At The Time Chingiz Khan
Became Powerful, The Chief Of The Wang-Ku Of The Yn-Shan Was Alahush; And
At The Head Of The Liao-Tung Wang-Ku Stood Pa-Sao-Ma-Ie-Li.
Alahush
proved a traitor to the Kin, and passed over to Chinghiz Khan; for this he
was murdered by the malcontents of his family, perhaps by Pa-sao-ma-ie-li,
who remained true to the Kin.
Later on, Chingiz Khan married one of his
daughters to the son of Alahush, by name Po-yao-ho, who, however, had no
children by her. He had three sons by a concubine, the eldest of whom,
Kiun-pu-hwa, was married to Kuyuk Khan's daughter. Kiun-pu-hwa's son, Ko-
li-ki-sze, had two wives, both of imperial blood. During a campaign
against Haidu, he was made prisoner in 1298, and murdered. His title and
dignities passed over in A.D. 1310 to his son Chuan. Nothing is known of
Alahush's later descendants; they probably became entirely Chinese, like
their relatives of the Liao-tung branch.
"The Wang-Ku princes were thus de jure the sons-in-law of the Mongol
Khans, and they had, moreover, the hereditary title of Kao-t'ang princes
(Kao-t'ang wang); it is very possible that they had their residence in
ancient T'ien-te Kiun (although no mention is made of it in history), just
as at present the Tumot princes reside in Kuku-hoton.
"The consonance of the names of Wang-Khan and Wang-Ku (Ung-Khan and Ongu)
led to the confusion regarding the tribes and persons, which at Marco
Polo's time seems to have been general among the Europeans in China; Marco
Polo and Johannes de Monte Corvino transfer the title of Prester John from
Wang-Khan, already perished at that time, to the distinguished family of
Wang-Ku. Their Georgius is undoubtedly Ko-li-ki-sze, Alahush's
great-grandson. That his name is a Christian one is confirmed by other
testimonies; thus in the Asu (Azes) regiment of the Khan's guards was
Ko-li-ki-sze, alias Kow-r-ki (d. 1311), and his son Ti-mi-ti-r. There is
no doubt that one of them was Georgius, and the other Demetrius. Further,
in the description of Chin-Kiang in the time of the Yuen, mention is made
of Ko-li-ki-sze Ye-li-ko-wen, i.e. Ko-li-ki-sze, the Christian, and of his
son Lu-ho (Luke).
"Ko-li-ki-sze of Wang-ku is much praised in history for his valour and his
love for Confucian doctrine; he had in consequence of a special favour of
the Khan two Mongol princesses for wives at the same time (which is rather
difficult to conciliate with his being a Christian). The time of his death
is correctly indicated in a letter of Joannes de M. Corvino of the year
1305: ante sex annos migravit ad Dominum. He left a young son Chu-an,
who probably is the Joannes of the letter of Ioannes (Giovani) de M.
Corvino, so called propter nomen meum, says the missionary.
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