Manlaibaatar Damdinsüren

Manlaibaatar Damdinsüren
Manlaibaatar Damdinsüren
Native name	Манлайбаатар Дамдинсүрэн
Birth name	Jamsrangiin Damdinsüren
Born	(1871-03-13)March 13, 1871
Died	January 27, 1921(1921-01-27)(aged 49)
Allegiance	Mongolia

In thisMongolian name,thegiven nameisDamdinsüren.Jamsranis apatronymic,not afamily name.

Manlaibaatar Damdinsüren(Mongolian:Манлайбаатар Дамдинсүрэн,first hero Damdinsüren,Standard Tibetan:རྟ་མགྲིན་སྲུང་།;March 13, 1871 – January 27, 1921), bornJamsrangiin Damdinsüren(Жамсрангийн Дамдинсүрэн), was a military commander, Pan-Mongolist and diplomat who led Mongolia's struggle for independence in 1911.

ABarga Mongol,Damdinsüren was born on March 13, 1871, inHulunbuir,Inner Mongolia.At the age of seven he began to learnManchuandMongolianwriting. In 1908 he officially inherited his father's rank Zhang. While visiting the imperial court inBeijinghe met with PrinceMijiddorjiin Khanddorjwith whom he first broached the idea of overthrowing theManchudomination of Outer Mongolia.

In 1911 he and other Mongolian nobility and high ranking Buddhist lamas participated in a secret congress inIkh Khüreeconvened by Mongolia's religious leader, theJebtsundamba Khutuktu,to formulate a declaration of independence from Manchu Chinese rule. Once the declaration was issued, Damdinsüren helped mobilize thousands of soldiers, seized the northern Inner Mongolian city ofHailarand offered his allegiance to theBogd Khan.Under theBogd Khan's government he served as counselor first class of the ministry of the army and then Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. In August 1912, his forces combined with those ofKhatanbaatar MagsarjavandJa Lamato liberate the city ofKhovdin western Mongolia from Chinese occupation, for which he received the honorary title ofManlaibaatar( "Leader hero" ) and the princely title "beyle."

.On February 2, 1913 Damdinsüren was one of the signatories to theTreaty of friendship and alliance between the Government Mongolia and Tibetin which the two countries declared mutual recognition and allegiance.Later that month he commanded troops (including a youngDarizavyn Losol) in a series of battles against Chinese forces in Inner Mongolia around Mongolia's south east border that climaxed in an unsuccessful assault on the city ofHohhot.

From September 1914 to June 1915, Damdinsüren represented the interests of Inner Mongolia at Russian-Chinese-Mongolian negotiations that resulted in the 1915Treaty of Kyakhtawhich outlined, among other issues, Mongolia's geopolitical status.

In 1919, Damdinsüren began a rapprochement with theMongolian revolutionaries.Damdinsuren said "I can defend Mongolia from China and Red Russia" afterChinese occupation of 1919.He was arrested by Chinese occupation authorities in the autumn of 1920. In prison, he was tortured by Chinese authorities for 107 days, but never kneeled down to the Chinese,and in fact died standing up in prison inNiislel Khüreein January 1921.

Manlaibaatar Damdinsüren street inUlaanbaataris named in his honor.