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The Keraits or Kereits (Mongolian: Хэрэйд ханлиг, Khereid hanlig; Template:Lang-kz) were a cluster of tribes in Central Asia, dominant in the area and, as allies of Genghis Khan, influential in the rise of the Mongol Empire. Converted to Nestorian Christianity in the 11th century, they were also a key example of prominent Christians among the Mongols. The leader of the clan, Toghrul, gained fame as far away as Europe for his battles with Muslims, and several women from the Kerait clan became influential women in the Mongol court. Sorghaghtani Beki, the younger daughter of Toghrul's brother Jakha Khambu, married a son of Genghis Khan, and their four sons, including Great Khans Kublai Khan and Mongke Khan, became prominent leaders of the Empire.

Name

According to Mongol legend there was once an ancient Khan who had seven sons. These seven sons had unusually dark faces. That is why the tribal confederation they founded was called Khereed or 'Crows'. 'Kheree' means 'crow' in Mongolian. Others claim that the Keraits were named so because they originally lived at a place called 'Khereet' meaning 'crow-with' or 'place with crows'. Yet another theory maintains that the name 'Khereed' derives from the Mongolian word 'Kherees' meaning 'cross' and is connected to their Christian religion.

Origin

The Keraits first enter into history as the ruling faction of the Zubu confederacy, a large alliance of tribes that dominated Mongolia in the 11th and 12th centuries and often fought with the Liao Dynasty of northern China, which controlled much of Mongolia at the time. After the Zubu confederacy broke up, the Keraits retained their dominance on the steppe right up until they were absorbed into Genghis Khan's Mongolian state. They consisted of eight tribes, including the Khereid, Jirkhin, Khonkhoid, Sukhait, Tumbegen, Dunghaid and Khirkhun, although some histories say the Kerait had six tribes.

Location

They lived in the area between the Orkhon and the Kherlen rivers, to the east of the tribe of the Naimans.

Ethnicity

The Kerait tribe is named both Mongolian and Turkic by different accounts, though names and titles of Kerait rulers imply that they primarily spoke a Turkic language. But as a coalition of many subtribes they seem to have included elements of both Turkic and Mongol ancestries, which makes an unambiguous categorization difficult.

Nestorianism

The Kerait were converted to Nestorianism, a sect of Christianity, early in the 11th century. Other tribes evangelized entirely or to a great extent during the 10th and 11th centuries were the Naiman and the Onggut.

An account of the conversion of the Kerait is given by the 13th century Jacobite historian Gregory Bar Hebraeus. According to Hebraeus, in early 11th century, a Kerait king lost his way while hunting in the high mountains. When he had abandoned all hope, a saint appeared in a vision and said, "If you will believe in Christ, I will lead you lest you perish." He returned home safely. When he met Christian merchants, he remembered the vision and asked them about their faith. At their suggestion, he sent a message to the Metropolitan of Merv for priests and deacons to baptize him and his tribe. As a result of the mission that followed, the king and 20000 of his people were baptized. Rashid al-Din says in the Jami al-Tawarikh that the Kerait "are given over to the worship of Jesus". William of Rubruck, who encountered many Nestorians during his stay at Mongke Khan's court and at Karakorum in 1254-1255, notes that Nestorianism in Mongolia was tainted by shamanism and Manicheism and very confused in terms of liturgy. He attributes this to the lack of teachers of the faith, power struggles among the clergy and a willingness to make doctrinal concessions in order to win the favour of the Khans.

The legend of Prester John, otherwise set in India or Ethiopia, was also brought in connection with the Nestorian rulers of the Kerait. In some versions of the legend, Prester John was explicitly identified with Toghrul. But Mongolian sources say nothing about his religion. The Chinese series "Genghis Khan" depicts Wang Khan Toghrul as a devout Christian, with a cross mounted on top of his royal yurt which has a Christian altar inside and shows him regularly making the sign of the cross. The Naiman are also depicted similarly, as a literate Christian tribe looking down on the 'filthy Mongols'. Jamukha, politically motivated, hastily receives a baptism from them. A brief scene of the Chinese "Genghis Khan" series on Youtube shows the Khan of the Naiman (with helmet) in front of his cross-crowned royal yurt (). The Japanese-Mongolian film "Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea" also depicts Wang Khan Toghrul of the Kerait as Christian, with a church bell behind his royal yurt and Christian cross signs on his flag, his throne as well as covering his yurt. This can be seen starting from "3:00" minutes on this Youtube video of the film (dubbed Thai) which shows a young Genghis Khan presenting a gift to Wang Khan Toghrul ().

Wang Khan

The Kerait khan Toghrul was granted the title of Wang Khan (King) by the Jin Emperor in 1183. Toghrul is best known as patron and one of the early allies of Temüjin (later Genghis Khan), until they fell into disagreement over Temüjins growing power.

In 1203, Temüjin defeated the Kerait, who were distracted by the collapse of their own coalition. Toghrul tried to escape to the Naimans, but was killed by a Naiman warrior who didn't happen to recognize him. The remaining Kerait submitted to Temüjins rule, but out of distrust he dispersed them among the other Mongol tribes.

Notable members

• Markuz Buiruk Khan, also called Sariq Khan in the Jami al-Tawarikh, Kerait leader who also lead the Zubu confederacy and was eventually killed by the Liao Dynasty in 1100.
• Kurchakus Buiruk Khan, son and successor of Marcus, among whose wives was Toreqaimish Khatun, daughter of Korchi Buiruk Khan of the Naiman. His brother was Gur Khan.
• Wang Khan (Toghrul), son of Kurchakus (kyriakos?) by Ilma Khatun. Leader of the clan, who was associated with the legend of Prester John. His palace was located at present-day Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. Blood-brother (ceremonial) of Genghis Khan's father Yesugei. Genghis Khan called him khan etseg or 'khan father'.
• Jakha Khambu, son of Kurchakus by Toreqaimish Khatun, lifelong ally of Genghis Khan and father of Sorghaghtani Beki (maternal ancestor of the line of Tolui, including modern Khalkha Mongolians).
• Sorghaghtani Beki, niece of Toghrul, eldest daughter-in-law of Genghis Khan, mother of Great Khans Kublai Khan, Mongke Khan, and Ilkhanate-founder Hulagu Khan
• Rinchin, protected Christians when Ghazan began to presecute them. But he was executed by Abu Said when fighting against his custodian Chupan of the Suldus clan in 1319.

Modern times

People with clan name Kerait are still found among the Ordos and the Baarin in Inner Mongolia as well as among northern Khalkha people in Mongolia. Another descendants of Kerait are the Karaylar or Kerey tribe within the Middle Juz of the Kazakh nation. According to oral tradition, the Torghuds are also thought to be the descendants of Wang Khan's bodyguards.

See also

• List of medieval Mongolian tribes and clans
• Tiele
• Qaraei

References

1. The Mongol Century, Department of Asian Pacific Studies, San Diego State University
2. ^ R. Grousset, The Empire of the Steppes, New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University Press, 1970, p191.
3. Kereys, Files about origins of Kirgiz-Kaisak(Kazak) people, Muhamedzhan Tynyshbaev
4. Kereys, Genealogy of türks, kirgizes, kazakhs and ruling dynasties, Shakarim Qudayberdy-uly
5. ^ Li, Tang (2006). "Sorkaktani Beki: A prominent Nestorian woman at the Mongol Court". Jingjiao: the Church of the East in China and Central Asia. Steyler Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH. ISBN 9783805005340. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)
6. Silverberg, Robert (1972). The Realm of Prester John. Doubleday. p. 12.
7. Moffett, A History of Christianity in Asia pp. 400-401.
8. Atwood, Christopher P. Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire. ISBN 0816046719.

References

• Khoyt S.K. Kereits in enthnogenesis of peoples of Euroasia: historigraphia of the problem. Elista, 2008. 82 p. ISBN - 978-5-91458-044-2 in russian
• Хойт С. К. Кереиты в этногенезе народов Евразии: историография проблемы. Элиста, 2008. 82 с. ISBN - 978-5-91458-044-2

• History of the Turkic people
• Mongol peoples
• History of Mongolia
• History of Kazakhstan
• Nestorianism