Life story
Batu (Batu Khan) is one of the outstanding political figures of the 13th century, who played a significant role in the history of many countries of the East, Rus', of Eastern Europe. But there is still not a single biography of him. Despite his significance in history, he remains Batu the Unknown, Batu the Forgotten.
How did it happen that historians ignored such famous figure? Why didn’t contemporary chroniclers give him a place in the pages of their works commensurate with his deeds?
In fact, what is known about Batu today? “Batu (Batu) (1208-55), Mongol khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. Leader of the all-Mongol campaign against Rus' and Eastern Europe (1236-43), Khan of the Golden Horde” - that’s all that can be learned about Batu from any encyclopedic or biographical dictionary.
Of course, Batu was not such a spectacular personality, a symbol of the Middle Ages, as, for example, Richard the Lionheart or Saint Louis, Sultan Saladdin or St. Thomas Aquinas, Genghis Khan or Cesare Borgia. He did not become famous for his exploits on the battlefield, for his piety in matters of faith, and did not leave behind scientific works or works of art.
But he left something more significant - a state that today is known as the Golden Horde. A state that outlived its founder for many years, and whose successors at different times were considered Moscow kingdom And Russian empire, and today Russia and Kazakhstan also count themselves among them.
The acts of kings Richard I or Louis IX, Saladdin or Cesare Borgia can become (and have already become) the plot of more than one adventure novel. Batu’s life is more consistent with the genre of a political detective story, since it represents a chain of mysteries, most of which have yet to be revealed by researchers.
And these mysteries begin with the very birth of the founder of the Golden Horde and concern his entire life, which can be divided into three stages, each of which left a significant mark on the history of many countries in Asia and Europe, not to mention Russia.
What was Batu really like? What were his activities? Why didn’t chroniclers and historians pay enough attention to him in their works?
Life First: Descendant of the Golden Family
Batu was born in the year of the earth-snake (1209). His father was Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan himself. Shortly before his birth, Jochi conquered the “forest peoples” of Transbaikalia and the Yenisei Kyrgyz. His family apparently accompanied him on this campaign, and Batu was most likely born somewhere on the territory of modern Buryatia or Altai.
The enemies of Genghis Khan and his family assured that Jochi was not his father’s son at all: his mother Borte, the eldest wife of Genghis Khan, was kidnapped by the Merkit tribe in her youth, and Jochi was born shortly after her return from captivity. Therefore, there were serious suspicions that Jochi’s real father was the Merkit noyon Chilgir-Boho. But Genghis Khan himself recognized Jochi as his eldest son. And even Batu’s worst enemies never dared to doubt his descent from Genghis Khan.
Having divided his possessions between his sons, Genghis Khan allocated Jochi the largest inheritance, which included Khorezm, Western Siberia, and the Urals. He was also promised all the lands further in the West, as far as the hooves of the Mongol horses would reach. But Father Batu never had to take advantage of his father's generosity. Soon the relationship between Genghis Khan and his first-born son became strained. Jochi did not approve of his father’s excessive aggressive aspirations and, under the pretext of illness, repeatedly refused to participate in his campaigns. Having become very suspicious in his old age, Genghis Khan easily believed the enemies of Jochi, who claimed that his eldest son was plotting a rebellion against him. And when in the spring of 1227, Jochi, who had gone hunting, was found in the steppe with a broken spine (according to other sources, he was poisoned), everyone immediately suspected that he was killed on the orders of his father, and some Mongolian chronicles they even talk about it directly. But the killers themselves were never found.
Soon a kurultai was held in the Ulus of Jochi, which was to choose a successor to the deceased ruler. And then an order came from Genghis Khan: to elect his son Batu as Jochi’s heir, otherwise, Genghis Khan threatened, he himself would take power over the domains of his eldest son. Many noyons were surprised by the choice of Genghis Khan: Batu was only 18 years old in the year of his father’s death, he was not the eldest son, and was not distinguished by either heroic strength or good health, had not yet had time to prove himself as either a commander or a ruler. But no one dared to contradict the will of Genghis Khan. In addition, the young, inexperienced prince seemed to the Noyons to be a more suitable ruler than his imperious grandfather. Therefore, at the kurultai, Batu was unanimously elected as his father’s successor.
As one might expect, Batu did not receive any real power. He did not even have a personal inheritance: he was forced to distribute all the regions of the Jochi Ulus to his brothers - in gratitude for the fact that they recognized him as the main one. And the eldest of Jochi’s sons, Ordu-Ichen, received power over the troops. Thus, Batu’s seniority boiled down only to the fact that he personified the Ulus of Jochi and performed some sacred functions (like the Khazar Kagan or the Japanese emperor during the time of the shoguns).
In the summer of 1227, Genghis Khan died, surviving his eldest son by no more than six months. And Batu had to go to Mongolia for the Great Kurultai, which was to elect a successor to Genghis Khan. It was known in advance that Chinggis Khan's third son Ogedei would become the successor, and Batu knew that his father and Ogedei did not get along very well. But Ogedei immediately after his election in 1229. confirmed Batu's title and promised to help him conquer lands in the West.
They wait three years for the promised: in 1230. Ogedei led the Mongol campaign against Chinese Empire Jin, and Batu was forced to accompany “Uncle Khan” on the Chinese campaign for several years. In 1234 Jin had fallen, and it was impossible to postpone the campaign to the West any longer. And at the next kurultai in 1235. it was decided to send a group of Genghisid princes to conquer the West. Among these princes were the eldest sons of all the sons of Genghis Khan, so the campaign to the West became a pan-Mongol affair. And Batu understood that the newly acquired possessions would have to be shared with eleven relatives. He had to act decisively so as not to lose these, not yet conquered, possessions.
Second life: commander
Batu's first coup and the conquest of Volga Bulgaria
In fact, the campaign was commanded by one of Genghis Khan’s most experienced commanders, Subedei-bagatur, but it was clear that the proud Genghisids did not recognize as their leader a commander less noble than themselves. Therefore, it was decided that the commander-in-chief, Jehangir, would be elected from among them. The cunning Ogedei did not appoint him, giving the princes the opportunity to choose their own leader. Any of the 12 princes who went on campaign could have applied for this post, but Batu won the election.
Formally, the reason for his election was that he already had experience fighting future enemies: back in 1221-1224. he accompanied Subedey-bagatur and his comrade-in-arms Dzhebe-noyon on a campaign against Khorezm and the Kipchaks (Polovtsians); and even allegedly took part in the battle on the river. Kalka in 1223, where a small Mongol army defeated the combined forces of the Cumans and the princes of Southern Rus'. But in fact, taking advantage of the fact that the collection of troops for the campaign took place in his domains, Batu, apparently, simply carried out a military coup: with the help of his brothers and with the support of troops (recruited mainly in his domains), he “convinced” other contenders elect him as leader. His opponents had to come to terms with this state of affairs. Bye…
The Mongol troops numbered about 135,000 warriors. Some of these troops were sent to the southern Volga region, on a campaign against the Kipchak, Alan and other tribes. And most of the army in 1236. moved to Volga Bulgaria - a once powerful and rich state, now simply a union of semi-independent principalities. The rulers of these principalities, as well as those who wandered in Lower Volga region Koipchak tribes were at enmity with each other, and some of them even took the side of the Mongols, hoping that they would help them cope with their opponents. A year later, Volga Bulgaria bowed to the Mongols.
If you believe the Russian chronicles, Batu’s troops marched through Volga Bulgaria with fire and sword, destroying most population, sparing neither the elderly nor the children. But it is unlikely that Batu, who had already chosen Bulgaria in advance as his own ulus, really subjected his future possessions to ruin. But soon some of the Bulgar princes, who had previously taken Batu’s side, became concerned that the Mongols did not intend to leave the Volga region. They raised an uprising, which was suppressed by Subedei-bagatur using much more brutal methods than those that Jehangir had used before. The uprising began in 1240, and then, in 1237, the subjugation of the Bulgars seemed to be completed, and nothing prevented Batu from continuing his campaign further to the West. And further to the West was Rus'.
"Batu pogrom"
One of the main mysteries of Batu’s campaign against Rus' is why did he need this campaign at all? Having conquered Volga Bulgaria, he acquired a vast, rich ulus, in which he could comfortably spend the rest of his life. And, nevertheless, he set out on a dangerous campaign against a much stronger enemy than the Bulgars, leaving behind the still unconquered peoples of the Volga region. It seems that he was not the only one who made decisions and was forced to submit to the will of his relatives from Karakorum and his comrades-in-arms on the campaign, who also dreamed of the glory of commanders and new possessions.
The first Russian state with which Jehangir had to go to war was the Ryazan principality. The invasion began with the mysterious murder of Ryazan ambassadors, among whom was even the prince’s son. “Mysterious” because usually the Mongols did not kill ambassadors and themselves cruelly punished them for their murder (remember the fate of the Russian princes who were captured after the Battle of Kalka). Most likely, the ambassadors committed some unheard-of insult - not a violation of etiquette, ignorance of which the Mongols could excuse for the first time, but something more serious.
In December 1237, having defeated the main forces of the Ryazan princes in the “Wild Field,” Batu’s troops captured the most significant cities of the principality within two weeks, and after a five-day siege, Ryazan itself, in which Prince Yuri Igorevich and his entire family died. The remnants of the Ryazan troops, led by the nephew of the murdered prince Roman, retreated to Kolomna, located on the border of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus', and prepared for last battle with nomads. But then he spoke out against the Mongols new opponent– Yuri II Vsevolodovich, Grand Duke of Vladimir and Suzdal.
It seems that the Mongols were not at all eager for war with Suzdal. Moreover, one can even argue that Batu and Yuri II had some common interests. While the troops of Ulus Jochi made the first two campaigns against Volga Bulgaria (in 1229 and 1232), the Suzdal troops defeated the main ally of the Bulgars, the Mordovian prince Purgas. And the destruction of the Ryazan land was beneficial to Suzdal, Ryazan’s longtime rival. But the Grand Duke was concerned about the too rapid advance of the steppe inhabitants towards his borders, and he decided to support the Ryazan people, perhaps counting on their submission in the future. In addition, he believed that the war with Ryazan had greatly undermined military power Mongols, and hoped to easily defeat them and drive them back to the steppes.
Therefore, in January 1238, the Mongol troops at Kolomna met not only with the remnants of the Ryazan troops, but also with the large squad of the Grand Duke, reinforced by the militia of the entire Vladimir-Suzdal Rus'. Not expecting the intervention of a new enemy, the advanced Mongol detachments were initially pushed back: Kulkan, the most younger son Genghis Khan (one of the most influential opponents of Batu). But soon the main forces of Jehangir arrived and, as usual, the steppe cavalry prevailed over the enemy’s less mobile foot troops. Only a small part of the Vladimir squad survived. Batu, leaving the main forces to besiege Kolomna, moved towards Moscow and took it after five days of continuous assaults. At the end of January, the Mongols moved towards Vladimir.
The Grand Duke did not expect such a quick defeat of his main forces and therefore, confused, made another hasty decision: leaving the capital in the care of his sons, he himself went to the north, where he planned to recruit new troops and involve his brother-princes in the war. He hoped that Vladimir was a huge city with large population and a strong garrison - will hold off the enemies for a long time, and then new troops will attack the Mongols from the rear and easily defeat them. But it turned out differently.
The Mongols, who had perfectly mastered the art of besieging cities during the wars in China and Khorezm, laid siege to Vladimir on February 2. Already on February 5, one of the Tumen captured practically defenseless Suzdal in a raid. On February 8, a decisive assault took place, and the capital of Northern Rus' fell; the entire grand-ducal family died.
February 1238 became an “evil month” for Rus': without encountering significant resistance, Batu allowed his relatives to lead separate detachments scattered throughout North-Eastern Rus'. In two weeks, 14 cities were captured, including Rostov, Uglich, Starodub, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Yuryev... And on March 4, one of these detachments, almost by chance, came across the camp of Yuri II on the Sit River and in a fierce battle defeated the hastily assembled troops; The Grand Duke himself was killed. Vladimir-Suzdal Rus' was no longer able to provide organized resistance to the invaders
The next state on the path of the victorious troops of Batu was Velikiy Novgorod. Jehangir's troops made a "show of force": in March 1238. They besieged and took the advanced Novgorod outpost of Torzhok. But Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod was not going to repeat the mistakes of his brother and did not respond to the provocation of the steppe inhabitants. It is this (and not the spring thaw or weakening Mongol troops, as historians of past centuries believed) prompted Batu to turn his troops to the south, not reaching Novgorod only 200 versts.
He did the same with Principality of Chernigov: at the end of March it was besieged border town Kozelsk. True, here the Mongols were unable to limit themselves to a traditional siege for several days: the Kozelites defended themselves for seven weeks, until mid-May. Only when lagging troops with siege engines approached Jehangir was the city able to be taken. Like Yaroslav of Novgorod, Mikhail of Chernigov showed prudence this time and did not start a major war with the Mongols after the capture of Kozelsk.
Without meeting more threat from the Russian states, Batu by the summer of 1238. was already in the Volga steppes, where he was going to start creating his own ulus.
Mongols "in Europe"
Batu would have been glad to finish the campaign, but he was not allowed to do this: the Great Khan Ogedei demanded the continuation of conquests, and Jehangir’s comrades did not want to completely cede to him the glory of a commander, they wanted to prove themselves in future campaigns. During 1239, Batu allowed some of his relatives to undertake small raids on the Mordovians and Moksha, on the already devastated Ryazan principality, and on Pereyaslavl-Yuzhny. But he could no longer postpone the big campaign, and at the end of the summer of 1240 he invaded Southern Rus'. Actually, he had no need to conquer Rus', but through it lay the path to Hungary, where the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan fled, with whom the Mongols had long-standing scores - dating back to the time of the war between Genghis Khan and Khorezm.
But when the Mongols tried to come to an agreement with Kiev, Prince Mikhail (aka Chernigovsky) frivolously ordered the killing of Jehangir’s ambassadors. Then, remembering the fate of his relatives, defeated on Kalka, he fled from the city, leaving the people of Kiev to pay for their crime. The “Mother of Russian Cities” was besieged on September 6, 1240. and finally fell on December 6. While the main forces of Jehangir were besieging Kyiv, part of his troops captured Chernigov on October 18. Batu was in a hurry to Hungary, and therefore Galician-Volyn Rus got off relatively easily: at the beginning of 1241. Only a few cities were captured and destroyed (including, however, both capitals - Galich and Vladimir-Volynsky), and small and well-fortified cities either managed to fight back or were not attacked at all.
The Hungarian king Bela IV himself entered into conflict with the Mongols, providing refuge to the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan and sharply rejecting the Mongols' demands for the extradition of the Polovtsians. This was his first mistake. He committed the second a little later, allowing his aristocrats to deal with the old khan, as a result of which 40 thousand Polovtsian soldiers, having ravaged Bela’s possessions, left him for Bulgaria. But war with the Mongols could no longer be avoided.
The Mongols' raid on Europe was carefully planned by Subedei Bagatur and brilliantly carried out by his disciple Batu. The Mongol army (which also included representatives of the conquered peoples - from the Khorezmians and Cumans to the Russians) was divided into three columns, each of which successfully completed the task assigned to it.
The northernmost column under the command of Kadan and Baydar, the grandsons of Genghis Khan, cousins Batu, invaded Poland, captured several cities and on April 9, 1241. in the battle of Liegnitz she defeated the combined troops of Poles, Czechs and German knights. This defeat made Poland practically defenseless against the invasion of the steppes. But Baydar and Kadan, having completed their task, left Poland and moved to Slovakia, heading to join the main forces of Jehangir.
The second column, under the command of Batu himself, crossed the Carpathians and invaded Hungary. Having learned about the defeat of the Hungarians' potential allies at Lignitz, Batu two days later, on April 11, 1241, inflicted a terrible defeat on the Hungarian king on the river. Chaillot, in which either 60 or 100 thousand Hungarians and Germans died. Without allowing the enemy to come to his senses, the Mongols, on the shoulders of the retreating Hungarians, burst into Buda and Pest, and then moved further to the West, in pursuit of the fleeing king.
Finally, the third column, under the command of Subedei-bagatur himself, operated on the territory of present-day Romania, and then united in Hungary with the forces of Batu.
When the Mongol forces gathered together again, Batu ordered Subedei-bagatur and Kadan to move to Dalmatia in pursuit of King Bela (whom, let’s say right away, they could not overtake), and in January 1242 he himself captured the capital of Hungary, Esztergom.
Eastern Hungary found itself at the mercy of “immigrants from Tartarus”. The Hungarians themselves call the period of Mongol rule in Hungary (late 1241-spring 1242) “Tartaryaras” and consider it one of the most difficult periods in their history. But it seems that Batu did not intend to destroy the country at all; he ordered the restoration of the economy and even attracted some of the Hungarian and German feudal lords to cooperate, who managed to convince the population to return back to cities and villages.
The rulers of Europe, meanwhile, perceived the coming of the Mongols as a heavenly punishment and were not at all ready to resist them. One crusader king, Louis of France, was preparing to accept the crown of martyrdom in the event of a barbarian invasion of France. Another, Emperor Frederick II, even sent an embassy to Bath, while simultaneously preparing a ship to escape to Palestine if this embassy failed.
And in such conditions, the news that the Mongols were leaving Europe was simply received as God’s mercy: such an order was given to Batu in the spring of 1242. The reason for such an unexpected order is another mystery of his biography.
The third life: Sain Khan
Batu against Mongolia
Russian historians claimed that Bata was forced to turn around by the stubborn struggle of the Russian people in the rear of its troops. This was hardly the case: his troops left Rus', leaving neither governors nor garrisons, so the Russians simply had no one to “fight stubbornly” with; Moreover, warriors from Southern Rus' readily took part in the campaign of the Mongol troops against their ancient rivals - the “Ugrians” and “Poles”. European historians like the idea that superbly armed and trained knights stopped the onslaught of the light cavalry of the “barbarians”. And this is also incorrect: it has already been said above what fate befell the glorious knighthood at Liegnitz and Chaillot; as well as about morale sovereign knights...
The reason for Batu's departure from Europe was to fulfill his intentions - to destroy Khan Kotyan and ensure the security of the borders of his new possessions. And the reason was the death of the Great Khan Ogedei: he died at the end of 1241. Having received this news, three influential princes from Batu’s army - Guyuk, son of Ogedei, Buri, grandson of Jagatai and Monke, son of Tului, left the troops and moved to Mongolia, preparing to enter in the struggle for the vacated throne. The most likely candidate was considered Guyuk, who was Batu's worst enemy, and Jehangir chose to meet the accession of his enemy not in distant Hungary, but in his own possessions, in the Ulus of Jochi (which today is called the Golden Horde), where he had both funds and troops. So Batu lost the title of Jehangir, but became the de facto ruler of the right wing Mongol power, and after the death in May 1242 of Jagatai, the last son of Genghis Khan, and the head of the entire Borjigin family (“aka”, i.e. “elder brother”), from which Genghis Khan and his descendants came.
The election of Ogedei's successor dragged on for five years. And although Guyuk was elected Great Khan in 1246, Batu had already prepared for a possible war with him. As the head of the clan, Batu enjoyed such great authority that Guyuk was forced at first to recognize him as his co-ruler in the western fiefs. He even had to come to terms with the fact that Batu was issuing his own letters of merit(labels) and approves vassal rulers - Russian princes, Seljuk sultans, Georgian kings... But it was clear that such agreement would not last long.
At the beginning of 1248, Guyuk, having gathered significant forces, moved to the borders of the Ulus of Jochi. Formally, he only demanded that Batu come and express his submission to him, since he was not present at the kurultai that elected Guyuk. But both understood perfectly well that in fact the Mongol Empire had begun internecine war, and only the death of one of them can stop it. Batu turned out to be more efficient: near Samarkand Guyuk somehow died in a very timely manner; both the Mongols themselves and foreign diplomats were sure that Batu had sent poisoners to him.
About three more years passed, and in 1251 Batu carried out another coup: his brother Berke and son Sartak brought several tens of thousands of warriors from the Ulus of Jochi to Mongolia, gathering the Mongol Genghisids, forcing them to choose Batu’s best friend Monke as the Great Khan. The new sovereign, of course, also recognized his friend and patron as co-ruler. A year later, in 1252, supporters of the Guyuk family plotted to kill Mohnke, but he discovered the plot and executed most of the conspirators. Some of his enemies - Buri, the grandson of Jagatai and Eldzhigitai, the nephew of Genghis Khan, were sent to Batu, who could not deny himself the pleasure of personally dealing with long-time opponents.
It would seem that this should be the end of the confrontation between Karakorum and Ulus Jochi, but that was not the case: Monke turned out to be far from being such an accommodating ruler as Batu had hoped. He began to strengthen the central government in every possible way and limit the rights of the ulus rulers, the most influential of whom was Batu. And the most offensive thing is that the latter had to obey: what would the other Genghisids say if he refused to obey the Great Khan, for whom he himself so persistently campaigned?
And Batu had to make a number of concessions to Monke: he was forced to allow a population census to be carried out in the Ulus of Jochi, and sent part of his troops to help Hulagu, the brother of the Great Khan, who was preparing to go on a campaign against Iran. But Monke, in turn, had to compromise with his cousin: he recognized the right of the rulers of the Ulus of Jochi to control the politics of Volga Bulgaria, Rus', North Caucasus. But the lands of Iran and Asia Minor until the death of Batu remained a bone of contention between Sarai and Karakorum, and after the death of Batu and Monke, the khans of the Golden Horde and the descendants of Hulagu entered into open war for them.
Relations between Batu and Monke became very strained over time, but both rulers were, first of all, statesmen and tried with all their might to prevent a split in the Mongol Empire; and outwardly they showed each other signs of complete mutual respect. However, Batu’s activities to protect his autonomy very soon bore fruit: already under his grandson Mengu-Timur, in the 1270s, Golden Horde became a completely independent state.
Batu and Rus'
In Russian historical tradition Batu was considered “enemy number one” for a very long time. In Russians chronicle sources he is presented as a kind of bloodthirsty barbarian who did nothing but ravage Russian cities and execute princes, summoning them to his Horde. How did his relationship with Russia really develop?
In 1243, Batu issued his first label to a foreign sovereign - Grand Duke Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich. By this he recognized Yaroslav as “the oldest in the Russian land,” and he, accepting the label, agreed to be considered a vassal-ally of the Mongol ruler. But this label was temporary: in 1246 Guyuk was elected Great Khan, and Yaroslav had to go to him for confirmation of the Batu label. He did not return from Mongolia: they said that he was poisoned on the orders of Guyuk and his mother.
Back in 1241, Prince Mstislav Rylsky, who led the partisan struggle in Southern Rus' against the Mongols, was captured and executed in the Horde. His fate was soon shared by two more princes from Chernigov dynasty: Mikhail Chernigovsky for trying to attract Western monarchs to the fight against the Golden Horde (the reason for the execution was disrespect for the image of Genghis Khan, to whom he refused to bow) and Mstislav’s son Andrei - for reasons that remained a mystery (formally he was accused of stealing horses from the Horde possessions and sold them to the West). Both princes were killed in 1246, and Chernigov land fell into disrepair.
But another influential prince of Southern Rus', Daniil Galitsky, visited Batu in 1245, managed to win him over in his favor and was recognized as the sovereign in his lands. This immediately increased his authority among Eastern European sovereigns. A deft diplomat, Daniil for the time being hid his true intentions regarding the Horde.
It must be said that Bata was not too interested in the affairs of Rus': he paid much more attention to the Volga Bulgaria, the regions of Iran, Asia Minor, and the states of the Caucasus. There he established rulers, sorted out quarrels between them, built and rebuilt cities, and promoted the development of trade. As for the Russian lands, already from the late 1240s. he entrusted this region to his son and heir Sartak, who in 1252 organized the so-called “Nevryuev’s army,” which historians also blame on Batu.
Yaroslav II had several sons left. The eldest were Alexander Nevsky and Andrey. After the death of their father, they went to Karakorum, where the ruler Ogul-Gaymish, the widow of Guyuk, appointed Andrei as the Grand Duke of Vladimir, and Alexandra as the eldest! - ruined Kyiv. As a result, Alexander Yaroslavich, dissatisfied with the decision of Karakorum, decided on an alliance with Batu and Sartak. Andrei soon entered into an alliance with Daniil Galitsky, marrying his daughter. News of the unrest in Mongolia and the conspiracy of Ogedei's descendants in 1252 probably reached Andrei Yaroslavich, who saw this as an opportune moment to speak out against the Horde. He hoped that his father-in-law would support him, but he miscalculated: Daniel chose to wait. Alexander Nevsky, who did not approve of his brother’s pro-Western orientation, turned to Sartak, who sent noyon Nevryuy against Andrei, whose campaign caused North-Eastern Rus' even greater devastation than the “Batu pogrom” 15 years ago. Andrei Yaroslavich was defeated and fled, and Alexander Nevsky, an ally of Batu and Sartak, became the Grand Duke.
Soon Daniil Galitsky came out against the Mongols, deciding to take Ponizye from them. This area was formerly part of Principality of Kyiv, and then came under the direct control of the Golden Horde; The Horde authorities established such tax benefits for the population in Ponizhye that Russians constantly fled there even from “natural” princes - from Kyiv, Chernigov, Galich, and Volyn. Daniel decided to put an end to this. In 1255 he invaded Ponizia, expelled small detachments of Mongols from there and annexed these lands to his possessions. He calculated correctly: Batu, who was concentrating on Eastern Affairs, chose to ignore this attempt on his possessions for now, deciding to punish Daniel later. But only after his death did his brother Berke manage to return Ponizia and significantly weaken the military power of the Galician-Volyn state.
Thus, although Batu laid the foundation for centuries-old relations between Rus' and the Horde, he himself did not play a very noticeable role in the development of these relations. One could even say that the affairs of Rus' worried him only to the extent that they influenced relations with other states that were in his sphere of interests. And only after his death the Horde khans began to show more attention to the "Russian Ulus".
But the name Batu has also been preserved in Russian folklore. In epics, he naturally appears as an enemy of Rus', the leader of the cruel Horde. The repeatedly mentioned expression “Batu’s pogrom” even today means desolation, defeat, great disorder. However, back in the 19th century. in Vologda and Kostroma provinces Milky Way called "Batu Road". It's strange that the name worst enemy called the galaxy! Who knows, maybe the attitude of the Russian people towards Batu differed from the one that the chroniclers tried to reflect in their works?
Batu is also known under the title “Sain Khan”. This title-nickname reflected his qualities, which aroused the greatest respect of his subjects and contemporaries: “sain” in Mongolian has many meanings - from “generous”, “generous” to “kind” and "fair". A number of researchers believe that he received this nickname during his lifetime, just as Mongol khans bore nickname titles: Sechen Khan (“Wise Khan”, Kublai), Biligtu Khan (“Pious Khan”, Ayushridar), etc. Other authors believe that “Sain Khan” became the posthumous title of Batu. It is difficult to say which of them is right, but it should be noted that the first mentions of the title are found in chronicles that appeared after his death.
Batu in history
Batu died in 1256, and his death became another mystery: versions were expressed about poisoning, and even about death during the next campaign (which is completely implausible). Contemporaries simply could not tolerate the thought of a figure of such magnitude dying in a simple and ordinary way. However, it is most likely that Batu died of natural causes - apparently from some kind of rheumatic disease from which he suffered for many years: different sources they report that he suffered from “weakness of the limbs,” that his face was covered with reddish spots, etc.
But why is Batu given so little space in historical chronicles and research? Why is information about him scarce and unsystematic? Finding the answer is no longer so difficult.
Mongolian and Chinese official chronicles contain practically no information about Batu: during his stay in China he did not show himself, and Mongolian chroniclers saw him as an opponent of the Great Khans from Karakorum and, naturally, preferred not to remember him so as not to arouse the wrath of their overlords .
The same applies to the Persian chronicles: since the heirs of Sain Khan fought for the possession of the lands of Iran and Azerbaijan with the Persian Mongols for more than a hundred years, the court chroniclers of the Hulaguids also did not risk paying too much attention to the founder of the power of their enemies. And under such circumstances, the flattering characteristics of Batu, which are still found among Persian chroniclers, seem objective: after all, praising the enemy, attributing to him some fictitious positive features, was not in their interests.
Western diplomats who visited Batu's court generally prefer not to show their attitude towards him, but report some information about his political position And personal qualities: he is affectionate with his people, but inspires them strong fear, knows how to hide his feelings, strives to demonstrate his unity with other Genghisids, etc.
Russian chroniclers and Western chroniclers, who created their works “hot on the heels” of the Mongol raids, of course, could not write anything positive about Batu. So he went down in history as “evil,” “cursed,” “filthy,” the destroyer of Rus' and the destroyer of Eastern Europe. And later Russian historians, based on the reports of the chronicles, continued to strengthen precisely this image of Batu.
This stereotype became so established that already in the twentieth century. Soviet orientalists tried to point out positive sides activities of Batu (patronage of trade, development of cities, justice in resolving disputes of vassal rulers), official history and ideology met their views with hostility. Only towards the end of the twentieth century. Historians were allowed to have the opinion that Batu, perhaps, was not quite the monster that the chroniclers presented him. And L.N. Gumilyov, known for his sympathy for the Mongolian rulers, even allowed himself to put Batu on the same level as Charlemagne, and noted that Charlemagne’s power collapsed soon after his death, and the Golden Horde long years outlived its founder.
However, not a single significant study has yet been devoted to Batu: probably, historians are still stopped by the paucity of information about him, the inconsistency of the available materials, which do not allow us to restore a complete picture of his life and activities. That is why today he remains a mysterious and enigmatic person for us.
Website: World History
Article: Three lives of Khan Batu
Khan Batu is the grandson of Timur - Genghis Khan, son of Jochi Khan. We have to admit this fact modern historians, 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 outline of the bust - it depicts a typical European with a thick beard and Slavic form eye!
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 XVIII 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 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 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 official version 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. Army of the Vedic Empire or Great Tartary, uniform for 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, 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. IN geographically Batu’s birth presumably 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 insistently claim that having excellent weapons and seriously trained European knights overcame the advance of the light barbarian cavalry. This is also a false statement. One has only to remember the fate of the famous knighthood at Liegnitz and Chaillot and psychological condition sovereign knights. 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 about Mongol invasions, who 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), data official history and ideologies 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.
In 1207, which the Mongols considered the year of the snake earth, Jochi, the eldest son and heir of Genghis Khan, had a son, Batu (in the Russian pronunciation tradition - Batu). Shortly before the boy was born, Jochi conquered the Transbaikal “forest peoples” and the Kyrgyz from the Yenisei, and on his campaign, apparently, he was accompanied by his family. Therefore, it is very likely that Batu’s birthplace is the territory of modern Altai Territory or Buryatia.
The famous grandfather Batu, having begun to divide his possessions between his sons, gave the largest inheritance to Jochi. This inheritance included Western Siberia, Khorezm, the Urals and the promise of all the western lands that the Mongol horses could reach. But Jochi did not have a chance to rejoice at his father’s generosity for long. Genghis Khan suspected his son of treason, and soon Jochi was killed - perhaps really on his father's orders. After the death of his son, Genghis Khan ordered his grandson Batu to be elected ruler of the Jochi ulus, which greatly surprised many noyons. Batu was about eighteen years old, he was not the eldest son of Jochi and did not have time to distinguish himself with any special merits. However, the Noyons did not dare to violate the will of Genghis Khan.
Unanimously elected as his father's successor, Batu, however, received neither real power nor even his own inheritance: he had to distribute all the regions of his father's ulus to his brothers as a token of gratitude for his election as chief. Ordu-Ichen, the eldest brother, became the ruler of the troops, and Batu’s power was then purely symbolic.
After the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, his throne was inherited by his third son, Ogedei, who, after his election, confirmed the title of Batu and even promised to help in the conquest of the western lands. But in 1230 the Mongols set off to conquer China, and Batu, of course, accompanied his uncle on this campaign. The Qin Empire fell in 1234, and a year later it was finally decided to go to the West. The appointed group of conquerors included all the eldest grandchildren of Genghis Khan, and thus the conquest of the West became a common endeavor. The conquered lands were now to be divided among the twelve Chingizid princes.
The campaign to the West was actually commanded by Subedei-Batur, the most experienced commander of Genghis Khan, but the princes did not want to recognize him as the real leader. The cunning Ogedei left it to the nephews themselves to elect the commander-in-chief, and Batu won the victory in these elections, as he had already taken part in campaigns against the Polovtsians and Khorezm. It must be assumed that the reason for the election was not so much military experience as the fact that the troops were collected mainly in Batu’s domains.
The number of these troops was about one hundred and thirty thousand warriors. Some of them were sent to the lands of the Southern Volga region to fight the Kipchaks, Alans and other tribes. Most of the army moved in 1236 to the once powerful state of Volga Bulgaria, now consisting of semi-independent principalities. Their rulers were at enmity with each other, and some even allied with the Mongols - and a year later Volga Bulgaria became Mongol territory. Judging by Russian chronicles, Batu passed through these lands with sword and fire, mercilessly exterminating the population. Having completed the subjugation of the Bulgars, he continued his campaign to the West - and now he had to conquer Rus'.
The Ryazan principality was the first to be invaded - at the end of 1237, Batu defeated the main troops of the Ryazan princes and in two weeks captured the most important cities, including Ryazan itself. The remnants of the Ryazan army retreated to Kolomna, located on the border of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, and then Yuri Vsevolodovich, Vladimir and Suzdal, came to their aid Grand Duke.
It is curious that when Batu was crushing the Bulgars, Yuri was fighting with the Mordovian prince Purgas, the main Bulgar ally. And the ruin of the Ryazan principality was very beneficial for the Suzdal prince. But on his own territory, the Mongols, of course, were of no use to him, and therefore at Kolomna Batu’s troops met not only with the Ryazan people, but also with the squad of Yuri Vsevolodovich, reinforced people's militia. The advanced detachments of the Mongols were initially thrown back, and in the battle, very successfully for Batu, one of his main opponents, Kulkan, the youngest son of Genghis Khan, died. But soon the main forces appeared, and the steppe cavalry defeated the Russian foot troops. Then Batu took Moscow in five days and moved on the city of Vladimir, the capital of North-Eastern Rus'.
In February 1238, Vladimir fell, and then Batu captured and burned fourteen cities. On March 4, Yuri Vsevolodovich was killed in a fierce battle on the City River, and with the defeat of this last army, Rus' could no longer resist the Mongols in an organized manner. Only Veliky Novgorod remained, and in March the Mongols took Torzhok, the Novgorod forward outpost. This was a show of force, but the Novgorod prince did not respond to the provocation, and Batu turned his troops to the south.
By mid-May, the Mongols took the border Kozelsk, and by the summer Batu was already in the Volga region, where he intended to create his own ulus, considering his campaign completed. Unfortunately, Ogedei, great khan the Mongols did not think so and demanded to continue the conquests. Batu’s comrades also desired military glory. In 1239, Batu limited himself to raids on Moksha and Mordvins, went to the devastated Ryazan principality, but by the end of the next summer it became impossible to postpone a serious campaign, and the Mongols invaded Southern Rus' - it was through it that the road to Hungary lay. Batu made an attempt to negotiate with Kiev, but Prince Mikhail ordered the killing of his ambassadors, for which Kyiv paid heavily. In December, after a three-month siege, Kyiv fell.
In Hungary, the Mongols wanted to settle long-standing scores with the Polovtsian khan Kotyan, who had fled there, and therefore they were in a hurry, and Galician-Volyn Rus suffered less than Northern Rus - Batu did not touch some cities at all. But he brilliantly carried out the European campaign of the Mongols, planned by Subedei. The Mongol army, reinforced, by the way, by representatives of the conquered peoples, was divided into three columns, and each of them successfully completed its task.
The northern column, commanded by Genghis Khan's grandsons Baydar and Kadan, went to Poland, where in April 1241 it defeated a combined army of Czechs, Poles and German knights, and then moved to Slovakia and further to Hungary. The second column was led by Batu himself - this part of the army, having crossed the Carpathians, entered Hungary and on April 11 defeated the Hungarian king Bela IV on the Shayo River. At this point, the king had already dealt with the Polovtsian khan, and therefore lost forty thousand Polovtsian soldiers who had left him. Subedei-Baghatur with the third column captured the territory of modern Romania, after which he joined Batu, who was pursuing the Hungarian king. However, Batu, apparently, did not intend to destroy Hungary and even ordered the restoration of the economy, but, nevertheless, this period in the history of the Hungarians is considered one of the most difficult.
Rulers Western Europe, not ready to offer resistance to the Mongols, prepared for the worst, but in the spring of 1242 Batu unexpectedly ordered to turn back. This order still remains a mystery in his biography. Some historians argue that the reason for the Mongols' departure from Europe was the Russian struggle behind Batu's rear. However, the South Russian warriors gladly went together with the Mongols against the “Poles” and “Ugrians,” their ancient enemies. Most likely, Batu simply accomplished what he intended: after all, Khan Kotyan was destroyed one way or another, and the borders of the new possessions were protected. We should not forget that Khan Ogedei died in December 1241. Having learned about this, three influential Chingizids from Batu’s army left the army and went to Mongolia to fight for the vacated throne. The greatest chance of becoming the Great Khan was with Guyuk, the son of Ogedei and Batu's worst enemy, and Batu preferred to meet his accession in his own ulus, and not in distant Europe.
Guyuk was elected Great Khan only five years later. Died by then last son Genghis Khan, Jaghatai, and Batu turned into the head of the Borjigin clan, from which Genghis Khan himself and all his descendants came. The authority of the head of the Genghisid clan was very great, and the new Great Khan was forced to recognize Batu as co-ruler of the western appanages. Guyuk did not like this situation very much, and in January 1248 he and a significant army went to the borders of the Golden Horde (as the Ulus of Jochi is now called). Officially, he didn’t want so much - for Batu to come to him and express his submission, since he was not present at the kurultai that elected the Great Khan. In fact, it was clear to both Guyuk and Batu that an internecine war had begun, and it would only be stopped by the death of one of the rulers. Apparently, Batu turned out to be quicker - somewhere in the Samarkand region, Khan Guyuk died very promptly, and everyone remained confident that Batu had sent the poisoners to him.
In 1251, another coup d'etat took place: Berke, Batu's brother, and Sartak, his son, came to Mongolia with an army from the Golden Horde, gathered the Mongol Genghisids and forced them to make Monke, Batu's best friend, Great Khan. The new khan, of course, recognized Batu as co-ruler. A year later, supporters of the Guyuk family tried to form a conspiracy, but Monke executed most of the conspirators, and sent some, Batu’s longtime opponents, to Ulus Jochi, so as not to deprive Batu of the pleasure of dealing with them personally. True, later Monke turned out to be not so accommodating at all; he began to strengthen the central government and limit the rights of the ulus rulers. Batu could no longer do anything about this - after all, he himself spoke for the election of Monke as the Great Khan and now could not disobey. It must be said that both rulers were, first of all, statesmen and did not want another split in the Mongol empire, and therefore managed to reach a compromise. Batu allowed a census to be carried out in the Ulus of Jochi and sent part of his army to march on Iran. In turn, Monke recognized the right of control over Russia, Volga Bulgaria and the northern Caucasus for the Ulus of Jochi. Batu’s activities for the autonomy of his possessions bore fruit very soon - already under the reign of his grandson Mengu-Timur (seventies), the Golden Horde turned into a completely independent state.
This state, stretching from the Irtysh to the Danube, was created by Batu Khan. He made Sarai-Batu, a city in the Volga delta, near modern Astrakhan, the capital of the Golden Horde. The Russian principalities became tributaries of the Golden Horde for several centuries, and labels for princely dominion were issued by the ruler of the Mongols.
Batu Khan lived, according to foreign diplomats, like an emperor, having all the required officials and developing military art Mongols, famous for their surprise attacks, swiftness of cavalry and evasion major battles, threatening the loss of soldiers and horses. Batu also became famous for his cruelty, which, however, was not at all surprising for that time.
The founder and first ruler of the Golden Horde died in 1255. His throne was taken by Sartak, the eldest son, confirmed in hereditary rights by the Great Khan Monke.
Information about Batu is extremely scarce, and the personality of this great Mongol is surrounded by legends and mysteries, many of which arose during his lifetime. Batu went down in history as the “filthy” and “cursed” destroyer of the lands of Rus' and Eastern Europe. But there were also positive aspects to his activities - the first khan of the Golden Horde patronized trade, developed cities and, apparently, was fair in resolving disputes among his vassals. In addition, Batu was without a doubt outstanding statesman- after all, the Golden Horde did not disintegrate after his death, like many powers that lost their founders.
Genghis Khan's grandson Batu Khan is undoubtedly a fatal figure in history Rus' XIII 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 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 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.
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.
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. 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.