Merkits
The Merkits, also spelled Merkit, were a Mongolic-speaking tribal confederation that occupied parts of the eastern Mongolian steppe and adjacent regions along watercourses such as the Onon and Kerulen rivers. They existed as a loose, clan-based political formation led by khans and functioned as a significant power within the broader network of eastern Mongol tribes during the 12th and 13th centuries. The Merkit economy was primarily nomadic and pastoral, centered on horses, livestock, and seasonal migration.
Historically, the Merkits are noted for their role in the rise of Genghis Khan. Temujin, who would
In the centuries that followed, the Merkits were largely absorbed into the Mongol Empire, though they left