U368 Mongol Conquest
Week 10, Wednesday:  Möngke's reform of the qubchi'ur

 

  1. Irregular taxes under Güyüg, regencies>>mixing of private ownership and govt' power
    1. Irregular taxes (qubchi'ur):  damaged long-term wealth (esp. tax-farming)
    2. Ortaq merchants (use official capital) given quasi-official status
      1. Ortaq merchatns exempt from qubchi'ur, 
      2. Paizas and jarliqs gave merchants power to collect qubchi'ur, use jam
      3. Unfair advantage with other merchatns
    3. Drafts by appanage holders from localities>>unbudgeted demands
  2. The new approach
    1. Möngke asks for reports from officials:  Arghun, etc., lead policy change
      1. The personnel--change in the center, continuity in the provinces
        1. Menggeser Noyan:  chief judge (Shigi Qutuqu & Qadaq's old job)
        2. Bulghai as chief scribe (Chinqai's old job):  another Nestorian
        3. China:  Mahmud Yalavach; Transoxiana:  Mas'ud Beg; Persia:  Arghun
        4. Ruthenia, etc. censused, but no court officials (qubchi'ur to princes)
    2. Irregular taxes (qubchi'ur) turned into fixed (not farmed) poll tax
      1. Initial "prime" rate:  10 or 11 dinars = 6 or 7 liang
        1. Variable rates:  minimum per person fixed 1 dinar
        2. Minor difference (if any) of Persia, Transoxiana, N. China
      2. All military expenses to be paid out of this levy
      3. Individual tax rate + need for army budget = general census necessary
        1. Non-Mongol people divided into tümens, thousands, etc.
    3. Ortaq merchants deprived of semi-official status
      1. No longer given paizas and jarliqs
      2. No longer allowed to use jam, not exempt from qubchi'ur
    4. All drafts by princes must be cleared with Court's officials
    5. Results:  qubchi'ur>> predictable, even; not lightened, more regressive
      1. Officials can estimate impact; subjects can estimate burden
      2. Less incentive for flight to out of the way areas
      3. Often high qubchi'ur on rich>> nominal rate; but ortaqs taxed
      4. New policy shows growth in Mongol administrative capacity
  3. The implementation
    1. At first rate reduced--10 or 11 to 7 or 6
      1. Iran:  Seventy dinar per ten men:  guarantees poor regions still pay
      2. China:  officials objected>>Rate reduced to 4 taels (6 dinars), half in silk
    2. But insufficient for military needs (also too easy on rich)
      1. In Hüle'ü's campaign>>each soldier gets 675 lbs. flour, 337.5 lbs. wine
      2. Arghun then argued for top rate up to 500 dinars (6 2/3 balish/ding)