The Russian Journal of Genetic Genealogy (Русская версия): Том 4, №2, 2012 год ISSN: 1920-2997 http://ru.rjgg.org © Все права защищены RJGG The Genetic Origin Kherlen Batbayar of the Turko-Mongols and Review Zhaxylyk M. Sabitov of The Genetic Legacy of the Mongols. Part 1: The Y-chromosomal Lineages of Chinggis Khan Abstract Batu-Mungke Dayan Khan, a direct descendant of Chinggis Khan (commonly known as Genghis Khan) proved himself to be one of the most influential and powerful rulers in Mongolian history. After experiencing decades of East and West Mongolian political strife and incessant battling, Dayan Khan became the sole survivor of Chinggis Khan’s lineage in Mongolia Proper. Chinggis Khan raised five sons, all of whom reached adulthood. Besides Dayan Khan’s descendants residing in Mongolia Proper, only two other offspring of Chinggis Khan’s family line prevailed in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. These two lineages’ modal haplotypes belong to haplogroup C3 under different subgroups. However, according to a genetic research study, The Genetic Legacy of the Mongols, Chinggis Khan’s descendants number approximately 16 million. One may only hypothes- ize that this calculation is unreasonably inaccurate when studying both the historical and genetic, or genealogical, points-of-view. In this study, we have determined Batu-Mungke Dayan Khan’s haplotype by analyzing 12 Y- chromosomal STR loci of seven surviving elders of the House of Dayan Khan. Our findings differ significantly from those provided in The Genetic Legacy of Mongols. Chinggis Khan’s three surviving lineages’ Y-chromosome DNA test results suggest the near-extinction, not the proliferation, of the direct male descendant line of Chinggis Khan. Introduction According to their calculations, this pattern In 2003, Tatiana Zerjal and her colleagues variation occurred in Mongolia around one thou- identified a Y-chromosomal lineage that pro- sand years ago. Therefore, the conclusion was foundly affects mankind’s genealogical history. that the Y-chromosome lineage was restricted to This Y-chromosomal lineage presented itself in Chinggis Khan and his close male-line relatives approximately 8% of the men living in the vast [1]. However, none of the legitimate descen- region stretching from the Pacific to the Caspian dants of Chinggis Khan were actually tested in Sea [1]. It is referred to as the star-cluster C3*, the research study by Zerjal and colleagues. In also celebrated as Chinggis Khan’s Y- 2009, Sabitov Zh. M. demonstrated that the Ka- chromosome DNA. The central star-cluster C3* zakh Tores, whose ancestor is Chinggis Khan’s profile is: oldest son Jochi, possessed a different C3 sub- haplogroup while the star-cluster C3* was the 10-16-25-10-11-13-14-12-11-11-11-12-8-10- modal haplotype of two Kazakh Kerey clans (Ab- 10, akand Ashamaily) [2]. Later, in 2012, the same result was obtained by Abilevet al after testing for the loci DYS389I-DYS389b-DYS390-DYS391- 51 Kazakh Kereys, in which 76.5% of the Kereys DYS392-DYS393-DYS388-DYS425-DYS426- possessed the star-cluster C3* [3]. Contrary to DYS434-DYS435-DYS436-DYS437-DYS438- their statement, Kerey is not the dominant clan DYS439 [1]. in Kazakhstan; it is indeed one of the numerical- ___________________________________________________________ ly few tribes. Therefore, the unusual distribution Received: September 6 2011; accepted: September 7 2012; of the star-cluster C3* Y-chromosome cannot be published: September 12 2012 fully explained by its presence in the Kereys Correspondence: [email protected] [email protected] 1 The Russian Journal of Genetic Genealogy (Русская версия): Том 4, №2, 2012 год ISSN: 1920-2997 http://ru.rjgg.org © Все права защищены RJGG alone. In the preceding year, Turuspekov et al 19th century. Therefore, today, only three offi- identified the star-cluster C3* in a minor branch cially recognized branches of Chinggisids of Chinggis Khan’s grandson Shiban, son of Jochi (Chinggis Khan’s line of descent) are known. [4]. However, the same DNA sequence was also One branch is descended from Jani-Beg Khan, dominant in many other Kazakh tribes that are who fathered the Kazakh royal house (Figure 1). not directly related to Chinggis Khan. These con- Jani-Beg Khan’s ancestor is Tuka-Timur, one of tradicting findings resulted in testing the the younger sons of Jochi [2]. The Kazakh offspring of Batu-Mungke Dayan Khan, descen- Chinggisids are also known by Tore in Ka- dant of Chinggis Khan’s fourth son Tolui. Tolui’s zakhstan. Tuka-Timur fathered the Crimean Ta- descendants live in The State of Mongolia (Outer tar royal family (the Gireys) as well. However, Mongolia) and Inner Mongolia (an autonomous the Gireys were not tested in this study. Cur- region in The People’s Republic of China). rently, another minor lineage of Jochi exists in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The predecessor of In this study, seven patrilineal descendants this royal house is Shiban, Jochi’s fifth son (Fig- of Batu-Mungke Dayan Khan and two of Ching- ure 1). The Shibanids were once the rulers of gis Khan’s brothers’ descendants were chosen the Khanate of Khiva (Khwarezm). The Kazakh for Y-chromosome DNA sequencing. Rather than Shibanids’ common ancestor is Shah-Temir testing a multitude of subjects, for the sake of Khan (18th century). The better known branch is accuracy, the most legitimate and proven des- the Mongolian royal house, which was founded cendants of Dayan Khan were selected. The DNA by Batu-Mungke Dayan Khan. By various ac- donors were selected based upon their official counts, Batu-Mungke Dayan Khan was Ching- Mongol and Manchu titles and ranks, which were gis’s grandson Kublai Khan’s direct male-line precisely recorded in Mongolian, Manchu, and descendant [7, 8]. In the 15th century, Batu- Soviet documents. Mungke Dayan Khan reunited the majority of the warring Mongol tribes, successfully continuing Chinggis Khan’s State with the help of his Background Queen-consort, Mandukhai-the-Wise. After the death of his uncle, Mandoul Khan, and his fa- Chinggis Khan’s Legacy ther, Bayan-Mungke Jinong, young Batu- Mungke became the only surviving descendant Chinggis Khan had five recognized sons who of Kublai Khan in Mongolia [7]. However, the reached adulthood: Jochi, Chagatai, Ogetei, To- number of Kublai’s descendants was significantly lui, and Khulgen [5, 6]. Ogetei’s and Khulgen’s reduced, long before Batu-Mungke’s birth, dur- descendants had completely disappeared by the ing the reign of the Western Mongolian ruler end of the 15th century. The last descendants of Esen-Taishi (d. 1455), who mercilessly massa- Chagatai presided over a sector of modern-day cred the Mongolian Chinggisids [7, 8]. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, until the second half of the 18th century, completely disappearing in the 2 The Russian Journal of Genetic Genealogy (Русская версия): Том 4, №2, 2012 год ISSN: 1920-2997 http://ru.rjgg.org © Все права защищены RJGG Figure 1. Chinggis Khan's Mini Family Tree Demonstrating the Roots of Uzbek-Kazakh Shibanids, Kazakh Khans, and Mongolian Khans. Distribution of the Borjigin Clan single adult male of the Dayan Khan noble fami- and the Dayan Khanid Aristocracy ly was massacred by the orders of Joseph Stalin in Mongolia and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union [9]. The mass murdering began in October 1937 During his lifetime, Batu-Mungke sired ele- and ended in April 1939, with a total of 25,824 ven sons with three wives. His grandchildren Mongolian men dead, including the nobles, eventually took the place of most of the former Buddhist lamas, and commoners [9]. tribal chiefs, and a new aristocracy was formed to ensure the unity and continuity of Chinggisid Chinggis Khan’s royal family belonged to the sovereignty. Dayan Khan and his senior wife, Borjigin sub-clan of the Kiyat clan, which is one Mandukhai-the-Wise, raised seven sons: Tore- of the 19 Nirun clans [5, 6, 10]. As recorded by bolat, Ulusbolat, Arsubolat, Barsbolat, Ochirbo- the historians from the Mongol Ilkhanate period lat, Alchubolat, and Arabolat (Albor) [8]. Today, (1256-1335), only Chinggis Khan’s father Ye- the progeny of Dayan Khan−Torebolat, Barsbo- sukhei’s sons inherited the royal clan name Bor- lat, Ochirbolat, and Alchubolat − live in Inner jigin [5]. However, currently 20% of the Mongo- Mongolia. Dayan Khan also fathered four sons, lians are officially bearing Borjigin as their clan Prince Gerebolat, Prince Geresenz, Prince Ching, name notwithstanding the fact that the Borjigins and Prince Geretu, with his two younger wives were massively murdered twice, first during [8]. One of these four sons, Geresenz, outlived Esen Taishi’s reign and then the Great Purge. the other three, all of whom have left no des- Therefore, a more scrupulous method was cendants [8]. According to the official archival needed in order to select the authentic biological data from 1921, a total of 13,274 (approximate- descendants of Dayan Khan from one fifth of the ly 2.65% of the total population in 1921) direct population carrying the same clan name. All male descendants of Prince Geresenz were rec- male descendants of Batu-Mungke Dayan Khan orded living in Outer Mongolia and 8,996 of were granted the title Taij (baron) by birth until these men were over 18-years-old [9]. Howev- 1939. Four particular lineages possessed the er, during the Great Purge of 1936-1939, every title Khan (king) and ruled the commoners as 3 The Russian Journal of Genetic Genealogy (Русская версия): Том 4, №2, 2012 год ISSN: 1920-2997 http://ru.rjgg.org © Все права защищены RJGG well as the Taij nobles. These titles were inherit- Method able only on a descending scale. Furthermore, Mongolian noblemen were also granted Manchu Buccal mucosal cell samples were collected ranks from the Qing (Manchu) Empire.