alternatehistory.com
Chapter 100: Golden Horde Update
View attachment 530583
Hello folks, here we are back with the golden 100th chapter, about…well… the Golden Horde. This timeline has been going on since 8th December 2018, meaning it is 1 year, 3 months and 8 days long. There have been 344 replies and over 36 000 page views. I personally have written 236 replies, followed by @Goldensilver81 with 17 replies, @Blacklister with 13 replies and ,@Mike Louis with 11 replies, and another 28 people have left at least one reply (unfortunately, 4 of them have been banned. As until today, we have 130 threadmarks. I am thankful for all support, and as I have been previously writing, I am open to people adding their thoughts and helping develop the timeline. After all, that was my vision for the project, to see how the world would develop without the presence of one global religion.
View attachment 530584
But let us return to the western part of the Eurasian Steppe, shall we? As had been hinted, the area has been conquered by the Naimans, and later becoming an independent successor realm. The Naiman invasion of the area came from the south, where they have defeated a coalition of Alans, Circassians and Khazars in northern Caucasus. Subsequently, many of the Cumans have joined the Naimans without resistance, while others have fled into East Slavic lands.
The Khazar cities along the Caspian coast have been looted, as has been Astrakhan. While heading westwards, Taurica (1) was conquered as well, although the Goths have made a strong stand on Taurican Isthmus (2). The result was that the peninsula was conquered and plundered, with many Rhomaic townsfolk leaving the area by ship for good.
View attachment 530581
Kipchak royalty
The Naimans turned northwards, taking the Itel (3) upstream, where they laid waste to the Bolghar kingdom. The cities of Bilär, Bolghar, Suvar and Juketau were looted, and a large proportion of the population were either killed or enslaved. As a result, the area underwent significant depopulation, and the southern area of former Bolgharia were now resettled by nomadic Cumans, while the core of the Bolghar territory shifts northwards to the confluence of the Itil and Kama rivers.
The combined armies of the East Slavic (Russian) principalities and the Merya kingdom were crushed on the Khopyor River (4). Their military might was destroyed, but the Naimans then retreated, to return once more, but this time remaining, to loot and pillage. The Merya kingdom was directly annexed by the Naimans; the remaining Russian principalities with the exception of Novgorod forced to pay a tribute.
The Naimans had raided Poland and Slovakia, and the Danube provinces of Rhomania before retreating. The Naiman pillaging army was however defeated at the heavily fortified passes of the Haemus Mountains. The reason was that a fraction of the Cumans had migrated westwards (this fraction was large enough to make considerable ethnic shifts in the Carpathia basin, but more about that later (5).
View attachment 530579
Gaze in awe at the vast empire
The Golden Horde was geographically speaking on of the largest land empires in the world, spanning from the Carpathian Mountains to the Altai, from the Caucasus to the Urals, bringing under its fold a very diverse. The name of this state varies – sometimes it is described merely as the Golden Horde, a translation of the original Altyn Orda, but it is also known as Desht-I –Kipchak. The capital was located in Sarai, meaning city, on the lower Itel, not fat from Astrakhan.
The overwhelming majority of the population in the realm was now speaking a Turkic language, with Cuman or Kipchak being the widespread. The linguistic border of the Khazar language has shifted considerably southwards. Furthermore, there were the Pechenegs living to the west of the Dnieper River (although many have crossed the border over to enter Rhomaic services. Ultimately, there are the Bolghar, who have suffered a large blow during the invasion.
View attachment 530582
Languages of the Kipchak Khanate
Among the subjects of the khan are also various Uralic peoples. Primarily these include the Merya and the Mordvins, who have lost their statehood and are now subject to Kipchak rule. Other Uralic peoples within the fold of the khanate include the Permians and the tribes of Yugra – the Khanty and the Mansi.
Moreover, under the fold of the Kipchak rule came all the various peoples of the northern Caucasus, be they Circassians, Alans or Vainakh, as well as the Goths of Crimea.
In general, when referring to the population of the khanate, medieval chroniclers would usually speak of Naimans and later Kipchaks (6). The term Kipchak is thus frequently employed as the ethnonym for the diverse population of the khanate. The first khans had to combat severe depopulation of the area, and the cities were home to a large number of Armenians, Khazar-speaking Jews
Originally, the first ruling khans of the Kipchak horde were Nestorian Christians, as they have been Naimans by birth. A separate Metropolitan province had been established for the Golden Horde seated at Sarai to encompass the middle and lower Itel basin, bound by the Urals River and mountains in the east. Among tribes which relatively quickly converted to Christianity were the Bashkirs, living on the western side of the southern Ural Mountains.
View attachment 530580
Religion in the Golden Horde (Kipchak khanate in 1300 AD
However, another version of Christianity was already deeply entrenched within the borders of the Kipchak Khanate: Orthodox Christianity. Apart from the vassal Russian principalities, there was already a large number of Orthodox subjects of the Khan within the borders of the khanate itself- namely the Merya and the Alans. By the year 1300, the khan converts to Orthodoxy.
There continues to be a significant number of Tengri shamanists in the west, however they are giving way to the Christian religion. As has been mentioned, the eastern lands (in the Ob and Urals basins) are predominantly Nestorian, and it is likely that the realm will be divided into two (7) . This could be a logical outcome.
Gradually, the Kipchak Khanate developed a sendentary culture, with large cities such as Sarai, Sarkel, Bulgar and Saray-Yuk surrounded by large tracts of agricultural lands. The western parts of the Steppe, especially to the west of the Itel River, were exceptionally fertile, and the Kipchak khans were seeking to becoming one of the largest grain exporters of Eurasia.
Hello folks, here we are back with the golden 100th chapter, about…well… the Golden Horde. This timeline has been going on since 8th December 2018, meaning it is 1 year, 3 months and 8 days long. There have been 344 replies and over 36 000 page views. I personally have written 236 replies, followed by @Goldensilver81 with 17 replies, @Blacklister with 13 replies and ,@Mike Louis with 11 replies, and another 28 people have left at least one reply (unfortunately, 4 of them have been banned. As until today, we have 130 threadmarks. I am thankful for all support, and as I have been previously writing, I am open to people adding their thoughts and helping develop the timeline. After all, that was my vision for the project, to see how the world would develop without the presence of one global religion.
View attachment 530584
But let us return to the western part of the Eurasian Steppe, shall we? As had been hinted, the area has been conquered by the Naimans, and later becoming an independent successor realm. The Naiman invasion of the area came from the south, where they have defeated a coalition of Alans, Circassians and Khazars in northern Caucasus. Subsequently, many of the Cumans have joined the Naimans without resistance, while others have fled into East Slavic lands.
The Khazar cities along the Caspian coast have been looted, as has been Astrakhan. While heading westwards, Taurica (1) was conquered as well, although the Goths have made a strong stand on Taurican Isthmus (2). The result was that the peninsula was conquered and plundered, with many Rhomaic townsfolk leaving the area by ship for good.
View attachment 530581
Kipchak royalty
The Naimans turned northwards, taking the Itel (3) upstream, where they laid waste to the Bolghar kingdom. The cities of Bilär, Bolghar, Suvar and Juketau were looted, and a large proportion of the population were either killed or enslaved. As a result, the area underwent significant depopulation, and the southern area of former Bolgharia were now resettled by nomadic Cumans, while the core of the Bolghar territory shifts northwards to the confluence of the Itil and Kama rivers.
The combined armies of the East Slavic (Russian) principalities and the Merya kingdom were crushed on the Khopyor River (4). Their military might was destroyed, but the Naimans then retreated, to return once more, but this time remaining, to loot and pillage. The Merya kingdom was directly annexed by the Naimans; the remaining Russian principalities with the exception of Novgorod forced to pay a tribute.
The Naimans had raided Poland and Slovakia, and the Danube provinces of Rhomania before retreating. The Naiman pillaging army was however defeated at the heavily fortified passes of the Haemus Mountains. The reason was that a fraction of the Cumans had migrated westwards (this fraction was large enough to make considerable ethnic shifts in the Carpathia basin, but more about that later (5).
View attachment 530579
Gaze in awe at the vast empire
The Golden Horde was geographically speaking on of the largest land empires in the world, spanning from the Carpathian Mountains to the Altai, from the Caucasus to the Urals, bringing under its fold a very diverse. The name of this state varies – sometimes it is described merely as the Golden Horde, a translation of the original Altyn Orda, but it is also known as Desht-I –Kipchak. The capital was located in Sarai, meaning city, on the lower Itel, not fat from Astrakhan.
The overwhelming majority of the population in the realm was now speaking a Turkic language, with Cuman or Kipchak being the widespread. The linguistic border of the Khazar language has shifted considerably southwards. Furthermore, there were the Pechenegs living to the west of the Dnieper River (although many have crossed the border over to enter Rhomaic services. Ultimately, there are the Bolghar, who have suffered a large blow during the invasion.
View attachment 530582
Languages of the Kipchak Khanate
Among the subjects of the khan are also various Uralic peoples. Primarily these include the Merya and the Mordvins, who have lost their statehood and are now subject to Kipchak rule. Other Uralic peoples within the fold of the khanate include the Permians and the tribes of Yugra – the Khanty and the Mansi.
Moreover, under the fold of the Kipchak rule came all the various peoples of the northern Caucasus, be they Circassians, Alans or Vainakh, as well as the Goths of Crimea.
In general, when referring to the population of the khanate, medieval chroniclers would usually speak of Naimans and later Kipchaks (6). The term Kipchak is thus frequently employed as the ethnonym for the diverse population of the khanate. The first khans had to combat severe depopulation of the area, and the cities were home to a large number of Armenians, Khazar-speaking Jews
Originally, the first ruling khans of the Kipchak horde were Nestorian Christians, as they have been Naimans by birth. A separate Metropolitan province had been established for the Golden Horde seated at Sarai to encompass the middle and lower Itel basin, bound by the Urals River and mountains in the east. Among tribes which relatively quickly converted to Christianity were the Bashkirs, living on the western side of the southern Ural Mountains.
View attachment 530580
Religion in the Golden Horde (Kipchak khanate in 1300 AD
However, another version of Christianity was already deeply entrenched within the borders of the Kipchak Khanate: Orthodox Christianity. Apart from the vassal Russian principalities, there was already a large number of Orthodox subjects of the Khan within the borders of the khanate itself- namely the Merya and the Alans. By the year 1300, the khan converts to Orthodoxy.
There continues to be a significant number of Tengri shamanists in the west, however they are giving way to the Christian religion. As has been mentioned, the eastern lands (in the Ob and Urals basins) are predominantly Nestorian, and it is likely that the realm will be divided into two (7) . This could be a logical outcome.
Gradually, the Kipchak Khanate developed a sendentary culture, with large cities such as Sarai, Sarkel, Bulgar and Saray-Yuk surrounded by large tracts of agricultural lands. The western parts of the Steppe, especially to the west of the Itel River, were exceptionally fertile, and the Kipchak khans were seeking to becoming one of the largest grain exporters of Eurasia.
- Crimea
- Isthmus of Perekop
- Volga River
- Taking place of the Battle of Kalka River
- As Béla Bugár would say, O tóm potóm
- Thus no Tatars in this timeline.
- Historically, this has been the case. There existed a division into a Blue (Western) and White (Eastern ) Horde--- perhaps because the winters are harsher in Siberia
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 1.1k