Olug Moxammat of Kazan
Encyclopedia
Olugh Mokhammad , [ɔˈluɣ mœxæmˈmæt]), also known as Ulugh Muhammed and Ulanus, was twice Khan
of the Golden Horde
and founder of the Kazan Khanate.
, and the grandson of Tokhtamysh
, although he may have been descended from Hassan Jefai, a relative of Tokhtamysh. Either way, he was a descendant of Jochi
and therefore a Ghengisid.
. His main competitor for control of the Horde was his cousin Dawlat Berdi
, The son of Yeremferden. For much of his reigh Olugh Mokhammad controlled Sarai, and was therefore seen as the more legitimate ruler within the Horde, although it was captured by his rival after the Siege of Sarai
in 1420 and held by him for two years.
In 1422 Baraq
defeated both Olugh and Dawlat and drove them out of the country. while Dawlat remained in the outskirts of Crimea, Olugh fled to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
and plead for assistance from Vytautas the Great
. With this assistance he was able to march on Baraq and capture Sarai.
After regaining control over the Khanate, Olugh marched on Crimea, where Dawlat Berdi had re-established himself following Baraq's defeat and death. After a series of indecisive skirmishes his invasion was cut short due to the death of Vaytautas, which forced Olugh to concentrate his forces on Lithuania, where he supported Sigismund I Kestutian against Svitrigaila
in the fight for the Lithuanian throne. Svitrigaila in turn supported Dawlat Berdi
and later Sayid Ahmad I
, as did Vasili II of Russia
.
Olugh lost control of the Golden Horde again in the late 1430s and fled east, where he captured Kazan
and founded the Kazan Khanate. From that location he waged a series of successful wars against Muscovy which culminated in the capture and ransom of Vasili II.
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
of the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
and founder of the Kazan Khanate.
Family
Olugh Mokhammad was most likely the son of Jalal ad-Din khanJalal ad-Din khan
Jalal ad-Din was the khan of the Golden Horde in 1411–1412. He was the son of Tokhtamysh Khan. He is also famous for his written history of the Mongol Empire....
, and the grandson of Tokhtamysh
Tokhtamysh
Tokhtamysh was the prominent khan of the White Horde, who briefly unified the White Horde and Blue Horde subdivisions of the Golden Horde into a single state. He was a descendant of Genghis Khan's eldest grandson, Orda Khan or his brother Tuqa-Timur...
, although he may have been descended from Hassan Jefai, a relative of Tokhtamysh. Either way, he was a descendant of Jochi
Jochi
Jochi was the eldest of the Mongol chieftain Genghis Khan's four sons by his principal wife Börte. An accomplished military leader, he participated in his father's conquest of Central Asia, along with his brothers and uncles.-Early life:...
and therefore a Ghengisid.
Reign
Olugh first came to power following the death of YeremferdenYeremferden
Yeremferden , also known as Jabbar Berdi, was a khan of the Golden Horde from 1417 to 1419. He was one of the sons of Tokhtamysh who struggled for power after their father's death. His reign was marked by relative peace save for occasional struggles with Vytautas against Edigu and what would become...
. His main competitor for control of the Horde was his cousin Dawlat Berdi
Dawlat Berdi
Dawlat Berdi , also known as Devlet Berdi, was a Khan of the Golden Horde who reigned from 1419 to 1421, and again from 1428 to his death in 1432. He was the son of Jabbar Berdi and a descendant of Berke Khan....
, The son of Yeremferden. For much of his reigh Olugh Mokhammad controlled Sarai, and was therefore seen as the more legitimate ruler within the Horde, although it was captured by his rival after the Siege of Sarai
Siege of Sarai
The Siege of Sarai was a siege of Sarai, the nominal capital of the Golden Horde.-Background:After the death of Yeremferden both Dawlat Berdi and Olugh Mokhammad sought control of the Golden Horde. Berdi, who was Yeremferden's son, found himself limited to the Crimea...
in 1420 and held by him for two years.
In 1422 Baraq
Baraq (Khan of Golden Horde)
Baraq was Khan of the Golden Horde from 1422 to 1427. His father was Koirichak, grandson of Urus Khan who was also descendant of Genghis Khan. He took support from Ulugh Beg, the Timurid khan, and in 1422 he dethroned Kepek, Olugh Mokhammad as well as Dawlat Berdi, khans of the Golden Horde. And...
defeated both Olugh and Dawlat and drove them out of the country. while Dawlat remained in the outskirts of Crimea, Olugh fled to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
and plead for assistance from Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
. With this assistance he was able to march on Baraq and capture Sarai.
After regaining control over the Khanate, Olugh marched on Crimea, where Dawlat Berdi had re-established himself following Baraq's defeat and death. After a series of indecisive skirmishes his invasion was cut short due to the death of Vaytautas, which forced Olugh to concentrate his forces on Lithuania, where he supported Sigismund I Kestutian against Svitrigaila
Švitrigaila
Švitrigaila Švitrigaila Švitrigaila (ca 1370 – 10 February 1452; was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund Kęstutaitis.-Struggle against Vytautas:...
in the fight for the Lithuanian throne. Svitrigaila in turn supported Dawlat Berdi
Dawlat Berdi
Dawlat Berdi , also known as Devlet Berdi, was a Khan of the Golden Horde who reigned from 1419 to 1421, and again from 1428 to his death in 1432. He was the son of Jabbar Berdi and a descendant of Berke Khan....
and later Sayid Ahmad I
Sayid Ahmad I
Sayid Ahmad I was a khan of the Golden Horde from 1427 or 1433 until his death in 1435. Unlike the last five of six khans, Ahmad was not a descendant of Tokhtamysh but Timur-Malik, a cousin of Tokhtamysh.-Breakup of the Horde:...
, as did Vasili II of Russia
Vasili II of Russia
Vasily II Vasiliyevich Tyomniy was the Grand Prince of Moscow whose long reign was plagued by the greatest civil war of Old Russian history....
.
Olugh lost control of the Golden Horde again in the late 1430s and fled east, where he captured Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
and founded the Kazan Khanate. From that location he waged a series of successful wars against Muscovy which culminated in the capture and ransom of Vasili II.
Further reading
- Paine, Sheila: The Golden Horde: From the Himalaya to the Mediterranean, Penguin Books, 1998.
- Crummey, Robert: Formation of Muscovy 1304-1613, Longman Group, 1987.=