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.
Personality of Ruler
All sources by which one can characterize Genghis Khan were created after his death. Of particular importance among them is the "Secret Legend." In these sources there is a description and appearance of the ruler. He was tall, with a strong physique, a wide forehead and a long beard. In addition, his character traits are described. Genghis Khan came from a people who 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 abilities were combined in him with self-control and adamant will. Genghis Khan was friendly and generous to the extent necessary to maintain the affection of his associates. He did not deny himself joy, 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.
The heirs
During the last years of the ruler’s life, the fate of his empire was very worrying. Only some of the sons of Genghis Khan had the right to take his place. The ruler had many children, all of whom were considered legal. But only four sons from Borte's wife could become heirs. These children were very different from each other in terms of character and inclinations. Genghis Khan's eldest son was born shortly after Borte returned from Merkit captivity. His shadow always haunted the boy. Evil tongues and even the second son of Genghis Khan, whose name will subsequently firmly go down in the history of the Mongol Empire, openly called him the "Merkite geek." Mother always protected the child. At the same time, Genghis Khan himself always recognized him as his son. Nevertheless, the boy was always blamed for having illegitimate children. Once Chagatay (Genghis Khan's son, second heir) openly called his brother in the presence of his father. The conflict almost escalated into a real fight.
Jochi
The son of Genghis Khan, born after the Merkit captivity, was distinguished by some features. They, in particular, were manifested in his behavior. The persistent stereotypes that were observed in him greatly distinguished him from his father. For example, Genghis Khan did not recognize such a thing as mercy for enemies. He could only survive the small children who were subsequently adopted by Oelun (his mother), as well as the valiant bagaturas who accepted Mongolian citizenship. Jochi, on the contrary, was distinguished by kindness and humanity. For example, during the siege of Gurganj Khorezmians, who were absolutely exhausted by the war, asked to accept their surrender, to spare them, to keep them alive. Jochi expressed his support, but Genghis Khan categorically rejected such a proposal. As a result, the garrison of the siege city was partially cut out, and it was flooded by the waters of the Amu Darya.
Tragic death
The misunderstanding that was established between the son and father was constantly fueled by slander and intrigue of relatives. Over time, the conflict deepened and led to the emergence of a stable distrust of the ruler to his first heir. Genghis Khan began to suspect that Jochi wants to become popular with the conquered tribes, in order to subsequently separate 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 was hunting. 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 the deceased brother, he was characterized by severity, diligence and even certain cruelty. These features contributed to the fact that Chagatai was appointed "guardian of Yasa." This post is similar to the post of supreme judge or attorney general. Chagatay always strictly followed the law, he was merciless to violators.
Third heir
Few people know what was 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 characters. Ogedei was also distinguished by tolerance and kindness to people. However, his peculiarity was a passion for hunting in the steppe and drinking with friends. Once, having left for a joint trip, Chagatai and Ugadei saw a Muslim who was washed in the water. According to religious custom, each believer is required to perform prayer and ritual bathing several times during the day. But these actions were banned according to Mongolian custom. The tradition did not allow ablutions anywhere throughout the 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 life for them. The guards (nuhurs) of the ruthless and law-abiding Chagatai seized the Muslim. Ogedei, suggesting that the intruder would lose his head, sent his man to him. The messenger had to tell the Muslim that he allegedly dropped gold into the water and looked for him there (to stay alive). The intruder replied to Chagatay. This was followed by the order of the nuhuras to find a coin in the water. Ugadei's squad threw a golden one into the water. The coin was found and returned to the Muslim as the "rightful" owner. Ogedei, saying goodbye to the saved, took a handful of gold from his pocket and handed it to a man. At the same time, he warned the Muslim that the next time he dropped the coin into the water, he did not look for it, did not break the law.
Fourth successor
The youngest son of Genghis Khan, according to Chinese sources, was born in 1193. At this time, his father was in Jurchen captivity. He stayed there until 1197. This time, Borte's betrayal was obvious. However, Genghis Khan recognized his son Tuluy. Moreover, outwardly, the child had a completely Mongolian appearance. All the sons of Genghis Khan possessed their own characteristics. But Tului was awarded by nature the greatest talents. He was distinguished by the highest moral dignity, possessed the extraordinary abilities of the organizer and commander. Tului is known as a loving husband and a noble man. He married the daughter of the deceased Van Khan (the head of the Keraites). She, in turn, was a Christian. Tului could not accept his wife’s religion. Being Genghisides, he must profess the faith of his ancestors - bon. Tului not only allowed his wife to send all the proper Christian rites in the "church" yurt, but also to receive monks and have priests with him. The death of the fourth heir to Genghis Khan, without any exaggeration, can be called heroic. In order to save the sick Ugadei, Tului voluntarily accepted a powerful shaman potion. So, taking the disease away from his brother, he sought to attract her to himself.
Board of heirs
All the sons of Genghis Khan had the right to rule the empire. After the elder brother of the successors was eliminated, three remained. After the death of his father, before the election of a new khan, the ulus was governed by Tului. In 1229, the kurultai took place. Here, according to the will of the emperor, a new ruler was chosen. They became a tolerant and gentle Ogedei. This heir, as mentioned above, was distinguished by kindness. However, this quality is not always beneficial to the ruler. During the years of his khanate, the leadership of the ulus was very weak. Administration was carried out mainly due to the rigor of Chagatai and thanks to the diplomatic abilities of Tului. Ogedei himself, instead of government affairs, preferred to wander in Western Mongolia, hunting and feasting.
Grandchildren
They received various ulus territories or significant posts. The oldest son of Jochi - Horde-Ycheng, got the White Horde. This region was located between the Tarbagatai ridge and the Irtysh (Semipalatinsk district today). Batu was next. The son of Genghis Khan left him the Golden Horde. Sheybani (third successor) relied on the Blue Horde. The rulers of the uluses were also allocated 1-2 thousand soldiers. At the same time, the strength of the Mongol 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 the Kipchak steppe, part of the Caucasus, Russia and Crimea, as well as Khorezm. The heir to the ruler died, owning only Khorezm and the Asian part of the steppe. In 1236-1243 years. Mongol campaign to the West took place. He was headed by Batu. The son of Genghis Khan conveyed to his heir some character traits. The sources indicate the nickname Sain Khan. According to one version, it means "good-natured." This nickname was possessed by King Batu. The son of Genghis Khan died, as was said above, owning only a small part of his inheritance. As a result of the campaign, which took place in the years 1236-1243, the following went to Mongolia: the western part in the Polovtsian steppe, the North Caucasian and Volga peoples, as well as the Volga Bulgaria. Several times under the leadership of Batu, troops attacked Russia. In their campaigns, the army of the Mongols reached Central Europe. Frederick II, then emperor of Rome, tried to organize resistance. When Batu began to demand humility, he replied that he could be a falconer at the khan. The clash, however, between the troops did not occur. Some time later, Batu donkey in Saray-Batu, on the banks of the Volga. He no longer made trips to the West.
Strengthening the ulus
In 1243, Batu learned of 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 Ugadei) was elected a kagan on the kurultai of 1246. He was a longtime enemy of Batu. Guyuk died in 1248, and in 1251 the loyal Munke, a participant in the European campaign from 1246 to 1243, was elected the fourth ruler. Batuy sent Berke (his brother) with an army to support the new khan.
Relations with the princes of Russia
In 1243-1246 years. All Russian rulers accepted dependence on the Mongol Empire and the Golden Horde. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (Vladimir Prince) was recognized as the oldest in Russia. He received Kiev ravaged in 1240 by the Mongols. In 1246, Batu sent Yaroslav to the kurultai in Karakoram as an authorized representative. Guyuk's supporters poisoned the Russian prince there. Mikhail Chernigovsky died in the Golden Horde because he refused to go into the yurt of the khan between two fires. The Mongols regarded this as having malicious intent. Alexander Nevsky and Andrey - the sons of Yaroslav - also went to the Horde. Arriving from there to Karakoram, the first received Novgorod and Kiev, and the second - Vladimir reign. In an effort to confront the Mongols, Andrei made an alliance with the then-strongest prince in southern Russia, Galitsky. This was the reason for the punitive campaign of the Mongols in 1252. The Horde army, led by Nevruy defeated Yaroslav and Andrey. Batu handed the label to Vladimir Alexander. Daniil Galitsky built his relations with Batu in a slightly different way. He expelled the Horde Baskaks from his cities. In 1254, he defeated an army led by Kuremsa.
Carocorum affairs
After Guyuk was elected in 1246 as a great khan, a split occurred between the descendants of Chagatai and Ugadei 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 Munke and Batu. The first subsequently became the new ruler of the Mongol ulus. In 1251, Batu sent an army led by Burundai near Ortar to help Munk.
Descendants
The successors of Batu are: Sartak, Tukan, Ulagchi and Abukan. The first was a follower of the Christian religion. Sartak's daughter married Gleb Vasilkovich, and the daughter of her grandson Batu became the wife of St. Fedor Cherny. In these two marriages, Belozersky and Yaroslavl princes were born (respectively).