Kuchlug was the Naiman prince who ruled Qara Khitai before its Mongol conquest.
After the Naimans were defeated by Temüjin, the future Genghis Khan, Kuchlug fled west and took refuge with Yelü Zhilugu, ruler of the Qara Khitai, also called the Western Liao dynasty. He gained influence by becoming an adviser, military commander, and son-in-law through marriage to one of Zhilugu’s daughters.
Kuchlug rebelled against Zhilugu and seized effective power around 1211. He retained the official title associated with the Great Liao, so he is often described as the last ruler or emperor of Qara Khitai, although the Yelü dynasty had ruled before him. His anti-Muslim religious policies weakened his support among the local population.
In 1218, Genghis Khan sent the general Jebe against him. Kuchlug fled after the Mongol victory near Balasagun, was captured in Badakhshan, and was executed. The Mongol conquest then absorbed Qara Khitai into the expanding empire. Tayang Khan was Kuchlug’s father, not his successor; Toghrul was a Kereit ruler, and Inalchuq was a Khwarazmian official.