Although not a Muslim, Mongke Temur maintained the Golden Horde’s strong relations with Mamluk Egypt. He also sought good terms with the Byzantine Empire, since it controlled the sea routes that linked Mongol Russia with the Middle East. Under Mongke Temur, the Golden Horde was largely at peace, and it continued to collect taxes from its Russian subjects.
Mongke Temur died in 1280 and was replaced by his brother Tode Mongke (d. 1287). After he converted to Islam, the new khan focused on religion more than politics, and Noghai practically ruled the khanate for him. Noghai controlled a part of the khanate that bordered the Black Sea and Eastern Europe. In 1285, Noghai led Mongol forces into Europe, at the request of the Hungarian king Ladislas IV (1262-1290), a semi-pagan who was battling Hungary’s Christian barons for power.
During this invasion of Europe, Noghai occupied Transylvania in what is now Romania. Another Mongol force, led by Tode Mongke’s nephew Telebogha (d. 1291), tried to enter Hungary through the Carpathian Mountains. Snow stopped the Mongols’ movement, so the frustrated troops then sacked the nearby towns. In 1286, Noghai and the second Mongol force combined for an invasion of Poland, but this time the Poles held off the Mongols. After this largely unsuccessful campaign, the Mongols never again attacked Poland or Hungary. Noghai, however, continued to have influence in Bulgaria and other parts of southeastern Europe.
After returning from battle, Telebogha soon took over as the next khan of the Golden Horde. He and Noghai competed for power within Russia. When a group of Mongol princes wanted to replace Telebogha with his son Tokto’a (d. 1312), Noghai joined the plot to kill the khan, and beginning in 1291, he acted as the khan of the Golden Horde, although he
Did not hold the title.
World History
