Edigu

Edigu(alsoEdigey,EðivkäyorEdege Mangit;1352–1419) was aMongolemirof theWhite Hordewho founded a new political entity, which came to be known as theNogai Horde.

Life

Edigu's invasion of the Russian lands, miniature from theIllustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible.

Edigu'sGolden Horde.

Edigu was from theCrimeanManghudtribe, the son of Baltychak, a Mongol noble who was defeated and killed by KhanTokhtamyshof the Golden Horde in 1378. He gained fame as a highly successful general ofTokhtamyshbefore turning the arms against his master. By 1396, he was a sovereign ruler of a large area stretching between theVolgaandUral(known locally asYayyk) rivers, which would later be called theNogai Horde.

In 1397, Edigu allied himself withTimur-Qutlughand was appointed General and commander-in-chief of theGolden Hordearmies. In 1399 he inflicted a crushing defeat onTokhtamyshandVytautasof Lithuania at theBattle of the Vorskla River.Thereupon he managed to unite under his rule allJochi's lands, albeit for the last time in history.

In 1406, he located his old enemy Tokhtamysh inSiberia.Edigu's agents killed Tokhtamysh. The following year he raidedVolga Bulgaria.In 1408, he staged a destructive Tatar invasion of Russia, which had not paid the tribute due to the horde for several decades. Edigu burntNizhny Novgorod,Gorodets,Rostov,and many other towns but failed to takeMoscow,though he still burnt it.

Two years later, Edigu was dethroned in theGolden Hordeand had to seek refuge inKhwarezm.Though he had previously had relations with theTimuridrulerShah Rukh,including marrying his daughter to the latter's sonMuhammad Juki,Shah Rukh later had Edigu expelled back toSarai.However, Edigu managed to ravageKievunder Lithuanian rule in spring 1416, in which he burnt thePechersk Monasteryand the old town, but was unable to capture its castle.In 1418, he offered Vytautas peace and alliance against Tokhtamysh's sons.

In 1419, he was assassinated by one of Tokhtamysh's sons in Sarai. Edigu's dynasty in the Nogai Horde continued for about two centuries, until his last descendants moved toMoscow,where they took baptism and became known as PrincesUrusovandYusupov.

Assessment

The Mamluk-era historianAl-Maqrizidescribes him as being courageous, generous and someone "who loved Islamic scholars and sought to be close to the pious". He praises him for being a righteous Muslim who fasted and followed the laws ofIslam.Al-Maqrizi also says that Edigu prohibited the Tatars from selling their sons and due to this not many of them were bought to the Mamluk territories of Egypt and Syria.

Bibliography

• "Эдигей".Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary(in Russian). 1906.