Relations between the Ming and Mongol (From the mid-14th century to the mid-17th century)

The study examines the military, political, cultural, and commercial relations between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolian authorities from 1368 to 1644. Drawing from Chinese sources written during the Ming and Qing (Manchu) periods, as well as Mongolian chronicles composed after the 17th century, this research represents the first doctoral study on this subject conducted in Türkiye. The dissertation comprises three main sections and an introduction. The introduction details our research methodology, describing the primary sources, their qualitative and quantitative characteristics, and the study's scope, including temporal and spatial boundaries. We review 40 Chinese and nine Mongolian primary sources, followed by a survey of relevant international scholarship. The first section analyzes the late Yuan Dynasty rebellions and the Ming Dynasty's establishment. It examines the Ming army's military campaigns in Mongolia following the Mongols' retreat from China, and their confrontations with Yuan Dynasty remnants. This section also explores the Ming Dynasty's theoretical framework, rules, and principles governing foreign relations. The second section investigates Ming-Mongol relations during the Ming Dynasty's ascendancy, focusing on Emperor Zhu Di's Mongolian campaigns, the Ming-Oirat wars (including the Battle of Tumu and Esen's siege of Beijing), and the development of commercial and political ties. The third section covers relations during the Ming Dynasty's stagnation and decline. Key topics include the Oirats disintegration, the restoration of authority by Genghis Khan's Mongol descendants, Mongol resettlement in Inner Mongolia, Altan's siege of Beijing, the Ming-Mongol peace agreement, and the establishment of border markets. The section concludes by examining relations between the Ming Dynasty and the Left Wing Tümen Mongols during the dynasty's final years