Four Oirats

State · 1402–1474 CE · at its largest around 1450 CE

Western Mongol herders of the Altai and Dzungarian steppe, they kept their own clan traditions while vying with the eastern Mongols for Genghisid prestige. Their leader Esen Taishi stunned China by capturing the Ming emperor at Tumu in 1449.

On its lands while it lasted

Xanadu (c. 1206–1439 CE): Capital of Mongol Empire (1206–1293), Northern Yuan (1375–1439).
Yongle Emperor (1360 CE – 1424 CE): Third Ming emperor, who moved the capital to Beijing and sponsored large naval expeditions and the Yongle Encyclopedia.
Shuntian Fu (1403–1914 CE): Capital of Ming Dynasty (1421–1644), Qing Dynasty (1645–1911).
Forbidden City (1420 CE): Imperial palace complex in Beijing, completed in 1420; home of Ming and Qing emperors and now the Palace Museum.
Temple of Heaven (1420 CE): Complex in Beijing where emperors performed annual sacrifices to Heaven for good harvests.
Turpan (c. 1463 CE): Capital of Moghulistan (1463–1518), Eastern Chagatai Khanate (1492–1511), Eastern Moghulistan (1519–1570), and 1 more.
Aksu (c. 1463 CE): Capital of Moghulistan (1463–1518), Eastern Chagatai Khanate (1492–1511), Eastern Moghulistan (1519–1570), and 1 more.