The mighty Golden Horde was formed as a result of the conquests of Genghis Khan and his descendants. It controlled a huge territory, but it suffered the same fate as other vast empires of the past – it fell apart into separate fragments since it was simply impossible to manage such possession in that era, without modern technologies.
25 Facts about the Golden Horde :
* Contrary to popular opinion, it consisted not only of Mongols. The Horde included many peoples with different cultures and religious beliefs.
* After its collapse, its largest fragment was named the Big Horde.
* Internecine strife often broke out within the Golden Horde. The famous Battle of Kulikovo took place because Dmitry Donskoy refused to obey the temnik Mamai, who, strictly speaking, was not the head of the Horde, but a usurper who seized a part of the power for himself (interesting facts about Dmitry Donskoy).
* The opinion that the entire Golden Horde consisted only of ferocious nomads, alien to any creation, is erroneous. Entire cities were built in the Horde, for example, Sarai Berke and Sarai al-Jedida.
* The time from 1361 to 1380 went down in history as the “Great Jam”, that is, the turmoil. During this time, several dozen khans were replaced in the Golden Horde.
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* Before being formed as a separate state, the Horde was part of the Mongol Empire created by Genghis Khan.
* In the heyday of the Golden Horde, when it was ruled by Uzbek Khan and his son Janibek, its territory became safe, many roads were built for trade caravans. They were vigilantly guarded, and traders could cross the huge Horde territories without being afraid of anything.
* Power was not always inherited in the Golden Horde. Most often, of course, it was so, but still, the khans of smaller uluses had the decisive word in choosing a new supreme ruler. Without their support, it would have been impossible to hold the throne.
* The Golden Horde, unlike the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan, never included Slavic lands in its composition. Although she imposed a tribute on them.
* The area controlled by the Golden Horde was huge, covering most of Eurasia.
* For a long time, the peoples who were part of it professed their ancient religion and worshipped the sky. But under the Uzbek Khan, Islam began to spread widely.
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* Power in the Golden Horde was inherited only nominally. The heirs were the sons of the former supreme khan, but the new ruler was chosen from among them by other khans, and their decision was most important.
* The territories of the Russian state of that era were taxed with tribute, but they were never part of the Horde.
* Lying was considered one of the most serious sins in the Golden Horde. A person caught in it lost his trust, and sometimes his life.
* The Golden Horde was indeed extremely multinational. And the term “Tatar-Mongols” appeared only in the 19th century.
* Until the 16th century, there was a diocese of the Orthodox Church in its capital.
* The heirs of Russian princes at a young age often climbed into the Golden Horde as high-ranking hostages.
* The Horde themselves called their state Ulus Jochi or Ulu Ulus. Translated, it means “The Country of Jochi” or” Great Country”, respectively.
* Not all Horde members were nomads. Settled farmers also lived on the lands under her control, even if there were few of them.
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* There were about 150 cities in the Horde. The largest of them was a Barn that performed metropolitan functions, it had about 75 thousand inhabitants. But most of the Horde, of course, led a nomadic lifestyle.
* The capital of the Golden Horde for a long time was the settlement of Saray, located on the Volga River. It has not been preserved to this day.
* In modern Mongolia, people are very proud of the conquests of Genghis Khan and the legacy of the Golden Horde. Many films and musical compositions are dedicated to the Horde era of this country.
