khagan

Khagan, also transliterated as qaghan or qağan, is a royal title used by rulers of various Turkic and Mongolic polities to denote a supreme ruler who presides over multiple tribes or realms. The term roughly means “khan of khans” or “great khan,” and it signifies sovereignty that extends beyond a single tribe. In many sources the khagan stands above ordinary khans within a confederation or empire, reflecting a higher level of authority.

Historically, the title appears in several central Asian polities. The Göktürks, for example, styled their rulers as khagans and established a realm that was effectively divided into eastern and western branches. The Uyghur Khaganate likewise used the title for its supreme rulers. In the Mongol world, the title was adopted by the rulers who sought universal authority; Genghis Khan is commonly described as proclaiming himself Khagan of the Mongol world, a designation often rendered as “Great Khan,” and his successors—such as Kublai Khan—sometimes used the khagan title alongside their Chinese imperial status, depending on the political arrangement. Similar forms of the title appear in other nomadic empires, including the Avar and Rouran states, where a parallel rank indicated elevated sovereignty.

In modern scholarship, khagan is treated as a historical rank signaling supreme authority within a multi-ethnic empire, distinct from a local khan who ruled a single tribe. The term also provides the name for the concept of a khaganate, the realm ruled by a khagan.