Jayaatu Khan, Emperor Wenzong of Yuan

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Jayaatu Khan, Emperor Wenzong of Yuan : biography

16 February 1304 – 2 September 1332

Jayaatu Khan (Mongolian: Заяат хаан, , 1304–1332), born Tugh Temür, also known as Emperor Wenzong of Yuan (Chinese: 元文宗, 16 February 1304 – 2 September 1332), was an Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, and is regarded as the 12th Great Khan of the Mongols in Mongolia. He first ruled from 16 October 1328 to 3 April 1329,second ruled from 8 September 1329 to 2 September 1332. Thanks to his father’s loyal partisans, Tugh Temur did restore the line of Khayishan to the throne; but persecuted his eldest brother Kusala’s family, and later expressed remorse for what he had done to him. His name means "Blessed/lucky Khan" in the Mongolian language.

Tugh Temur sponsored many cultural activities, wrote poetry, painted, and read the classical texts.Frederick W. Mote-Imperial China 900–1800, p.471 Examples of his quite competent poetry and calligraphy have survived. He mandated and closely monitored the compilation called "The Imperial Dynasty’s grand institutions for managing the world"; through this textual production, he proclaimed his reign as new beginning, which took stock of the administrative practices and rules of the past and looked forward to a fresh chapter in Mongolian dynastic governance.On Cho Ng, Q. Edward Wang-Mirroring the past, p.184 But his reign was brief, and his administration was in the hands of powerful ministers, such as El Temür of the Qipchaq and Bayan of the Merkid who had helped him to win the succession struggle in 1328.

Reign

Administration and court life

The four-year reign of Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temur was dominated by El Temur and Bayan of the Merkid. As the persons who had been chiefly responsible for making the restoration possible, they acquired a measure of power and honor that had never before been attained by any official in the Yuan. They built their own power bases in the bureaucracy and the military, and their role overshadowed Tugh Temur. Tugh Temur honored his father’s former ministers and gave them honorific titles, and restored the honors of Sanpo and Toghto who had been persecuted by Ayurbarwada. The participants in the restoration were given most of the positions of importance in his administration. A few of the Muslims held posts in provinces, however, they did not have any position in the central government.

In the latter part of 1330 the Emperor went in person to perform the great sacrifice to the sky, which was done by deputy. This was followed by a general amnesty, and by the proclamation of his young son Aratnadara as heir apparent in January 1331. Tugh Temur’s consort Budashiri, having a grudge against Babusha, the widow of Kusala, had her assassinated by an eunuch.It is said that Budashiri accused her of installing his son Toghan Temur to the throne instead of the living khan’s line Then she sent Kusala’s son Toghan Temur in exile to Korea to secure her son’s succession; but Aratnadara died one month after his designation as heir.Herbert Franke, Denis Twitchett, John King Fairbank-The Cambridge History of China: Alien regimes and border states, 907–1368 , p.557 This sudden death of his son completely upset Tugh Temur’s plan for succession. Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temur caused his another son, Gunadara (Kulatana), to live with El Temur and recognize him as his father, and changed his name to El Tegus.Yuan shi, 35, p.790

Because a budget deficit of the government drastically increased, and reached 2.3 million ding of paper currency in 1330 alone, Tugh Temur’s court attempted to curtail its spending on such items as imperial grants, Buddhist sacrifices, and palace expenses. With those measures, they could keep the budget deficit within manageable figure, and had sufficient grain reserves at its disposal.

Rebellion

The added costs of the war against the loyalists and the suppression of the revolts by the ethnic minorities, and natural disasters heavily taxed resources of Tugh Temur’s government. The war in Yunnan continued with doubtful success, but the Imperial general Aratnashiri having collected an army of 100,000 men, defeated the Lolos and other mountaineers, and killed two of their chiefs. He seems to have quelled the rebellion and pacified Yunnan and Sichuan. Lo yu, one of the rebel chiefs in Yunnan, had escaped to the mountains; he collected a body of his people, and, dividing them into sixty small parties, overran the country of Chunyuen, where they committed frightful devastation. A force marched against them and Tugh Temur’s army stormed their chief stronghold. Three sons and two brothers of Prince Tugel were made prisoners, while a third brother drowned himself rather than fall into the hands of the imperial army. Tugel’s partisans gave up their cause in March 1332.Yuan shi, 31, p.701 This campaigns costed 630,000 ding of paper currency.li-Yuan shih hsian chiang, vol.3, p.527 Tugh Temur, who preferred luxury life, hardly deigned to show any interest in this distant campaign. The conduct of the Emperor caused much discontent, and Yelu Timur, son of Ananda who attempted to take the throne in 1307, in conjunction with the heads of the Lama religion in China, formed a plot to displace him; but this was discovered, and they were duly punished.