Temür Khan

Temür Khan, also known as Emperor Chengzong, was a significant leader of the Yuan dynasty in China. He ruled from May 10, 1294, until his death on February 10, 1307. Temür was the grandson of the famous founder, Kublai Khan. He was also recognized as the sixth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. While the empire had divided into different states, Temür held nominal suzerainty over them. This means other Mongol leaders recognized him as their superior leader. His reign established many important patterns for how the Yuan dynasty would be governed for decades.

Temür's path to the throne involved a unique competition. After Kublai Khan died in 1294, officials called for a kurultai, which is a traditional assembly to choose a leader. Because several potential heirs had died, only two main candidates remained: Temür and his brother Gammala. To decide between them, their mother, Kökejin, proposed a contest. The candidates had to demonstrate their knowledge of the sayings of Genghis Khan. Temür won this competition and was declared the emperor. Before this, he had already gained experience helping his grandfather suppress rebellions and guarding the Liao River area.

During his rule, Temür implemented several religious and social policies. He was a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, just like his grandfather. However, he also showed great respect for Confucianism, a major Chinese philosophy. He issued an edict to revere Confucius and appointed Harghasun, a man close to Confucian scholars, as his grand chancellor. Temür also supported other groups, such as the Taoists. He appointed a Taoist leader to help run the Academy of Scholarly Worthies. This variety of support helped manage the different cultures within his vast empire.

Temür's administration included many different types of people. He worked with Mongol administrators, Chinese officials, and Muslim financiers. A prominent Muslim statesman named Bayan managed the Ministry of Finance. The number of Tibetans in the government also began to increase during his time. Temür even honored the Khon family of Tibet by making one of them an imperial son-in-law in 1296. This mix of officials was intended to create political and social stability across the empire.

To help his people, Temür often reduced their financial burdens. He granted tax exemptions to several groups at different times. For example, he exempted the city of Khanbaliq and the city of Shangdu from taxes for one year. He also allowed Mongol commoners to skip taxes for two years. In 1302, he prohibited officials from collecting any money beyond the official tax quotas. However, the government faced many financial problems. Corruption among officials was common, and the value of paper currency became less stable because the government's money reserves were draining.

To fight corruption, Temür tried to change how officials were paid. He believed that low salaries made it harder for officials to stay honest. In 1303, he suggested adding "salary rice" to their pay. The Central Secretariat decided to provide extra rice to clerks alongside their regular salary notes. In areas that did not produce rice, officials received extra paper money to make up for it. This was a direct attempt to improve the integrity of the administration through better compensation.

Temür's foreign policy focused on maintaining peace rather than constant expansion. He called off plans to invade Japan and the land of Đại Việt. Instead, he sent messengers to demand submission through diplomacy. He also worked to achieve peace with the western Mongol khanates, including the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate. By 1304, a peace was reached that had been missing since the Kaidu–Kublai war began over 30 years earlier. Although this peace was short-lived, it gave the Yuan dynasty a period of nominal supremacy over the western regions.

Temür's reign ended with a personal loss that affected the future of the dynasty. His only son, Deshou, died in January 1306. When Temür died in February 1307, he had no male heir to succeed him. He was succeeded by Khayishan, who was the son of Temür's elder brother, Darmabala. This transition changed the line of succession. Eventually, the title of Khan and Emperor passed away from the descendants of Temür and Darmabala to the descendants of their brother Gammala.