Khan Batu: what a formidable Grandson of Genghis Khan was. Grandson of Genghis Khan

Name: Genghis Khan (Temujin Borjigin)

Date of Birth: 1162

Age: 65 years old

Activity: founder and first great khan of the Mongol Empire

Family status: was married

Genghis Khan: biography

The commander we know as Genghis Khan was born in Mongolia in 1155 or 1162 (according to different sources). This man's real name is Temujin. He was born in the Delyun-Boldok tract, his father was Yesugei-bagatura, and his mother was Hoelun. It is noteworthy that Hoelun was engaged to another man, but Yesugei-Bagatura recaptured his beloved from his rival.

Temujin got his name in honor of the Tatar Temujin-Uge. Yesugei defeated this leader shortly before his son uttered his first cry.

Temujin lost his father quite early. At the age of nine, he was betrothed to eleven-year-old Borte from another family. Yesugei decided to leave his son in the bride’s house until they both reach adulthood, so that future spouses better friend recognized a friend. On the way back, Genghis Khan's father stopped at a Tatar camp, where he was poisoned. Three days later Yesugei died.

After this, dark times came for Temujin, his mother, Yesugei’s second wife, as well as the brothers of the future great commander. The head of the clan drove the family from their usual place and took away all the livestock that belonged to them. For several years, widows and their sons had to live in absolute poverty and wander the steppes.

After some time, the Taichiut leader, who drove out Temujin’s family and proclaimed himself the owner of all the lands conquered by Yesugei, began to fear revenge from Yesugei’s grown-up son. He sent an armed detachment against the family’s camp. The guy escaped, but soon they caught up with him, captured him and placed him in a wooden block, in which he could neither drink nor eat.

Genghis Khan was saved by his own ingenuity and the intercession of several representatives of another tribe. One night he managed to escape and hide in the lake, almost completely going under water. Then several local residents They hid Temujin in a cart with wool, and then gave him a mare and weapons so that he could get home. Some time after the successful liberation, the young warrior married Bort.

Rise to power

Temujin, as the son of a leader, aspired to power. At first he needed support, and he turned to the Kereit khan Tooril. He was Yesugei's brother-in-arms and agreed to unite with him. Thus began the story that led Temujin to the title of Genghis Khan. He raided neighboring settlements, increasing his possessions and, oddly enough, his army. Other Mongols during the battles sought to kill as many opponents as possible. Temujin, on the contrary, sought to leave as many warriors alive as possible in order to lure them to himself.

The young commander’s first serious battle took place against the Merkit tribe, who were allied with the same Taichiuts. They even kidnapped Temujin’s wife, but he, along with Tooril and another ally, Jamukhi from another tribe, defeated their opponents and regained his wife. After the glorious victory, Tooril decided to return to his own horde, and Temujin and Jamukha, having concluded a twinning alliance, remained in the same horde. At the same time, Temujin was more popular, and Jamukha began to dislike him over time.

He was looking for a reason for an open quarrel with his brother-in-law and found it: Jamukha’s younger brother died when he tried to steal horses that belonged to Temujin. Ostensibly for the purpose of revenge, Jamukha attacked the enemy with his army, and in the first battle he won. But the fate of Genghis Khan would not attract so much attention if he could be broken so easily. He quickly recovered from the defeat, and new wars began to occupy his mind: together with Tooril he defeated the Tatars and received not only excellent booty, but also the honorary title of military commissar (“Jauthuri”).

This was followed by other successful and not so successful campaigns and regular competitions with Jamukha, as well as with the leader of another tribe, Van Khan. Wang Khan was not categorically opposed to Temujin, but he was an ally of Jamukha and was forced to act accordingly.

On the eve of the decisive battle with the joint troops of Jamukha and Van Khan in 1202, the commander independently carried out another raid on the Tatars. At the same time, he again decided to act differently from the way it was customary to carry out conquests in those days. Temujin stated that during the battle his Mongols should not capture booty, since all of it would be divided between them only after the battle was over. In this battle, the future great ruler won, after which he ordered the execution of all the Tatars as retribution for the Mongols whom they killed. Only small children were left alive.

In 1203, Temujin and Jamukha and Wang Khan met face to face again. At first, the ulus of the future Genghis Khan suffered losses, but due to the injury of Wang Khan’s son, the opponents retreated. In order to divide his enemies, during this forced pause Temujin sent them diplomatic messages. At the same time, several tribes united to fight both Temujin and Wang Khan. The latter defeated them first and began to celebrate the glorious victory: it was then that Temujin’s troops overtook him, taking the soldiers by surprise.

Jamukha remained with only part of the army and decided to cooperate with another leader - Tayan Khan. The latter wanted to fight Temujin, since at that time only he seemed to him a dangerous rival in the desperate struggle for absolute power in the steppes of Mongolia. The victory in the battle, which took place in 1204, was again won by the army of Temujin, who demonstrated himself as a gifted commander.

Great Khan

In 1206, Temujin received the title of Great Khan over all Mongol tribes and widely accepted famous name Genghis, which translates as “lord of the endless in the sea.” It was obvious that his role in the history of the Mongolian steppes was enormous, as was his army, and no one else dared to challenge him. This benefited Mongolia: if previously local tribes were constantly at war with each other and raided neighboring settlements, now they have become like a full-fledged state. If before this Mongolian nationality was invariably associated with strife and blood loss, now it is with unity and power.

Genghis Khan wanted to leave behind a worthy legacy not only as a conqueror, but also as a wise ruler. He introduced his own law, which, among other things, spoke of mutual assistance on a campaign and forbade deceiving someone who trusted. These moral principles was required to be strictly observed, otherwise the violator could face execution. The commander mixed various tribes and peoples, and no matter what tribe the family belonged to before, its adult men were considered warriors of Genghis Khan’s detachment.

Conquests of Genghis Khan

Numerous films and books have been written about Genghis Khan, not only because he brought order to the lands of his people. He is also widely known for his successful conquests of neighboring lands. Thus, in the period from 1207 to 1211, his army subjugated almost all the peoples of Siberia to the great ruler and forced them to pay tribute to Genghis Khan. But the commander was not going to stop there: he wanted to conquer China.

In 1213, he invaded the Chinese state of Jin, establishing rule over the local province of Liaodong. All along the route of Genghis Khan and his army, Chinese troops surrendered to him without a fight, and some even went over to his side. By the fall of 1213, the Mongol ruler had strengthened his position along the entire Great Wall of China. Then he sent three powerful armies, led by his sons and brothers, to different regions Jin Empire. Some settlements surrendered to him almost immediately, others fought until 1235. However, as a result, it spread throughout China at that time Tatar-Mongol yoke.

Even China could not force Genghis Khan to stop his invasion. Having achieved success in battles with his closest neighbors, he became interested in Central Asia and, especially, the fertile Semirechye. In 1213, the ruler of this region became the fugitive Naiman Khan Kuchluk, who made a political miscalculation by starting persecution of followers of Islam. As a result, the rulers of several settled tribes in Semirechye voluntarily announced that they agreed to be subjects of Genghis Khan. Subsequently, Mongol troops conquered other regions of Semirechye, allowing Muslims to perform their religious services and, thereby, arousing sympathy among the local population.

Death

The commander died shortly before the capitulation of Zhongxing, the capital of one of those very Chinese settlements that until the last tried to resist the Mongol army. The cause of Genghis Khan's death is called differently: he fell from a horse, suddenly fell ill, and was unable to adapt to the difficult climate of another country. It is still unknown exactly where the grave of the great conqueror is located.

Numerous descendants of Genghis Khan, his brothers, children and grandchildren tried to preserve and increase his conquests and were large statesmen Mongolia. Thus, his grandson became the eldest among the second generation Chingizids after the death of his grandfather. There were three women in Genghis Khan’s life: the previously mentioned Borte, as well as his second wife Khulan-Khatun and his third Tatar wife Yesugen. In total they bore him sixteen children.

Genghis Khan's grandson Batu Khan is undoubtedly a fatal figure in the history of Rus' in the 13th century. Unfortunately, history has not preserved his portrait and has left few descriptions of the Khan during his lifetime, but what we know speaks of him as an extraordinary personality.

Place of birth: Buryatia?

Batu Khan was born in 1209. Most likely, this happened on the territory of Buryatia or Altai. His father was Genghis Khan's eldest son 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 eldest wife. Thus, Batu was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the great-nephew of his wife.

Jochi owned the largest inheritance of the Chingizids. He was killed, possibly on the orders of Genghis Khan, when Batu was 18 years old.

According to legend, Jochi is buried in a mausoleum, which is located on the territory of 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.

Damned 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. Europeans wrote that the khan inspired strong fear, but behaves “affectionately”, 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 became a wake

Besides Batu, Jochi had 13 sons. There is a legend that they all gave up their father’s place to each other and asked their grandfather to resolve the dispute. Genghis Khan chose Batu and gave him the commander Subedei as his mentor. In fact, Batu did not receive power, he was forced to distribute the land to his brothers, and he himself performed representative functions. Even his father’s army was led by his elder brother Ordu-Ichen.

According to legend, the holiday that the young khan organized upon returning home turned into a wake: a 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. Landless Bata had to accompany his uncle on the 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 other princes wanted to lead the campaign. Batu turned out to be the most experienced. As a teenager, he took part in a military campaign against Khorezm and the Polovtsians. It is believed that the khan took part in the Battle of Kalka in 1223, where the Mongols defeated the Cumans 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, using weapons to convince the princes to retreat. In fact, the military leader of the army was not Batu, but Subedey.

First, Batu conquered Volga Bulgaria, then devastated Rus' and returned to the Volga steppes, where he wanted to start creating his own ulus.
But Khan Udegey demanded new conquests. And in 1240, Batu invaded Southern Rus' and took Kyiv. His goal was Hungary, where the old enemy of the Genghisids, the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan, had fled.

Poland fell first and Krakow was taken. In 1241, the army of Prince Henry, in which even the Templars fought, was defeated near Legnica. 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 preparing to flee to Palestine. They were saved by the fact that Khan Udegey died and Batu turned back.

Batu vs Karakorum

The election of the 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 Jochi 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 his brothers, he made his friend Monke the Great Khan, who recognized Bata's right to control the politics of Bulgaria, Rus' and the North Caucasus.

The bones of contention between Mongolia and Batu remained the lands of Iran and Asia Minor. Batu’s efforts to protect the ulus bore fruit. In the 1270s Golden Horde ceased to depend on Mongolia.

In 1254, Batu Khan founded the capital of the Golden Horde - Sarai-Batu (“Batu City”), 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, foundries and ceramic workshops. There were 14 mosques in Sarai-Batu. Palaces decorated with mosaics awed foreigners, and the Khan's palace, located on the very high place city, was lavishly decorated with gold. It was from its magnificent appearance that the name “Golden Horde” came. The city was razed to the ground by Tamrelan in 1395.

Batu and Nevsky

It is known that the Russian holy prince Alexander Nevsky met with Batu Khan. The meeting between Batu and Nevsky took place in July 1247 on the Lower Volga. Nevsky “stayed” with Batu until the fall of 1248, after which he left for Karakorum.

Lev Gumilyov believes that Alexander Nevsky and Batu Khan’s son Sartak even fraternized, and thus Alexander allegedly became Batu Khan’s adopted son. Since there is no chronicle evidence of this, it may turn out that this is only a legend.

But 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 mercilessness of Khan Batu.

The mystery of death

Batu Khan died in 1256 at the age of 48. Contemporaries believed that he could have been poisoned. They even said that he died on the campaign. But most likely he died from a hereditary rheumatic disease. Khan often complained of pain and numbness in his legs, and sometimes because of this he did not come to kurultai, where important decisions were made. Contemporaries said that the khan’s face was covered with red spots, which clearly indicated ill health. Considering that maternal ancestors also suffered from pain in their 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 Mongolian custom, building a house in the ground with a rich bed. At night, a herd of horses was driven through the grave so that no one would ever find this place.

His power extended over a vast space and a great multitude of people. The entire East Asian world feared him. Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, laid the foundation for the first foreign dynasty in Chinese history; his reign is considered the “golden age” of the great Mongol Empire. At the end of his life, this man found himself lonely, lost interest in state affairs, drank a lot. There was an empire - there was no happiness... His dynasty fell after 97 years. No one knows where Kublai's grave is.

On December 1, 8, 1271, in the city of Zhongdu - now Beijing, the fifth Mongol Great Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, proclaimed the Genghis dynasty the Da Yuan dynasty. The name of the dynasty meant the beginning of an endlessly long reign. However, it lasted less than a hundred years...
In the summer of the same 1271, Marco Polo set off on a journey from Venice. In three many years He found himself at the luxurious gates of Kublai's summer residence, became his courtier and lived in China for about 17 years. From the book written from the words of Marco Polo, Europeans learned a lot about China for the first time. They also learned about the valor of Kublai.
Kublai's conquest of China was ferocious: at the beginning of the 13th century, the population of China numbered about 100 million people, under Kublai it was less than 60 million. But there was also reason for the admiration of Marco Polo, and later for the amazement of Europeans who read his book, at the wisdom of the reign of Genghis Khan’s grandson. Kublai restored traditional Chinese forms of government, encouraged Chinese culture (in particular, under him it reached unprecedented prosperity Chinese theater), encouraged religious tolerance (Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims and Christians equally professed their religions in the empire), under him the Great Canal, which connected the north and south of the country, connecting the basins of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, was updated and expanded...
His power extended over a vast space and a great multitude of people. The entire East Asian world feared him. He was praised as a god.
Emperor Kublai Da Yuan died on February 18, 1294, in his eightieth year. There is no greater consolation for an old man than to see the full power of his wisdom embodied in works that will not grow old like himself. In his old age, the emperor, like the nightingale, did not have his own evening songs. His beloved wife Chabi and his son, the heir to the throne Zhen Jin, died, Kublai lost interest in state affairs and drank a lot...

Looking at his new grandson, Genghis Khan said: “All our children are red-haired, but this one is black!”
The father of the newborn was Genghis Khan's son Tolui. He died when Kublai Khan was about 17 years old. According to one version, he died from drunkenness, according to another, romantic, from the fact that he took upon himself the death of his brother - the successor of Genghis Khan Ogedei, the conqueror of Northern China, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, who sent Batu on a campaign against Eastern Europe. Ogedei fell seriously ill, and Tolui asked Heaven to take his life in exchange for the life of his older brother. Ogedei recovered, but Tolui died.
Khubilai's mother Sorghagtani was the niece of Genghis Khan's main rival in the struggle for power over the Mongols, Tooril Kagan. Genghis Khan married his son to her after the defeat of his rival. Historians write that Sorghagtani was a Christian by religion, was distinguished by great intelligence, and devoted her life to raising her four sons.
A year before his death, Genghis Khan personally anointed 14-year-old Kublai thumb hands with fat and meat so that the grandson will grow up to be a good hunter. Like all Mongol princes, he grew up to be an excellent hunter, and a warrior too. From a young age he also learned the kitchen of politics.
Ogedei's death in 1241 marked the beginning of the struggle of Genghis Khan's descendants for the throne. Only four years later, Ogedei's son Guyuk was finally installed as Great Khan. Before that, together with Genghis Khan’s other grandson Batu, he took part in the campaign against Rus'. The cousins ​​quarreled during this trip. Having become the Great Khan, Guyuk went on a campaign against Batu, but died on the way to the Golden Horde. Batu and Khubilai's mother Sorghagtani, who warned him about Guyuk's campaign, assembled a kurultai, which elected Khubilai's brother Mongke as great khan. Guyuk's widow organized a rebellion, but Mongke suppressed it. Kublai saw how his brother dealt with the leaders of the rebels - they stuffed their mouths with stones until they gave up the ghost in agony - and understood: if you want to be a ruler, be able to make them fear you. Time will pass, and he will force it. It is unknown whether Kublai Khan himself was the author sophisticated ways execution of his enemies or his accomplices, but when many years later he suppressed the rebellion of the Chinese, he ordered its leader Li Tan to be sewn into a sack and trampled under horses, and even later the leader of another uprising, at his command, was wrapped in a carpet so tightly that he suffocated.
Kublai Khan was 36 years old when his elder brother, the Great Khan Mongke, sent him to conquer the state of Dali in southwest China. Kublai conquered this state and next year he was ordered to conquer another one - the Southern Song.
Successful campaigns allowed Kublai to become the owner of his own vast estate in Northern China. He built his capital Kaiping (later Shandu) here and ordered “to build a large palace of stone and marble. The halls and chambers are gilded... and around the palace there is a sixteen-mile wall, and there are many fountains, rivers and meadows here, the great khan keeps all kinds of animals here.” (Marco Polo).
Then Khubilai ordered the issue of paper money. He did not invent them (in the 13th century the first banknotes were already in circulation in Southern China), but sufficient numbers of their samples have reached us since the time of Kublai Kublai. “Bits of paper,” as Marco Polo called this money, “by order of the Great Khan are distributed... throughout all regions... and no one dares, under pain of death, not to accept them. All his subjects everywhere willingly accept these papers in payment, because wherever they go , they pay for everything with pieces of paper... When a piece of paper gets torn or spoiled from use, they take it to mint and exchange, however, with the loss of three for a hundred, for a new and fresh one.”
The “passion for the Chinese” to the detriment of the Mongolian, the construction of a city that rivaled Karakorum, the capital of all the Mongol possessions, in splendor, aroused the displeasure of the Great Khan Mongke. An inspection came to visit Kublai. The matter took such a dangerous turn that I had to go to Karakorum and explain myself to my brother.
By this time, arose in Northern China serious conflict between Buddhists and Taoists. Both sought the protection of the Mongols and proved the primacy of their faith. Taoists argued that Buddha was none other than one of the reincarnations of the Chinese philosopher, a contemporary of Confucius Lao Tzu, who retired to the west and appeared in India to enlighten the barbarians. However, according to information written sources Buddha lived before Confucius and Lao Tzu, and therefore his adherents declared the latter to be disciples of Buddha. By order of Mongke, Kublai, as an expert on China, held a debate in Kaiping between Buddhists and Taoists. The Taoists lost. Some of their books were burned, more than two hundred temples along with their property were transferred to Buddhists, and seventeen leading Taoists were shaved and forcibly converted to Buddhism. Such a sad outcome of the dispute for the Taoists was not accidental. Kublai's closest adviser in those years was the Buddhist Liu Bingchun, and Kublai's wife Chabi, about whom the medieval Iranian scholar Rashid ad-Din wrote that “she was very beautiful and gifted with charms and was loved by him,” was known as a zealous Buddhist.
In 1258, four Mongol armies rushed into southern China, one of them commanded by Kublai Kublai. During the campaign, the great Khan Mongke died: he was hit in the head by a stone fired from a stone thrower.
Three younger brothers of the deceased - Kublai, Khulegu and Arik-Buga - laid claim to the vacated throne. Khulegu, who lived in Iran for a long time, decided to return to the Middle East. When choosing the Great Khan, he sympathized with Kublai. Arik-Buga was assisted by the highest officials of the empire and he and his army went to the possessions of Kublai. Chabi, his wife, had to organize the defense herself and urgently call her husband back from the campaign in southern China.
Kublai returned to Kaiping, where he convened a kurultai of “his people” who proclaimed him great khan. In response to this, his brother’s supporters in Mongolia elected Arik-Bugu as great khan. Kublai declared Arik-Bugu a usurper, and himself the Emperor of China, announced, following the example of the Chinese rulers, his first motto of the reign: Zhong-tong - “Center of Control”, stopped the supply of food to Mongolia and moved with his troops to Karakorum.
Arik-Buga was defeated in the battle, and two years later he decided to surrender to Kublai and arrived in Kaiping. “And so it is customary,” reports the Persian scholar, author of the “Collection of Chronicles” (1311) Rashid ad-Din, “that in such cases, during a reception, the door canopy of the tent is thrown over the shoulders of the offender and, covered in this way, he is presented to the sovereign. An hour later they gave permission, he entered... After some time, the Kagan looked at him and awakened his ancestral honor and Arik-Buga began to cry, the Kagan also had tears in his eyes... "Khubilai forgave Arik-Buga, but executed most of him. those close to you. He did not receive his brother for a year, and in 1266 Arik-Buga died (according to one version, he was poisoned).
Khubilai's troops continued to conquer southern China. In 1276, the Southern Song Emperor recognized himself as a vassal and gave state seal: "North and South have become one family." The former ruler was expected to be exiled to Tibet and become a monk.
Khubilai took one city of southern China after another. A boy was placed on the Chinese throne, the paternal brother of the emperor taken to the north, the son of a concubine. Soon the ship on which the boy emperor sailed sank. Those who survived later testified during interrogation: the devoted dignitary Lu Xiufu took his sovereign in his arms and rushed into the sea with him. The Song Empire perished, all of China lay at the feet of Kublai Kublai.
...Following the example of the Great Xia sovereigns, Kublai presented his teacher, the Tibetan hierarch of the Sakya sect, Pagba Lama with the title di shi - mentor of the emperor, but he paid honors to him only in private, and at official meetings Pagba Lama behaved like an ordinary subject. Khan handed the scroll to Pagba Lama. On the smooth paper pasted onto the silk was written: “As a true follower of the Great Buddha, the most merciful and invincible ruler of the world... I have always shown special love for the monasteries and monks of your country... Receiving instructions from you... and as a reward for what I have learned from you, I must give you a gift. So, this letter is my gift. It grants you power over all of Tibet... Since I have been chosen to be your patron, it is your duty to carry out the teachings of the divine Buddha. With this letter, I assume the responsibility of your patron. religion. The ninth day of the seventh month of the year of the water-tiger" (1254).
Historians say that the newly-minted ruler of Tibet expressed his gratitude for the high favor:
“Great Khan, I know for certain that you are the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Manjusri, and this will be announced to Buddhists throughout the country. You are a bodhisattva, the great ruler of Chakravartin, the king of faith, turning a thousand golden wheels!
The emperors of the past, who owned only part of China - the Khitans, Tanguts, Jurchens, created their own writing. Kublai ruled all of China. He needed his letter all the more. He commissioned Pagba Lama to create it.
Paghba Lama presented Kublai with a forty-one letter script based on the Tibetan alphabet. Its letters, like Chinese characters, resembled squares. Hence the name of the letter - “square”. Its advantage was that it quite accurately conveyed both Mongolian and Chinese languages. New state letter- vertical, used in the preparation of official documents, texts on seals and credentials, on banknotes, and porcelain products. And in addition, when writing some Chinese classical works, in particular, "Xiao Jing", a book about honoring parents and elders. But it was not accepted, and it did not supplant either the Uighur-Mongolian script or Chinese characters.

Kublai Khan is already 72 years old. He had just defeated the rebellious Nayan, a distant relative who had encountered Khaidu, driven into the northwest corner of Mongolia. Grandfather was always afraid of his own people more than strangers: there was no friendship in his grandfather’s uruk, all his relatives quarreled.
How long ago was he, in the words of Marco Polo, “of good stature, neither small nor large, of average height”; “He is moderately fat and well built, his face is white and rosy like a rose.” Now he is fat beyond any measure, flabby and caustic, like the residue of a glorious wine that has turned into vinegar. Three enemies mar his reign: bad legs, booze and disorganized finances. As for the legs, neither the doctors nor the boots made of fish skin, specially delivered from the shores of the Eastern Sea, helped. As he grew older, he consumed intoxicating drinks more and more often, violating Genghis Khan’s commandment not to get drunk again. three times per month.
What about finances? Here is how Doctor of Historical Sciences E.I. Kychanov talks about the problem of the state budget deficit: “No matter who you tell, everything is wrong. For twenty years, the irrepressible womanizer Muslim Ahmed ran the business. He squeezed taxes from the Chinese, but stole without measure. He even stole gem for the crown. We found this stone in his house. What if they planted it? Anything is possible. He, the emperor, was leaving the capital and the swindler was killed without him. When he returned, he had to deal with Ahmed’s body and his people. The corpse was removed from the ground, the head was cut off and displayed in the market square to the delight of the Chinese. The rest was thrown to the dogs. He executed Ahmed's sons and expelled his henchmen from service. Do not steal! I gave the finances to the Chinese Lu Shizhun. And what? Taxes became heavier, but there was still not enough money. A little over a year ago he executed this one too. Now Sanga is in charge of finances. Either Uyghur or Tibetan. He was a translator for the late Pagba Lama. Knows almost all languages. Cunning and dexterous, for some reason he loves only Korean girls. He takes bribes, but so far it seems to be in moderation. And he steals, one must think, in moderation? Oh Heaven, how to live further? He tossed and turned for a long time until he fell into a heavy sleep.
Sanga persuaded Kublai Kublai in 1287 to exchange paper money at the rate of five old banknotes for one new one. The people grumbled, taxes rose. Sang's enemies treated him as they did Ahmed. Following a denunciation, government-issued pearls were found in his house. And Sanga was executed in 1291.
Where did the money go - the taxes levied on a huge and rich country? They were devoured by the wars that Kublai waged throughout his reign. Conquest of Southern China. Confrontation with our own people, with the Mongols: Arik-Buga, cousin Khaidu, nephew Tog-Timur - they constantly disturbed the western borders of the empire. Tog-Timur was captured and executed, and Khaidu sat as a thorn in the northwestern borders.
Kublai wanted to be recognized as the ruler of all Mongol khans and the Emperor of China. However, he never became the Great Khan of the Mongols. In 1256, Khubilai placed his protege Wang Jon on the throne in Korea, which he saw as a base for subjugating Japan. The Koreans knew a lot about building ships and maritime affairs. But two campaigns against Japan, which cost enormous amounts of money, ended in nothing. In 1274, a storm scattered Kublai's fleet. On the island of Kyushu, at the enemy landing sites, the Japanese erected protective walls. In 1280, Khubilai's army came ashore, but most of it was again destroyed by a typhoon. The wind, sent, as the Japanese believed, by the gods, saved Japan. And after that the East Asian world stopped believing in the invincibility of the Mongols.
The campaigns in Burma (1277, 1287), although they brought success, were so expensive! The wars in Vietnam, expeditions to Java - all this constantly drained the treasury of the Yuan Empire."

Kublai laid the foundation for the first foreign dynasty in the history of the country, which ruled all of China. After 97 years she fell. The memory of her has been carried over by the “dust of history.” As well as the grave of the founder of the dynasty. Khubilai was buried in his native Mongolia. Where exactly he found peace is unknown. It is believed that he was buried in the same place as Genghis Khan and his immediate descendants. More than once in the means mass media it was announced that this place had been discovered. But every time the sensations burst. "The Mystery of the Second Millennium" has passed into the third.

Temujin was the original name of the founder of the Mongol Empire, one of the largest and bloodiest conquerors in world history. Better known to everyone under the name of Genghis Khan.

We can say about this man that he was born with a weapon in his hands. A skilled warrior, a talented commander, a competent ruler, who managed to assemble a powerful state from a bunch of disunited tribes. His fate was so filled with events that were important not only for him, but also for an entire part of the world, that it is quite problematic to compile a short biography of Genghis Khan. We can say that his whole life was one, almost continuous war.

The beginning of the path of a great warrior

Scientists have not been able to find out the exact date when Temujin was born; we only know that it happened in the period from 1155 to 1162. But the place of birth is considered to be the Delyun-Baldok tract on the banks of the river. Onona (near Lake Baikal).

Temujin's father, Yesugei Bugator, leader of the Taichiuts (one of the many Mongol tribes) raised his son as a warrior from an early age. As soon as the boy turned nine, ten-year-old Borte, a girl from the Urgenat clan, was married to him. Moreover, according to Mongolian tradition After the ritual, the groom had to live with the bride's family until he came of age. Which was done. The father, leaving his son, went back, but soon after arriving home he unexpectedly died. According to legend, he was poisoned, and his family, both wives and six children, were expelled from the tribe, forcing them to wander the steppe.

Having learned about what had happened, Temujin decided to share the troubles of his relatives by joining them.

The first battles and the first ulus

After several years of wandering, the future ruler of Mongolia married Borta, receiving as a dowry a rich sable fur coat, which he later presented as a gift to Khan Tooril, one of the most influential leaders of the steppe, thus winning the latter over. As a result, Tooril became his patron.

Gradually, largely thanks to the “guardian,” Temujin’s influence began to grow. Starting literally from scratch, he managed to create a good and strong army. With each new day, more and more warriors joined him. With his army, he constantly raided neighboring tribes, increasing his possessions and the number of livestock. Moreover, even then, his actions distinguished him from other steppe conquerors: when attacking uluses (hordes), he tried not to destroy the enemy, but to attract him to his army.

But his enemies did not sleep either: one day, during Temujin’s absence, the Merkits attacked his camp, capturing his pregnant wife. But retribution did not take long to arrive. In 1184, Temujin, together with Tooril Khan and Jamukha (leader of the Jadaran tribe), returned it, defeating the Merkits.

By 1186, the future ruler of all of Mongolia created his first full-fledged horde (ulus), numbering about 30 thousand warriors. Now Genghis Khan decided to act independently, leaving the tutelage of his patron.

The title of Genghis Khan and a unified state - Mongolia

To oppose the Tatars, Temujin again teamed up with Tooril Khan. The decisive battle took place in 1196 and ended in a crushing defeat of the enemy. In addition to the fact that the Mongols received good booty, Temujin acquired the title of dzhauthuri (corresponding to a military commissar), and Tooril Khan became a Mongol van (prince).

From 1200 to 1204, Temujin continued to fight with the Tatars and the unsubdued Mongol tribes, but on his own, winning victories and following his tactics - increasing the number of troops at the expense of the enemy forces.

In 1205, more and more warriors joined the new ruler, and eventually in the spring of 1206 he was proclaimed Khan of all Mongols, giving him the corresponding title - Genghis Khan. Mongolia became a unified state with a powerful, well-trained army and its own laws, according to which conquered tribes became part of the army, and resisting enemies were subject to destruction.

Genghis Khan practically eradicated the clan system, mixing up the tribes, and instead dividing the entire horde into tumens (1 tumen = 10 thousand people), and those, in turn, into thousands, hundreds and even tens. As a result, his army reached the number of 10 tumens.

Subsequently, Mongolia was divided into two separate wings, at the head of which Genghis Khan placed his most faithful and experienced associates: Boorchu and Mukhali. In addition, military positions could now be inherited.

Death of Genghis Khan

In 1209 it submitted to the Mongols middle Asia, and before 1211 - almost all of Siberia, the peoples of which were subject to tribute.

In 1213, the Mongols invaded China. Having reached its central part, Genghis Khan stopped, and a year later he returned his troops back to Mongolia, concluding a peace treaty with the Emperor of China and forcing him to leave Beijing. But as soon as the ruling court left the capital, Genghis Khan returned the army, continuing the war.

Having defeated the Chinese army, the Mongol conqueror decided to go to Semirechye, and in 1218 it was captured, and at the same time the entire eastern part of Turkestan.

In 1220, the Mongol Empire found its capital - Karakorum, and in the meantime, Genghis Khan's troops, divided into two streams, continued their campaigns of conquest: the first part invaded the South Caucasus through Northern Iran, while the second rushed to the Amu Darya.

Having crossed the Derbent Pass in the North Caucasus, Genghis Khan's troops defeated first the Alans and then the Polovtsians. The latter, uniting with the squads of Russian princes, attacked the Mongols on Kalka, but even here they were defeated. But in Volga Bulgaria the Mongol army received a serious blow and retreated to Central Asia.

Returning to Mongolia, Genghis Khan marched along the western side of China. At the end of 1226, having crossed the river. Yellow River, the Mongols moved east. The army of one hundred thousand Tanguts (the people who in 982 created an entire state in China, called Xi Xia) was defeated, and by the summer of 1227 the Tangut kingdom ceased to exist. Ironically, Genghis Khan died along with the state of Xi Xia.

The heirs of Genghis Khan need to be discussed separately, since each of them deserves special attention.

The ruler of Mongolia had many wives, and even more offspring. Despite the fact that all the emperor’s children were considered legitimate, only four of them could become his true heirs, namely those who were born by Genghis Khan’s first and beloved wife, Borte. Their names were Jochi, Chagatai, Ogedei and Tolui, and only one could take his father’s place. Although all of them were born from the same mother, they were very different from each other in character and inclinations.

Firstborn

Genghis Khan's eldest son, Jochi, was very different in character from his father. If the ruler was characterized by cruelty (he, without a drop of pity, destroyed all the defeated, those who did not submit and did not want to enter his service), then distinctive feature Jochi had kindness and humanity. Misunderstandings constantly arose between father and son, which eventually developed into Genghis Khan’s distrust of his first-born.

The ruler decided that by his actions his son was trying to achieve popularity among the already conquered peoples, and then, having led them, oppose his father and separate from Mongolia. Most likely, such a scenario was far-fetched, and Jochi did not pose any threat. Nevertheless, in the winter of 1227 he was found dead in the steppe, with a broken spine.

Second son of Genghis Khan

As mentioned above, the sons of Genghis Khan were very different from each other. So, the second of them, Chagatai, was the opposite of his older brother. He was characterized by rigor, diligence and even cruelty. Thanks to these character traits, Genghis Khan’s son Chagatai took the position of “guardian of Yasa” (Yasa is the law of power), that is, in fact, he became both the prosecutor general and the chief judge in one person. Moreover, he himself observed the provisions of the law strictly and demanded its observance from others, mercilessly punishing violators.

Another son of the Great Khan

Genghis Khan's third son, Ogedei, was similar to his brother Jochi in that he was known as kind and tolerant of people. In addition, he had the ability to persuade: it was not difficult for him to win over the doubters in any dispute in which he took part, to his side.

Extraordinary mind and good physical development- perhaps it was precisely these traits inherent in Ogedei that influenced Genghis Khan when choosing a successor, which he made long before his death.

But for all his merits, Ogedei was known as a lover of entertainment, devoting a lot of time to steppe hunting and drinking bouts with friends. In addition, he was greatly influenced by Chagatai, who often forced him to change seemingly final decisions to the opposite.

Tolui - the youngest of the emperor's sons

The youngest son of Genghis Khan, who was named Tolui at birth, was born in 1193. There were rumors among the people that he was supposedly illegitimate. After all, as you know, Genghis Khan came from the Borjigin family, whose distinctive feature was blond hair and green or blue eyes, but Tolui had a Mongolian, quite ordinary appearance - dark eyes and black hair. Nevertheless, the ruler, despite the slander, considered him his own.

And exactly younger son Genghis Khan, Tolui, had the greatest talents and moral dignity. Being an excellent commander and a good administrator, Tolui retained his nobility and boundless love for his wife, the daughter of the head of the Keraits who served Wang Khan. He not only organized a “church” yurt for her, since she professed Christianity, but even allowed her to conduct rituals there, for which she was allowed to invite priests and monks. Tolui himself remained faithful to the gods of his ancestors.

Even the death that the youngest son of the Mongol ruler took says a lot about him: when Ogedei was overtaken by a serious illness, in order to take his illness upon himself, he voluntarily drank a strong potion prepared by a shaman and died, essentially giving his life for the chance of his brother’s recovery .

Transfer of power

As mentioned above, the sons of Genghis Khan had equal rights to inherit everything that their father left them. After mysterious death Jochi had fewer contenders for the throne, and when Genghis Khan died and a new ruler had not yet been formally elected, Tolui replaced his father. But already in 1229, Ogedei became the Great Khan, as Genghis himself wanted.

However, as mentioned above, Ogedei had a rather kind and gentle character, that is, not the best and most necessary traits for a sovereign. Under him, the management of the ulus was greatly weakened and kept afloat thanks to the other sons of Genghis Khan, more precisely, the administrative and diplomatic abilities of Tolui and the strict character of Chagatai. The emperor himself preferred to spend his time wandering around Western Mongolia, which was certainly accompanied by hunting and feasts.

Grandchildren of Chinggis

The children of Genghis Khan also had their own sons, who were entitled to a share of the conquests of their great grandfather and fathers. Each of them received either a part of the ulus or a high position.

Despite the fact that Jochi was dead, his sons were not left deprived. So, the eldest of them, Horde-Ichen, inherited the White Horde, which was located between the Irtysh and Tarbagatai. Another son, Sheybani, inherited the Blue Horde, which roamed from Tyumen to the Aral. From Jochi, the son of Genghis Khan, Batu - perhaps the most famous khan in Rus' - received the Golden, or Great Horde. In addition, each brother from the Mongol army was allocated 1-2 thousand soldiers.

The children of Chagatai received the same number of warriors, but the offspring of Tului, being almost constantly at court, ruled their grandfather’s ulus.

Guyuk, the son of Ogedei, was not left out either. In 1246 he was elected Great Khan, and it is believed that it was from that moment that the decline of the Mongol Empire began. A split occurred between the descendants of Genghis Khan's sons. It got to the point that Guyuk organized a military campaign against Batu. But the unexpected happened: in 1248 Guyuk died. One version says that Batu himself had a hand in his death, sending his people to poison the Great Khan.

Descendant of Jochi, son of Genghis Khan - Batu (Batu)

It was this Mongolian ruler who “inherited” more than others in the history of Rus'. His name was Batu, but in Russian sources he is more often referred to as Khan Batu.

After the death of his father, who three years before his death received into his possession the Kipchat steppe, Rus' with the Crimea, a share of the Caucasus and Khorezm, and by the time of his death he had lost most of them (his possessions were reduced to the Asian part of the steppe and Khorezm), the heirs were given a special share there was nothing. But this did not bother Bata, and in 1236, under his leadership, a pan-Mongol campaign to the West began.

Judging by the nickname given to the commander-ruler - “Sain Khan”, meaning “good-natured” - he had some of the character traits for which his father was famous, but this did not hinder Batu Khan in his conquests: by 1243 Mongolia received the western side Polovtsian steppe, the peoples of the Volga region and the North Caucasus, and in addition, Volga Bulgaria. Khan Byty raided Rus' several times. And eventually the Mongol army reached Central Europe. Batu, approaching Rome, demanded submission from its emperor, Frederick the Second. At first he was going to resist the Mongols, but changed his mind, resigning himself to his fate. There were no military clashes between the troops.

After some time, Batu Khan decided to settle on the banks of the Volga, and he no longer conducted military campaigns to the West.

Batu died in 1256 at the age of 48. The Golden Horde was headed by Batu's son Saratak.

Genghis Khan's grandson Batu Khan is undoubtedly a fatal figure in the history of Rus' in the 13th century. Unfortunately, history has not preserved his portrait and has left few descriptions of the Khan during his lifetime, but what we know speaks of him as an extraordinary personality.

Place of birth: Buryatia?

Batu Khan was born in 1209. Most likely, this happened on the territory of Buryatia or Altai. His father was Genghis Khan's eldest son 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 eldest wife. Thus, Batu was the grandson of Genghis Khan and the great-nephew of his wife.
Jochi owned the largest inheritance of the Chingizids. He was killed, possibly on the orders of Genghis Khan, when Batu was 18 years old.
According to legend, Jochi is buried in a mausoleum, which is located on the territory of 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.

Damned 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. Europeans wrote that the khan inspired great fear, but behaved “affectionately”, knew how to hide his emotions and emphasized his belonging to the Genghisid family.
He entered our history as a destroyer - “evil,” “cursed,” and “filthy.”

A holiday that became a wake

Besides Batu, Jochi had 13 sons. There is a legend that they all gave up their father’s place to each other and asked their grandfather to resolve the dispute. Genghis Khan chose Batu and gave him the commander Subedei as his mentor. In fact, Batu did not receive power, he was forced to distribute the land to his brothers, and he himself performed representative functions. Even his father’s army was led by his elder brother Ordu-Ichen.
According to legend, the holiday that the young khan organized upon returning home turned into a wake: a 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. Landless Bata had to accompany his uncle on the 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 other princes wanted to lead the campaign. Batu turned out to be the most experienced. As a teenager, he took part in a military campaign against Khorezm and the Polovtsians. It is believed that the khan took part in the Battle of Kalka in 1223, where the Mongols defeated the Cumans 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, using weapons to convince the princes to retreat. In fact, the military leader of the army was not Batu, but Subedey.
First, Batu conquered Volga Bulgaria, then devastated Rus' and returned to the Volga steppes, where he wanted to start creating his own ulus.
But Khan Udegey demanded new conquests. And in 1240, Batu invaded Southern Rus' and took Kyiv. His goal was Hungary, where the old enemy of the Genghisids, the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan, had fled.
Poland fell first and Krakow was taken. In 1241, the army of Prince Henry, in which even the Templars fought, was defeated near Legnica. 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 preparing to flee to Palestine. They were saved by the fact that Khan Udegey died and Batu turned back.

Batu vs Karakorum

The election of the 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 Jochi 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 his brothers, he made his friend Monke the Great Khan, who recognized Bata's right to control the politics of Bulgaria, Rus' and the North Caucasus.
The bones of contention between Mongolia and Batu remained the lands of Iran and Asia Minor. Batu’s efforts 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 (“Batu City”), 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, foundries and ceramic workshops. There were 14 mosques in Sarai-Batu. Palaces decorated with mosaics awed foreigners, 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. The city was razed to the ground by Tamrelan in 1395.

Batu and Nevsky

It is known that the Russian holy prince Alexander Nevsky met with Batu Khan. The meeting between Batu and Nevsky took place in July 1247 on the Lower Volga. Nevsky “stayed” with Batu until the fall of 1248, after which he left for Karakorum.
Lev Gumilyov believes that Alexander Nevsky and Batu Khan’s son Sartak even fraternized, and thus Alexander allegedly became Batu Khan’s adopted son. Since there is no chronicle evidence of this, it may turn out that this is only a legend.
But 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 mercilessness of Khan Batu.

The mystery of death

Batu Khan died in 1256 at the age of 48. Contemporaries believed that he could have been poisoned. They even said that he died on the campaign. But most likely he died from a hereditary rheumatic disease. Khan often complained of pain and numbness in his legs, and sometimes because of this he did not come to kurultai, where important decisions were made. Contemporaries said that the khan’s face was covered with red spots, which clearly indicated ill health. Considering that maternal ancestors also suffered from pain in their 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 Mongolian custom, building a house in the ground with a rich bed. At night, a herd of horses was driven through the grave so that no one would ever find this place.