Azak

The Sea of Azov (Russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; Ukrainian: Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a northern section of the Black Sea, linked to the larger body through the Kerch Strait. It is bounded on the north by Ukraine, on the east by Russia and on the west by the Crimean peninsula. The Black Sea deluge theory dates the genesis of the Sea of Azov to 5600 BC, and there are traces of Neolithic settlement in the area now covered by it. In antiquity, it was known as the M ...

Including:

• Sea of Azov - External link

Read more here: » Sea of Azov: Encyclopedia - Sea of Azov

The Horde quickly lost its Mongol identity. While the descendants of Batu's original Mongol warriors constituted the upper class of society, most of the Horde's population were Kipchaks, Bulgar Tatars, Kyrghyz, Khwarezmians, and other Turkic peoples. Golden Horde - Internal organization. The Horde's supreme ruler was the khan, chosen by the kurultai among Batu Khan's descendants. The prime minister, also ethnically Mongol, was known as "prince of princes", or beqlare-beq. The ministers were called viziers. ...

See also:

Golden Horde, Golden Horde - Name, Golden Horde - Mongol origins, Golden Horde - Golden Age, Golden Horde - Internal organization, Golden Horde - Vassals and allies, Golden Horde - Political evolution, Golden Horde - Disintegration and fall, Golden Horde - External link

Read more here: » Golden Horde: Encyclopedia II - Golden Horde - Golden Age

At his death, Genghis Khan divided the Mongol Empire amongst his four sons. Jochi was the eldest, but he was already dead and his paternity was in doubt, so the westernmost lands trodden by the Mongol hoof, then southern Russia, were divided among his sons, Batu leader of the Blue Horde (East), and Orda, leader of the White Horde (West). Batu then succeeded in establishing control over Orda's territorial endowment and subjugated the northern littoral of the Black Sea, incorporating the indigenous Turkic peoples into his army. In the l ...

See also:

Golden Horde, Golden Horde - Name, Golden Horde - Mongol origins, Golden Horde - Golden Age, Golden Horde - Internal organization, Golden Horde - Vassals and allies, Golden Horde - Political evolution, Golden Horde - Disintegration and fall, Golden Horde - External link

Read more here: » Golden Horde: Encyclopedia II - Golden Horde - Mongol origins

A fatal blow to the Horde was dealt by Tamerlane, who annihilated Tokhtamysh's army, destroyed his capital, looted the Crimean trade centers, and deported the most skillful craftsmen to his own capital in Samarkand. In the first decades of the 15th century, the power was wielded by Edigu, a vizier who routed Vytautas of Lithuania in the great Battle of the Vorskla River and established the Nogai Horde as his personal demesne. In the 1440s, the Horde was again wracked by civil war. This time it broke up into eight separate Khana ...

See also:

Golden Horde, Golden Horde - Name, Golden Horde - Mongol origins, Golden Horde - Golden Age, Golden Horde - Internal organization, Golden Horde - Vassals and allies, Golden Horde - Political evolution, Golden Horde - Disintegration and fall, Golden Horde - External link

Read more here: » Golden Horde: Encyclopedia II - Golden Horde - Disintegration and fall

After Batu's death in 1255, the prosperity of his empire lasted for a full century, until the assassination of Jani Beg in 1357. The White Horde and the Blue Horde were effectively consolidated into a single state by Batu's brother Berke. In the 1280s, the power was usurped by Nogai, a kingmaker who pursued a policy of Christian alliances. The Horde's military clout peaked during the reign of Uz ...

See also:

Golden Horde, Golden Horde - Name, Golden Horde - Mongol origins, Golden Horde - Golden Age, Golden Horde - Internal organization, Golden Horde - Vassals and allies, Golden Horde - Political evolution, Golden Horde - Disintegration and fall, Golden Horde - External link

Read more here: » Golden Horde: Encyclopedia II - Golden Horde - Political evolution

The name Golden is believed to have come from the steppe color-direction system: black — north, blue — east, red — south, white — west, and yellow (or gold) — center. According to another version, the name was derived from a magnificent golden tent that Batu Khan established to mark a place of his future capital on the Volga. Although much aired in the 19th-century books, this theory is now considered apocryphal. There are no written records dated prior to 17th century (well after the destruction) that refer to the state as Golden Horde. Earlier documents allude to ...

See also:

Golden Horde, Golden Horde - Name, Golden Horde - Mongol origins, Golden Horde - Golden Age, Golden Horde - Internal organization, Golden Horde - Vassals and allies, Golden Horde - Political evolution, Golden Horde - Disintegration and fall, Golden Horde - External link

Read more here: » Golden Horde: Encyclopedia II - Golden Horde - Name