| The Golden Horde in Rus To his eldest son, Jochi, Genghis Khan gave a vast and indeterminate domain extending from east of present-day Kazakstan to the banks of the Volga River in todays western Russia. Upon Jochi's death in 1227, his territory was divided by his heirs. The western portion went to his second son, Batu, who subsequently led the Moghol campaign into Europe and thereby extended his domain westward to the Danube River. Batu's khanate became known as the Golden Horde. (The Turkish word "orda", from which the word horde is derived, means an encampment.) It was also known as the khanate of Kipchak, after the Kipchak Turks who originally dominated the region. Over time, they mingled with their Moghol conquerors. The Moghols themselves became known to Europeans as Tatars (or Tartars), after the Turkish-speaking people who made up a large portion of their forces. Batu established his capital, Sarai, on the eastern bank of the lower Volga, near modern Volgograd. He allowed the local Russian princes to keep their thrones as long as they paid tribute and homage to him. This system operated without significant resistance for more than 130 years. Islam became the official religion of the Golden Horde under Özbeg (Uzbek). His long and prosperous reign, from 1313 to 1341, is generally regarded as the golden age of the Russian Moghols. A period of anarchy followed, during which the real ruler of the Golden Horde was a general named Mamay. The Moghol khan Tokhtamish ... |
