THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY

THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY 183
THE GOLDEN HORDE IN SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlyas Kemaloğlu *
Golden Horde was one of the biggest Turkic States in the middle
ages that played a significant role in World History. Lands from Central
Asia to Balkans, from Siberia to Caucasia and Middle East were within
the boundaries of this state. Even though the khans were descended
from Genghis Khan, Golden Horde qualified as a Turkic-Islamic State
on account of the fact that the population was formed by Turkic tribes
such as Kipchaks and Volga Bulgaria and that Islam was accepted as
the official religion during the reign of Uzbek Khan.
Golden Horde’s dominance spread far from its then bordered lands.
The Bulgarian and Serbian khanates in the Balkans and Byzantium were
taxed. Whereas, keeping the Russian principalities under its dominance
for almost two and a half centuries made it one of the most important
features of Golden Horde. During this time, Russians paid taxes
to Golden Horde, princes took an edict from the khans to succeed to
the crown, Russian princes pledged their children to khans, Russian
troops marched with its khans, Russian princes commemorated khan
names with their minted coin, the khans conducted census on Russian
territories and appointed their representatives to Russian princedoms
as governors in an effort to maintain order and so. Although this
commitment may seem severe at first glance, the influence of Golden
Horde over Russia during this alliance in the fields of diplomacy, military,
religion, finance and literary and the adoption of state structure,
military system, embassy forms and postal services of Golden Horde
by Russians rendered Russia one of the greatest states in the region. 331
“Moscow owes its greatness to Khans of Golden Horde” as Russian
historian N. Karamzin indicated. 332 Nevertheless, Golden Horde State
is typically evaluated by Russians negatively.
When the Mongolian campaigns started in thirteenth century, Russians
labeled Mongolians and subsequent Golden Horde dominance as
the “sign of the apocalypse.” 333 Russians believed that the Mongolian
*
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.
331 For the loyalty of Russians to Golden Horde and Golden Horde’s influence on Russia, see
Kamalov, İlyas, Altın Orda ve Rusya Rusya Üzerindeki Türk Tatar Etkisi, İstanbul 2009.
332 Karamzin, N.M., İstoriya Gosudarstva Rossiyskogo, V, İzdatelstvo Zolotoy Vek, St. Petersburg
2003, p. 646.
333 In point of fact not only Russians also Armenians and Georgians perceived Mongolian
campaigns as punishment of God. See, Galstyan, A. G. Armyanskie İstoçniki o Mongolah,