The Middle Ages - the time of the formation of many nationalities and the formation of their statehood. This process is typical not only for European countries, but also for Asian ones. The Mongolian empire of Genghis Khan, created by him in a short time, dominated the Eurasian continent for more than two hundred years.
After its collapse, several state formations remained, one of which is the White Horde. In the post-Mongol period, nomadic and sedentary tribes were uniting on its territory, thus laying the foundations of the modern Kazakh nation.
Stavka, tribe, public education
The word "horde" is familiar to everyone from school. Many dramatic events in Russian history of the 13th-15th centuries are associated with it. For a long time, Russian princes were forced to pay tribute to the khans of the Golden Horde - the Mongol-Tatar state, which occupied a vast territory.
This fragment of the empire of Genghis Khan stretched from the Aral Sea to the Black Sea and from Iran to the Ural Mountains. Most often, under the word "horde" we just mean state formation among the Turkic peoples. However, there are other meanings as well.
For example, a horde is a gathering place for kindred nomads, as well as nomads themselvestribes, army or headquarters of the khan. In addition, in the Russian language, the Turkic word eventually acquired an allegorical meaning with a negative connotation. So, we often call a disorganized crowd or a random gathering of people a horde.
Why Gold?
In 1206 representatives of the Mongol tribes elected Temujin as their leader. Since that time, he began to be called Genghis Khan, that is, the chosen one of heaven. For the next twenty years, his name will terrify the peoples of Asia and Europe.
According to Mongolian tradition, even during his lifetime, Genghis Khan divided the conquered lands between his sons. The eldest of them, Jochi, received the largest ulus, the center of which was in the Lower Volga region.
Later these territories became known as the Golden Horde. Its borders, mentioned at the beginning of the article, were finally determined after the Western campaign of Batu, the son of Jochi, undertaken by him in 1236–1242.
There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of the name Golden Horde. First of all, this is an ancient legend that the descendants of Genghis Khan were called the "golden family".
On the other hand, Ibn Battuta, a medieval Arab traveler, noted that the tents of the khans were covered with plates of gilded silver. Hence the very public education could get its name.
However, there is a third hypothesis, according to which the Golden Horde, after the collapse of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan, occupied a central, that is, “golden”, or middle, position.
White and Blue
BIn the medieval chronicles of the East, dating back to the reign of the sons of Jochi, new names appear: Ak Orda and Kok Orda. Over the past two centuries, historians have been arguing about the terminology and geographical location of these territorial units that once made up the Golden Horde.
Today, with more or less probability, it can be argued that the possessions of Jochi were divided by his sons: Orda-Ejen and Sheibani. The first received the Irtysh, Semirechye and steppe regions adjacent to the Kentau and Ulutau mountain ranges. This ulus was called the Ak (White) Horde.
Sheibani inherited the Aral steppes, the interfluve of the Yaik, the lower reaches of the Syr Darya. His possessions were called Kok (Blue) Horde. Nevertheless, we note that scarce and contradictory historical information is often interpreted by scientists in the opposite way.
Therefore, some researchers believe that the Horde-Ejen ulus was called the Blue Horde, while Sheibani ruled the White Horde. One way or another, but the possessions of the latter in the XIV century were attached to the lands of the elder brother. From that moment on, the new state, called Ak Orda, occupied almost the entire territory of modern Kazakhstan.
Testimony of Russian chroniclers
As you know, medieval Russia was repeatedly subjected to the Golden Horde invasions. In the annals of that period, there were references to both the raids themselves and neighboring states. In particular, the name Blue Horde is repeatedly found in them.
The source from which the chroniclers drew information,there were stories of Russian ambassadors who visited Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde. The information they provided, including vague geographic data, was meticulously chronicled.
It is noteworthy that the term White Horde, unlike the Blue Horde, is not found in medieval chronicles. Perhaps for the reason that its territory at that time did not border on the Russian principalities.
Establishment of the State
The history of the White Horde dates back to the 13th century, when Jochi divided his ulus between his sons. The trend towards independence among the elder Yejen and his descendants appeared almost immediately.
Here was created its own tax system, a staff of clerks, postal service was established, foreign embassies were accepted, coins were minted. However, the ulus of Ejen received full independence from the central government only after the collapse of the Golden Horde.
In the XIV century, the White Horde occupied a vast territory: from the Irtysh to the Syr Darya and from Tyumen to Karatal. It was inhabited by Turkic-speaking tribes and assimilated descendants of the Mongols. The state language was Kypchak-Kazakh. In the capital, the city of Sygnak, the khan's headquarters was located and the army was based.
Stages of political development
In general, there are three periods in the history of the White Horde. The first covers the years from 1224 to 1250, that is, from the moment of its foundation until the time when the local rulers remained subordinate to the Golden Horde khans.
The second period is the longest - from 1250 to 1370. Throughout thistime, the White Horde sought to gain independence by intervening in the internecine strife of the central government. In the end, she succeeded under Urus Khan, who finally separated his possessions from the Golden Horde.
The final, third period (1370-1410) marked the decline of statehood. At the end of the XIV century, Tamerlane, the Great Emir, and the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh, supported by him, undertook a series of aggressive campaigns against the White Horde.
The ruin and internal strife weakened the ruling dynasty, leading the state to inevitable collapse. In the 20s of the XV century, the Abulkhair Khanate and the Nogai Horde were formed on the territory of the White Horde.
State administrative structure of the White Horde
The supreme power in the state was represented by a khan - a descendant of the Horde of Ejen, the grandson of Genghis Khan. He relied on a large nomadic nobility - the leaders of tribes and clans. The next social level was occupied by emirs, beks, bais, bakhadurs, etc. Ordinary nomads, as well as settled people, were called "karash".
The territory of the White Horde was divided into destinies headed by oglans. In cities such as Sauran, Sygnak, Zharkent, Iasy, handicrafts and trade developed. Although pastures in the nomadic regions were formally considered communal property, in reality they belonged to the nobility, who owned huge herds.
In land relations, the gift form of ownership gradually began to prevail. The feudal lords received land as a gift from the khans as a recognition of special merits,mostly military. The governors of the oglans ruled the granted cities or land districts in exchange for civil and military service. In the XIV-XV centuries, the lands received as a gift began to be inherited.
Trace in the history of Kazakhstan
The Mongol conquest of the steppe peoples had a certain positive effect. It is associated with the formation of a centralized state and the implementation of reforms corresponding to new historical conditions.
After the collapse of the empire of Genghis Khan, the Golden Horde (the White Horde, as one of its parts) played a decisive role in the consolidation of the ethnic groups that inhabited the territory of modern Kazakhstan. In fact, it was another stage on the way to the formation of the Kazakh people.
Evidence of this is the creation of her own state. Shortly after the collapse of the Ak Orda, the sovereign Kazakh Khanate (XV century) was formed on its territory.
