White Horde

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The White Horde (Kazakh: , Tatar: ) was one of the khanates (within the Mongol Empire) formed around 1226, after the death of Genghis Khan and subsequent division of his empire. It was the eastern constituent part of the Golden Horde (the western part was the Blue Horde). The terms "blue" and "white" corresponded to different cardinal directions in Persian and Turkic terminology. Consequently, "White Horde" is applied to the eastern section of the ulus of Jochi by the Persian historians, while Turkic sources can refer to the same entity as the "Blue Horde," causing some confusion in secondary literature. This article follows the Persian usage, as do most contemporary historians.

Initially it covered the Eastern part of the territory ruled by Jochi and included western Central Asia and south-western Siberia. Its first khan was Orda-Ichen, son of Jochi.[link] The capital of the White Horde was originally at Lake Balkhash, but later moved to Sygnaq, Kazakhstan on the Syr-Darya River.[link]

In 1364, during the Blue Horde's period of anarchy, (1357-1380), Urus Khan, eighth khan of the White Horde, became khan of both the Blue Horde and the White Horde. He remained in control of the Blue Horde until 1375. [link] Urus died in 1377, and when his nephew Toqtamish wrested control of the White Horde from Urus's son Temür Malik in 1378, [link] he regained control of the Blue Horde as well. Toqtamish consolidated the two hordes, becoming the first Khan of the Golden Horde.

White Horde

See also