The History of the Four Oirats (Dörbön Oyirad-un Teüke), a 17th-century chronicle composed in the Clear Script, serves as the primary indigenous historical narrative of the Oirat confederation, encompassing the Kalmyk, Khoshut, Dörbet, and Torghut tribes.[1] Authored anonymously around 1677, the text chronicles the Oirats' political consolidation, migrations, and interactions with neighboring powers from the 13th century through the mid-17th century, offering a counterpart to eastern Mongolian sources like the Secret History of the Mongols.
The chronicle begins with the Oirats' origins under the legendary figure Quduqa Bäki, tracing their emergence as a distinct Western Mongol alliance during the Yuan Dynasty's fragmentation.[2] It details the formation of the Four Oirat alliance in the early 15th century, led by figures such as Mahmud and Taiping, who unified the tribes against Ming China and eastern Mongols. Key events include the 1409 victory over the Ming at the Battle of Kherlen and the 1449 capture of Emperor Zhengtong, which elevated Oirat prestige and facilitated Esen Taishi's brief establishment of an independent state.
A central narrative thread addresses the Oirats' adoption of Gelug Buddhism in the early 17th century, facilitated by figures like Zaya Pandita Namkhaijamts, whose Clear Script enabled the text's composition.[3] The chronicle integrates religious conversion with political history, portraying the 1640 Oirat-Khalkha congress—where the Steppe Code was ratified—as a Buddhist-inspired framework for governance and inter-tribal relations. This synthesis underscores the Oirats' transformation from martial confederates to a culturally cohesive entity amid migrations westward.
The History of the Four Oirats holds profound significance for Kalmyk identity, as the Torghut subgroup's 1630 migration to the Volga region is framed as a strategic expansion rather than exile.[4] Preserved in Kalmyk monastic archives and later in Russian collections, the text survived Soviet suppressions and informed post-1991 cultural revivals. It counters eastern Mongolian historiographical dominance by centering Oirat agency, influencing modern scholarship on Eurasian nomadism and the Kalmyk Khanate's formation.
Contemporary editions, such as those by the Kalmyk Institute for Humanitarian Research, continue to digitize and analyze the chronicle, affirming its role in reconstructing Oirat-Kalmyk genealogy and worldview.[5] As a monument of Clear Script literature, The History of the Four Oirats not only documents a pivotal chapter in Mongol history but also sustains Kalmyk historical consciousness across centuries of displacement and renewal.