The Four Oirad Confederation and Khoid Aristocracy on the Seventeenth-Century Central Asian Steppe

This article examines the political status and role of the Khoid aristocracy within the Four Oirad Confederation on the seventeenth-century Central Asian steppe. In the early to mid-fifteenth century, the Khoid aristocracy was one of the core ruling groups of the Oirad Empire and possessed vast appanages on the Mongolian steppe. During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, however, the Khoid aristocracy lost its main domain on the Mongolian steppe due to the aggressive campaigns by the Khalkha Mongols. As a result, part of the Khoid aristocracy crossed the Altai Mountains and moved south to the Central Asian steppe, where they joined the Four Oirad Confederation. Within the Oirad confederacy, the Khoid nobility did not function as a principal member. As a secondary constituent, Khoid aristocrats participated in numerous joint enterprises of the Four Oirad Confederation. In the mid-seventeenth century, two factions emerged within the Four Oirad Confederation; hence, factional struggles ensued regarding political and military issues. The Khoid aristocracy took advantage of the factional conflict, considerably elevating its status within the Oirad confederacy. The end of the Oirad factionalism in 1661 caused the Khoshuud, Zunghar, and Khoid nobilities––who had once constituted the same clique––to pursue individualized paths toward the development and expansion of their respective principalities. For example, the Khoshuud, Zunghar, and Khoid principalities competed with each other to enhance their power and influence in the Tarim Basin. The Khoid aristocracy substantially strengthened its influence and presence in the oasis region by actively intervening in politico-military conflicts within the Moghul Khanate. The competition among the Oirad aristocratic houses in the Tarim Basin eventually led to the enmity between the Khoid nobility and the Zunghar ruling lineage. Thus, the Khoid aristocracy allied with Ochir Tsetsen Khan’s Khoshuuds and Tsöökör Ubashi’s Zunghars, forming a new faction to compete with the Zunghars of Sengge and his successors.