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Ablai Khan

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Abu'l-Mansur (Abylai) Khan
Әбілмансұр (Абылай) хан
أبو المنصور (أبيلي) خان
Khan of the Three Kazakh Jüzes
Khanzada
Sultan
Shah-i-Turan
fantasy image on a postage stamp of Kazakhstan, 2000
Khan of the Kazakh Khanate
Reign1771–1781
Coronation1771
Khan of the Middle Zhuz
Reign1733/1743–1781
PredecessorAbilmambet Khan
SuccessorWali Khan
Born(1711-05-23)May 23, 1711[citation needed]
Turkistan,Kazakh Khanate
Died(1781-05-23)May 23, 1781 (aged 70)
Tashkent,Kazakh Khanate
SpouseRuhani Daulet Begum
IssueWali Khan
Kasym Sultan
Suyuk Sultan
Adil Sultan
(there were 30 sons in total)
Names
ولي الله أبو المنصور خان
Wāli-ūllah Abū'l-Mansūr Khan
HouseHouse of Borjigin
DynastyTore
House of Urus Khan
FatherKorkem Wali Sultan
MotherJazira Begum
ReligionSunni Islam

Wāli-ūllah Abū'l-Mansūr Khan(Kazakh:Уәлиұллаh Әбілмансұр хан,ولي الله أبو المنصور خان,romanized:Uäliūllah Äbılmansūr Han), better known asAbylai KhanorAblai Khan(May 23[citation needed],1711 — May 23, 1781) was Khan of theMiddle Jüz(central region) and was the last independentKazakhKhanof theKazakh Khanatebefore the Khanate was absorbed into the Russian Empire.

Life[edit]

Born as Wali-ullah Abu'l-Mansur Khan, Abylai Khan belonged to the senior branch of descendants of the 15th century founder of the Kazakh state,Janybek Khan.The son of Korkem Wali Sultan, he was given the shortened name Abulmansur at birth. Abulmansur spent his childhood and part of his youth in exile, spending many years near present-dayBurabayon the northern borders of theKazakh Khanate.After losing his father to political rivals at the age of thirteen, Abulmansur moved back south towards present-dayKyzylorda.First, he worked as a shepherd in a nobleTole Biand then Dauletgeldi Bai a herdsman. The ill-dressed and emaciated boy was called by the contemptuous name of "Sabalak" - the beggar. But Abulmansur, according to contemporaries, always carried himself with dignity and loved solitude. He kept this pen name "Sabalak" in order not to be noticed to his father's rivals as he was one of the descendant ofJanybek Khan.[1]In his teenage years, Abulmansur developed the nickname “Ablai”, which he was more commonly known by for most of his adult life. In the first half of the 18th century, Ablai Khan proved to be a talented organizer and commander as he headed detachments of the Kazakh militia during theKazakh-Dzungar Wars.He participated in the most significant battles against the Dzungars from the 1720s to the 1750s, for which he was declared a "batyr" ( "hero" ) by the people. Due to his strength, he was also bestowed with the honorificKazakhtitleShah-i-Turan(Persianfor "King ofTuran"). He was the last ruler of theKazakh Khanateto hold this honorific title since the khanate collapsed shortly after his death.

Although Ablai swore loyalty to the Russian tsarina in 1740 atOrenburg,[2]Ablai's later activity aimed to create a strong and independent Kazakh state. He headed the unified forces of the Kazakhs and furthered the centralization of state power inKazakhstan.Until his election as the khan of the threejüzes,Ablai had to compete with Abul-Mambet Khan and his descendants ofMiddle jüzfor leadership. Initially,Russiarecognized Abul-Mambet Khan as the Khan ofMiddle jüz,while Ablai was supported byChina.Ablai's talent in playing China against Russia gradually made him the unrivaled Khan of the steppe. His support for the Chinese earned him an offer of Chinese citizenship in 1757, but seems not to have accepted it.[3]In 1771, after the death of Abulmambet Khan, power was to be inherited by one of his younger brothers or son Abilpeiz, however, the sultans and heads of clans at thekurultai(congress) inBurabay,with the participation of the influential biys of theMiddle jüzKazybek biy and Kanai biy, Abylai was elected as the Kazakh khan. He extended his power to significant areas of the Senior and Junior jüzes, considering himself the khan of all three jüzes.

TheRussian Empressrequested that the title of khan should be recognized and officially approved by Russia. To that end, she sent an official letter toQyzyljar,where Abylai was expected to receive the title in 1779. He never showed up at the fort, so a Russian officer was sent to confer the title in his camp. In contrast to Ablai, other khans and sultans had been competing for the lavish gifts and stipends of the Emperors of Russia in return for their submission. Ablai Khan refused to bow down to the expandingRussian Empireand instead chose to strengthen the Kazakhs by promotingIslamand the concept ofjihadthroughout the state as an effort to resist foreign powers. Ablai may also have been deterred from swearing his oath out of fear of insulting the Chinese.[3]

During theQingcampaigns against theDzungars,Ablai Khan chose not to take sides. He sheltered the DzungarOirattaishisAmursanaandDawachifrom attacks by the Dzungar Khong TayijiLama Dorji,as theDzungar Khanatefractured following the death ofGaldan Tserenin 1745. However, once Amursana and Dawachi were no longer allies, Ablai Khan took the opportunity to capture herds and territory from the Dzungars.[4]

During Amursana's rebellion against the Qing in 1755-56, Ablai Khan offered him sanctuary at one point and refused to hand him over despite the threat of a raid on his territory. However, by 1757, Ablai Khan had acknowledged Chinese suzerainty.[5]Ablai was then confirmed as Kazakh Khan by both the Chinese and the Russians. He led numerous campaigns againstKhanate of Kokandand theKyrgyz.In the last campaign his troops captured many cities in today's Southern Kazakhstan and evenTashkent.Then he proceeded to present-day Kyrgyzstan and won a furious battle with troops of local warlords. Upon his death in 1781 he was interred in theMausoleum of Khoja Ahmed YasaviinHazrat-e Turkestan.

Following his death, Ablai's sons, namely Khanzada Wali Sultan, Khanzada Qasim Sultan, and Khanzada Adil Sultan, fought against each other to take the throne. In 1781, Wali Sultan became was namedkhanof the Kazakhs, succeeding his father after month's of battle for succession, but he only succeeded in ruling over the northern clans of theMiddle jüz.[3]

Legacy[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"«Тарих» - История Казахстана - школьникам | Исторические вехи | Средневековый Казахстан (VII – XVIII в.в.) | Исторические личности | Абылай, султан среднего жуза, а впоследствии Хан всех трех жузов (годы правления: 1771–1780 гг.)".Archived fromthe originalon 2020-09-18.Retrieved2019-10-27.
  2. ^Olcott, Martha (1995). "The Russian Conquest".The Kazakhs.Hoover Institution Press. p. 40.
  3. ^abcOlcott, Martha (1995). "The Russian Conquest".The Kazakhs.Hoover Institution Press. pp. 42–3.
  4. ^Perdue, Peter C (2009).China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia.Harvard University Press. p. 274.ISBN978-0-674-04202-5.
  5. ^Hummel, Arthur W. Sr.,ed. (1943)."Amursana".Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period.United States Government Printing Office.p. 10.
  6. ^"P-13".www.banknote.ws.Retrieved2023-05-26.

Sources[edit]

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