Genghis Khan was the founder and great khan of the Mongol Empire. He united disparate tribes, organized aggressive campaigns in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and China. The proper name of the ruler is Temujin. After his death, the sons of Genghis Khan became heirs. They significantly expanded the territory of the ulus. An even greater contribution to the territorial structure was made by the emperor's grandson - Batu - the owner of the Golden Horde.
Identity of the ruler
All sources that can be used to characterize Genghis Khan were created after his death. Of particular importance among them is the Secret History. In these sources there is a description of the appearance of the ruler. He was tall, with a strong build, a broad forehead and a long beard. In addition, the features of his character are also described. Genghis Khan came from a people that probably did not have a written language and state institutions. Therefore, the Mongol ruler did not have any education. However, this did not prevent him from becoming a talented commander. Organizational skills were combined in him with self-control and adamantwill. Genghis Khan was affable and generous to the extent that was necessary to maintain the affection of his companions. He did not deny himself the joys, but at the same time he did not recognize excesses that could not be combined with his activities as a commander and ruler. According to sources, Genghis Khan lived to old age, retaining his mental abilities to the fullest.
Heirs
During the last years of his life, the ruler was very worried about the fate of his empire. Only some sons of Genghis Khan were eligible to take his place. The ruler had many children, all of them were considered legitimate. But only four sons from Borte's wife could become heirs. These children were very different from each other both in character traits and inclinations. The eldest son of Genghis Khan was born shortly after the return of Borte from the Merkit captivity. His shadow always haunted the boy. Evil tongues and even the second son of Genghis Khan, whose name would later become firmly established in the history of the Mongol Empire, openly called him a "Merkit degenerate." The mother has always protected the child. At the same time, Genghis Khan himself always recognized him as his son. Nevertheless, the boy was always reproached for being illegitimate. Once Chagatai (the son of Genghis Khan, the second heir) openly called his brother in the presence of his father. The conflict almost escalated into a real fight.
Juchi
The son of Genghis Khan, born after the Merkit captivity, was distinguished by some features. They, in particular, manifested themselves in his behavior. Persistent stereotypes observed inhim, greatly distinguished him from his father. For example, Genghis Khan did not recognize such a thing as mercy for enemies. He could only leave small children alive, who were subsequently adopted by Hoelun (his mother), as well as valiant bagaturs who accepted Mongol citizenship. Jochi, on the contrary, was distinguished by kindness and humanity. For example, during the siege of Gurganj, the Khorezmians, who were absolutely exhausted by the war, asked to accept their surrender, spare them, leave them alive. Jochi spoke out in support of them, but Genghis Khan categorically rejected such a proposal. As a result, the garrison of the city under siege was partially cut out, and it was flooded by the waters of the Amu Darya.
Tragic death
Misunderstanding, which was established between the son and father, was constantly fueled by slander and intrigues of relatives. Over time, the conflict deepened and led to the emergence of a stable distrust of the ruler towards his first heir. Genghis Khan began to suspect that Jochi wanted to become popular with the conquered tribes in order to subsequently secede from Mongolia. Historians doubt that the heir really aspired to this. Nevertheless, in early 1227, Jochi, with a broken spine, was found dead in the steppe, where he hunted. Of course, his father was not the only person who benefited from the death of the heir and who had the opportunity to end his life.
The second son of Genghis Khan
The name of this heir was known in circles close to the Mongol throne. Unlike his deceased brother, he was characterizedseverity, diligence and even a certain cruelty. These features contributed to the fact that Chagatai was appointed as the "guardian of Yasa". This position is analogous to that of a chief judge or attorney general. Chagatai always strictly followed the law, he was merciless to violators.
Third heir
Few people know the name of the son of Genghis Khan, who was the next contender for the throne. It was Ogedei. The first and third sons of Genghis Khan were similar in character. Ogedei was also known for his tolerance and kindness towards people. However, his peculiarity was a passion for hunting in the steppe and drinking with friends. One day, going on a joint trip, Chagatai and Ogedei saw a Muslim who was washing in the water. According to religious custom, every true believer should perform namaz several times during the day, as well as ritual ablution. But these actions were forbidden by Mongol custom. The tradition did not allow ablutions anywhere during the whole summer. The Mongols believed that washing in a lake or river causes a thunderstorm, which is very dangerous for travelers in the steppe. Therefore, such actions were considered as a threat to their lives. The warriors (nukhuras) of the ruthless and law-abiding Chagatai seized the Muslim. Ogedei, assuming that the intruder would lose his head, sent his man to him. The messenger had to tell the Muslim that he supposedly dropped the gold into the water and was looking for it there (to stay alive). The violator answered Chagatai in this way. This was followed by an order to the Nuhurs to find the coin in the water. Ogedei's combatant threw a gold piece into the water. coinfound and returned to the Muslim as its "legitimate" owner. Ogedei, saying goodbye to the rescued man, took out a handful of gold coins from his pocket and handed them to the man. At the same time, he warned the Muslim that the next time he drops a coin into the water, he would not look for it, and would not break the law.
The fourth successor
The youngest son of Genghis Khan, according to Chinese sources, was born in 1193. At that time, his father was in Jurchen captivity. He stayed there until 1197. This time Borte's betrayal was obvious. However, Genghis Khan recognized Tului's son as his own. At the same time, outwardly, the child had a completely Mongolian appearance. All the sons of Genghis Khan had their own characteristics. But Tului was rewarded by nature with the greatest talents. He was distinguished by the highest moral dignity, possessed extraordinary abilities as an organizer and commander. Tului is known as a loving husband and noble man. He married the daughter of the deceased Van Khan (the head of the Keraits). She, in turn, was a Christian. Tului could not accept his wife's religion. Being a Genghisid, he must profess the faith of his ancestors - bon. Tului not only allowed his wife to perform all the proper Christian rites in a "church" yurt, but also to receive monks and have priests with her. The death of the fourth heir of Genghis Khan can be called heroic without any exaggeration. To save the sick Ogedei, Tului voluntarily took a strong shaman's potion. Thus, by taking the disease away from his brother, he sought to attract her to himself.
Heirs rule
All sonsGenghis Khan had the right to rule the empire. After the elimination of the elder brother, there were three successors left. After the death of his father, until the election of a new khan, Tului ruled the ulus. In 1229, a kurultai took place. Here, according to the will of the emperor, a new ruler was chosen. They became tolerant and gentle Ogedei. This heir, as mentioned above, was distinguished by kindness. However, this quality is not always in favor of the ruler. During the years of his khanate, the leadership of the ulus was very weakened. Administration was carried out mainly due to the severity of Chagatai and thanks to the diplomatic abilities of Tului. Ogedei himself, instead of public affairs, preferred to roam in Western Mongolia, hunting and feasting.
Grandchildren
They received various territories of the ulus or significant positions. The eldest son of Jochi - Horde-Ichen, got the White Horde. This area was located between the Tarbagatai ridge and the Irtysh (the Semipalatinsk region today). Batu was next. The son of Genghis Khan left him a legacy of the Golden Horde. Sheibani (the third successor) relied on the Blue Horde. The rulers of the uluses were also allocated 1-2 thousand soldiers each. At the same time, the number of the Mongolian army then reached 130 thousand people.
Batu
According to Russian sources, he is known as Batu Khan. The son of Genghis Khan, who died in 1227, three years earlier received possession of the Kipchak steppe, part of the Caucasus, Russia and Crimea, as well as Khorezm. The ruler's heir died, owning only Khorezm and the Asian part of the steppe. In the years 1236-1243. a general Mongol campaign to the West took place. It was led by Batu. Son of Genghis Khanpassed on some character traits to his heir. The sources mention the nickname Sain Khan. According to one version, it means "good-natured". This nickname was possessed by Tsar Batu. The son of Genghis Khan died, as mentioned above, owning only a small part of his inheritance. As a result of the campaign, committed in 1236-1243, the western part in the Polovtsian steppe, the North Caucasian and Volga peoples, as well as the Volga Bulgaria went to Mongolia. Several times, under the leadership of Batu, troops attacked Russia. In their campaigns, the Mongol army reached Central Europe. Frederick II, who was then emperor of Rome, tried to organize resistance. When Batu began to demand obedience, he replied that he could be a falconer with the khan. Collisions, however, between the troops did not occur. Some time later, Batu settled in Sarai-Batu, on the banks of the Volga. He no longer made trips to the West.
Fortifying the ulus
In 1243, Batu learned about the death of Ogedei. His army retreated to the Lower Volga. A new center of the Jochi ulus was founded here. Guyuk (one of the heirs of Ogedei) was elected kagan at the kurultai of 1246. He was an old enemy of Batu. In 1248, Guyuk died, and in 1251, a loyal Munch, a participant in the European campaign from 1246 to 1243, was elected the fourth ruler. To support the new khan, Batu sent Berke (his brother) with an army.
Relations with the princes of Russia
In 1243-1246. all Russian rulers accepted dependence on the Mongol Empire and the Golden Horde. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (Prince of Vladimir) was recognized inas the oldest in Russia. He received Kyiv ravaged in 1240 by the Mongols. In 1246, Batu sent Yaroslav to the kurultai in Karakorum as a plenipotentiary representative. There, the Russian prince was poisoned by Guyuk's supporters. Mikhail Chernigov died in the Golden Horde because he refused to enter the Khan's yurt between two fires. The Mongols regarded this as having malicious intent. Alexander Nevsky and Andrei - the sons of Yaroslav - also went to the Horde. Arriving from there to Karakorum, the first received Novgorod and Kyiv, and the second - Vladimir reign. Andrew, seeking to resist the Mongols, entered into an alliance with the strongest prince in Southern Russia at that time - Galician. This was the reason for the punitive campaign of the Mongols in 1252. The Horde army, led by Nevryuy, defeated Yaroslav and Andrei. Batu gave the label to Vladimir Alexander. Daniil Galitsky built his relationship with Batu in a slightly different way. He expelled the Horde Baskaks from their cities. In 1254, he defeated the army led by Kuremsa.
Karokorum Affairs
After the election in 1246 of Guyuk as the Great Khan, a split occurred between the descendants of Chagatai and Ogedei and the heirs of the other two sons of Genghis Khan. Guyuk went on a campaign against Batu. However, in 1248, while his army was stationed in Maverannahr, he suddenly died. According to one version, he was poisoned by supporters of Munch and Batu. The first became subsequently the new ruler of the Mongolian ulus. In 1251, Batu sent an army under the leadership of Burundai near Ortar to help Munk.
Descendants
SuccessorsBatu became: Sartak, Tukan, Ulagchi and Abukan. The first was an adherent of the Christian religion. Sartak's daughter married Gleb Vasilkovich, and the daughter of Batu's grandson became the wife of St. Fyodor Cherny. In these two marriages, Belozersky and Yaroslavl princes were born (respectively).
