Khagan Khagan Macbeth (1971 film) Category="Khazar titles"Category="Monarchy"Category="Noble titles"Khagan, alternatively spelled Chagan, Qaqan etc., is a title of Imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of Emperor and someone who rules an empire, greater than an ordinary Khanate. It may also be translated as Khan of Khans, equivalent to King of Kings.

In modern Mongolian, the title became Khaan with the 'g' sound becoming almost silent or non-existent. The common western rendering as Great Khan or Grand Khan, notably in the case of the Mongol Empire, is technically not correct, but it has been well established by long-standing convention and is reasonably clear in suggesting paramount status.

Also the word "Hun" or "Khun" in Caucasian Avars language means "To Hold" "To Belong". The Hun word for leader or king "Kagan" in Caucasian Avar language pronounced "Q'uaKhun" translated as "To Whom The Power Belongs" or "The Power Holder". The capital city of Caucasian Avars Khunzakh is translated "The city of Huns"

Mongolian Khagans

The first known use of the title was by the nomadic Juan Juan confederacy (4th-6th century AD) or the Xianbei, on China's northern border.

The Avars, who may have included Juan Juan elements after the Turks crushed the Juan Juan who ruled Mongolia, also used this title. The Avars invaded Europe, and for over a century ruled the Hungarian region. Westerners Latinized the title "Khagan" into "Gaganus".

By far the most famous incumbents were from the dynasty of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, who united all Mongol nomad tribes and welded them into such an efficient military machine that he outdid Alexander the Great's conquests greatly in founding the Mongol Empire. His grandson Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty in China.<br\>The ruling descendents of (the senior line of the house of) Genghis Khan are often referred to as the Great (or Grand) Khans. These include Ögedei Khan, Güyük Khan, Möngke Khan and Kublai Khan.<br\>The Secret History of the Mongols, written for that very dynasty, clearly distinguishes Khaghan and Khan: only Genghis and his descendants are called Khaghan, while other rulers are referred to as Khan. Over time, though, the distinction became blurred by the large number of rulers who claimed it.
The gh sound in "Khaghan" later weakened and disappeared becoming Khaan in Modern Mongolian.
See also List of Mongol Khans.

Among Turkic peoples

The title became associated with the Ashina rulers of the Gokturks and their dynastic successors among such peoples as the Khazars. Minor rulers were rather relegated to the lower title of Khan.
Interestingly, the Turkish form Hakan, with the specification in Arabic al-Barrayn wa al-Bahrayn (meaning literally "of both lands and both seas") was one of the prominent additional titles in the official full style of the Padishah of the Ottoman Empire, reflecting the historical legitimation of the dynasty's rule as political successor to various conquered (often islamised) states.

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