Bogda Khan

Bogda Khan ("Boγda Qaγan") is a title of leadership in the Mongolian language referring to the Emperors of the Qing dynasty. It combines the title khan traditionally used among the Turco-Mongols with the term "Bogda" that means "Holy" or "God" in Mongolian. So "Bogda Khan" as a whole means "Holy Khan" or "Holy Ruler".[1] Hong Taiji, the second khan of the Later Jin dynasty conquered the Northern Yuan dynasty of the Mongols in 1635. He started to use the Mongolian title "Boγda Sečen Qaγan" ("Bogda Chechen Khan"), and he once called himself "Bogda Khan" in letters to upper-class figures in Mongolia and Tibet. After the proclamation of the Qing dynasty in 1636, the titles of the all Qing emperors in Mongolian contained "Bogda Khan", so it was commonly used by the Mongolian subjects to refer to the Qing rulers. During the early Qing period the Tsardom of Russia also used this title to refer to the emperors of Qing China since they had contacts with the Mongols before officially communicating with the Qing dynasty. For example, the Qing ruler was referred to as the "Chinese Highness Bogda Khan" (китайского бугдыханова высочества) in the Russian version of the Treaty of Nerchinsk. With the 1911 Revolution that led to the fall of the Qing dynasty, the region of Outer Mongolia declared independence from the Qing Empire under the leadership of the 8th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, who used the title Bogd Khan (as successor of Bogda Khan) and established the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia.