In our perception, when the word "khan" is mentioned, indispensable associations arise with the Mongol invaders, wild barbarians and the oppression of the Russian people. What to do, the Tatar-Mongol invasion left too negative and deep imprint in the history of Russia, and many other countries. However, the title "khan" has a much richer and more ancient history.
What is a khan
The word "khan" itself has Turkic roots and originally means the leader of the tribe. Many nomadic peoples have long been made to choose their leader. And when we say “long since”, we are talking tentatively about the VI-VII centuries. It was at this time that the term first appeared in the annals of Western historians.
Later, the title of khan was rooted not only in Mongolian culture, but also in Iran, in the Ottoman Empire, among Kazakhs and many other peoples. Everywhere it means belonging to the highest feudal nobility or the most important military rank. After the collapse of the Great Mongol Empire, the word "khan" means that we are talking about the head of state and the supreme ruler. It is known that a huge empire broke up into several separate states, so the rulers with the above title for a long time dominated throughout the continent.
First great khans
Despite the fact that the concept itself existed from the VI century, and possibly earlier, real greatness did not come at all right away. The world first learned what a khan is, with the advent of the indestructible Genghis Khan. This name literally means "great khan." After his conquests in history, a whole era of great Genghisid rulers began.
I must say that the era of the rule of the Mongols in relation to our country lasted 245 years. In total, the Mongol khans at the head of their empire lasted 428 years. Why is there such a difference? The fact is that the Mongol Empire during its heyday was so great that it would simply be impossible to manage it centrally. Genghis Khan divided it into uluses, which he distributed to all his sons. After that, each autonomous region of Mongolia began its own expansion and actually turned into a separate state. However, what is the khan of the Mongol Empire, no one forgot. Autonomy was quite illusive. Each area, left to itself, for a long time was subordinated to one Great Khan.
After the death of Genghis Khan, the title of the owner of the empire was inherited by his third son, Ugedei, who fully followed the aggressive policy of his father. His reign is remarkable for the fact that during this period the territories of Northern China, the most civilized developed region of the world at that time, joined the Mongol Empire. It was also under Ugadei that Russian lands and part of Eastern Europe were conquered.
Khans of the Golden Horde
While the main Mongolian khan ruled over an extensive empire in the capital Karakorum, in the provinces, each specific ruler strove to equip his territory on the same principle: to determine borders, create a capital and restore order. The latter meant not only the timely payment of tribute and recruitment duty, but also quite ordinary things. For example, the establishment of trade and security, as well as postal services throughout the subject territory.
Ulus Jochi, the first son of Genghis Khan , was only a part of the Mongol Empire for 42 years. Since 1266, this region has become a separate state - the Golden Horde, which occupies a vast territory of 6 million square kilometers. In fact, all of Central Asia from Central Siberia to the Black Sea and from the Volga region to the territories of modern Kazakhstan.
The first Golden Horde khan was Batu, or Batu, which is marked by the fact that it completely subjugated Ancient Russia. In fact, the Horde lived at the expense of the Russian population. And not just lived, but grew and flourished. By 1342, that is, after 76 years from its "birth", the Golden Horde reached its highest greatness. The heyday fell on the reign of the khan of Uzbek - the great-great-grandson of Batu Khan. It was at this time that the state finally acquired its capital under the name Saray al-Jedid - the “New Palace”, and Islam became the official religion of the Horde.
Khans and Princes
The heyday of the Golden Horde is also characterized by the fact that the Russian princes did not have to forget for a day what the word "khan" means. They regularly visited the new capital with gifts and abundant tribute, certainly agreed with the Horde ruler their rights to manage their own principalities, were forced to strictly observe all Mongolian rites and customs. And if someone resisted, he immediately lost his life.
However, the Central Asian state flourished not so long. Already in 1369, a period of internal strife began, which meanwhile allowed the Russian rulers to begin to unite their forces against the oppressors. Unfortunately, unification and struggle dragged on for centuries. Be that as it may, domestic history forever retained an understanding of what a khan is.