Dzungaria was finally defeated by the troops of the Qing Empire. Oirat cities of Dzungaria

Having perfect kung fu fighting techniques, Bruce Lee was a role model for guys in the 70s of the last century. Nature did not reward him with good physical characteristics, but constant training, meditation and willpower turned Bruce Lee into a legendary athlete and a wonderful actor. Speculation about how Bruce Lee died continues among his fans to this day. You can read about the life of the greatest master of martial arts below.

Bruce Lee: cause of death

There were many mysterious and inexplicable moments in the life of the magnificent athlete. Of course, this also applies to many versions of the reasons for the actor’s death:

Official version. Bruce Lee died due to cerebral edema. While walking in the park with his son Brendan and wife Linda, the actor became ill. Already at home he lost consciousness. The doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where the celebrity was brought, were powerless.
love affair. The version confirms the diagnosis from which the athlete died, with only one difference - Bruce Lee was brought to the hospital from the house of actress Betty Ting Pei. It was rumored in circles close to the athlete that there were intimate relationships between the former partners on the set.
Medical drug. Few people believe, but the possibility of the death of the invincible Bruce from a pill "Equagesics"(aspirin with the addition of meprobanate), which the actor drank from a headache tormenting him, has the right to exist.
Mafia. Revenge of the Chinese criminal group "Triad" because Lee did not want to pay the gang a monthly tribute.
Martial Arts Secrets. Being popular, the athlete got too carried away with Hollywood and showed in his films the secret techniques of the ancient school of martial arts. This determined his sad fate.
Secret stranger. During the filming of one of the films, the greatest expert in oriental martial arts was unable to perform one of the stunts planned in the scene. The director announced a break, and a stranger approached the athlete. After a short conversation, Bruce receives a blow to the head, as a result of which he loses consciousness. In the east this technique is called " blow of delayed death“, and despite Lee’s excellent health, he dies two months later.

How Bruce Lee died

But the details of the actor’s death are shrouded in darkness. Let’s refresh our memory of the chronology of events in the last months of the legendary personality’s life:

May 10. On this day the first health problems occurred. 32-year-old Lee, who is in excellent health, loses consciousness right on the set.
June 23. The actor feels terrible headaches. Bruce is offered a thorough medical examination.
July 16. The athlete spends the entire day in Los Angeles Central Hospital. Doctors do not find any physical or mental abnormalities in the actor, and note excellent health.
July 20 19:30. The athlete becomes ill. He takes his medicine and goes to bed. 19:45 - loss of creation. Those present in the room try to bring the actor to feelings.
July 20 22:30. An ambulance takes a patient to the hospital. For an hour there is a struggle for life.
July 20 23:30. Journalists present in the lobby of Queen Elizabeth Hospital learn of the death.

How Bruce Lee trained

Almost all fans of martial arts do not pay due attention to physical exercise.

Bruce Lee was the first to recognize the existing problem, and the main exercises were related to the physical development of the body and endurance:

Run 4-5 miles daily. While performing this exercise, the athlete constantly changed his running pace: acceleration followed by a return to a calm mode.
A jump rope was used to strengthen the leg muscles. The beneficial effects of this exercise include strengthening the cardiovascular system, lightness on the legs and balance.
To increase his stamina, Bruce liked to fight with his opponent's shadow. This, moreover, gave a great impetus to the development of the athlete’s attentiveness.

These and other simple physical exercises, combined with activities aimed at developing body flexibility and striking, give excellent results. The main thing in training is that the exercises must happen. every day.

This video shows how martial artist Bruce Lee trained, what techniques he used:

Philosopher Bruce Lee

Knowing about Bruce's achievements in sports and cinema, few people know this legendary man as a philosopher. His worldview still encourages people to self-development:

It doesn’t matter how we move, the main thing is not to stop.
Defeat becomes a fact after consciousness has agreed with it.
Criticism is a sign that you are doing everything right.
Friends, like diamonds, are rare. Liars are like autumn leaves - everywhere.

Bruce Lee was also involved in meditation and esotericism. In his memoirs, Bruce's student Dan Inosanto talked about one teacher’s affirmation: “ I'm a famous actor, I earned 10 million dollars.". If you can argue with the second statement, then everything regarding acting achievements has come true.

5 little-known facts from the life of Bruce Lee

In 1958, the future legend participated in the Hong Kong Musical Style Dance Championships Cha-cha-cha, and takes first place.
Bruce's father's craft (Lee Hoi Chuen was an actor) helped the future star star in his first film at the age of 3 months.
In his youth, Bruce was seriously involved in boxing and also wrote poetry well.
The actor’s mother had German roots, and the athlete himself spoke four languages perfectly.
When Bruce Lee was awake, he trained his body every minute, and it didn’t matter whether he was standing, sitting or eating.

Bruce Lee's physical perfection

Bruce Lee is an incredible speed of movement, impact force, lightning-fast reaction and control of body movement. Here are the physical abilities the master surprised fans with:

The hand strike speed is 0.05 seconds.
Hold a weight of two pounds (32 kg) at arm's length for 15 seconds.
Pull-ups on the horizontal bar, holding it with the little finger of one hand.
The ability to catch a grain of rice thrown into the air with chopsticks kuaizi.

Many versions of how Bruce Lee died do not provide an accurate answer to the truth of the tragedy. The only thing that can be done is to state the following fact - the death of this extraordinary personality forced millions of boys to pay attention to their own self-development. Only hard work gives the body strength and endurance, and regular meditation practices develop a person’s spiritual qualities.

As for martial arts, a boom among fans of karate and kung fu occurred precisely after the death of Bruce Lee. And this is a huge contribution of the master to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

Video about the death of Bruce Lee

In this video, historian Juan Corleto Tell us about some facts about the death of the famous martial artist Bruce Lee:

No death in the world has generated so much speculation and rumors as the death of Bruce Lee, which happened 40 years ago, on July 20, 1973. And we will never know the whole truth about the reasons for the death of a man whose cult exists all over the world even now.

« If I die tomorrow, it won't hurt me. I did everything I set out to do. You can't expect more from life than this». Bruce Lee.

This name may not mean anything to those who have not seen VCRs, but believe me, it once thundered even among those who are very far from martial arts.

In July 1973, Bruce Lee was in Hong Kong, where he was working on the film Game of Death. On the evening of July 20, he met Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei in the apartment, whom he was going to offer a role in his film. At 7:30 p.m., Bruce complained of a headache, Betty gave him one of her Equagesic tablets (a home remedy for headaches), and Lee lay down for a short nap on her bed. And at 23:00, shocking news was announced to the press - the famous film actor and director, popularizer and reformer of Chinese martial arts, the most trained person in the world, Bruce Lee, died suddenly at the age of 32.

The official version was that while walking with his wife Linda in the garden near his home, Bruce Lee suddenly lost consciousness and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, already dead. There, doctors stated that death was due to cerebral edema, but they could not determine what caused this edema.

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Hong Kong's farewell to Bruce Lee turned into pan-Asian mourning - on July 25, more than 25 thousand people took part in it. After which Bruce Lee's body was transported to Seattle, where he was buried six days later. About 150 relatives and friends of Bruce Lee, and about a hundred strangers attended the modest funeral ceremony at Lake View Cemetery.
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But before the plane carrying the coffin left Hong Kong airport, Bruce Lee's wife, Linda Lee, was forced to make the following statement: “ Although the investigation into my husband's death is still ongoing, I ask the press and Hong Kong people to stop speculating on the matter. I have no doubt that Bruce died of natural causes and I do not blame myself or anyone else for it.».
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The fact is that in Hong Kong at that time there were 101 daily newspapers in Chinese and four newspapers in English, and they were all fighting among themselves to attract readers. Here are the main versions of Bruce Lee that were first published in these newspapers and then distributed throughout the world:

Bruce Lee took various drugs, from such mild ones as marijuana to such strong ones as LSD, from which he died in his mistress’s apartment during sexual intercourse;

Bruce Lee was poisoned with an unknown poison by competitors from the film industry. His films took a lot of profits away from established film companies, and small film studios were generally forced out of the market. And on their order, Bruce Lee was beaten to death by 15 people on the street;

Bruce Lee was killed by a friend jealous of fame;

Bruce Lee spent his entire life paying tribute to the Chinese mafia "Triad", which gave money for his first films. When he refused to pay, Triad found a way to deal with him;
- Bruce Lee revealed the secrets of the sacred Chinese martial art of kung fu to Europeans who were not supposed to know it. For this, the Shaolin monks sentenced him to death.
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But the main version was that either by order of the Triad, or by order of the Shaolin monks, or on his own initiative, Bruce Lee was killed by a martial artist who mastered the “delayed death” technique. After its use, a person can die several months or even years from the moment of impact.

Like, two months before his death, Bruce Lee practiced one punch on the set, which he just couldn’t do. A stranger suddenly stepped out of the crowd and offered his own version of this technique. After his blow, Bruce lost consciousness for a moment, and when he came to his senses, there was no trace of the stranger.
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But most likely a completely different version is true, a more prosaic one - the death of Bruce Lee was caused by a combination of a number of reasons.

An autopsy showed that on his last evening in actress Betty's apartment, Bruce smoked marijuana, but it was not the only cause of death - Linda admitted in court that Lee had often used it before that. And experts said that the small dose that was discovered during the autopsy could not have caused Lee’s death.

On May 10, 1973, Bruce Lee suffered a seizure with convulsions and complete loss of consciousness. Doctors concluded that for unknown reasons, Lee had suffered a “seizure,” a common type of epilepsy. They prescribed Lee the drug Dilantin, usually prescribed for epileptics.
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And according to people who knew him, although Bruce did not drink or smoke, he liked the relaxing effects of hashish. And if there is always a sticker with the name of the manufacturer on a bottle of alcohol and a pack of cigarettes, then it is impossible to determine the source and quality of hashish. And what kind of hashish interacted with Dilantin in Bruce Lee’s body on the eve of his death, and what kind of reaction resulted from this to the mixture of marijuana with Equagesic - we will never know.

In any case, Linda will never talk about it, for sure. The fact is that the insurance contract concluded by Bruce Lee on January 19, 1973. (according to press estimates, its amount ranged from $500 thousand to $2 million), included a clause exempting the company from insurance payments if death due to drug use was proven.
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So most likely no one killed Bruce Lee - he killed himself.

The legend of world cinema, the talented Hong Kong and American actor Bruce Lee suddenly died at the peak of his career in July 1973, being a very young, 32-year-old athlete, full of strength and creative plans. It is noteworthy that literally a couple of months before his death he felt great, and a diagnosis carried out four days before his death, on July 16, 1973, at the Los Angeles Central Hospital did not find any problems with the actor. The doctors' verdict was that Bruce Lee was healthy.

So what really happened?

According to the official report and the family's version, death occurred at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where Bruce was taken from his home. Shortly before, while walking with his wife and son in the park, he felt ill. The called medical team hospitalized the actor, but could not help him.

One of the “semi-official” versions, which appeared thanks to journalistic investigations carried out “hot on the heels” in the first years after the death, indicates that the hospital doctors did not work professionally. Without checking information about the presence of allergic reactions, they used the drug “Equagesic” (a complex of aspirin and meprobanate) to relieve a severe headache. But a strong instant allergic reaction caused extensive swelling, including of the brain tissue, which doctors were unable to cope with (Glover, Jesse R. Bruce Lee Between WinChun and Jeet Kune Do. - Unspecified vendor, 1976). Arguments are given in favor of this version that no special tests were taken after the actor’s death, allegedly for the purpose of concealing a medical error.

Another version, associated with the same “Equagesic”, is a love version. Allegedly, the pill was given to Bruce Lee by his mistress, actress Betty Ting Pei, with whom he was that evening. This version was put forward by the actors, who were convinced that during the filming of the last film the actress and Lee had an intimate relationship. However, no one officially announced this; the assumption was neither refuted nor confirmed.

Subsequently, already in the 80s, during the second wave of interest in Lee’s films and martial arts, other versions of his death appeared, of a criminal nature.

One of them is the murder of an actor using the "delayed blow" technique, carried out by a stranger who came to the set of "Game of Death", supposedly to show Bruce a special blow that could enhance his tricks. After a short conversation, the stranger hit the actor, and he lost consciousness. The platform for this version is a recorded illness on May 10, 1973, when health problems first appeared and Lee collapsed on the set. The actor’s widow rejects this version, believing that the problems did not appear out of nowhere, but as a consequence of Bruce’s severe overwork.

The second criminal version is the revenge of the Triad, a Chinese mafia group, for refusing to pay tribute. Lee had problems with this gang structure in his youth, but many fans and family deny that the Triad subsequently had anything to do with the actor.

The third version is drugs; allegedly, prohibited substances were found in Lee’s blood during the autopsy. But, given the information that post-mortem analyzes were not carried out, this version is also considered to be in the category of speculation. In addition, everyone knew the healthy lifestyle of the actor, who never used any illegal substances or alcohol.

However, in his book “Bruce Lee. The Man Only I Knew,” Bruce’s widow, Linda Lee, urges us to adhere to the official version – cerebral edema, calling all others speculation and attempts to make money on sensation.

Sad Love Heart Haha Wow

The famous actor, stunt coordinator and martial artist Bruce Lee died suddenly from cerebral edema after taking an aspirin tablet. The sudden death gave rise to many rumors. What actually happened, how was the actor’s life, and how did the viewer remember him?

Bruce Lee had such extraordinary abilities that he caused bewilderment among the public - how is this even possible? It seemed that the young man's main talent was the ability to become the best at everything: he was a martial artist who created his own unique style of fighting, and an outstanding actor. Lee has written and directed several films.

Success and fame followed the wrestler everywhere, but his life was cut short at the age of 32. The cause of Bruce Lee's death was a headache pill.

Death by pill

The date of the tragic incident was July 20, 1973. The actor came to Hong Kong to discuss collaboration in a new film with George Lazenby, who played James Bond. On the fateful day, Lee met with producer Raymond Chow to work on the film Game of Death. After the meeting ended, Bruce went to Betty Ting Pei, who, according to some sources, was his mistress. The actor complained to her of a headache, and the girl offered her an aspirin tablet. After drinking painkillers, the actor lay down to rest.

Chow returned and was unable to wake up the actor and called a doctor, who tried in vain to resuscitate Lee for more than 10 minutes, after which the decision was made to take Bruce to the hospital. Death occurred even before the car arrived at the hospital.

The coroner's report listed the cause of death as accidental. During the autopsy, cerebral edema was discovered - it was increased by 13% - formed as a result of an allergic reaction to the chemical compounds contained in the tablet.

In May, there was already a similar attack: during the filming of one of the scenes, Lee fell and lost consciousness. Then doctors were able to help the star by diagnosing “cerebral edema.” Chuck Norris, a friend and student of Bruce, stated that the allergic reaction could be caused by the combined use of drugs taken for back pain and aspirin.

Hashish was found in the actor’s stomach in a safe dose. According to one version, Bruce Lee, who had no bad habits, sometimes added weed to his food, thinking that it would help him relax and unwind after a particularly difficult filming.

Spreading the news of the actor's death

At first, fans perceived the news of the death of the idol of millions as a publicity stunt to promote a new film. When the farewell ceremony was announced, the news shocked fans of the celebrity’s work.

Rumors surrounding the causes of the actor's death were greatly inflated by unscrupulous print media. In particular, it is not known for sure whether there was a love relationship with Betty Ting Pei - she herself has repeatedly denied any information about this, claiming that their relationship is just a long-term friendship. Ting Pei herself became a victim of this story - for many years, fans of Bruce Lee hated her and even called her “the bloody woman.”

One of the most resonant versions was the possible death of the actor at the hands of the Chinese mafia - the triad. After Bruce's death, one of the newspapers published information that all income from the films was received by third parties, and the property was registered in the name of the butler.

According to the source, Lee may have paid tribute to criminal organizations that may have sponsored his first films. Some believe that Bruce was killed by a killer who mastered the “delayed death” technique. According to eyewitnesses, one day an actor practicing stunts for a film was approached by a man who promised to help him choreograph the technique. Suddenly, he struck Bruce with a strong blow to the head, after which he disappeared. Supporters of this version believe that the blow marked the beginning of some processes in the actor’s body, which later led to his death.

Superstitious Chinese believe that people born in the Year of the Dragon are doomed to a short life - supposedly such people are cursed. The famous actor, by Chinese standards, broke the record for failure: he was born not only on a cursed day, but also at a cursed hour.

Farewell and funeral

The farewell ceremony took place on July 24 in Hong Kong. A huge number of people (more than 15,000) became its visitors, resulting in a crush. Above the head of the coffin there was an inscription in Chinese: “The star sank into the Sea of Art.” By the way, Betty Ting Pei did not appear at the ceremony, but only sent a wreath.

Bruce's wife Linda decided to bury her husband in Seattle, at Lake View Cemetery. The coffin was carried by family friend Chuck Norris, Steve McQueen and Lee's brother Robert.

Bruce Lee's last film

The master's last work was published five years after his tragic death. Lee himself starred in only 28 minutes of the almost two-hour film; all other scenes were doubled. Lee was to play the lead role and also serve as producer, director and screenwriter. The plot of the film tells the story of a young actor Billy Lo, who is fighting the mafia. According to the script written by Bruce, the main character has a Chinese name and has nothing to do with show business - he practices martial arts.

The film was not a big commercial success, as it competed with Jackie Chan's increasingly popular Drunken Master.

Childhood and the beginning of the journey

Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco while his actor parents were on tour. There were five children in the family - the boy was born fourth. Due to the superstitions of Chinese parents, the child had many names, including even a feminine one. According to beliefs, it was possible to deceive evil spirits this way. The nurse who delivered the baby gave the baby the name Bruce.

The father of the future star, Lee Hoi-Chuen, sang in opera and toured extensively, visiting Chinese communities in America. Even though Hong Kong was unsafe, Hoi-Chuen decided to return to China, and the Lee family lived under Japanese occupation for almost four years.

Despite the fact that Bruce's family was very wealthy, sometimes the boy took part in street fights, after which his father taught him the first basics of hand-to-hand combat. But Lee truly fell in love with martial arts while studying Wing Chun - the Chinese style of wushu - with his first real teacher, Ip Man. The friendship with Ip Man lasted for many years.

Since Lee's mother's family was European, many Ip Man students did not want to train with Lee.

In high school, the boy won a boxing competition. In addition, he was an excellent dancer - he danced the cha-cha-cha from the age of 13. Dancing classes greatly helped him in mastering the skill of mastering his own body. Being the son of creative people, under the patronage of his father, he began his acting career early - before the age of 18, Lee starred in 20 films.

Despite numerous sporting and creative achievements, the boy found it difficult to study - due to poor performance, he was forced to transfer from different schools. In addition, he took part in street fights and was even detained by the police. Hoi-Chuen decided to send his son to America to live with his older sister Agnes.

Lee got a job in a restaurant, entered the Edison Technical School, and after graduation, entered the philosophy department of the University of Washington.

All this time, Bruce did not stop training and even invented a new style based on Wing Chun - Jeet Kune Do. In addition to a certain fighting style, Lee developed his own philosophy.

“Empty your mind. Become formless like water. Water becomes a cup when it is poured into a cup. It becomes a teapot if you pour it into a teapot. It becomes a bottle when you pour it into a bottle. Water can crush. Be water, my friend." - Bruce Lee.

In Seattle, the young wrestler opened a martial arts school, and after its success, he opened one in Oakland. People of all nationalities could take lessons at the schools, while similar educational institutions accepted only Asians. Due to this, Lee had clashes with other schools that opposed the admission of Europeans. An exhibition fight was scheduled with the famous teacher Wong Jack Man, and in case of defeat, Lee was supposed to give lessons only to the Chinese. Bruce Lee won.

In 1970, the actor, without warming up, lifted a dumbbell weighing 56 kg and performed the “good morning” exercise, injuring his back. The damage was so severe that doctors prescribed bed rest and reduced exercise. But this did not stop Lee - he quickly recovered from his illness and continued to practice martial arts.

Acting

Ed Parker, an American master of martial arts, including kenpo karate, invited Lee to the International Karate Championship in California. There, Bruce performed several of his famous tricks - he did 50 push-ups with emphasis on the thumb and index finger of one hand and demonstrated his signature blow, delivered with almost no swing, but instantly knocking down the enemy.

There, the outstanding wrestler was noticed by Jay Sebring, who spread the word about what he saw, after which Lee was invited to a screen test. The famous wrestler’s first works in the United States were roles in the TV series “The Green Hornet” and the film “Marlowe”. Accustomed to being the first in everything, the actor was very upset when he did not receive the main roles. After that, he decided to leave for his native Hong Kong and try his luck there.

The following films were released with the participation of the actor:

“Big Boss” (in the USA “Fists of Fury”) brought the creators 3.5 million Hong Kong dollars in the first week of release
"Fist of fury";
"Return of the Dragon";
"Enter the Dragon"

The last film was released six days after the death of the legendary master.

Personal life

Bruce Lee met his future wife Linda Emery when a girl came to his school to practice martial arts. She was only 17 years old then. They married in 1965 and had two children: Brandon and Shannon. Bruce's parents warmly accepted their son's chosen one, but Linda's parents could not come to terms with their daughter's choice.

The couple lived happily in marriage for 9 years until Bruce's death. In 1993, Linda Lee's book Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew was published and filmed. The woman speaks warmly of her late husband, although she had to put in a lot of effort to preserve the union.

For example, Linda describes the actor’s everyday helplessness and his temper: while assembling the bed, he smashed the wall with a mattress in a rage. Despite the fact that for many years there were rumors about Bruce's love affairs, his wife denies that this could have happened, and adds that she was the happiest woman in the world.

“Love is friendship thrown into the fire. At first the flame burns brightly and strongly, and then becomes more conscious. Our hearts smolder like coals with their deep inner heat, and it cannot be extinguished.” - Bruce Lee.

The fate of Bruce's son Brandon was tragic. His bright appearance and the gloomy image he created himself helped the young man begin an acting career, which, however, did not bring the desired fame. Everything changed after the release of the film Showdown in Little Tokyo, which allowed the actor to break into the world of big cinema.

Brandon's fatal role was the mystical film "The Raven". The circumstances of the actor's death are shrouded in mystery: during the filming of one of the final scenes, the actor was shot in the stomach with a plug left in the barrel, after which he bled to death and died in the hospital on March 31, 1991. Some believe that the actor's death is connected with mysticism: the curse of the Bruce Lee family.

Video of Bruce Lee showing his abilities:

For hundreds of years, the Dzungar Khanate was considered the most powerful state in the 17th century.

It played an important role in foreign policy relations and had a huge influence on the countries of the East.

And yet the history of this state is the clearest example of how civil wars and struggles for power can destroy an empire.

Origin and etymology of the name

Derben-Oirat - this is what the Oirats called the union of tribes formed after the division. In 1635, the Dzungar Khanate was created on its basis, from the Mongolian “zungar”, which means “left hand”.

This is due to the fact that during his reign it was the Oirats who were part of the left wing of his army.

The founder of the Khanate is considered to be Erdeni-Batur.

Derben-Oirat was a union of the Oirat tribes of Choros, Derbets and Khoyts, which suddenly formed at the beginning of the seventeenth century under the leadership of Khara-Khuly, the father of Erdeni-Batur, to fight the Khotogoit khan Shola-Ubashi-huntaiji.

As a result of this struggle, a division of lands occurred, which led to the formation of Dzungaria, whose influence spread throughout Central Asia.

Rebellion of Khara-Khula

All the rulers of the Dzungar Khanate belonged to the Choros tribe. The Oirat tribes were united by Gumechi, who bore the title Khara-Hula-taiji.

In 1606, having come to power, Khara-Khula rallied the disorganized and confused Oirat tribes, and in 1608 they crushed the Kazakhs in the west.

By 1609, Khara Khula won a decisive victory over the Altan Khanate and forced them to retreat from the Oirat territories to the northwest of what is now Mongolia, in the Kobdo region.

After this, Khara-Hula took the title of khuntaiji, which means "great leader".

Over the following years, there was a struggle between the Oirat troops and the army of the Altan Khanate, lands were reconquered with varying success, until in 1627 Ubashi Khuntaiji was killed.

The Oirat epic tells about this war. Khara-Khula finally restored his lands, previously captured by the Altan Khanate.

Khara-Khula also sparked a conflict with the Cossacks over control of the salt mines near the Russian outpost, which lasted for about twenty years.

Development of the Dzungar Khanate

Khara-Khula's power and influence increased, and he became the central political figure of Derben-Oirat.

Some tribes were dissatisfied with the restriction of freedom that came due to this fact, so they left the territories of the Oirats. After which the son of Khara-khula, Erdeni-Batur formed the Dzungar Khanate.

Having become the ruler of the Dzungars, Erdeni-Batur sought to strengthen his positions around the Tarbagatai Mountains, where the pasture lands of the Oirats were located.

He led troops in three victorious military campaigns against the Kazakhs. He also gave Russia access to salt mines, ending a long-term conflict, and thereby establishing diplomatic and commercial relations.

This earned him the respect of his people and the leaders of neighboring countries.

Erdeni Batur carried out an ambitious campaign of nation-building, founded the capital of the Dzungar Khanate, and built a large number of monasteries. He also called on people to profess, engage not only in cattle breeding, but also in agriculture and develop crafts.

Erdeni-Batur sought to expand the territories of the Khanate, despite their already impressive vastness.

He took advantage of the fact that the tribes living on the borders of Dzungaria were waging internecine wars.

He agreed to help one of the parties on the condition of annexing their territories, thereby strengthening the influence of the state and establishing diplomatic relations.

The Fifth Dalai Lama took into account the growing influence of the Dzungar ruler and awarded him the title of Hongtaiji, hoping to find in him a powerful ally in the defense and promotion of the Gelugpa - the monastic Buddhist tradition.

In 1640, Erdeni-Batur convened the ruling princes of the Mongol tribes to conclude an agreement. The first purpose of this agreement was to create a coalition against potential external enemies, the Kazakhs and Manjurs.

The attempt to create a coalition failed. Not all Mongol princes agreed to recognize Erdeni-Batur as their leader, calling themselves direct descendants of Genghis Khan, and not him.

The second goal was to develop a method of resolving disputes peacefully. Thus, the legal document “Great Code of Forty and Four” or “Great Steppe Code” was created, a system of rules regulating the daily life of the Mongols from the Volga to modern eastern Mongolia.

According to this document, Lamaism, one of the branches of Buddhism, was recognized as the state religion. The ulus was declared the main administrative unit, and the khan was proclaimed the ruler of all tribes and territories.

Internal conflict

Shortly before his death in 1653, Erdeni-Batur named his third son Senge as his successor; he was his favorite. This caused extreme discontent among his eldest sons.

Senge received the southern half of the khanate, and the northern half was to be divided by the remaining seven sons of Erdeni-Batur. Brother Senge Galdan did not enter into conflict between the brothers, gave his share of the inheritance to Senge and went to the monastery.

Senge's older brothers Tsetsen-taiji and Tsotba-Batur repeatedly attempted to kill their half-brother, but the attempts were unsuccessful until 1671.

Because of these strife, Senge was unable to preserve the Khanate, which under his father and grandfather had achieved unprecedented greatness and power. The state turned out to be fragmented. He was unable to take control of the northern part of the Khanate, and was also powerless to enforce the trade agreement with Russia.

The Oirat nomadic tribes roaming the northern part of the Dzungar Khanate returned to their usual banditry and robbery and began to raid Russian fortresses.

These tribes escaped the control of the central ruler, Senge, so Russia was forced to negotiate with the tribal leaders separately, but this led to nothing. Only to military skirmishes between the Dzungar troops and the Kazakhs.

In 1667, Senge finally captured the Altan Khanate, killing the last Altan Khan, thereby eliminating the potential threat to the Khanate.

Senge was killed by his older brother during a coup in 1671. Galdan, his younger brother, returned from the monastery after this news and took revenge on the murderers. After the victory over the brothers, Galdan became the huntaiji of the Dzungar people.

In 1677, Galdan defeated the Alashan Ochirtu Khan, who claimed his rights to the khanate, establishing hegemony over almost all the Oirat tribes. The following year, the fifth Dalai Lama gave him the highest title of Bogustu Khan.

During the reign of Galdan, the Dzungar Khanate annexed East Turkestan to its territories.

To counter the expansion of the Manchu Empire, Galdan tried to unify Mongolia. While he was doing this in Khalkha, his nephew Tsevan-Rabdan took the Dzungar throne in 1689.

For a short time, Galdan held power in Khalkha, but later he was deceived by the Kangxi Emperor and betrayed by the Khalkha troops, who went over to the side of the Manjurs.

In 1696, Galdan found himself surrounded by an overwhelming Qing army on the Terelzh River. He managed to escape at the cost of the life of his wife Anu-khatun. In Kobdo, where Galdan retreated, in 1697 Khuntaiji committed suicide.

Conflicts with Tibet

In 1717, the Dzungars invaded Tibet and killed the candidate for the position of Dalai Lama, who was appointed by the King of Tibet.

Soon the Dzungars began to plunder the holy places of Lhasa, which displeased the Kangxi Emperor.

The emperor organized a campaign against the Dzungar troops, but his military campaign was not successful.

A second, larger military expedition sent by the Kangxi Emperor in 1720 against the Dzungars drove them out of Tibet. The Qing Dynasty troops were hailed as the liberators of Tibet.

Conquest of Dzungaria by China

The Dzungar Khanate was destroyed by the Chinese Emperor Qianlong in several military campaigns.

In 1755, the Qing dynasty, led by Prince Amursana, entered the territory of Dzungaria. Many Oirats went over to the side of the stronger Qing army without resistance.

After a short conflict, the last Dzungar khan, Davatsi, was captured.

Subsequently, Prince Amursana wanted to become a Dzungar khan, but the emperor did not want such an outcome.

Amursana started a rebellion, which was suppressed by the forces of the Manchu army. The former army leader fled west to Russia, where he died of smallpox.

The Great Manchu Army, which remained in the territories of the Dzungar Khanate, began to exterminate the population, as a result of which approximately 80% of the Oirats died.

So the Great Khanate was destroyed in four years, from 1755 to 1759.