Bogd Khanate of Mongolia
Bogd Khanate of Mongolia was the 
theocratic regime in 
Mongolia between declaring independence from 
Qing Dynasty in the Mongolian Revolution of 1911 and the formation of the 
Mongolian People's Republic in 1924.
History[edit | edit source]
Founding[edit | edit source]
The Bogd Khanate was founded in 1911, following the collapse of the 
Qing Dynasty in 
China. Taking advantage of the political turmoil and weakening Chinese control, Mongolian nobles, lamas, and the general populace declared independence from China. They invited the eighth 
Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, a high-ranking 
Tibetan Buddhist lama, to become their spiritual and temporal leader. Consequently, the 
Bogd Khan was enthroned as the ruler of the newly established theocratic state, marking the beginning of the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia.
Kyakhta Agreement of 1915[edit | edit source]
A tripartite conference between the 
Russian Empire, 
Republic of China and the Bogd Khan's government convened at 
Kyakhta in the autumn of 1914.
The Mongolian representative, prime minister 
Tögs-Ochiryn Namnansüren, was determined to stretch autonomy into de facto independence and to deny the Chinese anything more than vague, ineffectual suzerain powers. The Chinese sought to minimize, if not end, Mongolian autonomy. The Russian position was somewhere in between. The result was the Kyakhta Treaty of June 1915, which recognized Mongolia's autonomy within the Chinese state.
Nevertheless, Outer Mongolia remained effectively outside Chinese control and retained the main features of the state according to the international law of that time.
The Mongolians viewed the treaty as a disaster because it denied the recognition of a truly independent, all- Mongolian state. China regarded the treaty in a similar fashion, consenting only because it was preoccupied with other international problems, especially 
Empire of Japan.
The treaty did contain one significant feature which the Chinese were later to turn to their advantage; the right to appoint a high commissioner to 
Urga (now known as Ulaanbaatar) and deputy high commissioners to Uliastai, Khovd City, and Kyakhta. This provided a senior political presence in Mongolia, which had been lacking.
Decline of Russian Influence[edit | edit source]
In 1913, the Russian consulate in Urga began publishing a journal titled Shine tol' (the New Mirror), aimed at promoting a positive image of Russia. Edited by 
Buryat-born scholar and statesman 
Ts. Zhamtsarano, the journal became a platform for advocating political and social change. The first issue angered lamas by denying the world was 
flat, and another issue sharply criticized the Mongolian nobility for exploiting ordinary people. Russian-sponsored reforms, including medical and veterinary services, faced resistance from the lamas, who viewed these areas as their domain. The 
Mongols were frustrated by Russian efforts to oversee the use of a second loan and to reform the state budgetary system, believing the first loan had been squandered. Appointed in 1913, Russian diplomat 
Alexander Miller was poorly received due to his disdain for most Mongolian officials, whom he considered extremely incompetent. Meanwhile, the chief Russian military instructor successfully organized a Mongolian military brigade, which later fought against Chinese troops.
The outbreak of World War I in 1914 forced Russia to focus his energies on 
Europe. By mid-1915, Russia's military position had deteriorated so much that the government had to neglect his 
Asian interests. China soon exploited Russia's distractions, which worsened dramatically following the 
Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.
Chinese Attempts to Reintegrate Mongolia[edit | edit source]
In December 1915, 
Yuan Shikai, the President of the Republic of China, sent gifts to the Bogd Khaan and his wife. In response, the Bogd Khaan dispatched a delegation of 30 individuals to Beijing, bearing gifts for Yuan: four white horses and two camels, while his wife 
Ekh Dagina sent four black horses and two camels. Yuan Shikai, now the self-proclaimed ruler of a restored 
Empire of China, personally received the delegation on February 10, 1916. In China, this was interpreted within the traditional tributary system, where missions with gifts to Chinese rulers were seen as signs of submission. Consequently, Chinese sources claimed that a year later, the Bogd Khaan agreed to participate in an investiture ceremony, a formal Qing ritual where frontier nobles received imperial appointments. Yuan Shikai awarded him China’s highest decoration of merit, and other senior Mongolian princes received significant decorations as well.
Following the 1914 Kyakhta agreement, Yuan Shikai had sent a telegram to the Bogd Khaan, informing him that he was bestowed the title of "Bogd Jevzundamba Khutuktu Khaan of Outer Mongolia" along with a golden seal and diploma. The Bogd Khaan responded by noting that since the title had already been bestowed by the Ikh Juntan, there was no need for it to be granted again, and that the golden seal and diploma were not mentioned in the tripartite agreement, so his government could not accept them. The Bogd Khaan had previously received the golden seal, title, and diploma from the Qing Dynasty.
End of the Khanate[edit | edit source]
After the 
Russian Communist Revolution in 1917, Mongolia's political landscape underwent significant changes. The collapse of the Russian Empire and the ensuing civil war left Mongolia in a precarious position. In 1921, with the support of the Soviet 
Red Army, 
Mongolian revolutionaries led by 
Damdin Sükhbaatar overthrew the Bogd Khanate's theocratic government, establishing the Mongolian People's Republic in 1924. The Bogd Khan, the spiritual and temporal leader of Mongolia, remained as a symbolic figurehead until his death in 1924. Following his death, the new communist regime, heavily influenced by 
Soviet ideology, abolished the 
monarchy and implemented 
socialist reforms, marking the beginning of a new era of Soviet-aligned communist rule in Mongolia.
How to draw[edit | edit source]
- Draw a ball.
- Fill it with red.
- Draw a big yellow square attached to the right side of the ball.
- Draw the Bogd Khanate coat of arms in the middle of the yellow square.
- Add three red tentacles, with their tips in a triangular shape, on the right side of the ball. Stack them vertically.
- Add three white Mongolian symbols on the top tentacle, three yellow ones on the middle one, and three black ones on the bottom one.
- Add the eyes and you’re done!
| Color Name | HEX | |
|---|---|---|
| Red | #DB1A2E | |
| Yellow | #FFDA00 | |
| Blue | #0066B4 | |
| Dark Blue | #0B2C3D | |
| Green | #1F5B18 | |
| White | #FFFFFF | |
| Black | #000000 | |
