Esen: The Rise and Fall of the Oirat Taishi

The article is dedicated to the rise and fall of Esen, the leader of the Oirat people in the mid-15th century. The research traces Esen's path from taishi to self-proclaimed khan, analyzing both the factors behind his rapid ascent and the reasons for his equally swift decline. The foundation of Esen's power was laid by his father, Togon, who managed to unite many Oirat tribes and establish control over a representative of the "Golden Lineage," turning him into a puppet khan. Inheriting this system, Esen significantly strengthened the Oirat's power: he expanded territory through military campaigns, used flexible diplomacy, and manipulated the figure of the khan to consolidate his own authority. Ultimately, he violated the centuries-old tradition that only descendants of Genghis Khan had the right to the khan title, and proclaimed himself khan. His rule turned out to be fragile: the lack of legitimacy due to the absence of ties to the "Golden Lineage," growing internal disputes among the Oirat nobility, and the intensification of foreign policy conflicts led to the rapid decline of his influence and power. This study relies predominantly on a historical-documentary method based on Russian and Chinese sources, and includes a comparative analysis of various accounts and a critical use of historical materials. Based primarily on Chinese historical sources, the research offers a comprehensive analysis of Esen's political and economic strategies, as well as identifying key reasons for the collapse of his short-lived empire. For the first time, a comprehensive study of the phenomenon of Esen's rise and fall has been presented. Not being a representative of the "Golden Lineage," he managed to become a khan who challenged the traditional Mongolian political system. This work reveals not only the military but also the structural factors of Esen's rise: the inheritance of a governance system created by his predecessors, manipulation of legitimacy through a puppet khan, and flexible diplomacy. Alongside political history, Esen's economic strategies are analyzed, which is rarely encountered in existing Russian and Chinese studies. The article utilizes Chinese historical sources that are seldom featured in research, allowing for a more comprehensive reconstruction of the logic of the political aspects of Chinese-Oirat relations.