The Golden Horde was the European appanage of the Mongol Empire (1206-1368 CE). Begun in earnest by Batu Khan in 1227 CE, the territory that would eventually become the Golden Horde came to encompass parts of Central Asia, much of Russia, and other parts of Eastern Europe. Later converting to Islam, the Golden Horde would meld aspects of cultures from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East while ruling Russia for over two centuries. At its height, Mongol raids from the Golden Horde extended from the Caucasus to Hungary to Constantinople, inspiring fear across the known the world of the fearsome Mongol horsemen, or, as they knew them, the Tartars.
More about: Golden HordeDefinition
Timeline
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1227 - 1255Batu Khan establishes and rules the Golden Horde.
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1236 - 1242Multiple Mongol armies attack western Asia, Russia, Poland, and Hungary.
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1238The Mongols invade Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia.
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9 Apr 1241The Mongols defeat an army led by Henry the Pious, the Duke of Silesia, near Liegnitz (Legnica).
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10 Apr 1241 - 11 Apr 1241The Mongols defeat an army led by Bela IV, king of Hungary, at the Battle of Mohi.
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1251 - 1259Reign of Mongke Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire.
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1257 - 1266Reign of Berke over the Golden Horde.
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1260 - 1264Kublai Khan fights a civil war with his brother Ariq Boke for control of the Mongol Empire.
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1262Golden Horde forces under Nogai defeat the Ilkhanate at the Battle of Terek.
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1266 - 1280Mengu-Temur rules the Golden Horde.
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1271Golden Horde forces under Nogai invade the Byzantine Empire.
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1299Nogai, the de facto leader of the Golden Horde, dies.
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1313 - 1341Uzbeg rules the Golden Horde and makes Islam the state religion.
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1327Uzbeg shifts Golden Horde support from the Russian city of Tver to the rising power of Moscow.
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1342 - 1357Janibeg rules the Golden Horde.
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1362Lithuanian forces defeat the Golden Horde at the Battle of Blue Waters.
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1380A Russian army defeats the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo, seen as the turning point in Mongol domination of Russia.
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1380 - 1395Tokhtamysh rules the Golden Horde during a brief revival.
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1382Tokhtamysh and the Golden Horde sack Moscow.
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1465 - 1481Reign of Ahmed, the last major ruler of the Golden Horde.
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1480The Golden Horde and the Russian army meet on the banks of the Ugra River.
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1480The Golden Horde is definitively defeated by the Russians at the Battle of the Ugra River.
