Batu Khan was Genghis Khan. Grandson of Genghis Khan

GOLDEN HORDE (ULUS JUCHI)

The Mongol-Tatar feudal state (in eastern sources, Ulus Jochi), was founded in the early 40s of the 13th century by Batu Khan (1208-1255+), the grandson of Genghis Khan as a result of the aggressive campaigns of the Mongols. The Golden Horde included Western Siberia, Northern Khorezm, Volga Bulgaria, the Northern Caucasus, Crimea, Dasht-i-Kipchak (Kipchak steppe from the Irtysh to the Danube). The extreme southeastern limit of the Golden Horde was Southern Kazakhstan (now the city of Dzhambul), and the extreme northeastern limit was the cities of Tyumen and Isker (near the modern city of Tobolsk) in Western Siberia. From north to south, the Horde extended from the middle reaches of the Kama River to the city of Derbent. This entire gigantic territory was quite homogeneous in landscape terms - it was mainly steppe.

The Russian principalities were vassals of the Golden Horde, established as a result of the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus'. Russian princes came to the khan's headquarters for a label confirming their grand-ducal power, sometimes they lived here for a long time, not always of their own free will. Here they brought tribute, the so-called Horde exit, and rich gifts to the Horde nobles. Russian princes with their entourage, Russian merchants and numerous Russian artisans formed a vast colony in Sarai. Therefore, back in 1261, a special Sarai Orthodox bishopric was established. There was also an Orthodox church in Sarai.

The power of the khan was unlimited. Surrounded by the khan, in addition to members of his house (sons, brothers and nephews), there were large representatives of the Golden Horde nobility - begi (noyons). State affairs were led by beklyare-bek (prince over princes), and individual branches by viziers. Darugs were sent to cities and regions (uluses), whose main duty was to collect taxes and taxes. Along with the Darugs, military leaders - Baskaks - were appointed. The government structure of the Horde was of a semi-military nature. The most important positions were occupied by members of the ruling dynasty, princes (oglans), who owned appanages in the Golden Horde and headed the troops. The main command cadres of the army came from among the begs (noyons) and tarkhanov: temniks, thousand officers, centurions, as well as bakauls (officials who distributed military contents, booty, etc.).

The Horde was founded on very conveniently located lands: the route of ancient caravan trade lay here, and from here it was closer to other Mongol states. Merchants from distant Egypt, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Crimea, Volga Bulgaria, Western Europe, and India came to Saray-Batu with their goods. The khans encouraged the development of trade and crafts. Cities were built on the banks of the Volga, Yaik (Ural), in Crimea and other territories.

The population of the Horde represented a wide variety of nationalities and beliefs. The Mongol conquerors did not constitute the majority of the population. They disappeared into the mass of conquered peoples, mainly of Turkic origin, primarily the Kipchaks. The most important thing was that the cultural zone on the Lower Volga turned out to be so close to the steppe that sedentary and nomadic farming could easily be combined here. The main population of the cities and steppe remained the Polovtsians. Feudal law was also in effect in the steppe - all the land belonged to the feudal lord, to whom ordinary nomads obeyed. All medieval cities located in the lower reaches of the Volga and its channels were eventually flooded with water, and the inhabitants had to leave them.

Historically, this gigantic half-state, half-nomad society did not last long. The state structure of the Golden Horde was the most primitive. The unity of the Horde was based on a system of brutal terror. The Golden Horde reached its greatest prosperity under Khan Uzbek (1313-1342). After Khan Uzbek, the Horde experienced a period of feudal fragmentation. The fall of the Golden Horde, accelerated by the Battle of Kulikovo (1380) and the brutal campaign of Tamerlane in 1395, was as quick as its birth.

In the 15th century, the Golden Horde split into the Nogai Horde (early 15th century), Kazan (1438), Crimean (1443), Astrakhan (1459), Siberian (late 15th century), Greater Horde and other khanates.
Capitals of the Golden Horde

1. Saray-Batu (Old Saray) (Lower Volga, Akhtuba river, settlement near the village of Selitrennoye, Kharabalinsky district, Astrakhan region, Russia). The city was founded by Batu Khan in 1254. Destroyed in 1395 by Tamerlane.
The settlement near the village of Selitrennoye, left over from the first capital of the Golden Horde - Sarai-Batu (city of Batu), is striking in its size. Spread over several hillocks, it stretches along the left bank of the Akhtuba for more than 15 km. The city grew very quickly. At the beginning of the 14th century, it was the capital - with continuous rows of houses, with mosques (of which 13 were cathedrals), with palaces, the walls of which sparkled with mosaic patterns, with reservoirs filled with clear water, with extensive markets and warehouses. The Khan's palace towered on the highest hill above the bank of Akhtuba. According to legend, the khan's palace was decorated with gold, so the entire state began to be called the Golden Horde. And even today, in the area of ​​the village of Selitrennoye, you can find tiles with bright oriental patterns, coins of the 13th-14th centuries, fragments of ceramics, and clay water pipes. The city had its own ceramics, foundries, and jewelry workshops.

2. Saray-Berke (New Saray) (now the village of Tsarev, Leninsky district, Volgograd region, Russia). The city was built by Khan Berke in 1262. Since 1282 - the capital of the Golden Horde. Destroyed in 1396 by Tamerlane. In 1402, the capital was restored, but could no longer achieve its former splendor and splendor.

3. Saraichik (Small Sarai) (now the village of Saraichikovskoye, Makhambet district, Guryev region, Kazakhstan). The city was formed at the end of the 13th century. as a trade and economic center of the Golden Horde on the trade route from the Volga region to Central Asia (Khorezm). In 1395 it was destroyed by Tamerlane. Restored in the 30-40s of the 15th century. From the second half of the 15th century. became the capital of the Nogai Horde. Completely destroyed by the Russians in 1580, on the eve of the conquest of Siberia.

Chronological table
reign of the khans of the Golden Horde 1236-1481

The chronological table is based on the book by William Vasilyevich Pokhlebkin (1923-2000s), a prominent scientist who was tragically killed under unclear circumstances, Tatars and Rus'. 360 years of relations in 1238-1598. Chapter 1.1. (M. International Relations 2000). The table is the first attempt (according to the author) in historical literature to give a consolidated, complete, clear idea of ​​the number (quantity), sequence of succession, reliable names and period of power of all the supreme rulers of the Horde throughout the history of its existence.
This book contains a lot of interesting and important data. Unfortunately, it was published in only 1,500 copies. and is unlikely to be available to a wide readership. For greater clarity of the presentation on the Internet, we had to slightly change the appearance of the table, preserving all its contents

Thus, over the entire history of the Horde of 245 years, it was ruled by 64 khans, who ascended the throne a total of 79 times. Of the 64 khans, 12 were purely regional, sitting in their own fiefs (yurts), 4 were mixed (they came from the regions to Sarai) and only 48 were all-Horde. This statistics explains the discrepancies among historians in calculating the number of khans. Twice the Horde was ruled by 10 khans, three times by Urus Khan and 5 times by Ulu-Muhammad (Muhammad the Great).

Average length of stay on the khan's throne for individual periods:
I. For the descendants of the Batu family, for the first 120 years of the Horde (1236-1359) - 10 years;
II. During the 20-year turmoil (1359-1379) - less than 1 year (approx. 9 months);
III. During the period of restoration of the unity of the Horde (1380-1420) - 2 years;
IV. During the period of division of the Horde into the Western and Eastern parts (1420-1455) - 4 years 4 months;
V. During the period of the Great Horde (1443-1481) - 13 years;

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 Gumilev 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.

It just so happens that we all look at history, as they say, from our own bell tower. For us, Batu (in Mongolian - Batu) is a merciless conqueror, the conqueror of Rus', from whom the Horde yoke begins. However, the campaigns against Rus' were only episodes in the biography of this man. And far from the most important episodes.

Batu Khan is a man of mystery.

We don't know exactly when he was born and when he died. We don’t know why Batu led his father’s ulus, although he was not the eldest son. We can't even imagine what Batu looked like.

The only description of Batu's appearance was left to us by Guillaume de Rubruk, an envoy of the French king Louis IX. “In terms of height,” writes Rubruk, “it seemed to me that he looked like Monsieur Jean de Beaumont, may his soul rest in peace. Batu’s face was then covered with reddish spots.” And period. Unfortunately, we have no idea how tall Monsieur Jean de Beaumont was.

Mysterious lord

It is difficult for us to judge Batu's personal qualities. In Russian sources he is an undoubted fiend of hell. He is cruel, cunning and endowed with all the vices that exist. But if we take Persian, Arabic or Armenian sources, then a completely different person will appear before us. “It is impossible to count his gifts and generosity and to measure his generosity and generosity,” writes Juvaini, a Persian historian of the 13th century.

Finally, we cannot say with certainty that Batu was Genghis Khan’s own grandson. Jochi, Batu's father, was born when Genghis Khan was having some problems. His wife was captured by the Merkits, and immediately after her liberation she gave birth to a son, Jochi. Of course, there is a suspicion that she did not give birth to Genghis Khan.

“Conqueror of the Universe” recognized his son. He claimed that his wife got caught. captivity, already being pregnant. Not everyone believed. The Jochi brothers, Chagatai and Ogedei, doubted the most. One day at a feast, Chagatai began to download his license.

Do you command Jochi to be the first to speak? - Chagatai turned to his father with indignation. - How can we obey the heir of the Merkite captivity?

Jochi, of course, was offended. He and Chagatai grappled, but were separated.

“Don’t dare to utter such words in the future,” Genghis Khan concluded. But he did not make his eldest son Jochi his heir, but his third son, Ogedei.

Steppe nomads are touchy people. Resentment passes from generation to generation. The heirs of Jochi will be at enmity with the descendants of Chagatai and Ogedei. But they will be friends with the heirs of Genghis Khan’s fourth son, Tolui.

In the meantime, Jochi died. According to some reports, he quarreled with his father, and he got rid of his negligent son. But the Jochi ulus remained.

Who saved Europe?

At one time, Genghis Khan allocated an ulus to each of his four sons. Ulus Jochi is the territory of present-day Kazakhstan. The lands to the west also belonged to Jochi. But they had to be conquered first. This is what Genghis Khan ordered. And his word is law.

In 1236, the Mongols began their Western Campaign and eventually reached the Adriatic Sea, conquering Rus' along the way.

We are usually interested in the invasion of Rus'. This is understandable - we live in Rus'. But the Mongols were interested in it, so to speak, only because. It, of course, needs to be conquered and imposed with tribute - that goes without saying. But there was nothing to do there. There are forests and cities. And the Mongols live in the steppe. And they were primarily interested in the Polovtsian steppe - Desht-i-Kipchak, which stretched from Hungary to the Irtysh. We call Batu's invasion the Western Campaign. And in Mongolia it was called the Kipchak campaign.

In 1242, the Mongols finished their campaign. We don't know exactly why. Our historians often write that Batu turned east because in his rear there remained Rus' that was not completely conquered, where almost a partisan movement had developed. Thus, we saved Western Europe from the Mongol invasion.

This point of view, of course, flatters our national pride. But, alas, it is not based on any historical data.

Most likely, the Eurasian historian Georgy Vernadsky is right. Batu's army learned that the great Khan Ogedei had died in Mongolia. According to rumors, he was poisoned by some woman. Western Europe owes its salvation to this woman.

There were many Chingizid princes under Batu. They had to go to the kurultai to choose a new khan. There is no time for Western Europe here.

The campaign lasted from 1236 to 1242. Six years. After this, Batu lived another 13 or 14 years. But he did not make any more trips. He devoted these years to the development of his ulus and, let’s say, general Mongolian politics.

The capital of the Mongol Empire was, naturally, in Mongolia, in Karakorum. Batu, once he left for the Western Campaign, never returned to Mongolia. But his fate was decided there.

Power struggle

Even during the Western campaign, Batu had a huge quarrel with some princes. Here is how it was. They feasted. We drank too much. And Buri, the grandson of Chagatai, began to swear. He was supported by Guyuk, son of Ogedei, and the influential emir Argasun.

How dare Batu, who is trying to be equal to us, drink chara before anyone else? - Buri shouted. - You should hit with your heel and trample with your foot these bearded women who are trying to be equal!

Let's chop wood on the chests of these women armed with bows! - Guyuk inserted.

Guyuk and Buri left Bata and returned to Karakorum. But Ogedei gave them a good time, even though Guyuk was his eldest son. Ogedei was so offended by Guyuk that he did not make him heir. And he ordered to transfer power to his grandson Shiramun.

After Ogedei's death, power was seized by his widow Tu-rakin. She wanted to continue to rule herself. But this is not the case when women rule. She had to convene a kurultai to elect a new khan. They chose Guyuk. That is, they violated the will of Ogedei, who wanted Shiramuna.

As we remember, Guyuk is Batu’s enemy. His election did not bode well for Batu. But he could not prevent this election - he did not have enough strength. And authority.

Batu sent his brothers to the kurultai, but he himself did not go, “citing poor health and leg disease.” Illness is, naturally, an excuse. Batu hated Guyuk; he did not at all want to kneel before him and pay other due honors. In addition, it was dangerous to travel: in Karakorum, poisoning a person is a piece of cake.

In general, Guyuk began to rule. Batu formally recognized his authority, but flatly refused to come to Karakorum and pay his respects. And Guyuk was offended. He gathered an army and moved west. Batu also gathered an army and moved east.

The Mongol Empire was on the brink of civil war. It's hard to say how it would have ended. But Guyuk died unexpectedly. Unexpectedly and very opportunely for Batu. There is every reason to suspect that Batu contributed to the death of the Great Khan. As we have already said, poisoning an opponent is a common thing for the Mongols.

Now Guyuk's widow has come to power. She was a quarrelsome and stupid woman. “More despicable than a dog,” the Mongols themselves would later say. She quarreled with everyone she could. Even with my sons.

Batu is the eldest in the Chingizid family. He is offered to become the Great Khan himself. He refuses. Not because he is modest, but because he is wise. Batu decided that a bird in the hand is better than a pie in the sky. It is better to rule your own ulus than to be a great khan in Karakorum, where there is too much intrigue and too often people die under mysterious circumstances.

But the great khan must be his own man. And Batu found such a person - Mongke, the son of Tolui, his old friend.

In essence, Batu carried out a coup d'état. He convened a kurultai not in Mongolia, as expected, but in his possessions. And his troops kept order. It should not be surprising that the one he wanted was chosen as khan - Mongke.

Batu did not forget the insults. Once upon a time at a feast he was insulted by Buri, Guyuk and Argasun. Guyuk was no longer alive, but Batu and Mongke executed his widow and sent his sons into exile. Poor Buri's head was cut off - among the Mongols this was considered a shameful execution. Argasun was also executed. And at the same time, Argasun’s father. For raising a bad son.

Genghis Khan believed that the greatest happiness in life is dealing with enemies. Batu clearly shared this view.

We don't really like Bata. But in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, there is Batu Khan Street. Evaluating history is a difficult matter. Depending on which side you look at...

Gleb Stashkov

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 Gumilev 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.

Khan Batu is the grandson of Timur - Genghis Khan, son of Jochi Khan. Modern historians are forced to admit this fact, since chronicles have been preserved and it is written about this in other documents.

Well, and of course, historians see him as a Mongoloid.
But let's look at it logically. Batu, or more precisely Batu Khan, belongs, like his grandfather Genghis Khan, to the Borjigin family, i.e. must have blue eyes, blond hair, be at least 1.7 m tall and other signs of belonging to the white race. However, there is no information on the portrait; it was diligently destroyed by falsifiers of Russian history.

Khan Batu - military king of the Rus

Of course, examining the bust, it is impossible to draw a conclusion about the color of the eyes and hair. This is what the false historians were counting on when they left the artifact. But the value lies elsewhere. There is not the slightest sign of a Mongoloid in the outlines of the bust - a typical European is depicted with a thick beard and Slavic eye shape!

But the second source is “Batu’s capture of Suzdal in 1238. Miniature from the “Life of Euphrosyne of Suzdal” of the 16th century. List of the 18th century":

A miniature depicting Khan Batu in a crown, who, accompanied by his army, enters the city on a white horse. His face is not Turkic at all - purely European. And all the characters in the fighting squad are somehow Slavic, isn’t it noticeable?!

So Khan Batu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, was not far from his famous grandfather in appearance.
Then why did historians pay so little attention to Bath in their chronicles?
Who really was Batu Khan? Why did his activities displease the Romanov falsifiers so much that, unable to come up with a plausible version, they decided to destroy the existing chronicles?

In another illustration from the chronicle, Batu Khan appeared in the image of a Russian Tsar with the same Russian warriors:

Batu is one of the outstanding politicians of the 13th century. He played an important role in the history of many states in Asia, Eastern Europe and Rus'. Until now, few people know the description of his life. Being a significant historical figure, Batu remains unknown and forgotten.
How is it that historians and historical biographers have not paid attention to this famous figure?

Let's consider the official version of history, created by German specialists commissioned by the Romanovs and forcibly imposed, first on the captured Moscow Tartaria, and with the advent of the Great Jewish Revolution, extended to the entire territory of the former empire.

Information about Batu is rather superficial. Khan from Mongolia, grandson of Genghis Khan. Batu (12O8-1255) organized a large-scale campaign against Rus' and the countries of Eastern Europe. This data can be found in many biographical dictionaries.
The most important thing that Batu left behind was the state. It is now known as the Golden Horde. In different centuries, the Principality of Moscow and the Russian Empire became its successors, and today this list is supplemented by Kazakhstan. Few people know that the Horde is an Army, an Army. The army of the Vedic Empire or Great Tartaria, united over the entire vast territory.

Khan's life is comparable to a political detective story. It is a series of riddles and secrets. Their discovery is new horizons for researchers.
These mysteries begin from the moment of birth and last until the end of Batu’s life. The very life of this mysterious khan can be divided into three stages. Each stage left a significant imprint on the history of many Asian and European countries, and of course, Russia.

Batu's birth occurred in the year of the earth-snake. Batu is the son of the eldest son of Genghis Khan. Father - Jochi Khan himself was a conqueror; before Batu was born, his father conquered Transbaikalia and the Kyrgyz of the Yenisei. Geographically, Batu’s birth supposedly took place on the territory of modern Altai.

According to Russian chronicles, Batu troops conquered Volga Bulgaria, destroying almost the entire population. Khan paved the way to Rus'.

Historians ask the question, why was the campaign against Rus' necessary at all? After all, the conquest of Volga Bulgaria made it possible to be secure for the rest of one’s life. But despite everything, the more dangerous and difficult hike took place. Along the way, some other peoples of the Volga region were conquered.
There is an opinion that the khan was guided not only by his own decisions. His strategies and directions were influenced by relatives and comrades in the campaign, who dreamed of military glory.
The Ryazan principality was the first to stand on Batu’s path. The invasion began with the strange murder of Ryazan ambassadors, including the prince’s son. The murder is strange because usually the Mongols left their ambassadors alive, no matter what conflicts occurred. Perhaps the ambassadors seriously offended the Mongols in some way, but a more plausible version is about a contract killing, like the murder of Prince Ferdinand to create a pretext for the start of a world war.

Domestic historians claim that the khan decided to turn around because of the stubborn struggle of the Russian people in the rear of his troops. The probability of this fact is small, because his troops left Rus', leaving no one as governors, and the Mongols did not set up garrisons. Who would the Russians have to fight? Moreover, fighters from Southern Rus' took part in the campaigns of the Mongol troops against the Ugrians and Poles.

European experts insist that the European knights, possessing excellent weapons and seriously trained, overcame the advance of the light barbarian cavalry. This is also a false statement. One need only remember the fate of the famous knighthood of Liegnitz and Chaillot and the psychological state of the knight sovereigns. Batu left Europe, since the set goals of destroying Khan Kotyan, as well as preserving his possessions in safety, were completed.

Batu died in 1256. Even his death is also shrouded in mystery. There were versions of poisoning and even death in one of the campaigns.
Contemporaries did not even think about such a banal death of such a significant historical person - a legend was needed. Although the death of the khan was completely natural, it was due to a chronic rheumatic disease.

And yet, why did Batu receive such a small place in the annals of history? Finding an answer today is not so difficult.

Chinese and Mongolian sources contain a scanty amount of information about Batu. While he was in China, he did not show himself in any way. Mongol chroniclers considered him an enemy of the khans from Karakorum and wished to keep silent about him so as not to anger their overlords

The Persian chronicles are somewhat similar. Since the heirs of Sain Khan fought for the lands of Iran and Azerbaijan with the Persian Mongols for more than a century, the chroniclers at the palace chose to write less about the leader of their opponents.

Western diplomats who visited Batu generally refused to make any statements about him. They kept silent about their opinion about the khan. Although, according to some information, the Mongol ruler is very kind to his subordinates, he instills great fear in them, is able to hide his emotions, wants to show his unity with the rest of the Genghisids, etc. etc.

Among the chronicles of Rus' and the West, the falsifiers left only records corresponding to the version of the Mongol invasions, which did not write anything good about Batu. So he entered the chronicles as the destroyer and destroyer of Rus' and Eastern Europe.
Later chronicles were based on previous records and further strengthened this status of Batu.
This position was so strong that when, already in the 20th century, orientalists from the USSR were looking for positive aspects of the khan’s activities (promoting the development of trade, cities, the ability to fairly resolve disputes between vassal rulers), the data of official history and ideology crowned these searches with failure.

Only towards the end of the 20th century did historians begin to destroy the entrenched stereotype. For example, L.N. Gumilyov put Batu on a par with Charlemagne, noting that the latter’s power did not last long after the death of the leader, and the Golden Horde had a long history after the death of its founder.

One way or another, no one has yet devoted any serious research work to this great khan. Probably, specialists are still stopped by the meager information base, rather contradictory materials that do not allow them to project a complete picture of Batu’s life, and the unspoken ban on such research plays a significant role. But the lack of a database and prohibitions do not stop falsifiers of history.
In view of all of the above, to this day Khan Batu remains a mysterious and mysterious figure. We will remove the layer of falsehood through joint efforts, but the Russian truth will still find its way.