khanate · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Tumed (Altan Khan)

1530 CE – 1632 CE (approx.) · capital Guihua (Hohhot)

The realm of Altan Khan in Inner Mongolia, which made peace with Ming China, founded Hohhot and gave the Dalai Lama his title.

Origins

Altan Khan, a grandson of Dayan Khan of the Northern Yuan, became leader of the Tümed tumen in the 1530s and turned it into the strongest power among the eastern Mongols. His raids reached the Ming capital, which he besieged in 1550, in an effort to force China to open border trade.

Rule and society

After a peace in 1571 the Ming Empire granted Altan Khan the title Shunyi Wang and opened horse markets on the frontier. He welcomed Chinese farmers and craftsmen, many of them refugees, and built the walled town of Guihua (Hohhot). In 1578 he met the Gelug lama Sonam Gyatso at Kokonor, gave him the title Dalai Lama and adopted Buddhism, launching the conversion of the Mongols.

Decline and legacy

After Altan Khan's death in 1582 his descendants, guided at first by his widow Jönggen Khatun, kept the peace with the Ming but lost influence. Ligdan Khan of the Chahar overran their lands and Guihua in 1627 to 1628; when Hong Taiji's campaign of 1632 drove him west, the Tümed soon submitted to the Later Jin (1616-1636).

Connections (3)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Tumed (Altan Khan). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tumed-altan-khan
MLA
“Tumed (Altan Khan).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tumed-altan-khan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Tumed (Altan Khan).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tumed-altan-khan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Tumed (Altan Khan)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tumed-altan-khan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻