From: "brother_farrukh" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Uzbeg, 1 of the 7 great kings, says Ibn Batuta
Peace be upon you,
At the dawn of the 14th century, Toktu was the ruler of the Golden Horde Khanate. Toktu died in 1313 and was succeeded by his nephew Uzbeg. Uzbeg was a son of Toghrilcha, a brother of Toktu. The Christian missionaries who had failed to convert the II Khans of Persian to Christianity now concentrated their efforts on converting the Khans of the Golden Horde to Christianity.
Uzbeg, however, decided to become Muslim and a very staunch Muslim he became. That was a great triumph for Islam. On conversion to Islam, Uzbeg assumed the name of Ghiras ud-Din Uzbeg.
The conversion of the previous Khans like Berek Khand or Tode Mongke was a personal affair of the Khan and the people of the Golden Horde remained pagan. However, Uzbeg did not merely accept Islam for himself, he made all Mongols of the Golden Horde accept Islam. During the second decade of the 14th century, conversion to Islam took place at such a large scale that there were no longer any pagans in Kipchak.
In spite of being a Muslim, Uzbeg maintained friendly relations with the Christian powers, though the Pope felt bitter at his acceptance of Islam instead of Christianity. Uzbeg allowed the Geonese to rebuild the town of Kaffa which had been destroyed during the reign of Toktu. The Venetians were allowed to build a colony at Tana at the mouth of
the river Don.
Although by this time the II-Khans of Persia had also accepted Islam, the hostility between t he two Mongol powers did not come to an end. Uzbeg undertook an expedition against the II-Khans with a view to conquering the territory south of the Caucasus. He however, failed in his effort and the UU Khan Abu Said frustrated the attempt of Uzbeg to occupy Azerbaijan. In 1323 the II Khans of Persia made peace with the Mamluks of Egypt, and that weakened the alliance between the Golden
Horde and the Mamluks.
Under Uzbeg, the administration of the State was Islamicised. He enforced Sharia instead of the Mongol Yasa. He patronized art and literature, and under him the cultural life of the Golden Horde reached its zenith. He embellished his capital with many stately and magnificent buildings. According to the testimony of Ibn Batuta, the famous Muslim traveler, Uzbeg was a great king and the country enjoyed peace and prosperity under him. Ibn Batuta rated him as `one of the seven mighty kings of the world.'
After Uzbeg, a Mongol tribe came to be known as the Uzbegs. The Uzbegs have a state of their own which was part of former Russia, today known as Uzbekistan.
Uzbeg died in 1341 AD, his rule lasted for 28 years and this was the golden period of the rule of the Golden Horde.
[History of Islam, vol II, al-Hasan, pp. 108-9, abridged]
A map of the Golden Horde area can be seen here:
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/images_n2/mongol1.gif
In peace, f
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