Background
Toqto’a was born to the Mergid aristocrat, Majarday (also rendered as Chuan), in 1314. His uncle was Bayan (d.1340), who had raised to the grand councillor during the reign of Toghan Temur (r.1333-1370), the last Yuan emperor.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Dynastic Histories
The History of Liao, or Liao Shi
Toghto Majarday
Edit ProfileToqtogha, Toqto’a Chuan
also known as
The Great Historian Tuotuo
The last capable Prime Minister of the Yuan dynasty yuan official historian
Education
Toqto’a was given a Confucian education.
Career
Like many Mongol nobels, he began serving in the Kesig, the prestigious Yuan Imperial Guards, at the age of fourteen. In 1331, at nineteen ,Toghto was already a Chief Military Commissioner of the Imperial Guards. Three years later he was promoted to Associate Administrator of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and in 1338 given the concurrent post of Censor-in-chief. Toghto's rapid rise was largely due to the fact that his uncle Bayam was the dictatorial Right Chancellor at the time. The nephew repaid Bayan's favour by playing a majour role in desposing him in 1340. Then he became the Right Chancellor.
Achievements
-
Under him, positions that had been closed to the Chinese by his uncle Bayan were reopened, many literati returned to the capital, and the Chinese examination system was restored. He presided over the compilation of the official history of the three preceding dynasties: the Song, Liao and Jin. Toghto directed a majior hydraulic project to reroute the Huang He (Yellow River).
Works
Dynastic Histories
Interests
Connections
- Father:
- Majarday
- Uncle:
- Bayan
- protege:
- Hama
Bayan (d.1340) had raised to the grand councillor during the reign of Toghan Temur (r.1333-1370), the last Yuan emperor. Fearing that his uncle's ambitious character would harm their family's prestige, Toqto’a and his father, allied with the Khagan, organized a plot to dismiss Bayan. In March 1340, they closed the gates of the palace walls while Bayan was hunting in the nearby countryside. They refused to let him in and soon afterwards arrested him. Bayan was sent into exile and Toqto’a toppled him. In November Toqto’a replaced Bayan as grand councillor.
While Toqto'a was in exile in Yunnan, he was poisoned by Hama's assassins on January 10, 1356.
-
Born
-
Died
January 10, 1356 (aged 44) -
Nationality
Mongolia -
Ethnicity
Career
-
1325 - 1331
-
1331 - 1335
-
1335 - 1338
-
1338 - 1340
-
1340 - 1354