Bodonchar Munkhag

Bodonchar Munkhag or Bodonchar Khan (living around late-9th and mid-10th centuries) was a renowned Mongol Borjigin chieftain and warlord. He was known as founding patriarch of Borjigins and ruling as first ruler of his tribe, he was the patrilineal ancestor of Genghis Khan who was the founder of Mongol Empire in 1206, as well as the Turco-Mongol Barlas tribe of the Central Asian Turco-Mongol conqueror Amir Timur who was the founder of Timurid Empire in 1370. According to the Secret History of the Mongols, he was the 12th generation nominal (non-biological) descendant of Borte Chino. Genghis Khan was the 11th and Timur was the 16th generation biological descendant of Bodonchar Munkhag. (sometimes written Butanchar the Simple). Bodonchar Munkhag is the founder of the House of Borjigin. Chagatai tradition dates 'Buzanjar Munqaq' to the rebellion of Abu Muslim or 747 CE. The name Borjigin does not come from Bodonchar but from Bodonchar's nominal great-grandfather Borjigidai the Wise (Borjigidai Mergen). The date 747 CE corresponds better with Borjigidai Mergen. A confusion with Bayanchur Khan could also account for this date discrepancy. He was given the temple name Shizu (Chinese: 始祖; lit. 'Progenitor') during reign of Yuan dynasty in China. According to Timurid Scribes, Timur's father Taraqai told him that they were of the Descent of Bodonchar in 15th generational ancestry they tracing with him. The Timurid ruler Ulugh Beg's Tārīkh-i arbaʿ ulūs (lit. 'History of Four Nations'), abridged as the Shajarat al-atrāk (lit. 'Genealogy of Turks'), Timurids were descendants of Turk, son of Yāfith (Japheth). Turk was commonly referred as "Father of the Turks". Mughul and Tatar were twin brothers and children of Aljeh Khan, and therefore fifth generation descendants of Turk. Ulugh Beg's work on genealogy classified Mongols as Turks, while also praising their warrior spirit. Ulugh Beg included Yāfas (Japheth),...