Darughachi (Mongol form) orBasqaq (Turkic form) were originally designated officials in theMongol Empire who were in charge of taxes and administration in a certain province. The singular form of the Mongolian word isdarugha.[1] They were sometimes referred to asgovernors.[2] The term corresponds todārugheh (Persian:داروغه )[3] andbasqaq orbaskak inTurkic,dálǔhuāchì inPinyin orta lu hua ch'ih inWade–Giles (Traditional Chinese characters:達魯花赤;Simplified Chinese characters:达鲁花赤) inChinese.
This title was established under the rule ofGenghis Khan from 1211.[1]The Secret History of the Mongols relates that after the invasion and conquest of theKipchaks and theRus between 1237 and 1240, Ögödei placeddaruγačin[what language is this?] andtammačin[what language is this?] to govern the peoples whose cities were Ornas, Saḳsīn,Bolghar andKiev.[4]
Under theYuan dynasty, the title of Zhangguan replaced the former designation. There was one such official for each administrative subdivision, where functions of governor and chief of the armies were combined. This title was also given to a person at the head of a central government office. The charge usually fell to a Mongol, probably to aSemu, thus guaranteeing the preservation of power within the Mongols. Some other populations, however, could have an administrative title with close functions.
| Darughachi | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 達魯花赤 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Mongolian name | |||||||
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Даргач | ||||||
| Mongolian script | ᠳᠠᠷᠤᠭᠠᠴᠢ | ||||||
| |||||||
The texts of Yanghe mention that he should be paid a large sum of gold and silver when the DarughaTurfan was replaced.[5]
The Turkic termbasqaq does not appear in Mongolian sources.[4] In Russian sources, thedarughachi were almost always referred to asbaskak (plural:baskaki).[6] They appear in the 13th century soon after theMongol Conquest but were withdrawn by 1328 and theGrand Prince of Vladimir (usually thePrince of Moscow) became the khan's tax collector and imperial son-in-law (kürgen), entrusted with gathering thedan or tribute from the Rus' principalities for theGolden Horde.[7][8]
In the 13th century, chiefs of Mongoldarughas were stationed inVladimir[9] andBaghdad.[10] The Mongol Empire attempted to send darughachi toGoryeo in 1231, after the first (of six)invasions. According to some records, 72 darughachi were sent and the Mongol military garrisons were withdrawn. However, repeated rebellions and the continued Goryeo resistance to Mongol dominion (the original darughachi that were stationed were all killed by Goryeo forces in the summer of 1232) made the stationing of darughachi difficult.[11] While there are questions regarding the actual number of darughachi stationed, most reliable sources (including theGoryeo-sa) indicate that at least some darughachi were stationed in Goryeo for the duration of its vassaldom to the Mongol Empire.[12] The extant record denoted 72 darughachi was itself a derivation of an older record that has been lost. Goryeo was too small a territory to merit so many darughachi. The names of none of the 72 darughachi remain, which is unusual considering the importance of their position. While further mention of the darughachi in Korea is scarce in extant sources, after peace was secured between Goryeo and the Mongol Empire in 1259, Korea was established as a Mongol vassal, and the stationing of darughachi in Korea was likely a more stable proposition.
After 1921 the worddarga ('boss') (Khalkha fordarugha) replaced the aristocraticnoyan as the term for high-level officials inMongolia.[13]