Ejei Khan

Erke Khongghor, also known as Ejei, was a Mongolian ruler and the last khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty. His name in Mongolian is Эрх Хонгор, and in Chinese, it is 額爾克孔果爾. The name "Ejei" translates to "lord" in the Mongolian language. His birth date is not specified, but he died in 1641. Ejei was the son of Ligdan Khan, the previous khagan of the Northern Yuan dynasty.

The Northern Yuan dynasty was a successor state to the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, which retreated to the Mongolian Plateau after its collapse in China in 1368. By the early 17th century, the Borjigin clan, the ruling lineage of the Mongol Empire, had considerably weakened. Ligdan Khan, Ejei’s father, was among the last prominent leaders resisting external forces.

Following Ligdan Khan's death in 1634, Ejei assumed leadership as khagan. However, his reign was brief. In February 1635, Ejei and his mother were attacked unexpectedly by a large force of over ten thousand cavalry from the Later Jin dynasty, which was consolidating power in northern China and Mongolia. Facing overwhelming odds, Ejei and his mother surrendered. During the surrender, Ejei is said to have handed over the imperial seal of the Yuan dynasty to Hong Taiji, the ruler of the Later Jin.

In 1636, Hong Taiji declared the establishment of the Qing dynasty, formally becoming its first emperor. Following this, Ejei complied with Qing orders to exert influence over remaining Mongol resistances. In March 1636, all resistance among Mongol clans ceased, with representatives from sixteen clans and forty-nine subclans gathering at Mukden (present-day Shenyang). They pledged allegiance to Hong Taiji, officially concluding the Borjigin clan's rule.

Ejei was subsequently awarded the title of Prince (Qin Wang, 親王), a rank he held until his death in 1641. His title was inherited by his younger brother, Abunai. However, Abunai grew discontented with the Qing dynasty's dominance. In 1669, he was placed under house arrest in Shenyang by the Kangxi Emperor. His imperial title was transferred to his son Borni in September of that year. Borni, cautious not to disrespect the Qing authorities, maintained a peaceful stance until 1675.

In 1675, Borni and his brother Lubuzung revolted amid the larger context of the Revolt of the Three Feudatories. They believed they could rally other Mongol tribes, but only about three thousand Chahar Mongols supported the rebellion. The Qing forces quickly defeated the rebels in a decisive battle on April 20, 1675. Following their defeat, Abunai and his followers were killed during the retreat.

The Qing dynasty responded to the rebellion with harsh punishments. All royal males of the Chahar Mongols were executed, including infants born to Qing princesses, and their females were sold into slavery, except for the Qing princesses themselves.

Ejei's family included consorts such as Princess Consort Chahar of the First Rank from the Aisin-Gioro clan, born on September 10, 1625, and died in April or May 1663, whose personal name was Makata. He also had a wife from the Lady Khorchin Borjigin clan, who married Fushou, the fourth son of Hooge, Prince Su. His lineage and familial ties linked him with major Mongol and Qing imperial clans.

In popular culture, Ejei was portrayed by Liu Xueyi in the 2015 television series *The Legend of Xiaozhuang*.

References to historical texts include the Draft History of Qing and other scholarly sources.