11 Facts About Urus Khan

Urus Khan was the eighth Khan of the White Horde and a disputed Khan of the Blue Horde; he was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan.

Urus Khan was a descendant of Jochi's thirteenth son Tuqa-Timur.

The early years of Urus Khan are not recorded in the sources.

Urus Khan was killed in a skirmish by Urus, who was cossacking with a small group of his associates.

Urus Khan was succeeded by a nephew, a cousin, and a brother.

Urus Khan had somehow escaped the wrath of Tingiz-Buqa, and survived the short reigns of his distant cousins.

Urus Khan chased out the beglerbeg Mamai's protege Muhammad-Sultan in 1373 and appears to have briefly held the city, before losing it almost immediately to a local ruler, Hajji Cherkes of Astrakhan, and then the Shibanid Il Beg.

When Mamai recovered Sarai for Muhammad-Sultan again in 1374, Urus Khan made another successful attempt on the city.

The stage was now set for a major confrontation between Urus Khan, who had temporarily given up on his ambition to hold Sarai, and Timur, who insisted on protecting and supporting Tokhtamysh.

Urus Khan was actually succeeded by his sons, Toqtaqiya, who died after two months, and Timur-Malik, who was defeated and killed by Tokhtamysh in 1379.

Urus Khan had reigned for nine years, but his attempts to hold Sarai and take over the western portions of the Golden Horde had met with failure.