Irdana Biy
Ruler of the Khanate of Kokand from the Ming dynasty, in power from the 1750s into the 1760s; he brought Ura-Tyube into the khanate.
- Occupation:
- Historical figure, Politician
- Born:
- c. 1720 — c. 1764
- Birthplace:
- Kokand, Fergana
- Father:
- Abdurahimbiy
Biography
Irdana Biy (in Uzbek sources Erdonabiy; also given as Abdulqayumkhan or Erdana Bek) was born around 1720 in Kokand. He belonged to the Ming dynasty of Uzbek rulers of the Khanate of Kokand, the son of Abd al-Rahim Biy and a nephew of Abd al-Karim Biy, the khanate’s previous ruler.
After Abd al-Karim died in 1750–1751, members of the Ming family fought for the throne. Power first passed to Abd al-Karim’s son Abd al-Rahman Biy; Irdana took the throne around 1751. In 1752 he was pushed aside when Bobobek (Baba Biy), who had lived among the Dzungars, held Kokand for about ten months. Bobobek was killed near Beshariq in 1753 and Irdana returned to power.
Once secure, he set about enlarging the khanate. The long struggle was above all for Ura-Tyube: campaigns often failed, towns were taken and lost again, and Ura-Tyube was finally subdued in 1758. The sources call him a just ruler, though he also suffered heavy defeats, among them a clash with the Uzbek Yuz tribe.
In the early 1760s the Qing empire became Kokand’s eastern neighbour. Uzbek historiography says that Irdana then tried to build an alliance against a Qing advance into Turkestan and asked the Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani for support; more recent research regards Kokand’s relations with the Qing as rather unclear.
Sources give different years for his death – 1762, 1764 or around 1769–1770 – and the end of his reign shifts with them. He left no son, only five daughters. He was followed by Sulayman Biy, who ruled for a few months, and then by Narbuta Biy, a son of Abd al-Rahman Biy (1770–1801).
Life path
- c. 1720Birth
Born in Kokand into a ruling family of the Ming clan.
- 1750–1751Struggle for the throne
After the death of his uncle Abd al-Karim Biy, the Mings fought over the Kokand throne.
- 1751Start of his reign
Took the throne of Kokand.
- 1752–1753Bobobek
Bobobek, who had lived among the Dzungars, held the throne for about ten months; he was killed near Beshariq in 1753.
- 1753Return to power
Irdana regained power.
- 1758Ura-Tyube
After a long struggle, brought Ura-Tyube into the khanate.
- 1762Relations with the Qing
Uzbek sources say that, facing a threatened Qing advance into Turkestan, he asked Ahmad Shah Durrani for help.
- 1762–1770Death and successors
Sources give 1762, 1764 or about 1769–1770 as the year of his death; Sulayman Biy and then Narbuta Biy succeeded him.
Legacy
Irdana Biy was one of the early rulers of the Khanate of Kokand, who consolidated it under the Ming dynasty and enlarged its territory. The struggle for Ura-Tyube remained a main strand of Kokand’s policy for decades afterwards. The years of his reign and the date of his death differ between sources.
Era: Khanate of Kokand, mid-18th century- Bobobek seizes power (1752)
- Bobobek killed, Irdana returns to the throne (1753)
- Ura-Tyube annexed to the khanate (1758)
- Relations with the Qing empire (1762)