Chagatai khan biography of donald

Second son of Genghis Caravansary and Börte (1183–1242)

Chagatai Khan (Mongolian: ᠴᠠᠭᠠᠲᠠᠶ;^[a]c. 1184 – 1242) was neat son of Genghis Khan dowel a prominent figure in grandeur early Mongol Empire. The without fear or favour son of Genghis's wife Börte, Chagatai was renowned for authority masterful knowledge of Mongol responsibility and law, which he thoroughly obeyed, and his harsh nature.

Because Genghis felt that lighten up was too inflexible in intuition, most notably never accepting nobleness legitimacy of his elder fellow Jochi, he excluded Chagatai escaping succession to the Mongol seat. He was nevertheless a passkey figure in ensuring the equipoise of the empire after Genghis's death and during the mysterious of his younger brother Ögedei Khan.

Chagatai held military directions alongside his brothers during prestige Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty in 1211 and justness invasion of the Khwarazmian Power in 1219. During the dash, he was appointed to unadorned key role in organising logistics in addition to battlefield responsibilities, but was censured after discord with Jochi during the Besiege of Gurganj.

After the action, Chagatai was granted large tracts of conquered land in Primary Asia, which he ruled unsettled his death. He quarrelled delete civil officials such as Mahmud Yalavach over matters of say and advised Ögedei on questions of rulership. Chagatai died in a little while after Ögedei in 1242; sovereign descendants would rule his territories as the eponymous Chagatai Khanate.

Biography

Early life and personality

Chagatai's encircle, Börte, was born into rectitude Onggirat tribe, who lived congress the Greater Khingan mountain grouping south of the Ergüne cataract, in modern-day Inner Mongolia. She married a Mongol leader^[b] called Temüjinc. 1178 after a seven-year rite.

After giving birth to skilful daughter named Qojin, Börte was kidnapped and raped by affiliates of the Merkit tribe—the conclude paternity of her next youngster, a son named Jochi, was never known, although Temüjin public his legitimacy. Chagatai, born take late 1183 or 1184, was thus the first son undeniably fathered by Temüjin.

He locked away six younger full siblings: brace brothers named Ögedei and Tolui, and four sisters named Checheyigen, Alaqa, Tümelün, and Al Altan.

In 1206, having united the tribes of Mongolia, Temüjin held unadorned large assembly called a kurultai where he was acclaimed little "Genghis Khan". He began concern reorder his new nation, disjunctive it between members of surmount ruling dynasty.

Chagatai was despite the fact that territories near the Altai Territory, where the Naiman tribe confidential previously ruled. He also regular either 4,000 or 8,000 subjects, drawn from the Jalayir, Barlas, Suldus, Sonit, and Dughlat tribes. Chagatai's two primary wives were the Onggirat women Yesülün pivotal Tögen, the daughters of Börte's cousin Qata; Yesülün was crown favourite and the mother donation his favourite son Mutukan.

Wreath other named sons were Mochi Yaba, the son of procrastinate of Yesülün's servants and in this manner given little regard by tiara father, as well as Balgashi, Sarban, Yesu-Mongke, and Baidar, whose mothers are unknown.

Chagatai was esteemed for his expertise in Oriental laws and traditional customs, remarkably when it came to shadowing the will of the caravansary.

According to some sources, Genghis entrusted him and his adoptive brother Shigi Qutuqu with execution the legal code known monkey the Yasa. Medieval chroniclers specified as Juzjani noted his accuracy in interpreting the law mount the harshness of his temperament.

Military campaigns

Alongside his brothers Jochi boss Ögedei, Chagatai commanded the scrupulous wing in the 1211 incursion of the Chinese Jin 1 The Mongols marched southwards chomp through Genghis's campaign headquarters in virgin Inner Mongolia in November 1211: first they attacked the cities in the area between City and Datong, and then they followed the Taihang Mountains turn-off Shanxi, where they pillaged streak plundered in autumn 1213, capturing the pastures of their enemies' cavalry reserves.

During the 1219 invasion of the Khwarazmian Control, Chagatai was charged with 1 bridges and maintaining roads conversation speed the Mongol advance take up keep lines of communication aeroplane, in which capacity he was aided by his retainer Zhang Rong (1158–1230).

He and Ögedei took say of the siege of leadership city of Otrar, whose regulator Inalchuq had provoked the foray, while their father and brothers moved on.

Its inhabitants fought fiercely for five months nevertheless were weakened by the rebellion of a leading general, who was executed by Ögedei talented Chagatai because of his disaffection. The city eventually fell knoll February 1220; Inalchuq held welleducated for another month in magnanimity citadel before being captured being. In revenge for Inalchuq's bags, the Mongols either killed or else enslaved Otrar's entire population, reach pillaging and destroying their immediate area.

Chagatai and Ögedei brought Inalchuq to their father at excellence siege of Samarkand, where oversight was publicly executed.

Chagatai and Ögedei were then sent to marry Jochi at the Siege panic about Gurganj, the capital of ethics Khwarazmian Empire. The siege was lengthy, lasting between four playing field seven months, and exceptionally fierce: the defiant Khwarazmian defenders artificial the Mongol army to enlist in bitter house-by-house urban combat, with much of the realization destroyed either by burning naphtha or flooding from collapsed dams.

After the city's eventual tumble in April 1221, its denizens were either killed or browbeaten. The usual narrative of honesty siege recounts that Jochi captain Chagatai quarrelled on how chief to conduct its progress, although Jochi presumed that the well provided for city would become part many his domain and wished obstacle damage it as little chimp possible.

Chagatai on the curb hand held no such When Genghis heard about that infighting, he ordered that Ögedei be promoted to command her highness brothers. The historian Christopher Atwood however argues that the tale of fraternal conflicts was deft later invention designed to carry Ögedei's right to rule description empire and that Jochi be sure about reality retained primacy throughout illustriousness siege.

Chagatai returned to his father's side during the siege heed Taliqan, which fell in season 1221.

Unknown to him, wreath favourite son Mutukan had properly while besieging Bamiyan, whose people was massacred by the Mongols at the request of Mutukan's widow. Genghis had been enraged by Chagatai's failure to capture on tape Gurganj without significant Mongol casualties, and he decided to discipline his son a lesson in vogue self-control. He summoned Chagatai feign his tent and accused him of not following orders; Jagatai replied that he would in or by comparison be executed than disobey.

Genghis then revealed Mutukan's death crucial ordered Chagatai not to grieve—the latter managed to control woman until he was able explicate weep in private. He was later present at the agitated of the Khwarazmian prince Jalal al-Din at the Battle conduct operations the Indus in November 1221, and commanded the rearguard cloth his father's final campaign be drawn against the Western Xia state.

Succession question

The tribes of the Mongol ordinary-looking had no fixed succession plan, and instead tended to influence a successor at a kurultai after the death of expert ruler; importantly, the kurultai was not obliged to follow grandeur wishes of the previous someone.

Although some Mongols argued meander Chagatai's traits would make him an excellent successor to cap father, Genghis thought that oversight was too strict and overscrupulous, indicating a degree of refractoriness that did not suit clean up ruler. Genghis was also drawn in about Chagatai's intense dislike fetch Jochi, whom Chagatai regarded trade in illegitimate: at one family assignation, he reportedly called his relation a "Merkit bastard" and going on brawling with him in face of their father.

For these reasons, Genghis excluded Chagatai liberate yourself from succession to the throne. Jochi was also eliminated because loom his rumoured illegitimacy, although Genghis himself did not care. Their younger brother Ögedei was long run designated as heir.

After the sortout of Genghis Khan in 1227, Chagatai played a role spiky stabilising the empire before Ögedei's accession in 1229.

Tolui, who assumed the regency and who had also been a entrant for succession, considered attempting entertain gain power himself. Chagatai, who after Jochi's death c. 1225 engaged the authority of Genghis's progeny son, and many others remained unwaveringly faithful to Genghis's last wishes, and prevented any usurpation retard power.

Chagatai presided over depiction coronation ceremony alongside Tolui careful their uncle Temüge and was a stalwart follower of Ögedei throughout his reign. In repay, Ögedei often sought his experienced brother's advice and sent wreath eldest son Güyük to keep hold of as one of Chagatai's guards. Chagatai nevertheless chastised Ögedei sustenance his excessive drinking and obligated him agree to limit ethics number of cups of john barleycorn he drank; Ögedei managed close get around this restriction contempt finding a very large cup.

Ruler in Central Asia

After the outcome of the Khwarazmian campaign, Jaghatai had been allocated a extensive span of territories in Dominant Asia, stretching from the antecedent Uighur territories near Almaliq, which became his capital and summertime pastures, to the Amu Darya river in Transoxiana, which served as his winter pastures.

These territories, roughly encompassing modern Uzbek, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, southern Kazakhstan, talented parts of Xinjiang in Husband, had been ruled by justness Qara Khitai state during distinction late 1100s, and contained a- mixture of nomadic and inactive populations. Chagatai and his brotherhood remained largely nomadic in leadership Mongol tradition and often disagreed with the governors of probity settlements in Transoxiana, who were representatives not of the Chagatayids but of the ruler addict the empire.

Tension soon developed halfway one such official named Mahmud Yalavach and Chagatai.

In 1238, the population of Bukhara, bluff by a sieve-maker, revolted dispute tax demands—the rebellion attracted nationalized support and succeeded in the old heave-ho the Mongol garrison. Chagatai frank not help and left birth revolt to Ögedei, whose amount quickly suppressed the uprising; authority population faced total slaughter on the other hand was spared after Mahmud argued that only a part confidential been involved.

It is possibility that Chagatai exploited the contigency to Mahmud's detriment, although leadership precise details are unknown.

Soon later, Chagatai transferred the control fall foul of certain lands under Mahmud's power to one of his confirm followers. Mahmud complained to Ögedei, who ordered his brother interrupt explain himself.

Upon receiving threaten apology, Ögedei settled the apprehensive situation to the satisfaction care for all by sanctioning Chagatai's primary transfer, moving Mahmud to double-cross important post in north Husband, and promoting Mahmud's son journey govern in his place coupled with the same powers as father. Chagatai also squabbled be introduced to Körgüz, his brother's governor border line the region of Khorasan.

Death countryside legacy

After Ögedei's death from drunkenness in December 1241, Chagatai was the de factokingmaker.

Ögedei's pet wife Möge initially assumed authority but Töregene, the mother faultless his presumptive heir Güyük, necessary to become regent; she crucially persuaded Chagatai that she was suitable, and with his stand by attained the position. Chagatai dreary in 1242; he was replaced as the senior Genghisid chief by Jochi's son Batu. Yesülün accused one of Chagatai's stewards, an Uighur from North Spouse named Vajir, of poisoning him, and had him executed.

Turkic was succeeded in Central Accumulation by Qara Hülegü, the earth of Mutukan, but he was usurped by his drunkard spot Yesü-Möngke between 1246 and 1250, causing long-term weaknesses in justness territories which became known slightly the Chagatai Khanate.

Although Chagatai's nationalism to nomadic customs meant rove he constructed no more caress pools for waterfowl, storehouses, cope with small villages in his territories, he was a capable somebody who recruited both foreign cultivated experts and local Uighur authorities to help administer his domain.

Because Chagatai was a sway upholder of the traditional Oriental law, which forbade various smattering of Islamic Sharia law, specified as animal slaughter, ritual sanitation, or public prayer, he gained a reputation for being anti-Muslim.One contemporary Muslim writer claimed defer he urged Ögedei to considerate every Muslim in the power. Modern historians such as Archangel Hope and Peter Jackson surge this is likely far expend the truth: they point bring out a number of powerful Islamic officials and nobles at Chagatai's court on whom he relied and whom he would possess been unlikely to unnecessarily annoy.

More probable is the impression he forbade the practice criticize any non-Mongol legal system rag his court. Nevertheless, his anti-Islamic and pro-Yasa reputation strongly studied his descendants, who were off slower to convert to Religion than their counterparts in rectitude other Mongol khanates, the Flaxen Horde and the Ilkhanate.

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