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         >> Toqta Khan. AH 689 – 713 / 1291 – 1313.
TOQTA. AH 689 – 713 / 1291 – 1313.
Toqta (Tokhta, Toqtu, Tokhtai,or Tokhtogha) (Тохтога, Тохтох) (died c. 1313) was a khan of the Golden Horde, son of Mengu-Timur and great grandson of Batu Khan.
In 1288, Toqta was ousted by his cousins. In 1291, he reclaimed the throne with the help of Nogai Khan. Toqta gave Crimea to Nogai as a gift. Toqta wanted to eliminate Russian princes' semi-independence and, therefore, sent his brothers to Rus lands in 1293, whose army would devastate fourteen towns and Toqta-Temur probably he himself to Tver, finally forcing Dmitry Alexandrovich Nogai's ally to abdicate.
Soon, Toqta and Nogai began a deadly rivalry. The Khan's father in law Saljiday of the Khunggirads, his wife Bekhlemish 1 , the granddaughter of Tolui and other Chingisids in the Horde also complained about Nogai's contrariness to him. Nogai refused to come to the court of the Khan. And they disagreed on trade rights of Venetians and Genoese merchants as well.
The Khan's force lost the first battle with Nogai in 1299 – 1300. Nogai did not chase him and returned. In 1300, Toqta finally defeated Nogai at the battle of the Kagamlyk River near Poltava and united the lands from the Volga to the Don under his authority. But Nogai's son Chaka fled to at first Alans then to Bulgaria and reigned as emperor there. Soon after it enraged Toqta, Theodore Svetoslav sent Chaka's head to the Khan to show his alligiance. Toqta divided Nogai's land which streched from Crimea and Russian principalities to modern Romania into brother Sareibugha and his sons.
After stabilizing his control over Russia Principalities and Kipchak steppes, he demanded Ghazan give back Azerbaijan and Arran. In 1304, messengers from Chagatai Khanate and Yuan Dynasty arrived in Sarai. They introduced their masters' plan and idea of peace.
Toqta arrested the Italian residents of Sarai, and besieged Caffa in 1307. The cause was apparently Toqta's displeasure at the Italian trade in Turkic slaves who were mostly sold for soldiers to the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate. The Genoese resisted for a year, but in 1308 set fire to their city and abandoned it. Relations between the Italians and the Golden Horde remained tense until 1312 when Toqta died during preparations for a new military campaign against the Russian lands.
Although he was Shamanist, he was interested in Buddhism. He was the last non-Muslim khan of Golden Horde.

09.10.2010.

1. Copper Puls.
2. Anonymous issues of copper coins.
3. Silver Dirhams.

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