Nogai Khan
Nogai | |
---|---|
Spouse |
|
Issue |
|
House | Borjigin |
Father | Tatar |
Religion | Sunni Islam |
Military career | |
Allegiance | Golden Horde |
Service/ | Golden Horde army |
Years of service | 1250s – 1290s |
Rank | Army General |
Battles/wars | Berke–Hulagu war, War with Byzantines, Invasion of Bulgaria and Serbia, Second Mongol invasion of Hungary, Second Mongol invasion of Poland, Third Mongol invasion of Poland, Battle of the Kagamlyk River |
Nogai, or Noğay (
Though he never formally ruled the Golden Horde himself, he was effectively the co-ruler of the state alongside whatever khan was in power at the time and had unrestricted control over the portions west of the
Name
French historian
Early life under Batu and Berke
Nogai was born to Tatar (Tutar), a son of Terval who was a son of Jochi. He would rule his grandfather's appanage after his father died. After the Mongol invasion of Europe, Batu Khan left Nogai with a tumen (10,000 warriors) in modern-day Moldavia and Romania as a frontier guard. He was a nephew of Berke Khan as well as Batu Khan and Orda Khan, and under his uncle, he became a powerful and ambitious warlord.
Second Mongol invasion of Poland
In his later years, Berke began to delegate more and more responsibility to his promising nephew. Nogai's leading role first appears, along with
Rise to power in Golden Horde and Europe: 1262–1266
Nogai's father Tatar died when he was serving under
Berke–Hulagu War
In 1262, a
In August 1264, the war effectively ended when Kublai Khan was crowned khagan with the acknowledgement of Berke, Hulegu, and Chagatai. However the war was renewed between the Golden Horde and Ilkhanate in 1265. Nogai was given the task of leading an invasion of the Ilkhanate, now ruled by Hulegu's successor Abaqa Khan. He invaded Persia and plundered some areas before being met in battle by Abaqa on the Aksu. A fierce and severe battle ensued in which Nogai was personally injured (losing an eye) and his army was forced to retreat. Abaqa pursued Nogai's army across the Kur, hoping to wipe it out, but Abaqa was forced to withdraw when Berke arrived with reinforcements.[12]
War against the Byzantines
In 1265, Nogai led his army across the
De facto rule: 1266–1294
Berke died sometime in 1266. Despite his influence, Nogai did not try to seize rulership of the Golden Horde, settling for serving
In 1282, Nogai sent 4,000 Mongol soldiers to Constantinople, to help his father in law Emperor Michael suppress the rebels headed by John I Doukas of Thessaly. But Michael died and Andronikos II used the allied troops to fight against Serbia.
Invasions of Bulgaria and of Eastern Roman Empire
In 1271 and 1274, Nogai led raids against Bulgaria and Byzantium. In the first raid, the East Roman Emperor
Nogai considered executing Ivan as well, the second pretender to the Bulgarian throne, but his wife Euphrosyne requested he spare Ivan, and Nogai relented. Ivan was allowed to flee to Asia Minor.[17] Nogai made the new Bulgarian Emperor George Terter his vassal. After George's flight to Constantinople, Nogai set his close associate Smilets on the Bulgarian throne, keeping Bulgaria a vassal of the Golden Horde.
Second Mongol invasion of Hungary
In the winter of 1285, Nogai and
The invasion plan was devised by Nogai, with two columns led by him and Talabuga. Talabuga's troops devastated Transylvania and raided as far as Pest, but the Hungarians' newly constructed fortification network gave them much trouble. The Mongol forces were unable to take any major stone castles or fortified cities and suffered from supply shortages, sallies by local Hungarian forces, and stiff resistance in any castle or town they assaulted. Eventually they were beaten by the Hungarian royal army under Ladislaus IV of Hungary near Pest, and the retreating Mongol forces were ambushed by the Székelys,[18] losing much of their invading force.
Nogai was more successful than Talabuga, staying in Hungary into spring and retaining the bulk of his army, but still suffered several serious reverses at the hands of local Hungarian troops (primary Szekelys, Saxons, and Vlachs). He also failed to capture any major fortifications, with the exception of the Saxon castle of Ban Mikod. Nogai's column never came into contact with the royal army, as his losses to the local Hungarian forces in the areas he operated in were sufficiently serious to convince him to retreat prematurely. His column was also ambushed by the Szekelys on the return.[citation needed]
Overall the campaign was a severe defeat for the Golden Horde and one of Nogai's biggest setbacks; there would be no major incursions into Hungary after it, only raiding along the frontier.[citation needed]
Ascension of Talabuga
Upon returning from their disastrous campaign in Hungary to the Horde's heartland in 1287, they found
Third Mongol invasion of Poland
Nogai and Talabuga made a third raid against Poland in 1287/1288 but were defeated by a contingency of Eastern European armies.
Raid on Circassia
Following the unsuccessful raid on Poland, Nogai and Talabuga made another expedition, this time into Circassia. There they pillaged and killed at will. However, on their return to their winter quarters, heavy snows caused Talabuga's army to get lost on the return and suffer greatly. Nogai's army made their way to winter quarters safe and sound. Talabuga blamed this on Nogai.[20]
Conflict with Talabuga
Nogai and Talabuga had never gotten along, and their quarrelling during the invasions of Poland and Circassia is held by 19th-century Russian historian Nikolay Karamzin to be a major reason for the heavy losses taken in those expeditions. In autumn of 1290, Talabuga, thinking Nogai was conspiring against him, decided to muster an army and march against his general. Nogai decided to feign ignorance, though he knew full well Talabuga's distaste for him; he also sent letters to Talabuga's mother, saying he had personal advice to give to the khan that he could only do alone, essentially requesting a formal meeting of princes. Talabuga's mother advised him to trust Nogai, and subsequently, Talabuga disbanded most of his forces and showed up for a meeting with Nogai with only a small retinue. According to Rashid Al-Din, Nogai received Talabuga warmly and feigned illness to appear more harmless.[20]
However, Nogai was duplicitous; he had arrived at the designated meeting spot accompanied by a large group of soldiers and
Conflict with Tokhta and death: 1294–1300
However, Tokhta would prove a more headstrong ruler than either Tuda-Mengur or Talabuga. Nogai and Tokhta soon found themselves embroiled in a deadly rivalry; while they cooperated in raids against rebellious Rus' principalities, they remained in competition. Tokhta's father-in-law and wife often complained that Nogai seemed to consider himself superior to Tokhta, and Nogai repeatedly rejected any demands Tokhta made of him to attend his court. They also disagreed over the policy of trading rights for the Genoese and Venetian cities in Crimea. Two years after Nogai installed Tokhta, their rivalry came to a head and Tokhta set out to gather his supporters for a war against Nogai.[23][24]
Battle of Nerghi Plains
Tokhta, with more control over the eastern portions of the empire, managed to gather a massive force, larger than Nogai's but reportedly less able at arms owing to the experience of Nogai's men in their wars in Europe. Marco Polo, drawing from Mongol sources, states that Nogai assembled 15 tumens (150,000 men) and Tokhta assembled 20 tumens (200,000 men), but these numbers are likely exaggerated. The two rulers made camp ten miles from each other on the plain of Nerghi in 1297,[25] halfway between Nogai's lands and Tokhta's. One day's rest later, a hard battle ensued lasting most of the day, in which Nogai and Tokhta both personally distinguished themselves in battle (despite the former's age). In the end, Nogai was victorious in spite of his numerical disadvantage. Reportedly, 60,000 of Tokhta's men were killed (nearly a third of his army), but Tokhta himself managed to escape.[26]
Battle of Kagamlik
However, Tokhta was not yet finished. After a few years he managed to reform his army and raise a larger host with which he confronted Nogai deep within Nogai's own territory, at Kahamlyk (Kagamlik), near the Dnieper. Here in 1299 or 1300, Tokhta finally prevailed, with his army defeating Nogai's. Nogai's sons escaped the battle with 1,000 horsemen, while Nogai was found fleeing with 17 when he was wounded by a Russian soldier in the service of Tokhta. He said: "I am Nogai. Take me to Toqta, who is the Khan." The soldier killed Nogai and brought his head to Tokhta; the enraged Tokhta, angered that a Mongol prince's blood had been shed (he planned to execute Nogai in a bloodless manner in keeping with tradition), had the soldier put to death. Nogai's sons were hunted down and executed soon after.[27][28][29]
Despite his power and prowess in battle, Nogai never attempted to seize the Golden Horde khanate for himself, preferring to act as a sort of kingmaker. He served under several Golden Horde Khans: Berke,
Personality and character
Rashid Al-Din presents Nogai as both a capable general and as a wily old politician. He was content to remain a kingmaker and the power behind the throne, rather than seizing direct control of the Horde himself. Nogai self-consciously promoted Mongol ways, and took pride in his lineage. Despite this, his religious beliefs apparently followed his diplomatic needs; initially he was a devout
Nogai's first wife was named Chubei, and his second was named Yailaq, along with the Byzantine princess Euphrosyne. Chubei was described by Rashid Al-Din as "clever and competent". Nogai had two sons by Chubei: Joge (the eldest) and Tige. He had one son named Torai by Yailaq. He also had a daughter named Quiyaq.[32] He had another wife named Alaka with which he had another son, Chaka, who ruled as the tsar of Bulgaria from 1299 to 1300. He was also close friends with Mankus, a Byzantine merchant from Crimea,[33] He arranged and held the marriage ceremony of Mankus's daughter Encona to Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria at his court, and his wife Euphrosyne became her god-mother.[33]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c Geni - Nogai / Isa Khan (b. – c. 1299). Geni.com. Accessed 5 February 2015.
- ^ Rashid Al-Din 1971, p. 113.
- ^ G. V. Vernadsky, The Mongols and Rus
- ^ Paul D. Buell; Francesca Fiaschetti (2003). Historical Dictionary of the Mongol World Empire. p. 219.
- ^ J. J. Saunders, The History of the Mongol Conquests, p. 162.
- ^ C. P. Atwood Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire, p. 406
- ^ Rashid Al-Din 1971, p. 122.
- ^ George Lane, Early Mongol Rule in Thirteenth-Century Iran: A Persian Renaissance, p. 77
- ^ Howorth, p. 115
- ^ J. J Saunders, The History of the Mongol Conquests, p. 117.
- ^ Howorth, p. 116
- ^ a b Henry Hoyle Howorth (1876). History of the Mongols. p. 1012.
- ^ René Grousset The Empire of Steppes, page 399-400
- ^ Atwood, p. 406-407
- ^ G. Pachymeres, De Michaele Paleologo VIII, tom. I., ed.Bonn, 1835 p. 348
- ^ "De Michaele et Andronico Paleologis by George Pachymeres" in GIBI, vol. X, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, p. 181-182
- ^ Fine, J. (1987). The Late Medieval Balkans, A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. Page 198.
- ^ "The Daco-Roman Legend". Archived from the original on 2007-08-18. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ^ Saunders. p. 162
- ^ a b Howorth, p. 139-140
- ^ Howorth, p.140
- ^ Saunders, p. 162
- ^ Marco Polo. "The Travels." Trans. L.F. Benedetto. Page 433.
- ^ Janet Martin, "Medieval Russia: 980-1584", page 190.
- ^ Zhanat Kundakbayeva, "The History of Kazakhstan from the Earliest Period to the Present time", Almaty, 2016 (GBook on line and here, pdf p. 68-69)
- ^ Marco Polo, p. 434
- ^ Baybars al Mansuri-Zubdat al-Fikra, p.355
- ^ Rashid Al-Din 1971, pp. 128–129.
- ^ Martin, p. 190.
- ^ Atwood, p. 407
- ^ Vásáry, p.71
- ^ Rashid Al-Din 1971, pp. 126–129.
- ^ a b Павлов, Пламен. Търновските царици. В.Т.:ДАР-ТХ, 2006.
References
- Saunders, J.J. The History of the Mongol Conquests, 2001
- Ж.Бор Монгол хийгээд евроазийн дипломат шаштир Боть 2, 2003
- Howorth, H.H. "History of the Mongols from the 9th to the 19th Century: Part 2. The So-Called Tartars of Russia and Central Asia. Division 1"
- Rashid Al-Din (1971). The Successors of Genghis Khan. Translated by John Andrew Boyle. Columbia University Press.
- Vernadsky, G. "Mongols and Russia", Yale University Press, Dec 1953
- István Vásáry, Cumans and Tatars, Cambridge University Press 2005