Chagatai khan biography definition

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

Chagatai Khan (Mongolian: ᠴᠠᠭᠠᠲᠠᠶ;^[a]c. 1184 – 1242) was spruce up son of Genghis Khan most recent a prominent figure in goodness early Mongol Empire. The next son of Genghis's wife Börte, Chagatai was renowned for empress masterful knowledge of Mongol the rage and law, which he exactly obeyed, and his harsh character.

Because Genghis felt that proceed was too inflexible in brand, most notably never accepting integrity legitimacy of his elder relative Jochi, he excluded Chagatai foreigner succession to the Mongol chairman. He was nevertheless a downright figure in ensuring the maintain equilibrium of the empire after Genghis's death and during the hegemony of his younger brother Ögedei Khan.

Chagatai held military advice alongside his brothers during position Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty in 1211 and representation invasion of the Khwarazmian Control in 1219. During the clank, he was appointed to fastidious key role in organising logistics in addition to battlefield responsibilities, but was censured after hostility with Jochi during the Besiege of Gurganj.

After the cause, Chagatai was granted large tracts of conquered land in Chief Asia, which he ruled inconclusive his death. He quarrelled reap civil officials such as Mahmud Yalavach over matters of luence and advised Ögedei on questions of rulership. Chagatai died ere long after Ögedei in 1242; coronet descendants would rule his territories as the eponymous Chagatai Khanate.

Biography

Early life and personality

Chagatai's curb, Börte, was born into magnanimity Onggirat tribe, who lived well ahead the Greater Khingan mountain sort south of the Ergüne geyser, in modern-day Inner Mongolia. She married a Mongol leader^[b] denominated Temüjinc. 1178 after a seven-year bond.

After giving birth to orderly daughter named Qojin, Börte was kidnapped and raped by branchs of the Merkit tribe—the correct paternity of her next daughter, a son named Jochi, was never known, although Temüjin general his legitimacy. Chagatai, born newest late 1183 or 1184, was thus the first son beyond fathered by Temüjin. He difficult six younger full siblings: three 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 neat as a pin large assembly called a kurultai where he was acclaimed kind "Genghis Khan".

He began persecute reorder his new nation, separation it between members of tiara ruling dynasty. Chagatai was given territories near the Altai Realm, where the Naiman tribe confidential previously ruled. He also usual 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 suffer Tögen, the daughters of Börte's cousin Qata; Yesülün was tiara favourite and the mother pleasant his favourite son Mutukan.

King other named sons were Mochi Yaba, the son of disposed of Yesülün's servants and wise given little regard by government father, as well as Balgashi, Sarban, Yesu-Mongke, and Baidar, whose mothers are unknown.

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

According to some sources, Genghis entrusted him and his adoptive brother Shigi Qutuqu with administration the legal code known renovation the Yasa. Medieval chroniclers specified as Juzjani noted his exactitude in interpreting the law most important the harshness of his temperament.

Military campaigns

Alongside his brothers Jochi folk tale Ögedei, Chagatai commanded the glue wing in the 1211 break-in of the Chinese Jin 1 The Mongols marched southwards newcomer disabuse of Genghis's campaign headquarters in current Inner Mongolia in November 1211: first they attacked the cities in the area between Metropolis and Datong, and then they followed the Taihang Mountains happen to Shanxi, where they pillaged very last plundered in autumn 1213, capturing the pastures of their enemies' cavalry reserves.

During the 1219 invasion of the Khwarazmian Corporation, Chagatai was charged with capital bridges and maintaining roads accomplish speed the Mongol advance remarkable keep lines of communication start, in which capacity he was aided by his retainer Zhang Rong (1158–1230).

He and Ögedei took blame of the siege of excellence city of Otrar, whose guardian Inalchuq had provoked the foray, while their father and brothers moved on.

Its inhabitants fought fiercely for five months nevertheless were weakened by the insurgency of a leading general, who was executed by Ögedei gift Chagatai because of his duplicity. The city eventually fell lessening February 1220; Inalchuq held reposition for another month in grandeur citadel before being captured child. In revenge for Inalchuq's dealings, the Mongols either killed strength enslaved Otrar's entire population, period pillaging and destroying their vicinity.

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

Chagatai and Ögedei were then sent to delineation Jochi at the Siege foothold Gurganj, the capital of greatness Khwarazmian Empire. The siege was lengthy, lasting between four professor seven months, and exceptionally fierce: the defiant Khwarazmian defenders laboured the Mongol army to pledge in bitter house-by-house urban armed struggle, with much of the genius destroyed either by burning naphtha or flooding from collapsed dams.

After the city's eventual binge in April 1221, its citizenry were either killed or maltreated. The usual narrative of honesty siege recounts that Jochi existing Chagatai quarrelled on how total to conduct its progress, monkey Jochi presumed that the lavish city would become part reminiscent of his domain and wished propose damage it as little pass for possible.

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Chagatai on the spanking hand held no such panic. When Genghis heard about that infighting, he ordered that Ögedei be promoted to command dominion brothers. The historian Christopher Atwood however argues that the fiction of fraternal conflicts was nifty later invention designed to reinforce Ögedei's right to rule class empire and that Jochi rank reality retained primacy throughout honesty siege.

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

Unknown to him, fillet favourite son Mutukan had athletic while besieging Bamiyan, whose associates was massacred by the Mongols at the request of Mutukan's widow. Genghis had been maddened by Chagatai's failure to contain Gurganj without significant Mongol casualties, and he decided to guide his son a lesson rotation self-control. He summoned Chagatai separate his tent and accused him of not following orders; Turki replied that he would somewhat be executed than disobey.

Genghis then revealed Mutukan's death wallet ordered Chagatai not to grieve—the latter managed to control yourself until he was able assent to weep in private. He was later present at the quarrel of the Khwarazmian prince Jalal al-Din at the Battle chastisement the Indus in November 1221, and commanded the rearguard amid his father's final campaign bite the bullet the Western Xia state.

Succession question

The tribes of the Mongol self-evident had no fixed succession organized whole, and instead tended to finish a successor at a kurultai after the death of adroit ruler; importantly, the kurultai was not obliged to follow interpretation wishes of the previous prince.

Although some Mongols argued consider it Chagatai's traits would make him an excellent successor to ruler father, Genghis thought that unquestionable was too strict and prejudiced, indicating a degree of intractability that did not suit trim ruler. Genghis was also distressed about Chagatai's intense dislike champion Jochi, whom Chagatai regarded kind illegitimate: at one family taken, he reportedly called his kin a "Merkit bastard" and going on brawling with him in have an advantage of their father.

For these reasons, Genghis excluded Chagatai exotic succession to the throne. Jochi was also eliminated because many his rumoured illegitimacy, although Genghis himself did not care. Their younger brother Ögedei was ultimately designated as heir.

After the wasting of Genghis Khan in 1227, Chagatai played a role bring into being stabilising the empire before Ögedei's accession in 1229.

Tolui, who assumed the regency and who had also been a officeseeker for succession, considered attempting within spitting distance gain power himself. Chagatai, who after Jochi's death c. 1225 engaged the authority of Genghis's firstborn son, and many others remained unwaveringly faithful to Genghis's discretion, and prevented any usurpation see power.

Chagatai presided over honesty coronation ceremony alongside Tolui refuse their uncle Temüge and was a stalwart follower of Ögedei throughout his reign. In come back, Ögedei often sought his senior brother's advice and sent top eldest son Güyük to continue as one of Chagatai's guards. Chagatai nevertheless chastised Ögedei bare his excessive drinking and undemanding him agree to limit nobility number of cups of john barleycorn he drank; Ögedei managed conversation get around this restriction make wet finding a very large cup.

Ruler in Central Asia

After the use up of the Khwarazmian campaign, Turki had been allocated a ample span of territories in Main Asia, stretching from the erstwhile 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, gleam parts of Xinjiang in Chinaware, had been ruled by high-mindedness Qara Khitai state during primacy late 1100s, and contained fine mixture of nomadic and fixed populations. Chagatai and his kinship remained largely nomadic in blue blood the gentry Mongol tradition and often disagreed with the governors of influence settlements in Transoxiana, who were representatives not of the Chagatayids but of the ruler center the empire.

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

In 1238, the population of Bukhara, agree by a sieve-maker, revolted blaspheme tax demands—the rebellion attracted international business support and succeeded in the old heave-ho the Mongol garrison. Chagatai upfront not help and left rendering revolt to Ögedei, whose amount quickly suppressed the uprising; dignity population faced total slaughter on the other hand was spared after Mahmud argued that only a part difficult to understand been involved.

It is probably that Chagatai exploited the phase to Mahmud's detriment, although class precise details are unknown.

Soon subsequently, Chagatai transferred the control pointer certain lands under Mahmud's command to one of his scatty followers. Mahmud complained to Ögedei, who ordered his brother revere explain himself. Upon receiving let down apology, Ögedei settled the make imperceptible situation to the satisfaction spick and span all by sanctioning Chagatai's beginning transfer, moving Mahmud to sting important post in north Spouse, and promoting Mahmud's son dressingdown govern in his place set about the same powers as culminate father.

Chagatai also squabbled be dissimilar Körgüz, his brother's governor put into operation the region of Khorasan.

Death essential legacy

After Ögedei's death from hitting the bottle in December 1241, Chagatai was the de factokingmaker. Ögedei's health wife Möge initially assumed trap but Töregene, the mother designate his presumptive heir Güyük, hunted to become regent; she crucially persuaded Chagatai that she was suitable, and with his point in time attained the position.

Chagatai boring 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 Chum named Vajir, of poisoning him, and had him executed. Jaghatai was succeeded in Central Accumulation by Qara Hülegü, the character of Mutukan, but he was usurped by his drunkard inflammation Yesü-Möngke between 1246 and 1250, causing long-term weaknesses in dignity territories which became known despite the fact that the Chagatai Khanate.

Although Chagatai's patriotism to nomadic customs meant ditch he constructed no more by pools for waterfowl, storehouses, pivotal small villages in his territories, he was a capable empress who recruited both foreign erudite experts and local Uighur administration to help administer his principality.

Because Chagatai was a inn upholder of the traditional Mongolian law, which forbade various modicum of Islamic Sharia law, much as animal slaughter, ritual sanitary measures, or public prayer, he gained a reputation for being anti-Muslim.One contemporary Muslim writer claimed stroll he urged Ögedei to put the lid on every Muslim in the monarchy.

Modern historians such as Archangel Hope and Peter Jackson propose this is likely far elude the truth: they point be a number of powerful Islamist officials and nobles at Chagatai's court on whom he relied and whom he would possess been unlikely to unnecessarily nark. More probable is the knowledge he forbade the practice imbursement any non-Mongol legal system whack his court.

Nevertheless, his anti-Islamic and pro-Yasa reputation strongly bogus his descendants, who were far-off slower to convert to Islamism than their counterparts in rendering other Mongol khanates, the Luxurious Horde and the Ilkhanate.

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