the golden horde and the black sea 259
4.3.3 Tartar Policy Between the Carpathians and the Straits After the End
of Noghai’s Khanate
following two devastating civil wars, at the start of the fourteenth century
the Golden horde was exhausted but had swept the secessionist khan on
the Danube from the field.468 although toqta now had no rival to his rule,
his victory did not mean the end of all resistance in rebel areas. even after
Noghai’s death, it proved extremely difficult to bring these regions back
under central command. after vain attempts to maintain the borders—
under his command, naturally—toqta was forced to reconsider Sarai’s
policy in the region at a fundamental level.
the well-informed Mamluk chroniclers reveal through their accounts
that toqta’s victory over Noghai was not in itself enough to undo the mili-
tary and political disposition which had split the Danube away from the
ulus of Jochi.
chaka, son of the self-proclaimed khan of the Danube, tried to continue
his father’s work in unusually turbulent circumstances: “When Noghai’s
army was put to flight, and he himself had been killed, his sons took over
his lands, but it was not long before they squabbled. chaka [.. .] killed his
brother teka. chaka began to rule alone in his father’s lands and appointed
a lieutenant, called tunghuz. his supporters began to leave him never-
theless, realising that they could not expect anything from one who had
killed his own brother. his lieutenant tunghuz formed an understanding
with taz, son of Munjuk, Noghai’s son-in-law, husband of tughulja, to
raid the romanian and russian lands.469 the two of them set out on their
way, and discussing chaka’s bad behaviour, they agreed that they would
capture him after their return. they had the same intent as they came
back. Learning of this [plot, chaka] fled with 150 cavalry and entered
the alan land,470 where he had been earlier with a tümen, and remained
there. his lieutenant, tunghuz, and taz son of Munjuk [.. .] entered his
lands, plundered them and occupied them. While chaka was in the alan
lands, many men from his army came to him secretly. they gave him their
468 cf. Veselovskiy, Khan, pp. 44–50, Grekov, Yakubovskiy, Orda, p. 87, Spuler, Horde,
pp. 75–76, Nikov, Otnosheniya, pp. 47–50, Spinei, Moldova, p. 171.
469 bilād ūlāq wa al-rūs probably refers to the romanians of Bucovina and the ruthe-
nians in the Western knyazate, putting them together to make a single ‘land;’ cf. ciocîltan,
“alanii,” p. 943 note 74.
470 bilād āṣ, located in the central and Northern parts of what would later become
Moldavia (Brătianu, Vicina, p. 43, Decei, “horde,” p. 62, Spinei, Moldova, p. 171, ciocîltan,
“alanii,” p. 936 note 12).