Yesün Temür Khan
Yesün Temür Khan (
Classical Mongolian: Yesün temür qaγan;
Khalkha Mongolian: Есѳнтѳмѳр хаан
Yösöntömör haan) was the tenth grand-khan of the
Mongol Empire (Dai-ön Ulus/
Yuan Dynasty) who reigned from 1323 to 1328. In Chinese, he is known as the
Taiding Emperor from this era's name. It is likely that he was the
Great Khan visited by the Franciscan monk
Odoric, who left an excellent record of his travels.
He was born in
Mongolia in 1293 to
Kamala, the eldest son of Crown Prince
Jinggim, who was presumed heir to his father
Khubilai Khan. Kamala was appointed as
Jinong in 1292 after Jinggim's death, but he lost the race for successor to his younger brother
Temür. Khanship was assumed by Temür,
Darmabala and their sons and grandson, so Kamala and his son Yesün Temür were out of the race. As Jinong, Kamala owned Mongolia north of the
Gobi Desert and enshrined
Chinggis Khan in the
Four Great Ordo. In 1302 Kamala died and Yesün Temür took over as Jinong.
In 1323 when
Shidibala Gegeen Khan was assassinated by Grand Censor
Tegshi, Yesün Temür was backed up by the rebellious group since he was mothered by Buyan Kelmish of the
Khunggirad clan. In response he ascended to the throne at the great ordo of Chinggis Khan in Mongolia. But he sent troops to
Dadu and executed rebellious officers before he entered Dadu because he feared to become a puppet of them.
He did nothing significant for his five year reign. He left the empire's governance to his
Muslim aide
Dawlat Shah. He suddenly died in
Shangdu in 1328. His son
Ragibagh was installed by Dawlat Shah but was defeated by his rival
Tugh Temür in a year.
