White Horde (Ak Orda) - one of the two parts of the Golden Horde

The Middle Ages - the time of formation of many nationalities and the formation of their statehood. This process is typical not only for European countries, but also for Asian countries. The Mongol empire of Genghis Khan, created by him in a short time, dominated the Eurasian continent for more than two hundred years.

After its disintegration, several state formations remained, one of which is the White Horde. In the post-Mongol period, the process of unification of nomadic and sedentary tribes proceeded on its territory, thus laying the foundations of the modern Kazakh nation.

Bet, tribe, public education

The word "horde" is familiar to everyone from the school bench. Many dramatic events of the Russian history of the 13th-15th centuries are associated with it. For a long time, Russian princes were forced to pay tribute to the khans of the Golden Horde - the Mongol-Tatar state, which occupied a huge territory.

This fragment of the empire of Genghis Khan stretches from the Aral to the Black Sea and from Iran to the Ural Mountains. More often than not, by the word "horde" we mean the state education of the Turkic peoples. Nevertheless, there are other its meanings.

For example, the horde is a place of gathering of related nomads, as well as the nomadic tribes themselves, the army or the khan's stake. In addition, in Russian, the Turkic word eventually acquired an allegorical meaning with a negative connotation. So, we often call a horde of unorganized crowds or a disorderly conglomeration of people.

Why Golden?

In 1206 the representatives of the Mongolian tribes elected Temujin their head. From that time on, he began to be called Genghis Khan, that is, the chosen one of heaven. Over the next twenty years, his name will terrify the peoples of Asia and Europe.

According to the Mongolian tradition, during his lifetime Genghis Khan shared the conquered lands between his sons. The eldest of them, Juchi, took possession of the largest ulus, whose center was in the Lower Volga region.

Later, these territories began to be called the Golden Horde. Its borders, mentioned at the beginning of the article, were finally determined after the Western campaign of Batu, the son of Juchi, undertaken by him in 1236-1242.

There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of the Golden Horde name . This is, first of all, the ancient legend that the descendants of Genghis Khan were called "the golden race."

On the other hand, Ibn Battuta, a medieval Arab traveler, noted that the tents of the khans were covered with plates of gilded silver. Hence, the state formation itself could have its name.

However, there is a third hypothesis, according to which the Golden Horde, after the collapse of the Mongolian empire of Genghis Khan, occupied a central, that is, "golden", or middle position.

White and Blue

In medieval chronicles of the East, dating back to the time of the reign of the sons of Juchi, new names appear: Ak Orda and Kok Orda. Over the past two centuries, historians have argued about the terminology and geographic location of these territorial units that once formed the Golden Horde.

To date, with greater or lesser probability, it can be argued that Juchi's possessions were shared by his sons: Orda-Yezhen and Sheibani. The first was Priirtyshye, Semirechye and steppe areas adjacent to the mountain ranges of Kentau and Ulutau. This ulus was called Ak (White) Horde.

Sheibani inherited the Aral steppes, interfluve Yaika, the lower reaches of the Syr Darya. His possessions were called Kok (Blue) Horde. Nevertheless, we note that scanty and contradictory historical information is often treated by scientists in the opposite way.

Therefore, some researchers believe that the ulus of the Horde-Eugene was called the Blue Horde, while Sheibani ruled White. Anyway, but the possessions of the latter in the XIV century were attached to the lands of the elder brother. From this moment the new state, called Ak Orda, occupied almost the entire territory of modern Kazakhstan.

Evidence of Russian chroniclers

As you know, medieval Rus was repeatedly subjected to the Golden Horde invasions. In the annals of that period, mention was made of both the raids themselves and the neighboring states. In particular, the name "Blue Horde" is repeatedly mentioned in them.

The sources from which the chroniclers drew information were the stories of Russian ambassadors who visited Saraj, the capital of the Golden Horde. The information they provided, including vague geographic data, was scrupulously recorded in the chronicles.

Noteworthy is the fact that the term White Horde, unlike Blue, does not occur in medieval chronicles. Perhaps, for the reason that its territory at that time did not border on the Russian principalities.

State formation

The history of the White Horde dates back to the 13th century, when Juchi divided his ulus among his sons. The tendency toward independence for the elder Eugene and his descendants manifested itself almost immediately.

It created its own tax system, the staff of the clerks, set up a postal service, accepted foreign embassies, coins were minted. However, complete independence from the central power ulus Yedzhena received only after the collapse of the Golden Horde.

In the XIV century the White Horde occupied a huge territory: from the Irtysh to the Syr Darya and from Tyumen to Karatal. It was inhabited by Turkic tribes and assimilated descendants of the Mongols. The state language was Kypchak-Kazakh. In the capital, Sygnak, there was a khan's rate and the army was based.

Stages of political development

In general, there are three periods in the history of the White Horde. The first covers the years from 1224 to 1250, that is, from the time it was founded and until the time when local rulers remained under the control of the Golden Horde khans.

The second period is the longest - from 1250 to 1370. During this time, the White Horde sought independence, intervening in internecine conflicts of central authority. In the end, she managed to do this under Urus-Khan, who finally separated his possessions from the Golden Horde.

The final, third period (1370-1410) marked the decline of statehood. At the end of the 14th century Tamerlane, the Great Emir, and the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh , supported by him, undertook a number of aggressive campaigns against the White Horde.

The devastation and internal strife weakened the ruling dynasty, leading the state to inevitable collapse. In the 20s of the XV century in the territory of the White Horde Abulkhair Khanate and Nogai Horde were formed.

State administrative system of the White Horde

The supreme power in the state was represented by the khan - the descendant of the Horde Edzhen, grandson of Genghis Khan. He relied on a large nomadic nobility - the leaders of tribes and clans. The next social level was occupied by emirs, beks, bays, bakhadurs, etc. Ordinary nomads, as well as sedentary people called "karash."

The territory of the White Horde was divided into lots headed by oglans. In cities such as Sauran, Sygnak, Zharkent, Iasi, handicrafts and trade developed. Although in the nomadic areas pastures were formally continued to be considered community property, but in fact belonged to the nobility, who owned huge herds.

In the land relations gradually began to prevail gifted form of ownership. The feudal lords received a gift from the khans of the land as recognition of special merits, mainly military ones. The governors of the oglans controlled the granted cities or land districts in exchange for civil and military service. In the XIV-XV centuries the lands received as a gift began to be inherited.

A trail in the history of Kazakhstan

The Mongolian conquest of the steppe peoples had a definite positive effect. It involves the formation of a centralized state and the implementation of reforms that correspond to new historical conditions.

After the collapse of the empire of Genghis Khan, the Golden Horde (the White Horde, as one of its parts) played a decisive role in the consolidation of the ethnic groups that inhabited the territory of modern Kazakhstan. In fact, this was the next stage in the formation of the Kazakh people.

Proof of this is the creation of its own state. Soon after the collapse of the Ak Orda, the sovereign Kazakh Khanate (the 15th century) was formed on its territory.