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A kurultai (, ),Derived from Russian language хурултай , ultimately from Middle Mongol ( ), whence Chinese language 忽里勒台 Hūlǐlēitái (); ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (). also called a quriltai, was a medieval political and military council consisting of members of a Mongols khan's family, imperial sons-in-law, captains of the army and others during and before the Mongol Empire.
The election of Genghis Khan to Genghis Khan is a topic which is brief, but touched on in the Secret history of the Mongols.
During the kurultai, Mongol chiefs would convene to choose the next great khan among other things. The kurultai was often, but not always, held in the capital of the Mongol Empire. They were also a time to assign all critical positions of leadership, as well as an opportunity to decide the military direction to be implemented under the new khan and leadership.
After the new khan was elected, an elaborate enthronement procedure followed. Johann Schiltberger, a 15th-century German traveler, described the installation of a new Golden Horde khan as follows:Commander J. Buchan Telfer, "The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger". (London, Hakluyt Society, 1879)George Vernadsky, "The Mongols and Russia". (Yale University Press, 1953)
Kurultai were imperial and tribal assemblies convened to determine, strategize and analyze military campaigns and assign individuals to leadership positions and titles. Though no laws were written down during a kurultai, they were important political events and determined policies. Genghis Khan was declared khan in the kurultai of 1206. Most of the major military campaigns were first planned out at assemblies such as this and there were minor and less significant kurultai under the Mongol Empire under political subordinate leaders and generals.
The kurultai, however, required the presence of senior members from across the empire to participate, who were generally also military leaders. Without the participation of elites from across the empire the decision of any kurultai was viewed as illegitimate or no action was taken. As well, a fully plenary attendance at a kurultai was sometimes indicated by the phrase ‘aqa and ini,’ meaning literally ‘older and younger brothers’. Thus, after the deaths of Ögedei and Möngke in 1241 and 1259, respectively, necessitated the withdrawal of Mongol leaders (and troops) from the outskirts of Vienna and Venice (in 1241) and from Syria (in 1259), hamstringing military operations against the Austrians and that might otherwise have continued.
Although the kurultai was a serious political event in the Mongol world, it was also a festival of sorts including great feasting and various traditional games. Many of these traditions have been carried on in the modern-day Mongolian event Naadam, which includes Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery competitions. Women also attended kurultai, however, they could not vote.
Other spellings include: kurultay, qurultay, qurıltai, qorıltay, and qoroltay.
The word has several modern usages in the modern Turkish language as well, e.g. Yükseköğretim Kurulu "Higher Education Council", genel kurul toplantısı "general board meeting". Kurultay is also a commonly used word in modern Turkish meaning "general assembly", such as for organisations, committees etc. Kurmak is also a verb in Turkish meaning "to set up, assemble, put together". It is also used for "extraordinary conventions" () of political parties.
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