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The Rise and Fall of Ögedei Khan

#mongolia #mongol #history #documentary The Mongol Empire was ruled by Ogedei Khan (aka Ogodei) from 1229 to 1241. He was the third son of Genghis Khan, the empire's founder, and the third son to inherit the throne. Some of Ogedei's accomplishments include founding a new capital at Karakorum, designing a system of governance and taxation for the empire, and defeating the Jin state of northern China - which had been a thorn in the side of the Mongols for many years. The Ogedei Khan unified a vast region stretching from Mesopotamia to the Black Sea, including modern-day Iran and Ukraine. He then went on to conquer much of Western Asia, including present-day Afghanistan, Georgia, and Turkey. The great cities of the Bulgars and Rus were sacked as his forces swept westward and attacked Poland and Hungary. The Mongols, who were poised to overrun Europe, returned home following the death of the Great Khan in December 1241, most likely as a result of one of his heavy drinking binges. Ogedei was born in 1186, the third son of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire. He had three brothers: Jochi, Chagatai (Chaghadai), and Tolui Ogedai followed in his father's footsteps, aiding him on numerous military expeditions, notably against the Khwarazm Empire from 1219 to 1225. Genghis Khan had directed that his empire be divided into four khanates with each of his sons ruling one of them before he died as a result of natural causes in 1227 (although Jochi would predecease his father in 1227). Ogedei was selected to rule above his siblings as the Great Khan or 'universal ruler', a position he was formally awarded in 1228 at the kurultai conference of Mongol tribal chiefs (which Ogedei at first refused but then accepted in 1229). Genghis, meanwhile, was buried in secret in the vicinity of the sacred mountain Burkan Kuldun, and to accompany his father into the afterlife, Ogodei sacrificed 40 girls and 40 horses. Ogedei was a strange choice for khan since he was known to be inebriated frequently. His brother Chagatai scolded him for his drinking, but Ogedei, being well aware of the problem, volunteered to have a supervisor check how much alcohol he consumed and confine his consumption to a certain amount of cups per day. Ogedei ensured he was always given his preferred drink in very large quantities. He hadn't shown much promise as a military leader, but he was likable and willing to take advice from those more experienced than him - key qualities for anyone wanting to succeed in the convoluted world of Mongolian clan politics. Tolui, who had been serving as regent until then, handed over power to Ogedei and a new era of Mongol rulership began. Ogedei Khan experienced an immediate issue where he lacked state funds and his followers needed rewards to retain their loyalty. Ogedei decided to levy taxes on the people his father had previously conquered. This is an idea that has been traditionally credited to Yelu Chugai (1190-1244), even though he was only one of Ogedei's senior ministers. Coining the well-known saying: 'you can conquer an empire on horseback, but you cannot govern it on horseback.' While ancient Chinese sources may have blown Chucai's role in government out of proportion, taxing rather than outright confiscation wasn't exactly a new policy when it came to better governing a territory. Because of this, people in the imperial bodyguard (Kesikten) and ministers were responsible for acting as regional governors (daruqachi) and overseeing the local inspectors who had to collect the tax. The success of this plan was due to the combination of government officials and imperial clan leaders in local branches. Although it led to future abuse, taxation and governance were improved in 1234-6 when a census occurred throughout northern China. Another contributing factor was the parallel apparatus known as Jarquci--officials who confirmed appropriate war booty division among clans and also eventually became coordinators and administrators for other business matters. Ogedei was now ready to start expanding his domain, thanks to the elimination of inefficiency and revenue stability. The Mongol Empire, in order to raise funds and establish some sort of central administration, required a capital city. In short, the nomadic Mongols needed to make themselves a lot more stationary and put down some permanent roots. Ogedei began this process by ordering the building of a walled capital in 1235. The place was to be Karakorum (aka Qaraqorum and today known as Harhorin) in the Orkhon Valley, 400 km southwest of present-day Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.