Batu Khan was born in 1209. Most likely, this happened on the territory of Buryatia or Altai. His father was the eldest son of Genghis Khan Jochi (who was born in captivity, and there is an opinion that he is not the son of Genghis Khan), and his mother was Uki-Khatun, who was related to Genghis Khan's elder wife. Thus, Batu was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the great-nephew of his wife.
Jochi owned the largest portion of the Genghisides. He was killed, possibly at the behest of Genghis Khan, when Batu was 18 years old.
According to legend, Jochi is buried in a mausoleum located in Kazakhstan, 50 kilometers northeast of the city of Zhezkazgan. Historians believe that the mausoleum could have been built over the khan's grave many years later.
Cursed and fair
The name Batu means "strong", "strong". During his lifetime, he received the nickname Sain Khan, which in Mongolian meant "noble", "generous" and even "fair".
Bat Khaan as depicted by a contemporary artist.
The only chroniclers who spoke flatteringly about Batu were Persians. The Europeans wrote that the khan inspires great fear, but behaves “gently”, knows how to hide emotions and emphasizes his belonging to the Chingizid family.
He entered Russian history as a destroyer - "evil", "cursed" and "filthy".
A holiday that has become a commemoration
Besides Batu, Jochi had 13 sons. There is a legend that they all gave each other the place of their father and asked their grandfather to resolve the dispute. Genghis Khan chose Batu and gave him commander Subedei as a tutor. In fact, Batu did not receive power, he was forced to distribute the land to his brothers, and he himself performed representative functions. Even the father's army was led by the elder brother Horde-Ichen.
According to legend, the holiday that the young khan arranged upon returning home turned into a commemoration: the messenger brought the news of the death of Genghis Khan.
Udegey, who became the Great Khan, did not like Jochi, but in 1229 he confirmed the title of Batu. The landless Batu had to accompany his uncle on a Chinese campaign. The campaign against Rus', which the Mongols began to prepare in 1235, became a chance for Batu to gain possession.
Tatar-Mongols against the Templars
In addition to Batu Khan, 11 more princes wanted to lead the campaign. Batu was the most experienced. As a teenager, he participated in a military campaign against Khorezm and the Polovtsians. It is believed that the Khan took part in the Battle of the Kalka in 1223, where the Mongols defeated the Polovtsians and Russians. There is another version: the troops for the campaign against Rus' were gathering in the possessions of Batu, and perhaps he simply carried out a military coup, convincing the princes to retreat with weapons. In fact, the commander of the army was not Batu, but Subedey.
Batu Khan on a medieval Persian miniature.
First, Batu conquered the Volga Bulgaria, then devastated Rus' and returned to the Volga steppes, where he wanted to start creating his own ulus.
But Khan Udegei demanded new conquests. And in 1240 Batu invaded South Rus', took Kyiv. His goal was Hungary, where the old enemy of the Genghisides, the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan, fled.
Poland fell first, Krakow was taken. In 1241, the army of Prince Henry was defeated near Legnica, in which even the Templars fought. Then there were Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary. Then the Mongols reached the Adriatic and took Zagreb. Europe was helpless. Louis of France was preparing to die, and Frederick II was about to flee to Palestine. They were saved by the fact that Khan Udegei died, and Batu turned back.
Batu vs Karakoram
The election of a new Great Khan dragged on for five years. Finally, Guyuk was chosen, who understood that Batu Khan would never obey him. He gathered troops and moved them to the Juchi ulus, but suddenly died in time, most likely from poison.
Three years later, Batu carried out a military coup in Karakorum. With the support of the brothers, he made his friend Monke the Great Khan, who recognized Batu's right to control the politics of Bulgaria, Rus' and the North Caucasus.
The bone of contention between Mongolia and Batu remained the lands of Iran and Asia Minor. Batu's activities to protect the ulus bore fruit. In the 1270s, the Golden Horde ceased to depend on Mongolia.
“The battle of the pious with the wicked Batu”, a medieval Russian miniature.
In 1254, Batu Khan founded the capital of the Golden Horde - Sarai-Batu ("City of Batu"), which stood on the Akhtuba River. The barn was located on the hills and stretched along the river bank for 15 kilometers. It was a rich city with its own jewelry, foundry and ceramic workshops.
There were 14 mosques in Sarai-Batu. Palaces decorated with mosaics made foreigners tremble, and the Khan's palace, located on the highest point of the city, was lavishly decorated with gold. It was from its magnificent appearance that the name "Golden Horde" came from. The city was wiped off the face of the earth by Tamrelan in 1395.
Batu and Nevsky
It is known that the Russian holy prince Alexander Nevsky met with Batu Khan. The meeting of Batu and Nevsky took place in July 1247 on the Lower Volga. Nevsky "stayed" with Batu until the autumn of 1248, after which he left for Karakorum.
One of the many modern versions of Batu's appearance.
Lev Gumilyov believes that Alexander Nevsky and the son of Batu Khan Sartak even fraternized, and thus Alexander became supposedly the adopted son of Batu. Since there is no chronicle evidence for this, it may turn out that this is only a legend.
On the other hand, it can be assumed that during the yoke, it was the Golden Horde that prevented its western neighbors from invading Rus'. The Europeans were simply afraid of the Golden Horde, remembering the ferocity and ruthlessness of Khan Batu.
The riddle of death
Batu Khan died in 1256 at the age of 48. Contemporaries believed that he could have been poisoned. It was even said that he died in the campaign. But most likely, he died of a hereditary rheumatic disease. Khan often complained of pain and numbness in his legs, sometimes because of this he did not come to kurultai, where important decisions were made.
Bust of Batu Khan in Turkey.
Contemporaries said that the face of the khan was covered with red spots, which clearly indicated ill health. Given that the maternal ancestors also suffered from pain in the legs, then this version of death looks plausible.
Batu's body was buried where the Akhtuba River flows into the Volga. They buried the khan according to the Mongol custom, arranging a house with a rich bed in the ground. At night, a herd of horses was driven over the grave so that no one would ever find this place.
Name: Batu Khan
Date of Birth: 1209
Age: 46 years old
Date of death: 1255
Height: 170
Activity: military leader, statesman
Family status: was married
Batu: biography
The death of the great Khan of the Mongol Empire did not put an end to the wars of conquest of the Golden Horde. The grandson of the brilliant commander continued the traditions of the famous grandfather and organized the most treacherous campaign of the Golden Horde in history, called the Great Western Campaign. The invasion of Batu expanded the empire of Genghis Khan to incredible borders.
In one of the surviving documents from the time of Batu's campaign there are lines:
“He entered the northern shore of the Meotian swamps with a huge army into Europe and, having first conquered North-Eastern Rus', destroyed the richest city of Kiev, defeated the Poles, Silesians and Moravians, and finally rushed to Hungary, which he ruined to the end and brought through that into horror and the whole Christendom will tremble."
The devastating campaign of Batu against Rus' and the ensuing 250-year-old Tatar-Mongol yoke left an indelible mark on the history of the state.
Childhood and youth
There is no exact date of Batu's birth. Historical documents indicate a different year of birth. Batu, the son of Jochi, was born at the very beginning of the 13th century. Batu's father is the eldest son of Genghis Khan, who inherited all the lands to the west of the Irtysh River. Also, Jochi received lands that had not yet been conquered: Europe, Rus', Khorezm and Volga Bulgaria. Genghis Khan ordered his son to expand the boundaries of the ulus (empire) by conquering Russian lands and Europe.
Jochi was not loved by relatives. Father Batu lived a solitary life, on his lands. After Jochi's death under unclear circumstances in 1227, troops west of the Irtysh named Batu as heir. Genghis Khan approved the choice of heir. Batu shared power in the state with his brothers: Horde-Ichen got most of the troops and the eastern part of the state, and Batu shared the rest with his younger brothers.
hiking
The biography of Batu Khan is the life story of a great warrior. In 1235, near the river Onon, the kurultai (council of the nobility) decided to resume the campaign to the West. The first attempt to reach Kyiv was made by the troops of Genghis Khan in 1221. Having suffered a defeat in 1224 from the Volga Bulgars (Volga-Kama Bulgaria - a state in the Middle Volga), the troops of Genghis Khan stopped the advance. The grandson of Genghis Khan, Khan Batu, was entrusted to lead the new campaign. The right hand of Batu was appointed Subedei-bagatur. Subedey went on all campaigns with Genghis Khan, participated in the victorious battle with the Polovtsians and Russian troops on the Kalka River (present-day Donetsk region, Ukraine).
In 1236, Batu led the troops in the Great Western Campaign. The first conquest of the Golden Horde was the Polovtsian lands. Volga Bulgaria became part of the Mongol Empire. There were several invasions of Rus'. Batu personally led the seizure of the lands of Ryazan and Vladimir in 1238, in 1240 - Kyiv. Having conquered the Volga Bulgaria, Batu with an army went to the Polovtsy on the Don. The last Polovtsy troops were defeated by the Mongols in 1237. Having defeated the Polovtsy, the Tatar-Mongols of Batu moved to Ryazan. The city fell on the sixth day of the assault.
The Old Russian story “On the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu”, dating from the end of the 16th century, has survived to this day. The ancient lists tell of the Tatar-Mongol invasion of Ryazan in 1237. Khan Batu with a horde stood on the Voronezh River near Ryazan. Prince Yuri Igorevich sent for help to the Grand Duke of Vladimir Georgy Vsevolodovich. At the same time, Yuri tried to get rid of Batu with gifts. Khan found out about the beauty living outside the walls of Ryazan, and demanded to send the daughter-in-law of Prince Eupraxia to him. Eupraxia's husband resisted and was killed. The woman committed suicide by jumping off the tower. The refusal served as a signal for the start of the battle. The result of the battle was the capture and destruction of Ryazan by the Tatars of Batu. Yuri's army was defeated, the prince died.
According to legend, the governor of Ryazan, returning home from Chernigov, saw the city destroyed by the Tatars. Gathering a detachment of 177 people, he set off in the footsteps of the Mongols. Having entered into an unequal battle with the army of Batu near Suzdal, the squad was defeated. Batu, paying tribute to the courage of Kolovrat, shown in an unequal battle, gave the body of the murdered governor to the surviving Russians with the words: “Oh, Evpaty! If you served me, I would keep you close to my heart! The name of the Ryazan governor is inscribed in the history of Russia next to other, no less glorious heroes.
Having destroyed Ryazan, Batu's army went to Vladimir. Moscow and Kolomna, which stood in the way of the khan, were devastated. The siege of Vladimir began in the winter of 1238. Four days later, the Tatars stormed the city. Batu ordered Vladimir to be set on fire. In the fire, the inhabitants died along with the Grand Duke. Having ruined Vladimir, the horde split in two. One part of the army went to capture Torzhok, the other went to Novgorod, defeating the Russian army on the Sit River along the way. Before reaching Novgorod 100 miles, Batu turned back. Passing through the city of Kozelsk, the horde met stubborn resistance from the locals. The siege of Kozelsk lasted seven weeks. Having captured the city, the Tatars did not leave even a stone from it.
Batu captured the southern direction in 1239. On the way to the main goal - Kyiv - the khan destroyed the Pereyaslav and Chernigov principalities. The siege of Kyiv lasted three months and ended with the victory of Batu Khan. The consequences of the Tatar-Mongol invasion of Rus' are terrible. The earth lay in rubble. Many cities are gone. The inhabitants were taken into slavery in the Horde.
As a result of the Mongol invasion of Rus' in 1237-1248, the Grand Dukes had to accept the political and tributary dependence of the principalities on the Mongol Empire. The Russians paid tribute annually. The Khan of the Golden Horde appointed princes in Rus' with labels. The yoke of the Golden Horde of the North-Eastern lands of Rus' lasted two and a half centuries, until 1480.
In 1240, Kyiv, defeated by the Horde, was transferred to Vladimir Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1250, the prince went as a representative to the kurultai in Karakorum, where he was poisoned. The sons of Yaroslav Andrey went after their father to the Golden Horde. Andrei received the principality of Vladimir, and Alexander - Kyiv and Novgorod. The occupation of Kyiv opened the way for the Golden Horde to Europe. At the foot of the Carpathians, the Western campaign was divided into two troops. One group, led by Baidar and the Horde, set off on a campaign against Poland, Moravia and Silesia.
The other, led by Batu, Kadan and Subudei, conquered Hungary: on April 11, 1241, the troops of King Bel IV were defeated by the Mongols in the battle on the Shaio River. With the victory over Hungary, Batu opened the way to the conquest of Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, and Dalmatia. In 1242, the troops of the Golden Horde entered Central Europe and stopped at the gates of the Saxon city of Meissen. The journey to the West is over. The invasion of Rus' severely battered the hordes of Tatars. Batu returned to the Volga.
Another reason for the end of the Long March was the death of the great Khan Ogedei, the successor of Genghis Khan. Guyuk, an old enemy of Batu, became the new kagan. After Guyuk came to power, inter-clan battles began. In 1248, the great khan went on a campaign against Batu. But, having reached Samarkand, the great Khan Guyuk suddenly died. According to historians, the khan was poisoned by Batu's supporters. The next Great Khan in 1251 was a supporter of Batu Munke.
In 1250, Batu founded the city of Sarai-Batu (now - the area of the village of Selitrennoye in the Kharabalinsky district of the Astrakhan region). According to contemporaries, Saray-Batu is a beautiful city full of people. Bright bazaars and streets struck the imagination of the guests of the city. Later, during the reign of Khan Uzbek, the city fell into decay and was dismantled into bricks for the construction of new settlements.
Personal life
Khan Batu had 26 wives. The elder wife is Borakchin Khatun. Borakchin comes from a tribe of Tatars who roamed in the east of Mongolia. According to unconfirmed reports, Borakchin is the mother of Batu's eldest son, Sartak. In addition to Sartak, two more sons of the khan are known: Tukan and Abukan. There is evidence that there was another heir of Batu - Ulagchi.
Death
Batu died in 1255. There is no exact information about the causes of Khan's death. There are versions of death from poisoning or rheumatic disease. Batu's heir was the eldest son Sartak. Sartak learned about his father's death while at the court of Munki Khan in Mongolia. Returning home, the heir suddenly died. The young son of Sartak Ulagchi became Khan. Borakchin-khatun became the regent under the khan and the ruler of the ulus. Soon Ulagchi died.
Borakchin opposed the coming to power in the Juchi ulus of the son of Juchi, the grandson of Genghis Khan Berke. The plot was revealed, and Borakchin was executed. Berke is a follower of the policy of brother Batu in expanding the independence of the ulus. He is the first Khan to convert to Islam. During the reign, the ulus gained independence. The oppression of the Golden Horde over Russia was established.
Memory
Batu left a terrible memory of himself in Rus'. In the ancient chronicles, the khan was called "impious", "godless". In one of the legends that have survived to this day, you can read:
"The wicked Tsar Batu captured the Russian land, shedding innocent blood, like water, abundantly, and torturing Christians."
In the East, Khan Batu is treated with respect. In Astana and Ulaanbaatar, streets are named after Batu Khan. The name of Batu Khan is found in literature and cinema. The writer Vasily Yan has repeatedly addressed the biography of the great commander. The writer's books "Genghis Khan", "Batu", "To the "last" sea" are known to readers. Batu is mentioned in the books of Alexei Yugov and Ilyas Esenberlin.
Nurmukhan Zhanturin as Batu in the film "Daniel - Prince of Galicia" The campaigns of the Golden Horde and Batu Khan are dedicated to the 1987 Soviet film directed by Yaroslav Lupiy "Daniel - Prince of Galicia". In 2012, Andrey Proshkin's film "The Horde" was released on the screens of Russia. The picture consecrates the events that took place in Rus' and the Golden Horde in the XIII century.
The grandson of Genghis Khan, Batu Khan, is undoubtedly a fatal figure in the history of Rus' in the 13th century. Unfortunately, history has not preserved his portrait and left few lifetime descriptions of the khan, but what we know speaks of him as an extraordinary person.
Place of birth - Buryatia?
Batu Khan was born in 1209. Most likely, this happened on the territory of Buryatia or Altai. His father was the eldest son of Genghis Khan Jochi (who was born in captivity, and there is an opinion that he is not the son of Genghis Khan), and his mother was Uki-Khatun, who was related to Genghis Khan's elder wife. Thus, Batu was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the great-nephew of his wife.
Jochi owned the largest portion of the Genghisides. He was killed, possibly at the behest of Genghis Khan, when Batu was 18 years old.
According to legend, Jochi is buried in a mausoleum located in Kazakhstan, 50 kilometers northeast of the city of Zhezkazgan. Historians believe that the mausoleum could have been built over the khan's grave many years later.
Cursed and fair
The name Batu means "strong", "strong". During his lifetime, he received the nickname Sain Khan, which in Mongolian meant "noble", "generous" and even "fair".
The only chroniclers who spoke flatteringly about Batu were Persians. The Europeans wrote that the khan inspires great fear, but behaves “gently”, knows how to hide emotions and emphasizes his belonging to the Chingizid family.
He entered our history as a destroyer - "evil", "cursed" and "filthy".
A holiday that has become a commemoration
Besides Batu, Jochi had 13 sons. There is a legend that they all gave each other the place of their father and asked their grandfather to resolve the dispute. Genghis Khan chose Batu and gave him commander Subedei as a tutor. In fact, Batu did not receive power, he was forced to distribute the land to his brothers, and he himself performed representative functions. Even the father's army was led by the elder brother Horde-Ichen.
According to legend, the holiday that the young khan arranged upon returning home turned into a commemoration: the messenger brought the news of the death of Genghis Khan.
Udegey, who became the Great Khan, did not like Jochi, but in 1229 he confirmed the title of Batu. The landless Batu had to accompany his uncle on a Chinese campaign. The campaign against Rus', which the Mongols began to prepare in 1235, became a chance for Batu to gain possession.
Tatar-Mongols against the Templars
In addition to Batu Khan, 11 more princes wanted to lead the campaign. Batu was the most experienced. As a teenager, he participated in a military campaign against Khorezm and the Polovtsians. It is believed that the Khan took part in the Battle of the Kalka in 1223, where the Mongols defeated the Polovtsians and Russians. There is another version: the troops for the campaign against Rus' were gathering in the possessions of Batu, and perhaps he simply carried out a military coup, convincing the princes to retreat with weapons. In fact, the commander of the army was not Batu, but Subedey.
First, Batu conquered the Volga Bulgaria, then devastated Rus' and returned to the Volga steppes, where he wanted to start creating his own ulus.
But Khan Udegei demanded new conquests. And in 1240 Batu invaded South Rus', took Kyiv. His goal was Hungary, where the old enemy of the Genghisides, the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan, fled.
Poland fell first, Krakow was taken. In 1241, the army of Prince Henry was defeated near Legnica, in which even the Templars fought. Then there were Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary. Then the Mongols reached the Adriatic and took Zagreb. Europe was helpless. Louis of France was preparing to die, and Frederick II was about to flee to Palestine. They were saved by the fact that Khan Udegei died, and Batu turned back.
Batu vs Karakoram
The election of a new Great Khan dragged on for five years. Finally, Guyuk was chosen, who understood that Batu Khan would never obey him. He gathered troops and moved them to the Juchi ulus, but suddenly died in time, most likely from poison.
Three years later, Batu carried out a military coup in Karakorum. With the support of the brothers, he made his friend Monke the Great Khan, who recognized Batu's right to control the politics of Bulgaria, Rus' and the North Caucasus.
The bone of contention between Mongolia and Batu remained the lands of Iran and Asia Minor. Batu's activities to protect the ulus bore fruit. In the 1270s, the Golden Horde ceased to depend on Mongolia.
In 1254, Batu Khan founded the capital of the Golden Horde - Sarai-Batu ("City of Batu"), which stood on the Akhtuba River. The barn was located on the hills and stretched along the river bank for 15 kilometers. It was a rich city with its own jewelry, foundry and ceramic workshops. There were 14 mosques in Sarai-Batu. Palaces decorated with mosaics made foreigners tremble, and the Khan's palace, located on the highest point of the city, was lavishly decorated with gold. It was from its magnificent appearance that the name "Golden Horde" came from. The city was wiped off the face of the earth by Tamrelan in 1395.
Batu and Nevsky
It is known that the Russian holy prince Alexander Nevsky met with Batu Khan. The meeting of Batu and Nevsky took place in July 1247 on the Lower Volga. Nevsky "stayed" with Batu until the autumn of 1248, after which he left for Karakorum.
Lev Gumilyov believes that Alexander Nevsky and the son of Batu Khan Sartak even fraternized, and thus Alexander became supposedly the adopted son of Batu. Since there is no chronicle evidence for this, it may turn out that this is only a legend.
On the other hand, it can be assumed that during the yoke, it was the Golden Horde that prevented our western neighbors from invading Rus'. The Europeans were simply afraid of the Golden Horde, remembering the ferocity and ruthlessness of Khan Batu.
The riddle of death
Batu Khan died in 1256 at the age of 48. Contemporaries believed that he could have been poisoned. It was even said that he died in the campaign. But most likely, he died of a hereditary rheumatic disease. Khan often complained of pain and numbness in his legs, sometimes because of this he did not come to kurultai, where important decisions were made. Contemporaries said that the face of the khan was covered with red spots, which clearly indicated ill health. Given that the maternal ancestors also suffered from pain in the legs, then this version of death looks plausible.
Batu's body was buried where the Akhtuba River flows into the Volga. They buried the khan according to the Mongol custom, arranging a house with a rich bed in the ground. At night, a herd of horses was driven over the grave so that no one would ever find this place.
When historians analyze the reasons for the success of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, they name the presence of a powerful khan in power among the most important and significant reasons. Often, the khan became the personification of strength and military power, and therefore he was feared by both the Russian princes and representatives of the yoke itself. What khans left their mark on history and were considered the most powerful rulers of their people.
The most powerful khans of the Mongol yoke
During the entire existence of the Mongol Empire and the Golden Horde, many khans have changed on the throne. Especially often the rulers changed during the great zamyatne, when the crisis forced the brother to go against the brother. Various internecine wars and regular military campaigns have confused the family tree of the Mongol khans, but the names of the most powerful rulers are still known. So, which khans of the Mongol Empire were considered the most powerful?
- Genghis Khan because of the mass of successful campaigns and the unification of lands into one state.
- Batu, who managed to completely subjugate Ancient Rus' and form the Golden Horde.
- Khan Uzbek, under whom the Golden Horde reached its greatest power.
- Mamai, who managed to unite the troops during the great memorial.
- Khan Tokhtamysh, who made successful campaigns against Moscow, and returned Ancient Rus' to the forced territories.
Each ruler deserves special attention, because his contribution to the history of the development of the Tatar-Mongol yoke is huge. However, it is much more interesting to tell about all the rulers of the yoke, trying to restore the family tree of the khans.
Tatar-Mongol khans and their role in the history of the yoke
The name and years of the reign of the Khan | His role in history |
Genghis Khan (1206-1227) | And before Genghis Khan, the Mongol yoke had its own rulers, but it was this khan who managed to unite all the lands and make surprisingly successful campaigns against China, North Asia and against the Tatars. |
Ogedei (1229-1241) | Genghis Khan tried to give all his sons the opportunity to rule, so he divided the empire between them, but it was Ogedei who was his main heir. The ruler continued his expansion into Central Asia and Northern China, strengthening his position in Europe as well. |
Batu (1227-1255) | Batu was only the ruler of the ulus of Jochi, which later received the name of the Golden Horde. However, the successful Western campaign, the expansion of Ancient Rus' and Poland, made Batu a national hero. Soon he began to spread his sphere of influence over the entire territory of the Mongolian state, becoming an increasingly authoritative ruler. |
Berke (1257-1266) | It was during the reign of Berke that the Golden Horde almost completely separated from the Mongol Empire. The ruler focused on urban planning, improving the social status of citizens. |
Mengu-Timur (1266-1282), Tuda-Mengu (1282-1287), Tula-Bugi (1287-1291) | These rulers did not leave a big mark on history, but they were able to isolate the Golden Horde even more and defend its rights to freedom from the Mongol Empire. The basis of the economy of the Golden Horde was a tribute from the princes of Ancient Rus'. |
Khan Uzbek (1312-1341) and Khan Janibek (1342-1357) | Under Khan Uzbek and his son Dzhanibek, the Golden Horde flourished. The offerings of the Russian princes were regularly increased, urban planning continued, and the inhabitants of Sarai-Batu adored their khan and literally worshiped him. |
Mamai (1359-1381) | Mamai had nothing to do with the legitimate rulers of the Golden Horde and had no connection with them. He seized power in the country by force, seeking new economic reforms and military victories. Despite the fact that Mamai's power was growing stronger every day, problems in the state were growing due to conflicts on the throne. As a result, in 1380 Mamai suffered a crushing defeat from the Russian troops on the Kulikovo field, and in 1381 he was overthrown by the legitimate ruler Tokhtamysh. |
Tokhtamysh (1380-1395) | Perhaps the last great khan of the Golden Horde. After the crushing defeat of Mamai, he managed to regain his status in Ancient Rus'. After the march on Moscow in 1382, tribute payments resumed, and Tokhtamysh proved his superiority in power. |
Kadir Berdi (1419), Hadji-Muhammed (1420-1427), Ulu-Muhammed (1428-1432), Kichi-Muhammed (1432-1459) | All these rulers tried to establish their power during the period of the state collapse of the Golden Horde. After the beginning of the internal political crisis, many rulers changed, and this also affected the deterioration of the country's situation. As a result, in 1480, Ivan III managed to achieve the independence of Ancient Rus', throwing off the shackles of centuries of tribute. |
As often happens, a great state falls apart due to a dynastic crisis. A few decades after the liberation of Ancient Rus' from the hegemony of the Mongol yoke, the Russian rulers also had to go through their dynastic crisis, but that's a completely different story.
What was the main enemy of Ancient Rus'The grandson of Genghis Khan, Batu Khan, is undoubtedly a fatal figure in the history of Rus' in the 13th century. Unfortunately, history has not preserved his portrait and left few lifetime descriptions of the khan, but what we know speaks of him as an extraordinary person.
Place of birth - Buryatia?
Batu Khan was born in 1209. Most likely, this happened on the territory of Buryatia or Altai. His father was the eldest son of Genghis Khan Jochi (who was born in captivity, and there is an opinion that he is not the son of Genghis Khan), and his mother was Uki-Khatun, who was related to Genghis Khan's elder wife. Thus, Batu was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the great-nephew of his wife.
Jochi owned the largest portion of the Genghisides. He was killed, possibly at the behest of Genghis Khan, when Batu was 18 years old. According to legend, Jochi is buried in a mausoleum located in Kazakhstan, 50 kilometers northeast of the city of Zhezkazgan. Historians believe that the mausoleum could have been built over the khan's grave many years later.
Cursed and fair
The name Batu means "strong", "strong". During his lifetime, he received the nickname Sain Khan, which in Mongolian meant "noble", "generous" and even "fair". The only chroniclers who spoke flatteringly about Batu were Persians. The Europeans wrote that the khan inspires great fear, but behaves “gently”, knows how to hide emotions and emphasizes his belonging to the Chingizid family. He entered our history as a destroyer - "evil", "cursed" and "filthy".
A holiday that has become a commemoration
Besides Batu, Jochi had 13 sons. There is a legend that they all gave each other the place of their father and asked their grandfather to resolve the dispute. Genghis Khan chose Batu and gave him commander Subedei as a tutor. In fact, Batu did not receive power, he was forced to distribute the land to his brothers, and he himself performed representative functions. Even the father's army was led by the elder brother Horde-Ichen. According to legend, the holiday that the young khan arranged upon returning home turned into a commemoration: the messenger brought the news of the death of Genghis Khan. Udegey, who became the Great Khan, did not like Jochi, but in 1229 he confirmed the title of Batu. The landless Batu had to accompany his uncle on a Chinese campaign. The campaign against Rus', which the Mongols began to prepare in 1235, became a chance for Batu to gain possession.
Tatar-Mongols against the Templars
In addition to Batu Khan, 11 more princes wanted to lead the campaign. Batu was the most experienced. As a teenager, he participated in a military campaign against Khorezm and the Polovtsians. It is believed that the Khan took part in the Battle of the Kalka in 1223, where the Mongols defeated the Polovtsians and Russians. There is another version: the troops for the campaign against Rus' were gathering in the possessions of Batu, and perhaps he simply carried out a military coup, convincing the princes to retreat with weapons. In fact, the commander of the army was not Batu, but Subedey.
Batu vs Karakoram
The election of a new Great Khan dragged on for five years. Finally, Guyuk was chosen, who understood that Batu Khan would never obey him. He gathered troops and moved them to the Juchi ulus, but suddenly died in time, most likely from poison. Three years later, Batu carried out a military coup in Karakorum. With the support of the brothers, he made his friend Monke the Great Khan, who recognized Batu's right to control the politics of Bulgaria, Rus' and the North Caucasus. The bone of contention between Mongolia and Batu remained the lands of Iran and Asia Minor. Batu's activities to protect the ulus bore fruit. In the 1270s, the Golden Horde ceased to depend on Mongolia.
In 1254, Batu Khan founded the capital of the Golden Horde - Sarai-Batu ("City of Batu"), which stood on the Akhtuba River. The barn was located on the hills and stretched along the river bank for 15 kilometers. It was a rich city with its own jewelry, foundry and ceramic workshops. There were 14 mosques in Sarai-Batu. Palaces decorated with mosaics made foreigners tremble, and the Khan's palace, located on the highest point of the city, was lavishly decorated with gold. It was from its magnificent appearance that the name "Golden Horde" came from. The city was wiped off the face of the earth by Tamrelan in 1395.
Batu and Nevsky
It is known that the Russian holy prince Alexander Nevsky met with Batu Khan. The meeting of Batu and Nevsky took place in July 1247 on the Lower Volga. Nevsky "stayed" with Batu until the autumn of 1248, after which he left for Karakorum. Lev Gumilyov believes that Alexander Nevsky and the son of Batu Khan Sartak even fraternized, and thus Alexander became supposedly the adopted son of Batu. Since there is no chronicle evidence for this, it may turn out that this is only a legend. On the other hand, it can be assumed that during the yoke, it was the Golden Horde that prevented our western neighbors from invading Rus'. The Europeans were simply afraid of the Golden Horde, remembering the ferocity and ruthlessness of Khan Batu.
The riddle of death
Batu Khan died in 1256 at the age of 48. Contemporaries believed that he could have been poisoned. It was even said that he died in the campaign. But most likely, he died of a hereditary rheumatic disease. Khan often complained of pain and numbness in his legs, sometimes because of this he did not come to kurultai, where important decisions were made. Contemporaries said that the face of the khan was covered with red spots, which clearly indicated ill health. Given that the maternal ancestors also suffered from pain in the legs, then this version of death looks plausible.
Batu's body was buried where the Akhtuba River flows into the Volga. They buried the khan according to the Mongol custom, arranging a house with a rich bed in the ground. At night, a herd of horses was driven over the grave so that no one would ever find this place.
