name=":1" />
Yesügei died three days later at home.{{cn|date=November 2025}}
== Legacy == During the reign of the [[Yuan dynasty]], he was given the temple name of Liezu ({{Lang-zh|c=烈祖|s=|t=|p=|l=Ardent Founder}}) and the posthumous name Shenyuan Huangdi ({{Lang-zh|c=神元皇帝|s=|t=|p=|l=Supernaturally Prime Emperor}}).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Atwood |first=Christopher P. |date=2012 |title=Six Pre-Chinggisid Genealogies in the Mongol Empire |url=https://www.academia.edu/4633601 |journal=Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi |language=en |issue=19 |pages=5–58}}</ref>
== Family == {{see also|Family tree of Genghis Khan}}Yesügei and [[Hoelun]] had four sons [[Temüjin]], (later known as Genghis Khan), [[Hasar]], [[Hachiun]], [[Temüge]] and a daughter, [[Temülen]]. Yesugei had two sons by his second wife [[Sochigel]]: [[Behter]] and [[Belgutei]]. The ''[[Secret History of the Mongols]]'' records that in his youth Temüjin killed his brother Behter in a fight for food. His other half-brother, Belgutei, however was a good friend, and later became a general under Genghis.<div align="center"> {{Tree chart/start}} {{Tree chart| | | | | | | | HOE |~|y|~|~|~|~|~|~|~| YES |YES='''Yesugei'''|HOE=[[Hoelun]]}} {{Tree chart| | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.|`|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| }} {{Tree chart| | | BOR |y| GEN | | JOC | | KHA | | TEM | | BEL | | BEK |BEL=[[Belgutei]]|BEK=[[Behter]]|JOC=[[Qasar]]|KHA=[[Hachiun]]|TEM=[[Temüge]]|GEN=Temujin<br>'''([[Genghis Khan]])'''|BOR=[[Börte]]}} {{Tree chart| |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| }} {{Tree chart| JOC | | CHA | | OGE | | TOL |CHA=[[Chagatai Khan|Chagatai]]|OGE=[[Ögedei Khan|Ögedei]]|JOC=[[Jochi]]|TOL=[[Tolui]]}} {{Tree chart/end}} </div>
== See also == * [[Bride kidnapping]] * [[Yesu (disambiguation)|Yesu]] – several people of that name * [[Yesü Möngke]]
== Notes == {{Notelist}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Commons category-inline}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yesugei}} [[Category:1130s births]] [[Category:1171 deaths]] [[Category:Year of birth uncertain]] [[Category:Borjigin|Yesugei]] [[Category:Family of Genghis Khan]] [[Category:Mongol Empire people]] [[Category:Tengrist monarchs]]