How Emir Nogai seized the Golden Horde and struck fear into Europe

Nogai rose to prominence during the reign of Mengu-Timur, the first khan of the independent Golden Horde. Mengu-Timur appointed him beklyarbek (prince of princes), and Nogai became the ruler of the state’s entire Right Wing. By lineage, he was a Juchid, the grandson of Buval, the 7th son of Jochi, El.kz reports.

In 1271, under the influence of Berke Khan, Nogai converted to Islam and took the name Isa. Despite this, he showed no hostility toward people of other faiths, mirroring the general tolerance of the Horde at that time.

Marriage to a Byzantine Princess

In 1273, Nogai married Euphrosyne Palaiologina, the daughter of Emperor Michael VIII. She was an Orthodox Christian, and this union brought Nogai closer to European monarchs.

The marriage also had practical significance. Nogai deployed a 30,000-strong army to support Michael in his conflict with the Bulgarians, proving to be a timely and powerful ally for the Byzantine ruler.

After the Death of Mengu-Timur

When Mengu-Timur died in 1282, Nogai became the senior member of the Juchids - the aka, whose word carried weight for the entire dynasty. The throne went to the late khan's younger brother, Tuda-Mengu, a weak individual who owed his rise largely to Nogai himself.

Tuda-Mengu converted to Islam in 1283 and became deeply interested in Sufism, which brought him closer to the Egyptian nobility. In March 1284, the Sultan of Egypt sent an embassy with gifts, and in 1287, craftsmen arrived from Cairo to build a mosque in the Horde.

The weakening of the center

While Tuda-Mengu immersed himself in religion and largely neglected state administration, central authority weakened. In contrast, the Right and Left wings of the Horde grew stronger.

Nogai skillfully exploited this situation, building up his own forces and influencing the Khan’s policies. During these years, he increasingly became the real center of decision-making.

A man of two worlds

Nogai masterfully combined diplomacy with military force. As early as 1270–1271, he established diplomatic relations with the Egyptian Sultan Baibars I, even while conducting active military campaigns in the Balkans. His wars with Byzantium yielded results: Bulgaria and Serbia recognized their dependency on Nogai.

New military campaigns in 1275, 1277, 1280, 1286, and 1287 all shared a single goal: to establish vassalage over the Balkan countries and Poland, and to impose tribute and war indemnities. Behind each of these campaigns stood the same man - the beklyarbek who, formally, did not hold the throne.

The De Facto co-ruler

Nogai effectively transformed into a co-ruler, governing the state through his protégés and puppet khans. The mechanism was simple: a weak khan on the throne and a powerful temnik (general) behind him. Tuda-Mengu was exactly such a figure.

Nogai’s descent from the line of Genghis Khan made him the second most important person in the state after the Great Khan. He used this status consistently and ruthlessly - the steppe aristocracy began addressing him directly, bypassing the Khan. When Mengu-Timur’s widow attempted to concentrate power in her own hands, it was Nogai who put an end to it.