| Möngke Temür ᠮᠥᠩᠬᠡᠲᠡᠮᠦᠷ | |
|---|---|
| Khan | |
_Timur._AH_665-679_AD_1267-1280_Bulghar_mint._Dated_AH_672_or_3_(AD_1273-1275).jpg) Coinage of Möngke (Mengu) Timur. Bulghar mint. Dated AH 672 or 3 (AD 1273–1275) | |
| Khan of the Golden Horde Western Half (Blue Horde) | |
| Reign | 1266–1280 |
| Predecessor | Berke |
| Successor | Tode Mongke |
| Died | 1280 (1281) Sarai |
| Spouse | Oljai Khatun Sultan Khatun Qutuqui Khatun |
| Issue more... | Toqta Toghrilcha Alqui Thocomerius |
| House | Borjigin |
| Dynasty | Golden Horde |
| Father | Toqoqan Khan |
| Mother | Köchu Khatun |
| Religion | Shamanist |
| Tamga |  |
Mengu-Timur (/ˈmɛŋɡuːˈtɪmər/MEN-goo TIM-ər) orMöngke Temür (Mongolian:ᠮᠥᠩᠬᠡᠲᠡᠮᠦᠷ, Мөнхтөмөр; died 1280) wasKhan of theGolden Horde, a division of theMongol Empire, from 1266 to 1280.[1] He was a son ofToqoqan Khan,[2] himself the son ofBatu, and Köchu Khatun ofOirat,[3] the daughter of Toralchi Küregen and granddaughter ofQutuqa Beki.
His name literally means "Eternal Iron" in theMongolian language.
Mengu-Timur was one of three candidates for the throne following the death ofBerke.[4] The other two candidates were Berke's son and Mengu-Timur's younger brother,Tode Mongke.[4] Some sources say that Berke had designated Mengu-Timur as his heir as part of a strategy to secure the support of Batu's followers.[4] The succession caused tension within the Horde and this is reflected in Russian sources.[4] After several months, the Jochid elites ultimately agreed to select Mengu-Timur as khan.[4]
At the start of his reign, Mengu-Timur reformed the monetary system by issuing new silver coins that bore his name and seal, with no reference of thekhagan.[5] He also maintained the independence of theGolden Horde by refusing to visitKublai upon his enthronement, instead requiring an ambassador of Kublai to visit him.[5] He also increased the number of mints and made sure that coins specific to a region were valid across the Horde.[5] This allowed for regional autonomy and therefore protected local trade.[6]
The very firstyarlyk (decree) issued by Mengu-Timur was a tax exemption for the Russian Church in 1267.[7]Russian Orthodox clergy were also exempt from performing military service.[7] Mengu-Timur's religious policy aligned with that ofGenghis Khan andÖgedei Khan, where the priests of certain religions were grantedtarkhan status in exchange for them praying for the khan and his family.[7] As a result, Mengu-Timur was able to strengthen ties with the Russian principalities.[7] Mengu-Timur applied thetarkhan system, which co-opted elites, instead of thedhimmi system, which aimed to integrate subjects by requiring non-Muslims to pay a special tax.[8] Mengu-Timur determined that Russian peasants would obey the nobles and religious leaders, and so he used thetarkhan system to co-opt the nobility and gain their support.[8] As a result, the Russian clergy were able to establish new landed properties.[8]
Mengu-Timur's foreign policy also aligned with that of Berke.[7] He did not convert to Islam, but was able to exchange embassies with theMamluk Sultanate, and the alliance was preserved due to the economic benefits that both parties received.[7] After the war with theIlkhanate ended, Mengu-Timur maintained his relationship withBaybars and his successors.[7] TheGenoese established trading posts in territories controlled by the Horde, the largest of which was inCrimea atSudak.[9] The Genoese also created a fortified harbor, and around 1275–1280, Mengu-Timur allowed them to rentCaffa.[9] Mengu-Timur welcomed the traders as long as they paid taxes and respected the law.[9]
Unlike Berke, Mengu-Timur tried to re-establish peaceful tributary relations with theByzantine Empire.[10]Michael VIII Palaiologos sent a large tribute of textiles and then offered one of his daughters,Euphrosyne.[11] Mengu-Timur accepted Michael's offer and the princess was married toNogai Khan, since he was given control over the territories closest to the Byzantine Empire.[11] Mengu-Timur also maintained the agreement with the Byzantine Empire that allowed ships to pass through theBosporus and theDardanelles from the Black Sea.[7] Thealliance with the Byzantines strengthened the Golden Horde's control over access to the Black Sea, while the alliance with the Mamluks gave the Jochids access to theNile and theRed Sea.[11]
In 1280, he launched his campaign against Poland which ended in his defeat. He died soon after this unsuccessful campaign.[12]
Mengu-Timur was originally nominated byKublai Khan.[13][14] But he sided withKaidu who was a rival of the latter. Kublai only stopped him from invading theIlkhanate with a large force.[15] The Golden Horde helped Kaidu to put down the force of theChagatai Khanate. In 1265, Kaidu was defeated by the Chagatai army underGhiyas-ud-din Baraq. That is why, the Khan of the Jochid Ulus sent 30,000 armed-men headed by his uncle Berkecher to support Kaidu's force. Their victory over theChagatai army forcedGhiyas-ud-din Baraq to initiate a peace treaty with them. Together they formed an alliance and demarcated the borders of their realms inTalas.Rashid al-Din claims that the meeting took place in the spring of 1269 in Talas, whileWassaf writes that it took place around 1267 to the south ofSamarkand. Though He and Kaidu admonished Baraq for invading theIlkhanate, Mengu-Timur congratulated IlkhanAbagha upon his stunning victory over the Chagatai army in order to hide his true intention. The two had been probably fighting with each other until the 1270s. But some scholars disaffirm that such battles occurred.[16]
Following the precedent in the Mongol Empire since the reign ofGenghis Khan, Mengu-Timur granted tax-exempt status to the Orthodox Christian Church in late 1260s and did not count priests and their lands during the census in 1275.[17]
During that time, Kublai dispatched his favorite son, Nomu Khan, against Kaidu toAlmaliq. Nomu Khan sent letters toChingisid nobles to reassert their support. Mongke Temur responded that he would protect Kublai from Kaidu if he assaulted theYuan. In 1276,Chingisid princesShiregi and Tokhtemur defected to Kaidu's side and arrested Kublai's son. Then they sent Nomughan and his brother Kökechü to Mengu-Timur and his general to Kaidu. The court of the Golden Horde released Nomughan in 1278[18] or 10 years later.[19]
Mengu-Timur married several times:
With unknown wives and concubines:
| Preceded by | Khan ofBlue Horde andGolden Horde 1266–1280 | Succeeded by |
