Since 1359, the Horde has entered a period of internal strife. Khans and impostors replace each other with amazing speed. And the departure of the previous one was invariably accompanied by a bloody massacre. Naturally, against the background of this discord and turmoil, numerous regions (uluses) of the once united empire are increasingly declaring their independence. This period went down in Russian history as the Great Zamyatni. This bloody time became a springboard for the rise of an unprecedented ruler - khanshi Tulunbek-khanum, whose whole life is shrouded in myths and riddles.
Who are you, mysterious khansha?
The personality of Tulunbek is still subject to a variety of disputes among historians. Even its origin is a stumbling block. It is generally accepted that Tulunbek was the daughter of Khan Berdibek. Berdibek was a Chingizid, i.e. a descendant of Genghis Khan. It was his death during the ascension to the throne of the impostor, "Khan" Kulp, that marked the beginning of civil strife in the Horde.
Supporters of this version believe that only Tulunbek's belonging to the Chingizid family was the reason for Mamai's marriage to Tulunbek. Mamai, as you know, was an unusually powerful and ambitious person, occupying the positions of temnik (tumenbashi - a military leader subordinate to the khan personally) and beklarbek (manager of the khan's administration, in fact the second person in the Horde). But he could not become a khan because of his origin, so he decided to rule through a puppet - the weak Abdullah Khan, the son of Uzbek Khan saved by him. Abdullah Khan became the head of only half of all the possessions of the Horde, since Mamai could not take control of the entire Horde.
However, despite the colossal power, Mamai understood that during the period of civil strife she would be inexpensive, so he decided to support his status with a successful marriage. In addition, there were more than enough pretenders to the throne, both Chingizids and Nechingizids. However, Tulunbek herself, judging by the opinion of some historians, was more than good-looking and made a strong impression on men.
Mamai.
One way or another, but relying on Tulunbek's pedigree and his own talent as an intriguer and a military leader, Mamai continued to strengthen his power, striving to control the entire empire. In this light, the interpretation of the name Tulunbek-khanum looks very ironic. So, Tulunbek means “perfect ruler”, and the prefix “khanum” speaks of her title of khanshi.
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Hansha or Regent?
In 1367, Mamai once again captured the capital of the Golden Horde Sarai, hoping to put an end to the jam through his puppet. But already the next year, a new uprising broke out against Abdullah Khan, i.e. Mamaia, in the Crimea. Mamai was forced to leave the capital.
As expected, Abdullah Khan lost power almost immediately. And for a whole year, the capital of the powerful Golden Horde walked through the hands of both completely legitimate and simple pretenders from among the impostors. Only in 1369, Mamai, who returned from Crimea, recaptured Sarai and returned his protege to the throne. But as luck would have it, Abdullah Khan was not only a weak-willed person, but also could not boast of good health. The nominal ruler of the Golden Horde, which some authors later vaguely called the Mamaev Horde, died in 1370.
Coins of Tulunbek-khanum.
Before the enterprising and domineering Mamai, the question arose again: who should be enthroned. Of course, Abdullah Khan had offspring in the form of an 8-year-old son, Muhammad Bulak. However, was it reasonable to trust even a nominal power to a young child, if even his 30-year-old father could not keep it. And here Tulunbek again entered the historical arena. Having weighed all the pros and cons, Mamai decided to elevate Bulak to the throne of the Horde, but with minor status changes.
Both Tulunbek's origin and her official rank are hotly debated. On the one hand, Bulak became Khan, and Tulunbek, from the Chingizid family, became Regent. However, the researchers knew about the existence of copper coins minted on behalf of Tulunbek-khanum called pools. At the same time, the pools were minted not only in Sarai, but also in the Ulus Mokhshi, which was once the temporary residence of the Uzbek Khan himself, one of the last completely legitimate rulers of the Golden Horde. Such an honor could not be given to a simple regent, which means that the opinion that Tulunbek was precisely the khansha was not only justified, but also materially confirmed.
One way or another, but in about 1371, after several military campaigns to strengthen the power, Mamai finally announced Bulak Khan. Tulunbek again found itself on the outskirts of world politics, but retained its status, because pools with her image went around the entire Horde and beyond.
The former khansha is a bargaining chip
For several years, the name Tulunbek completely disappears from history. The great rash continued. Luck began to cheat on Mamai. In 1372 Urus-Khan, the owner of the Sardarya ulus, knocked out Mamai Bulak's protege from Sarai. Bulak fled to Mamai in the Crimea. Gathering his strength, Mamai returned the throne to Bulak only in 1375, but not for long. The once omnipotent temnik quarreled with Moscow, sowed strife in his own ranks and did not see the powerful enemy from the east - Tokhtamysh.
Tokhtamysh.
Defeated at the Kulikovo field, where the formal Khan Bulak was allegedly killed, Mamai rushed to gather a new army. But at the same time, in 1380, Tokhtamysh, having dealt with the eastern part of the Horde, headed west, hoping to become the khan of that same Golden Horde. In the same year, Tokhtamysh defeated Mamai, who had been betrayed by his own military leaders.
All Mamai's "wives", including Tulunbek, whom the new khan took as his wife, were awarded to the winner. Apparently, Tokhtamysh regarded Tulunbek as a very valuable trophy. In addition, this trophy was of the khan's blood, therefore, in the future, it could strengthen its legitimacy in order to stop the hiding. And he succeeded. Tokhtamysh restored the Golden Horde.
However, in 1386 Tokhtamysh executed Tulunbek. At the same time, many historians point out that the execution was payment for participation (or suspicion of participation) in the conspiracy. One way or another, but the only woman who flew to the inaccessible Golden Horde heights was struck off the list of the living.
Versions, versions, versions …
Due to the fact that only tiny grains of mentions in the annals and the Golden Horde pools remained in history about Tulunbek, which automatically spoke of the extraordinary significance of this woman in the history of the Horde, there are a great many versions of who was hiding under this name. The above is only an average.
A small plaque on the site of the wasteland where the empire's capital was once.
So, according to one of the versions, Tulunbek was the daughter of an influential bey from the Yashlau clan (ancestral prince of the Yashlau Turkic tribe) Khadzhibek. And she was not Mamai's wife at all. On the contrary, Tulunbek won the heart of Tokhtamysh, who showered his wife with all kinds of gifts and did not even think about killing her. Over the years with her beloved husband, she gave him seven children, including the eldest, Jelal ad-Din Khan.
Another version even says that Tulunbek was … a man, and the whole trouble is in the wrong spelling and reading of the new khan's name. In this light, Tulunbek becomes another protege of Mamai.
But the most romantic version presents Tulunbek as a true warrior. In this version, Chingizid Tulyubek Khanum was the wife of Khan Aziz Sheikh (Chingizid, who ruled the Horde from 1365 to 1367). When the conspirators killed her dear husband, she managed to survive. Moreover, having gathered with forces and allies, the brave khansha not only punished the impostors and conspirators, but also ascended the throne herself. And her three-year reign was peaceful and calm, until another challenger killed the khansha.
Apparently, the "hush-up" with versions will continue much longer than the historical feud of the Golden Horde lasted …