1. The second son of Genghis's wife Borte, Chagatai was renowned for his masterful knowledge of Mongol custom and law, which he scrupulously obeyed, and his harsh temperament.
21 Facts About Chagatai Khan
1. 2.
Chagatai Khan was nevertheless a key figure in ensuring the stability of the empire after Genghis's death and during the reign of his younger brother Ogedei Khan.
3.
Chagatai Khan held military commands alongside his brothers during the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty in 1211 and the invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire in 1219.
4.
Chagatai Khan quarrelled with civil officials such as Mahmud Yalavach over matters of jurisdiction and advised Ogedei on questions of rulership.
5.
Chagatai Khan's mother, Borte, was born into the Onggirat tribe, who lived along the Greater Khingan mountain range south of the Ergune river, in modern-day Inner Mongolia.
6.
Chagatai Khan married a Mongol leader named Temujin c after a seven-year betrothal.
7.
Chagatai Khan, born in late 1183 or 1184, was thus the first son definitively fathered by Temujin.
8.
Chagatai Khan had six younger full siblings: two brothers named Ogedei and Tolui, and four sisters named Checheyigen, Alaqa, Tumelun, and Al Altan.
9.
Chagatai Khan began to reorder his new nation, dividing it between members of his ruling dynasty.
10.
Chagatai Khan was granted territories near the Altai Mountains, where the Naiman tribe had previously ruled.
11.
Chagatai Khan received either 4,000 or 8,000 subjects, drawn from the Jalayir, Barlas, Suldus, Sonit, and Dughlat tribes.
12.
Chagatai Khan's other named sons were Mochi Yaba, the son of one of Yesulun's servants and thus given little regard by his father, as well as Balgashi, Sarban, Yesu-Mongke, and Baidar, whose mothers are unknown.
13.
Alongside his brothers Jochi and Ogedei, Chagatai Khan commanded the right wing in the 1211 invasion of the Chinese Jin dynasty.
14.
The usual narrative of the siege recounts that Jochi and Chagatai Khan quarrelled on how best to conduct its progress, as Jochi presumed that the rich city would become part of his domain and wished to damage it as little as possible.
15.
Chagatai Khan returned to his father's side during the siege of Taliqan, which fell in summer 1221.
16.
Chagatai Khan summoned Chagatai to his tent and accused him of not following orders; Chagatai replied that he would rather be executed than disobey.
17.
Chagatai Khan presided over the coronation ceremony alongside Tolui and their uncle Temuge and was a stalwart follower of Ogedei throughout his reign.
18.
Chagatai Khan nevertheless chastised Ogedei for his excessive drinking and made him agree to limit the number of cups of alcohol he drank; Ogedei managed to get around this restriction by finding a very large cup.
19.
Chagatai Khan did not help and left the revolt to Ogedei, whose armies quickly suppressed the uprising; the population faced total slaughter but was spared after Mahmud argued that only a part had been involved.
20.
Chagatai Khan squabbled with Korguz, his brother's governor in the region of Khorasan.
21.
Chagatai Khan died in 1242; he was replaced as the senior Genghisid prince by Jochi's son Batu.