In 1626 the Jurchen leader Nurhaci's eighth son, Hung Tayiji, succeeded his father as Khan of the Aisin (= ‘Gold’) dynasty. Ten years later, in May 1636, he proclaimed himself emperor with the reign-title Chongde (1636–43) and changed the name of his dynasty to Da Qing. Representatives of a number of Mongol tribes came to offer their felicitations as well as their formal allegiance to the new ruler. This act was to mark a turning point in the history of the Mongols, as shall be seen in the course of events.

The years after the fall of the Yuan dynasty, 1368, until 1636, mark a period in Mongol history which is often characterized as ‘dark’ – a term attributed to it by the nineteenth-century Russian scholar A. M. Pozdneev. ‘Dark’, because the Mongol confederations, eventually emerging after the end of the Chinggisid Empire and the disappearance of the successor states, no longer played a global role, but found themselves reduced to mere regional powers. Dark, because the events leading to it present a chaotic tableau of ruthless intertribal fighting for supremacy, of intrigues, political plots, betrayal and murder – not unlike the situation before the rise of Chinggis Khan. Dark, finally, because there are no contemporary autochthonous Mongol sources at our disposal to record the events. The earliest documents available date from the seventeenth century and are more notable for their literary qualities than for their historical accuracy.