Under
Genghis Khan the term "
Noyon" applied to leaders of
Tumens and
Mingghans, civil and military units of 10,000 and 1,000 households respectively, each of them with one recruitable soldier. In times of peace the
Noyons ruled as lords over these households and governed the use of the pasture lands. In times of war they led the warriors of their Tumens and Mingghans. During conquests,
Noyons used to receive territories for administration and they effectively became aristocracy, into the 20th century.
Noyons were above the ordinary Mongols in social rank but below the descendants of
Genghis Khan. They were sometimes called
emir or
bey in the
Ulus of Jochi, the
Ilkhanate and the
Chagatai Khanate while historical records of the
Yuan dynasty of China gave the equivalent as
guanren (官人). Usually, "Noyon" followed the name of a person similar to the usage of the title "Khan" or "Bey". ==Qing dynasty==