Biography
Family Background and Early Life
Jochitai came from the old Uru'ut clan of the Mongolian Plateau. According to the *History of Yuan*, his ancestor Lachin Baatar—called Nachin Baatar in the *New History of Yuan*—was renowned among the tribes for martial ability. He was said to descend from the seventh son of Menen Tudun, an eighth-generation ancestor of Genghis Khan. Lachin Baatar had two sons: the elder Uru'utai and the younger Mang'ut, whose descendants took their names as clan designations. The Uru'ut, Mangghud, Jalayir, Onggirat, and Ikires were described as the “Five Appanage Tribes,” important groups that had attached themselves to Temüjin before the foundation of the Mongol state.
In his early years, Jochitai followed Jamukha of the Jadaran clan. Jamukha and Temüjin had once sworn brotherhood as anda but later became rivals for leadership of the Mongol tribes. In 1201, Jamukha assembled more than ten tribes, including the Tatars and Tayichi'ud, against Temüjin in the Battle of the Thirteen Wings. After the battle, Jamukha's brutal treatment of captives caused widespread resentment. Jochitai and Quyildar, leader of the Mangghud, each led their followers away from Jamukha and joined Temüjin. When Temüjin withdrew toward the Onon River region recorded in the source as Zheniele, the arrival of Jochitai and Quyildar substantially strengthened his forces and gave him some of his most effective troops.
Wars to Unify the Tribes
After joining Temüjin, Jochitai quickly became one of his most trusted generals because of his bravery and his repeated willingness to fight in the vanguard. The Uru'ut troops under his command were known for hard fighting and repeatedly served as a principal striking force.
In 1203, relations between Temüjin and Ong Khan of the Kereit broke down completely. Encouraged by Jamukha, Ong Khan attacked with a much larger army. The two sides fought at Qalaqaljid Sands, in the southern part of present-day Dornod Province, Mongolia. Ong Khan's son Senggüm was regarded as both clever and brave. Before the battle, Jamukha warned Ong Khan that the Uru'ut and Mangghud were especially formidable fighting groups. Ong Khan therefore sent the commander Qadaq against them.
As battle approached, Temüjin's commanders, seeing themselves greatly outnumbered, urged that Jochitai lead the vanguard. Quyildar also volunteered. The two drove forward with their followers and first defeated the force under Qadaq. The Kereit commander Achiq-Shirun then came to reinforce the battle with Tübegen troops and wounded Quyildar, knocking him from his horse; the Mangghud turned back to rescue him. Jochitai, however, continued forward with the Uru'ut, defeating the Tübegens, the Dongqayids, and the force of Quri Šilemün. He then drove into Ong Khan's center. Senggüm personally entered the fighting, and Jochitai struck him in the cheek with an arrow. Senggüm fell badly wounded, and Ong Khan finally withdrew. The source presents Jochitai's fighting as crucial to preventing the destruction of Temüjin's army.
After the battle, Temüjin reached Dalan Nemürges with only 2,600 horsemen. Temüjin took half along the western bank of the Qalqa River, while Jochitai and Quyildar led the other half along the eastern bank; Jochitai was also sent to persuade the Onggirat to submit. Temüjin later attacked Ong Khan at the Jej'er Heights, again sending Jochitai and Arqai Qasar in the vanguard. They marched day and night and launched a surprise attack. Ong Khan and his son were drinking fermented mare's milk in the golden tent and were unprepared. Their followers were captured, the two fled, and Ong Khan was later killed by Naiman. The Kereit were thereby eliminated as an independent power.
Campaign against the Naiman and Enfeoffment
In 1204, the Naiman and Merkit joined forces against Temüjin. Some groups were secretly aligned with the Naiman, but Temüjin arrived unexpectedly and they scattered. Jochitai fought vigorously and captured Jakha Gambhu—also represented in Chinese sources by another transcription and identified there as Ong Khan's younger brother—together with his two daughters. Temüjin swore an alliance with Jakha Gambhu and released him. After Jakha Gambhu later rebelled again, Jochitai used a stratagem to attack and kill him, ending the renewed resistance.
In 1206, Temüjin convened a quriltai near the source of the Onon River, raised the nine-tailed white standard, assumed supreme rule, and took the title Genghis Khan. In the distribution of rewards after the founding of the state, Jochitai was appointed commander of four thousand Uru'ut households of the left wing, with the command made hereditary. This grant greatly exceeded that of an ordinary commander of a thousand and was treated as an exceptional reward. Jochitai was counted among the ten leading meritorious commanders. Genghis Khan gave him Ibaqa Beki, daughter of the Kereit noble Jakha Gambhu, as wife. Ibaqa had previously been one of Genghis Khan's consorts. Her younger sister Sorghaghtani Beki was the principal wife of Tolui and later the mother of Kublai Khan. The marriage therefore connected Jochitai's family closely with the Toluid branch of the Chinggisid house.
Campaign against the Jin and Later Years
In 1213, Genghis Khan launched a major campaign against the Jin dynasty. Jochitai took part in the siege of Zhongdu, present-day Beijing. When the Mongol army divided into three routes, Jochitai and Genghis Khan's younger brother Qasar led the left army and took Ji, Ping, Luan, and other prefectures in western Liaoxi. Records of Jochitai become sparse thereafter, and he is said to have died around the 1220s.
His son Kehetei was described as exceptionally capable in war. He served through four reigns from Ögedei to Kublai Khan and was enfeoffed as Prince of Deqing. In 1236, remembering Jochitai's service, Ögedei granted his descendants twenty thousand households in Dezhou as a hereditary estate. In 1281, the estate was increased by twenty-one thousand households, with Zhaoqing Circuit, Lianzhou, Dezhou, and subordinate districts included in the grant. After Kehetei's death, his son Temüjin Baatar inherited the title Prince of Deqing. Thereafter the family remained prominent, and nine descendants from Kehetei onward were said to have held princely titles.