Yu. V. Seleznev
KHAN JELAL-AD-DIN'S ACTIVITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN THE EPOCH OF THE BATTLE OF GRUNWALD
The beginning of the 15th century was a time of significant changes in the system of international relations of the Central and Eastern European region. They were associated with the collapse of the Horde as a single state and the formation of independent khanates and hordes with an independent foreign policy. However, all these processes were not simultaneous and extended over a long, half-century period.
Various aspects of international relations at that time in connection with the process of the collapse of the Horde were touched upon in the works of B. D. Grekov and A. Yu. Yakubovsky1, I.B. Grekov2, A.A. Gorsky3, B.M. Pudalov4, P.V. Chechenkov5, V.V. Trepavlova6, in a special study by M.G.Safargaliev7, as well as the author of this work8. Most of the works consider general historical processes, but to a lesser extent affect the activities of individual characters. Meanwhile, an analysis of the life and activities of individual representatives of the elite of the steppe state will help to reveal the peculiarities of foreign policy processes in the region, clarify the composition of various political groupings, their international ties and orientations.
1 Grekov B. D., Yakubovsky A. Yu. The Golden Horde and its fall. M .; L. 1950.S. 398-401, 403, 406.
2 Grekov I.B. Eastern Europe and the decline of the Golden Horde (at the turn of the XIV-XV centuries). M., 1975.
3 Gorsky A.A.Moscow and the Horde. M., 2000.
4 Pudalov B.M. The struggle for the Nizhny Novgorod region in the first third of the 15th century. (new sources) // Volga region in the Middle Ages. N. Novgorod, 2001.S. 132-134.
5 Chechenkov P. V. The Golden Horde and Nizhny Novgorod land at the end of the XIV - the first third of the XV centuries. // Volga region in the Middle Ages. N. Novgorod, 2001.S. 130-131.
6 Trepavlov V.V. History of the Nogai Horde. M., 2002.
7 Safargaliev M.G.The disintegration of the Golden Horde. Saransk, 1960.
8 Seleznev Yu. V. “And God will change the Horde ...” (Russian-Horde relations at the end of the 14th - first third of the 15th century). Voronezh, 2006.
Attempts to preserve the unity of the Juchiev Ulus at the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century. were associated with the names of Khan Toktamysh and Emir Idigu (Edigei), who were political opponents of each other. In 1405, as a result of their next clash, Toktamysh died. His sons entered the political arena.
Jalal ad-Din, the ninth son of Toktamysh, began to play a very active role in the life of the region. His mother was Tagaybek-Khatun. His half-brothers and sisters (from one mother) were Kepek, Kerim-Berdi, Said-bek-khoja-khatun, Janik-khancha-khatun, Melik-khancha-khatun9.
For the first time, as a political leader of the opposition to Edigey, Jalal-ad-Din appeared in 1407. Then he managed to seize the Horde throne for a short time. However, Edigei managed to oust him to Bulgar10, where in the summer of 1407 Jalal-ad-Din was proclaimed khan. Despite this, Edigei defeated his troops11.
The Arab author Ibn Arabshah notes that after the death of Toktamish, his sons "scattered to [different] directions," and two of his sons, Jalal ad-Din and Kerim-Berdi, left for Russia12. However, Russian sources have not preserved any traces of the stay of the princes in Moscow or in other principalities. Perhaps, having passed the outskirts of the Russian lands, Jalal ad-Din and Kerim-Berdi left for Lithuania (according to S.V. Morozova, Vitovt provided constant support to Toktamy-shu and his sons) 13. It is also possible that the stay of the Toktamyshevichs in Russia was kept in the strictest confidence. Nevertheless, one of the accusations against Vasily I was precisely the harboring of the children of Toktamysh, which was considered the root cause of Edigei's invasion of Russia in 1408: “The hearing has happened that Takhtamyshev’s children are with you” 14. Important for the solution of this issue may be the observation expressed by A. A. Gorsky that "Vasily was undoubtedly well personally acquainted with the sons of Tokhtamysh, since in his youth he lived in the Horde for about three years."
An interesting piece of evidence has been preserved in the Sofia II Chronicle. According to him, in the summer of 1407, “Prince Visiliy Dmitrievich and Prince Ivan Mikhailovich of Tferskii went to the Horde along the Volza in the sudehs to the Tsar of Zelenia, Saltan Takhtamyshevich, and at that time expel Tsar Shanibek Bulat-Saltan, and he himself was on the kingdom” 16. However, most of the chronicles note only the trip of Ivan Tverskoy, and without mentioning the name
9 SMOIZO. M .; L., 1941. T. 2. S. 62. - The pedigree of Jalal-ad-Din along the male ascending line is as follows: the ninth son of Toktamysh, the son of Tui-Khoja (Toy-Khoja), the eldest son of Kutluk-khoja (Tuglu- Khoja), the eldest son of Kuichek (Kunchek), the son of Sarich, the fourth son of Urunk, the third son of Tuk-Timur, the thirteenth son of Jochi Khan, the eldest son of Genghis Khan (Seleznev Yu.V. Elite of the Golden Horde. Kazan, 2009. S. 71-72).
10 There is a known coin of Jalal-ad-Din, struck in Bulgar in 810 AH (June 7, 1407 - May 26, 1408. Information provided by A. V. Pachkalov).
11 Safargaliev M.G.The disintegration of the Golden Horde. P. 184.
12 SMOIZO. T. 1.S. 471-472; The Golden Horde in sources (materials for the history of the Golden Horde or the Jochi ulus). M., 2003. T. I: Arabic and Persian works. P. 213.
13 Morozova S.V. The Golden Horde in the Moscow policy of Vitovt // Slavs and their neighbors. Slavs and the nomadic world. M., 1998.S. 93.
14 Epistle of Edigei to the Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich // Gorsky A.A.Moscow and the Horde. M., 2000. Appendix II. S. 196-197; PSRL. L., 1925. T. 4. Part 1. Issue. 2: Novgorod Fourth Chronicle. S. 406-407; M., 1965.Vol. 11-12: Nikon's collection. P. 211.
15 Gorsky A.A.Moscow and the Horde. P. 135.
16 PSRL. M., 2001. T. 6. Iss. 2: Sophia II Chronicle. Stb. 27.
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Jalal ad-Din 17. Probably, the evidence of the Sofia II Chronicle must be considered unreliable. The inaccuracy of the message is probably caused by the erroneous identification of two events - the trip to the Horde of Ivan Tverskoy in 1407 and the departure of Vasily I of Moscow and Ivan of Tverskoy to Jalal ad-Din in 1412.
However, another interpretation can also be given: that the Russian princes went to the Bulgar to Jalal-ad-Din (it would be convenient to do it along the Volga) and perhaps even received labels. But he did not stay in power and was quickly expelled by Edigey. These trips lost their official status and were removed from the chronicles, accidentally preserved in the Sofia II Chronicle. This, however, is unlikely.
According to Schiltberger, Khan Pulad “reigned for a year and a half and was expelled by Jalal ad-Din” 18. It was then, at the end of 1408, that Emir Edigei with the main forces of the Horde was near Moscow. The siege had to be stopped, as messengers arrived to him with the order of Pulad Khan to urgently return the troops to the steppe, since "a certain prince ... the king wants to expel or kill" 19. Allied relations between Basil and Jalal ad-Din in this context seem very likely.
Further, the name of Toktamysh's son is found in one of Vitovt's letters to the Master of the Livonian Order (dated October 9, 1409). It notes that Jalal-ad-Din and his brother "by that time (writing the letter - Yu.S.) arrived in Grodno, just hoped to become the king of the Tatars and whom we helped to go to his people" 20. MG Safargaliev quite rightly concludes that Jalal ad-Din, with the help of Vitovt, seized power in the Horde, but after the return of Edigei's troops from a campaign against Moscow, he was forced to reappear at the court of the Grand Duke of Lithuania21. At the same time, at the end of 1409, Vitovt concluded an agreement with Jalal-ad-Din on a military alliance against the Order22. The provisions of this agreement determined the participation of the Tatars, led by Jalal ad-Din in the Battle of Grunwald on July 15, 1410.
At the same time, at the end of 1409, Toktamysh's son accompanied Vitovt to Brest-Russkiy, where he conferred with Yagailo / Vladislav regarding the upcoming campaign against the Order. Polish historian Jan Dlugosh further notes that after negotiations, Vitovt, “the Grand Duke of Lithuania, departs for Lithuania with the Tatar Khan, whom he held all winter and almost until the feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24 - Yu.S.) in his country with all his men and wives. " Then Dlugosh notes that at the very beginning of hostilities, on June 25, 1410, Vitovt, following Jagiello at the Cherven Monastery, crossed the Vistula “with his
17 See, for example: PSRL. M., 2007.Vol. 18: Simeon Chronicle. P. 154: “That same summer, July 20, Prince Ivan of Tferskiy will go to the horde to the court along the Volza to the king Shadibek; and it was great at that time, drive Shadebek from the kingdom of Bulat Saltan ... That same summer, Genvar, Prince Ivan Mikhailovich of Tferskiyi came out of the horde on the 25th ... "
18 [Schiltberger I.] Ivan Schiltberger's Journey through Europe, Asia and Africa from 1394 to 1427 // Notes of the New Russian University. Odessa, 1867.Vol. 1.P. 35, 36.
19 PSRL. Vol. 11, p. 210.
20 Codex Epistolaris Vitoldi, Magni Ducis Lithuaniae, 1376-1430 / Collectus opera Antonii Prochaska // Monumenta medii aevi historica res gestas illustrantia. Cracoviae, 1882. T. 6. P. 882.
21 Safargaliev M.G.Dissolution of the Golden Horde. P. 184.
22 Codex Epistolaris Vitoldi. P. 187, 205.
army and the Tatar khan, who had only three hundred soldiers with him. " Then, for three days, Yagailo and Vitovt waited for the troops to approach, "until the entire army approached."
It is possible that among these troops there were other detachments of the Tatars, but Dlugosh does not write anything about this. At the same time, L. V. Razumovskaya cites S. Kuchinsky's opinion on the number of Tatar troops in 1000-2000 sabers24. M. Biskup names the figure of 1000 horsemen25.
On July 9, Dlugosz publishes the news of the robberies on the march: “Lithuanians and Tatars are robbing churches and committing barbaric violence against women and girls”. At the request of the Polish knighthood, the two “most guilty” Lithuanians were hanged. It is significant that none of the Tatars was involved in the proceedings and punishment26.
During the Battle of Grunwald, a detachment of Tatars under the command of Jalal ad-Din occupied the right flank of the Polish-Lithuanian troops27. Dlugosz reports that when "the battle began to boil among the Lithuanians, Russians and Tatars, the Lithuanian army" fled in panic, and "most of them stopped fleeing only after reaching Lithuania." From the context of Dlugosh's narration, it seems that panic gripped both the Tatars and the Russians (except for the three Smolensk regiments). However, Possilga's Chronicle mentions the participation of the Lithuanians in the final defeat of the Order's troops on the same day. It is possible that here we are observing the use of a favorite technique of nomadic troops - a feigned retreat in order to disrupt the enemy's ranks. When enemy detachments open the formation, the cavalry in full combat readiness attacks their enemy. This may be indirectly indicated by Dlugosh's slip of the tongue: "During the entire battle, the prince (Vitovt. - Yu.S.) acted among the Polish troops and wedges, sending new and fresh warriors instead of tired and exhausted soldiers and carefully following the successes of both sides" ... However, this interpretation of the sources' testimony about the flight of Lithuanian troops remains only a cautious assumption30.
According to M.G.Safargaliev's reasoned opinion, after the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, having devastated Poland, Jalal ad-Din's troops retreated to the steppe, where he made another attempt to seize the Horde throne. He managed to gain a foothold in the Crimea, and then he launched an attack on Azak. In 1411, a battle took place here between Khan Pulad and Jalal-ad-Din, in which the first was killed. But Edigei elevated Timur, the son of Timur-Kutlug, to the khan's throne. His troops
23 Dlugosh J. Battle of Grunwald. SPb., 2007.S. 57, 68-69.
24 Razumovskaya L. V. Jan Dlugosh and the Battle of Grunwald // Dlugosh J. Grunwald battle. SPb., 2007.S. 181.
25 Biskup M. The Great War of Poland and Lithuania with the Teutonic Order (1409-1411) in the light of the latest research // VI. 1991. No. 12.P. 16.
26 Dlugosh J. Battle of Grunwald. S. 74-75.
27 Dlugosh J. Battle of Grunwald. S. 90, 102.
28 Dlugosh J. Battle of Grunwald. P. 102.
29 Dlugosh J. Battle of Grunwald. P. 110.
30 See, for example: Ekdahl S. Die Flucht der Litauer in der Schlacht bei Tannenberg // Zeitschrift fur Ostforschung. 1963. T. 12. S. 11.
captured the Venetian colony of Tana and plundered it, and Jalal-ad-Din again fled to Vitovt31. It was there that the prince of Tver Alexander Ivanovich found him:
That same summer (1411 - Yu.S.) ... Prince Alexander Ivanovich Tfersky went from Tver to Lithuania and ran into the king and prince of the great Vitoft Kestutievich in Kiev, and Zeleni-Saltan was the prince, Taxtamyshev's son, the same place with Vitoft Kestutyevich ...
In addition, in the Nikonov code it is noted that "Taro of the same summer, Taxtamyshev's son Saltan, took the Ordinsk uluses from the exile and robbed" 32. Unable to stay in power and Edigei. Ibn Arabshah reports that ^ mur-khan, to whom Edigey married his daughter, 33
He did not give his brazd (emir) to Idik, saying: “There is no glory or honor for him; I am the vanguard ram (i.e., the head), to whom they obey, how am I going to obey (another); I am a bull (that is, a leader) who is followed, so how can I go after another myself? " Discord arose between both of them, latent hypocrisy appeared on the part of the haters, disasters and misfortunes, wars and hostile actions began34.
According to Anonymous Iskander, the Horde emirs from the inner circle of the Mura "tended to destroy Idiga" 35. Further, Iskander Anonymous continues:
Between them (Cupid and Idigu - Yu.S.), enmity and anger arose, so that they fought once or twice (with each other). Since the Uzbeks always had a desire to manifest the power of the descendants of Genghis Khan, they, some from imitation, and some from reverence, went to serve the court of the Mur-Sultan, and he became strong36.
Edigei was forced to flee and took refuge in Khorezm in April-May 1411.37 For about half a year, the troops of the Mura, led by the emirs G azan and Dekna, besieged him there. However, they failed to capture it. And soon the news was received about the death of Nmur and the accession of Jalal ad-Din. Thus, the rise to power in the Horde of Jalal ad-Din must be attributed to November-December 1411. This conclusion is confirmed by the information of the Russian chronicles38, as well as the data of the Arab author Ibn Arabshah39.
Nizhny Novgorod princes were the first to arrive from the Russian Ulus to the new khan. In the summer of 1412, they returned from the Horde "to receive a grant from the tsar ... Bolshaya Horde as their fatherland." From the context of the narrative, it remains unclear whether the Grand Duchy of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal was restored, or whether they received only the cities of this principality as appanages. After the death of Jalal ad-Din, the Moscow prince made a military campaign against Nizhny Novgorod and expelled the Borisovichs from the city (1415) 40.
At the same time, in the summer (approx. July 28), 1412 in Tver there appeared “from the Horde from Tsar Zeleni-Saltan Tokhtamyshevich ... an ambassador fiercely, calling with him the Grand Duke Ivan
31 Safargaliev M.G.The disintegration of the Golden Horde. S. 186-187.
32 PSRL. T. 11, p. 215.
33 SMOIZO. T. 2.P. 134.
34 SMOIZO. T. 1.S. 472-473.
35 SMOIZO. T. 2.P. 134.
36 There. P. 134.
37 There. P. 193.
38 PSRL. T. 11, p. 219.
39 SMOIZO. T. 1.P. 473; The Golden Horde in the sources. P. 214.
40 Cherepnin L. V. Formation of the Russian centralized state in the XIV-XV centuries. M., 1960.S. 736; Gorskiy A. A. The fate of the Nizhny Novgorod and Suzdal principalities at the end of the XIV - the middle of the XV century. // Medieval Russia. M., 2004. Issue. 4, p. 155.
Mikhailovich Tverskoy to the Horde "41. During the ambassador's stay in the Tver principality, civil strife broke out. The Grand Duke ordered the arrest of his brother Vasily, Prince of Kashinsky. However, the latter managed to escape and get to Moscow, from where he went to the Horde.
On August 1, 1412, the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir Vasily I went to the Horde "with a lot of wealth and with all his greats, and with him Prince Ivan Vasilyevich Yaroslavsti" 42. It is known that in October (according to the Nikonov code) 43 "about Dmitriev's days (October 26 - Yu.S.), the great prince Vasily Dmitrievich of Moscow will emerge from the Horde." In November-December (according to the Tver Chronicle) 44 1412 Vasily Dmitrievich returned from the steppe "granted by the tsar", "and with him Prince Vasily Mikhailovich Kashinsky." The last December 24, 1412 "came ... to Kashin from the Tatars." However, the Tver outpost did not let him into the city, and he again went to the Horde.
The Grand Duke of Tver Ivan Mikhailovich was not in the principality. On August 15, 1412, he set off along the Volga "to the Sudekh" to the headquarters of the great khan. He stayed there until the spring of 1413. Nikon's vault notes that before his appearance at the court of the Horde Khan, Jalal-ad-Din was “shot by his brother Kerim-Berdiy” 45. It is significant that the story about the Horde strife in the Nikon vault is clearly of Tver origin: Jalal-ad-din is called “our evil enemy”. When describing the trips of other princes to the Horde, the khan did not receive such epithets. Apparently, Jalal ad-Din issued a label for Kashin to Vasily Mikhailovich. This fact caused the chronicler's displeasure.
Thus, we can establish the approximate date of the death of Khan Jalal ad-Din. As can be seen from the description of the stay in the headquarters of the Khan of the Moscow Prince Vasily I, the road from the steppe (and therefore to the steppe) took a little less than two months (the prince left the Horde after October 26, and arrived in Moscow before December 24). Ivan Mikhailovich left Tver on August 15 and was supposed to arrive at headquarters before October 15. The waiting time for an audience with the Horde Khan was about 25/26 days46. It can be assumed that Vasily I left immediately after receiving from the new khan Kerim-Berdi. He left the steppe on October 26 and, therefore, officially became Kerim-Berdi Khan until October 1 - from that time he could issue labels for possessions. Around this time - at the end of September - Vasily I arrived in the Horde, but Jalal ad-Din was still alive. From the above data, it follows that Khan Jalal-ad-Din was killed between 20 and 30 September 1412.
The rather short political activity of Jalal ad-Din, recorded by sources, is limited to 1407-1412. - only six years old. However, being one of the main contenders for the Horde throne, and then the khan of the Horde, Jalal ad-Din turned out to be an important participant in the international life of the region. Constant attempts to seize the throne required seeking foreign policy support. Such
41 PSRL. Vol. 11, p. 218.
42 Ibid. P. 219; M., 1965. T. 15. Stb. 486.
43 Ibid. Vol. 11, p. 219.
44 Ibid. T. 15. Stb. 486.
45 Ibid. T. 11.P. 219-220.
46 See, for example: Galicia-Volyn Chronicle / Prepared. text, trans. and comments. O. P. Likhacheva // BLDR. SPb., 2000. T. 5. S. 256; The Golden Horde in the sources. S. 92-93.
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he found, first of all, with his father's ally, Khan Toktamysh - the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt. There is every reason to believe that Jalal ad-Din had a military-political agreement with Vitovt's son-in-law Vasily I Dmitrievich, Prince of Moscow and Vladimir. At the beginning of 1412, the ambassadors of Sigismund, then King of Hungary (1387-1437) and German (1410-1437), were sent to the court of Jalal ad-Din, with a proposal to join the anti-Ottoman league, which included Byzantium. This proposal was approved and received a positive response47.
"Anonymous Iskander" calls him worthy, respected, handsome and eloquent, but careless. This carelessness led Jalal ad-Din to death, and the death of the khan interrupted all his possible steps to consolidate power within the Horde and restore the foreign policy power of the Jochiev Ulus in the Eastern European region.
The story of Dzhelal-ad-dyne's political activity fixed in the sources is rather short: it was limited to only six years (1407-1412). However, he was one of the central pretenders on the Horde's throne, and then he became its khan. In such a way Dzhelal-ad-Dyne turned into an important participant of the region’s international life. His permanent attempts to seize power made him seek foreign support. He found such a support from his father’s co-belligerent Vytautas, the grand duke of Lithuania. It is believed that Dzhelal-ad-Dyne had the military accommodation whith Vitautas's son-in-law Vasily Dmitrievich, the Moscow and Vladimir prince. At the beginning of 1412 the ambassadors of Hungarian and German king arrived at Dzhelal-ad-Dyne’s court. They offered him to join anti-Ottoman coalition where Byzantium was one of the members. This offer was approved and the positive answer was received.
The main permanent enemy of Dzhelal-ad-Dyne was Edigei (Idigu), the powerful emir, talented commander and outstanding politician of that time. The treaty with Vytautas caused the participation of Dzhelal-ad-Dyne's armies in the Grjunvald battle, the results of which changed the geopolitical situation in the region.
"Anonymous of Iskander" called him worthy, respected, beautiful and eloquent, but careless. This carelessness has led to Dzhelal-ad-Dyne’s death, and the death of the khan has interrupted all possible ways to the reinforcement of power in the Horde and to the restoration of the power of the Ulus of Dzhuchi in Eastern Europe.
47 Zaitsev I.V. Between Moscow and Istanbul. Juchid states, Moscow and the Ottoman Empire (beginning of the 15th - the first half of the 16th centuries). M., 2004.S. 53.
"You will see the hidden meaning in couplets,
and enough "
Jelal ed-Din Rumi is the greatest Sufi poet who lived in the 13th century in Asia Minor. The nickname "Rumi" means "Asia Minor". The name means "the glory of faith." Grateful contemporaries called him Mevlana ("Our Lord"), considering Rumi their spiritual mentor.
“Jelal ed-Din Rumi was born in 1207 and by the age of 37 he became a brilliant scholar and a popular religious teacher. But his life suddenly changed after meeting with a wandering dervish, Shams from Tabriz, about whom Rumi said: "What I previously thought was divine, I met today in a human form." The arising mystical friendship of these people led Rumi to unprecedented heights of spiritual enlightenment.
The sudden disappearance of Shams produced a spiritual metamorphosis in Rumi - the process of transforming him from a scientist into an artist began and “his poetry soared to the sky”.
Rumi's literary activity is not diverse, but very significant. Rumi has no abstract phrases, hackneyed expressions. Every line has been lived, suffered, and deserved. Behind the outer well-being of fate is a life full of inner search. In his poems, one can simultaneously hear the will of a powerful ruler and the sermon of a hermit who has renounced all earthly blessings, even in his own name. (It is known that Rumi signed many of his works with the name of his teacher, Chance Tabrizi.)
A legend has survived about how the writing of "Mesnavi" began. Husam Chelebi, Rumi's personal secretary and beloved student, has long begged Rumi to start recording his poetic impromptu, once, when they were walking together in the gardens of Miram, Husam renewed his persuasion. In response, Rumi took out the first 18 lines of The Song of the Pipe from his turban. This is how the 12-year collaboration between Rumi and Chelebi over "Mesnavi" began - Rumi dictated 6 volumes of this gigantic work to Husam.
"Mesnavi" (another name for this work is "Mesnavi-yi ma" navi "-" Couplet about the hidden meaning "or" Poem about the hidden meaning ") - the peak of the poet's creativity, an essay conceived and implemented by him as a poem (for ease of assimilation) a guide for members of the informal brotherhood he founded around 1240
This book has received universal recognition in the Muslim East and is often called the "Iranian Quran". Artistically, it is a brilliant encyclopedia of Iranian folklore of the Middle Ages. The poet's strength lies in the fact that his ardent love for people, with their real sufferings, passions and joys, is manifested in an anti-Orthodox mystical form. Rumi himself called his concept "Heart worship."
"Mesnavi" is a sense of spiritual depth and intensity, intertwined complexity, growing from the Qur'anic verses, limitlessness and at the same time symmetry centered in the transparent starry of the pool. In Mesnavi there are fantastic leaps from folklore to science, from humor to ecstatic poetry.
All of Rumi's poetry is a conversation inside and outside the mystical community of his students, "sohbet" going beyond space and time.
The poet died on December 17, 1272 in Konya and was buried there, being accompanied on his last journey by many people of all faiths - Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. - who expressed respect for the man who sang the "religion of the heart." - unanimity all people of different tribes and religions.
After death, look for me not in the earth,
And in the hearts of enlightened people.
Today, just like 700 years ago, Rumi's poetry is alive and well. People again and again turn to his works, looking for answers to eternal questions from the “guide to the country of Truth”. Rumi's words were truly prophetic:
On the day I die, don't wring your hands
Don't cry, don't talk about parting!
This is not parting, but a goodbye day.
The luminary has gone down, but it will rise.
The grain fell into the ground - it will sprout!
It is no coincidence that Rumi is called “a mentor with a shining heart, leading a caravan of love” (Jami). Everyone will find in his poems the answers to their questions. Its lines are both a route map and a memo to the traveler.
The Lord has placed a ladder at our feet.
It is necessary to overcome step by step
her and go up to the roof.
You shouldn't be a fatalist here,
You have legs, so why pretend to be lame?
You have hands, why hide your fingers?
When the master gives the slave a shovel in his hands,
Without words, it is clear what he wants.***
You seek knowledge in books - what an absurdity!
You seek pleasure in sweets - what an absurdity!
You are the sea of \u200b\u200bcomprehension, hidden in a drop of dew,
You are the universe hidden in a body one and a half meters long.* * *
My friend! Is your grain ripe? Who are you?
A slave to food and wine, or a knight on the battlefield?* * *
Where there are ruins
There is hope to find the treasure -
So why aren't you looking for God's treasure
In a broken heart?***
Come again, please come again.
Whoever you are
Believers, unbelievers, heretics or pagans.
Even if you've already promised a hundred times
And broke the promise a hundred times
This door is not a door of hopelessness and despondency.
This door is open to everyone
Come, come as it is.
Sources:
1. Coleman Barks. Essence of Rumi
2. Dmitry Zubov "Window between heart and heart". Jelaladdin Rumi
JELAL AD-DIN, nickname: MENK-BURNY (with a birthmark on his face) (born unknown - d. 1231), Khorezmshah (from 1220), eldest son of Muhammad II and the Turkmen woman Aychichek, who did not enjoy honor at the court in Gurganj, where the main role was played by Jelal ad-din's grandmother, the Kipchak princess Turkan-Khatyn. Thanks to her influence, contrary to tradition, it was not Jelal ad-din that became the heir to the throne, but Uzlagkhan, the youngest son of Muhammad from the Kypchak khansha. Raised in a harsh military environment, Jelal ad-din mastered military skills early. He got into the possession of Ghazn (Afghanistan), but his father kept him with him in Gurganj, fearing a conspiracy. The young prince languished from idleness and rushed to the border, where there were constant skirmishes with external enemies.
When it became known about the campaign of Genghis Khan's troops to Khorezm, Jelal ad-din rushed to his father with a proposal to prevent the Mongols from entering the country and meet them on the Syr Darya. However, Muhammad relied on his well-fortified fortresses and was in no hurry to gather troops. Meanwhile, the Mongols were rapidly taking one city after another. At the beginning of 1220, Bukhara fell, followed by Samarkand. Muhammad began to retreat westward. After a series of unsuccessful battles, he was left with a handful of fighters and with his sons. The huge, motley and undisciplined army of the Khorezmshah was unable to defeat the enemy much inferior to him in numbers. According to the legend, Muhammad, who fled to the Caspian, being mortally ill, summoned the sons of Jelal ad-din, Akshah and Uzlagkhan and announced to them that only Jelal ad-din, whom he appointed heir to the throne, could resist the enemy. Calling the younger sons to obedience, he hung his sword on the eldest son's belt. A few days later, Muhammad died and Jelal ad-din became Khorezmshah. Despite popular support, the nobility of Gurganja did not accept the new ruler.
Gathering 300 devoted Turkmen horsemen, Jelal ad-din left for Khorasan. In the Nisa district, the Turkmen desperately rushed to the Mongol detachment, consisting of 700 people, and defeated them. According to an-Nesevi, a participant in the campaign and personal secretary of Jelal ad-din, this was the first Muslim sword, stained with Mongol blood. The victory, however small, inspired the population of the cities and villages of Khorasan to resist. The horror that the lightning strikes of the invaders inspired to such an extent that in all regions of Central Asia the people were afraid to raise their hand against the Mongol was dispelled. People are clearly convinced that the enemy can be defeated. Genghis Khan was forced to send a special detachment to Khorezm and Khorasan, which faced the army of Muhammad's younger sons. In a fierce battle, both brothers of Jelal ad-din fell.
The latter at this time was advancing to Ghazna - his hereditary destiny. In the upper reaches of the Murghab, he was joined by the former governor of Merv, the Turkmen Khan-Malik and with him 40 thousand horsemen, and soon the large Turkmen Khan Seif ad-din, who also had a 40 thousand army, arrived in time. Not far from Kandahar, the Turkmens defeated the Mongol army, and the Khorezmshah arrived safely in Ghazna. There Jelal ad-din was joined by his cousin Amin al-Mulk and the commander Timur Malik. The Karluk Khan Azam Malik and the leader of the Afghans Muzaffar Malik also took the oath of allegiance to the Khorezmshah. In the summer of 1221, Jelal ad-didd raided Tokharistan and defeated the Mongol army at the walls of the Valiyan fortress. Alarmed by such events, Genghis Khan dispatched his adopted brother Shigi-Kutugu Noyon with a large army. A battle took place near the town of Narvan, which lasted several days. The defeat of the Mongols was complete. Out of several tens of thousands, only a handful, led by Shigi-Kutugu himself, reached the main Mongol camp.
As the researchers note, the defeat of the Mongol troops at Parvan was the single largest defeat of the Mongols during the entire period of their hostilities in Central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan in 1219-1222.
Researchers note that Jelal ad-din in his successful struggle against the conquerors relied not only on the warriors, but also on the local population, who saw in him a just and legitimate ruler.
Immediately after the Battle of Parvan, the Mongols besieging Balkh lifted the siege and withdrew from the territory of Afghanistan. Genghis Khan calmly accepted the news of the defeat of his troops. He only said the following: "Shigi-Kutugu knew only victories, so it is useful for him to experience the bitterness of defeat in order to strive more ardently for victory in the future." The great "conqueror of peoples" himself set out on a campaign, and Jelal ad-din began to prepare for a general battle. At this time, among the commanders of the Khorezmshah, discord began and the Afghans, and after them the Karluks and Kipchaks, left Jelal ad-din.
Khorezmshah remained only with the faithful Turkmens, of whom there were only a few thousand. Realizing that with such a detachment he could not resist the entire armada of the Mongols, Jelal ad-din, having defeated the enemy's vanguard, went to the Indus River. There, Genghis Khan overtook the indomitable Khorezmshah. The battle took place on November 24, 1221. The Turkmens desperately rushed at the enemy, but the forces were unequal and melted away with every moment. Not wanting to leave his loved ones to abuse the Mongols, Jelal ad-din ordered to drown his mother, wife and other women in the river. But his seven-year-old son still fell to the invaders and was killed at the feet of Genghis Khan. Jelal ad-Din managed to escape from the tight ring, and he rushed off the cliff into the river right on his horse. Having crossed the Indus, the Khorezmshah from the other side threatened the Mongols with his sword and disappeared. According to legend, the amazed Genghis Khan then exclaimed: "This is how a father should have a son!"
For four years Jelal ad-din repulsed the blows of the Mongols in India. Gathering a new army, the main backbone of which consisted of the Turkmens, he appeared in Western Iran and from there proceeded to the Caucasus. In 1225 Jelal ad-din captured the capital of Armenia, the city of Dvin and defeated the joint Georgian-Armenian army led by the Armenian atabeg near the city of Garni (20 km from modern Yerevan). Jelal ad-din sent ambassadors to the Georgians to conclude peace and joint action against the Mongols. But the Georgian princess Rusudan rejected the proposals of the Khorezmshah. In 1226 he captured the Georgian capital Tbilisi. According to the testimony of Ibn al-Athir, only those who converted to Islam and uttered the saying of the Koran: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet" were saved in the city.
While in Northern Iran the Mongols destroyed cities and massacred the population, in the west of the country they were defeated. Jelal ad-din defeated the Mongols in 1227 near Rey, and then, in the same year, won a major victory over them at Isfahan. The Isfahan townspeople themselves called on the Khorezmshah, who was not slow to come to them for help. Now he was waging a war on two fronts: in Western Iran - against the Mongols, in Transcaucasia - with Georgians and Armenians. In 1228, the Ruman sultan Aladin, the Egyptian sultan Ashraf and the Cilician-Armenian king Getum I jointly opposed the Khorezmshah. Jelal ad-din was defeated near Yerevan.
It is known that the Khorezmshah sent a letter to the Kypchak khans, proposing to jointly oppose the Mongols, but he received an answer only from his sister Khan-Sultan, captured in 1220 by the son of Genghis Khan, Jochi, and having a child from him. The sister offered Jelal ad-din to cooperate with the Mongols and possessions near the Amu Darya, but he left her message unanswered.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Khorezmshah desperately resisted. In 1230, he captured the Khilat fortress in Iraq, but was soon defeated by a coalition of the rulers of Asia Minor and Mesopotamia. The defeat of the Khorezm army was completed by the 30-thousandth Mongol detachment sent by Ogedei. It was headed by the famous Mongolian commander Charmagan. Badly wounded in the battle, Jelal ad-din hid in the mountains of Kurdistan, where he was killed.
A medieval Armenian author wrote the following about his death: “The Tatars, who had once expelled him from his homeland, again attacked him with hostility and drove him non-stop to the city of Amida, where they inflicted a terrible defeat on him, and this cruel sultan lost his life. Others say that after the defeat, during the bekstvo, he was recognized and killed by one person out of revenge ... ".
The legend says that upon learning about the death of the last Khorezmshah, his soldiers tore their hair and scratched their faces. Uncontrolled by anyone, they swept away everything in their path and captured Jerusalem, and subsequently reached Egypt. The sad news quickly spread among the population of the countries conquered by the Mongols. As an-Nesevi wrote, “the whole Universe is orphaned without him,” and these words express a sincere love for a man who, with amazing persistence, for more than 10 years, waged a selfless struggle against the Mongol conquerors.
Ovez Gundogdyev
Encyclopedic Dictionary "Historical and Cultural Heritage of Turkmenistan"
Under the general editorship of O.A. Gundogdyev and R.G. Muradova
In 1999, large-scale celebrations dedicated to a rather unusual date were held in Uzbekistan. The country celebrated the 800th anniversary of Dejalal-ad-Din - the last Khorezmshah, who is revered as a national hero in a number of Central Asian states. In Turkmenistan, for example, several songs have been written about him. Moreover, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan at one time even waged a dispute over which of them has more rights to Jelal ad-Din.
Monument to Jelal ad-Din in Ugrench
As a result, friendship won. In fact, the last Khorezmshah was not so much a liberator as a cruel conqueror. He lived for 32 years, most of which he spent in campaigns and wars. Having lost his homeland, Jelal ad-Din simply decided to conquer a new one for himself.
Crash
Death of Khorezmshah Ala ad-Din
At the beginning of the XIII century, the state of Khorezmshahs was at the peak of its prosperity and power. Its borders stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Aral Sea and from Transcaucasia to China, controlling all of Central Asia. The pearl of this kingdom of deserts and mountains was Khorezm - one of the richest cities of the Middle Ages. Curiously, it flourished during the reign of Ala ad-Din Muhammad II, whose name is associated with the fall of the state. By 1218, Khorezmshah had the largest army in the world under his command. Its number reached a million people (approximately equal to infantry and cavalry).
At 20, Jelal headed a powerful but non-existent state
He managed to significantly expand his possessions, having conquered the northern part of India, but just in the process of this conquest he faced a new, completely unexpected threat. The Mongols coming from the east were this threat. In a clash with Genghis Khan, Ala ad-Din showed the worst qualities of a ruler and military leader: cowardice, indecision and senseless cruelty. At the insistence of his mother, he executed the Mongol ambassadors who offered him an alliance, and when the troops of Tohuchar-noyon and Subedei invaded Khorezm, he did not dare to fight. In the war, Khorezmshah solved his internal problems, trying to weaken the all-powerful Kangly nobility - relatives and trusted people of his mother.
He managed to execute several Kangly people, among whom were promising commanders, and did not allow several parts of his army to be joined together, hoping that the Mongols would defeat them separately, relieving him of internal opposition. To give battle, however, he still had to. In 1218, a grandiose battle took place, in which the army of Khorezm stopped the Mongols. Not defeated, but precisely held back the offensive. Ala ad-Din owed his success in the battle to his 19-year-old son. Young Jelal commanded the right flank.
He managed to crush the left wing of the Mongol army and, falling on the center, held back his onslaught on his father's position. The Mongols left, but after a few months Genghis Khan sent an army of 50,000 to conquer Khorezm. She advanced through enemy territory without apparent effort. The Mongols met almost no resistance and took the cities with ease.
One after another fell the richest and most prosperous Otrar, Khojent, Tashkent, Bukhara, Merv, Neshapur, Urgench and, finally, the capital - Samarkand. All this was accompanied by monstrous bloodshed. In Merv alone, about half a million townspeople were exterminated. Ala ad-Din did not come to the aid of his subjects. At the decisive moment, he fell into a panic.
Jelal ordered to drown his harem, but the soldiers did not fulfill this order well
Khorezmshah gathered an army to defend Samarkand, but, for some reason, retreated from the capital and went east. His people simply fled. Ala al-Din in just a year turned from the most powerful ruler of Asia to a destitute beggar. In the text about Subedei, we have already talked about his sad fate. Khorezmshah died on the tiny island of Abeskun in the Caspian Sea, where lepers were exiled for centuries.
According to legend, he became so impoverished that his last servant did not even have a piece of cloth to cover the body of the fallen ruler. The state of Khorezmshahs ceased to exist, but not for Jelal ad-Din.
Drowned harem
Battle of the Indus
In less than 21 years, Jelal ad-Din Menguberdi became Khorezmshah. But his patrimony now belonged to the Mongols. The young ruler was not afraid. He declared himself the ruler of Samrkand, wrote a letter to Genghis Khan, in which he boldly demanded the return of everything that was taken from him, gathered a detachment of three hundred people and set off for Khorasan, a region in the northeastern part of Iran. Here Jelal ad-Din won his first victory over the Mongols. He attacked a detachment of 700 horsemen, defeated them and killed all but two people.
These "lucky ones" were mutilated and sent to Genghis Khan as a living confirmation of the very serious intentions of the young Khorezmshah. Khorasan became Jelal ad-Din's new base. From here he sent messengers to all who were dissatisfied with the Mongols. Quite quickly, more and more warriors began to flock under his banner. Among others, he was joined by one of the best commanders of his father Timur-Malik.
In a few months, the young Shah gathered a 70,000-strong army and marched with him straight to Samarkand. His army would have been even larger had it not been for the failure of his two younger brothers. They went to join Jelal ad-Din, but instead faced the punitive Mongol detachment of Shigi Kutuku. He defeated them quite easily, both brothers of Khorezmshah died.
From a fighter for the liberation of Khorezm, Jelal quickly turned into a tyrant
For this murder, Kutuk had to pay dearly. The two armies met in the Battle of Parvan, in which the Mongol commander was defeated. Jelal ad-Din skillfully used the landscape for his own purposes. He placed archers on the rocks so that they would fire at the enemy from a height. Shock cavalry Kutuk suffered gigantic losses and could not break through the infantry line of the Khorezm army.
When he retreated, Jelal ad-Din went on the offensive and completely destroyed the 30-thousandth army of Shigi. This was the largest defeat of the Mongols during the entire period of the conquests of Genghis Khan. And this fiasco made a very serious impression on the ruler of the new Empire himself. Genghis Khan did not leave Samrkand, contrary to his own plans, but, taking command of the army, led it towards Jelal ad-Din. He, however, avoided the battle for a long time. He maneuvered, left and wandered, preferring to act in small raids. And yet, Genghis Khan managed to drive the obstinate enemy into a dead end. Jelal ad-Din's army was pressed against the Indus, there was nowhere to retreat.
Khorezmshah lost the battle that took place on December 9, 1221. He lined up the troops in a crescent moon, hoping to trap the Mongols and strike from the flanks. It wasn't like that. Genghis Khan struck first on the flanks, and then in the center. The battle lasted almost all day, and by sunset it became clear that the young Shah would not win this battle. And then Jelal ad-Din ordered to drown all his harem and children in the river so that they would not fall to the enemy! “If they are captured, woe to them,” he said.
The motives of the man who killed Jelal ad-Din remain a mystery
He himself, with the remnants of the army, also jumped into the water. Ironically, Khorezmshah was saved, but only his beloved wife with a young son survived from the whole harem. And although the story about the salvation of his beloved wife and son of Muhammad is more like a legend, it is important to note the following: the leader himself swam to the other side of the Indus, but his loved ones, nevertheless, were captured. An unenviable fate awaited them. The little woman Muhammad was immediately put to the knife. And the defeated enemy, threatening the Mongol with a sword from the other side, went further to the southeast.
Temporary homeland
Sultan Key-Qubad
Jelal ad-Din failed but did not give up. He did not become weaker, but became a much more cruel and pragmatic person. He no longer knew pity, and not only for the Mongols. First of all, Jelal ad-Din gathered around him the remnants of his defeated army. He had four thousand soldiers, with whom he went deep into India. He apparently had no plan. But local leaders had them, who twice attacked the fugitive. Jelal ad-Din won two victories, took Delhi and proclaimed it his new capital. In the twentieth century, we would say that it was the State of the Khorezmshahs in exile. The minimum program was successfully completed. Jelal ad-Din found himself a new state, which he could rule at his own pleasure.
Fortunately, the neighboring princes could not compete with him. Khorezmshah vividly expanded his possessions and even began to raid the territory of Iran, going into the rear of the Mongols. Jelal ad-Din could not forgive Genghis Khan for the death of his loved ones. For three years, he was accumulating strength for revenge and, apparently, did not even consider the possibility of staying in Delhi. In 1225, he left India for good, going on his last campaign. His army invaded Transcaucasia, inflicted several defeats on the united Georgian-Armenian army and occupied several fortresses. The climax of the invasion was the Battle of Garni, in which Jelal ad-Din defeated the 30,000-strong Georgian-Armenian army.
Thanks to cunning, he managed to lure them out of advantageous positions on the hill. This was followed by the most severe devastation of Tbilisi and several more successful battles. Jelal ad-Din hoped to lure out the Mongols, forcing them to fight with him in the mountains. But they reacted to him only once, sending a very small detachment to the city of Rhea.
Jelal ad-Din could have been pleased with local successes, but the campaign itself was not going well. Khorezmshah has changed a lot, having lost the ability to find allies. On the contrary, he multiplied his enemies. His people rampaged in the occupied territories, killing not only Mongol prisoners, but also the local civilian population.
From a reasonable politician Jelal ad-Din turned into a revenge-obsessed exterminator of all living things. It is known that during the capture of Tbilisi, his people destroyed all the churches in the city. In the occupied territories, he introduced new and new taxes, which were collected by robbery. The detachment of Khorezmshah came to the settlement, announced to the local residents the amount they should give, after which they made a violent confiscation.
With each passing day, Jelal ad-Din went further and further from his goal. In 1227, Genghis Khan died, and Khorezmshah never met him again on the battlefield. In 1228, the Mongols formed a coalition. Together with the Mongols, the Rumskiy Sultanate, Cilician Armenia and even Egypt, which then had vast possessions in Asia, which at any moment could be under attack, also opposed the cruel conqueror. The final chord was the uprising in the areas controlled by Jelal ad-Din.
Of course, he suppressed the uprising and, of course, did it with particular cruelty. However, this was his last victory. Soon he was defeated by the Armenians and twice by the Ruman Sultan Kei-Kubad. With the remnants of the army, Jelal ad-Din tried to break through to India, but was met by the Mongols and again defeated.
And crash again
Uzbek coin with the image of Jelal ad-Din
Everything that happened next was a painful agony. Jelal ad-Din was on the run for over a year. He rushed about Iran, Syria and Turkey, trying to find allies. It seems that he even sent messengers to the crusaders, who still somehow held several cities in the Middle East. No one, for some reason, wanted to support him. Meanwhile, the remnants of his troops fled, so, in due time, people fled from his father.
The goal for which Khorezmshah fought and for which he raised an uprising has long been forgotten by him. Not to mention the fact that the return of the former possessions has now become a completely impossible task. The Mongols eventually tracked the fugitive and sent in pursuit. Jelal ad-Din took refuge in the mountains in eastern Turkey and lived the last days of his life in a cave. It was here that death overtook him. The Shah was killed by a Kurd whose name history has not preserved. The motives behind the murder also remain unknown. Either the Kurd acted on the orders of the Mongol, or took revenge for the death of his relatives, or simply wanted to rob Jelal ad-Din, not knowing who he was.
Jelal ad-Din lost his war, although in Central Asia he later became a mythological hero-liberator. In fact, he gave Genghis Khan more trouble than anyone else. Young Khorezmshah ruined the plans of the great khan and made him sweat a lot, inflicting the most tangible defeat on the Mongol army in the glorious period of its history.
However, Jelal ad-Din lost the only full-time battle. The battle on the banks of the Indus was his only chance to restore his power in Khorezm. And in that battle, the young and daring commander had almost no chance against the old and experienced one.
Who is Sultan Jelal ad-Din? This is the eldest son of Khorezmshah Mohammed II, the ruler of Khorezm. He glorified his name by showing worthy resistance to Genghis Khan. The great Mongol conqueror himself had great respect for Jelal ad-Din and set him up as an example for his sons. The Mongols most of all appreciated courage and courage, and the son of Muhammad fully possessed these qualities. It was with his fearlessness that he conquered such an experienced warrior as Genghis Khan. But before talking about the exploits of the brave sultan, let's get acquainted with the general political situation that preceded his activities.
By the end of the 12th century, Khorezm was considered one of the most powerful states in Central Asia. His possessions stretched from north to south from the Aral Sea to the Persian Gulf, and from west to east from the Iranian Highlands to the Pamirs. Khorezmshah Tekesh ruled this country, and the city of Gurganj was considered the capital. Tekesh died in 1200 and was succeeded by Muhammad II (1169-1221). He pushed the boundaries of a huge power even further, and it seemed that there was no force capable of crushing the Khorezmians.
But Eastern wisdom says: “Don't say that you are the strongest, there will always be a person stronger than you; do not say that you are the smartest, there will always be a person smarter than you; do not say that you are the most beautiful, there will always be a person more beautiful than you. " Alas, bathing in the rays of glory, power and wealth, Muhammad II did not heed this simple truth, when the army of Genghis Khan appeared on the eastern borders of his vast lands.
This eminent historical figure united the nomadic tribes north of China under his rule and began to pursue a large-scale policy of conquest. In 1216, the advanced detachments of the Mongols appeared on the border with Khorezm. Small skirmishes began, in which the Mongols tested the fortitude and combat skills of the Khorezmians.
But it didn’t come to a major military confrontation. A fragile peace remained, and Genghis Khan sent several rich trade caravans to the lands of Khorezm. One of them was plundered and the merchants were killed.
After this incident, the Mongols sent a large embassy with generous gifts to Muhammad II. The leader of the nomads proposed to conclude a mutually beneficial trade union. All this was stated in the letter, and at the end of it, Genghis Khan called Muhammad his son. It was this kind of treatment that pissed the Khorezmshah out of himself. He considered it offensive, and raged on the ambassadors. Almost all of them were stabbed to death, and the rest were sent back to talk about the wrath of the powerful ruler.
However, Genghis Khan sent a second embassy in an attempt to make amends for the conflict. But the same fate awaited him. Only after that the leader of the nomads decided to start a war against Khorezm. It was unprofitable for Genghis Khan at this period of time, since the main forces were in China, but the insolence of the Khorezmians, who frankly asked for trouble, changed the plans of the great conqueror. He withdrew an army of 120 thousand soldiers from China and moved it to Khorezm.
Many educated people lived in Khorezm before the Mongol invasion
Military action began in 1219. At the same time, Khorezm had an army of almost 400 thousand soldiers. In Samarkand alone, there was a garrison of 120 thousand soldiers, reinforced by war elephants. In fact, all this power should have easily destroyed Genghis Khan's tumens. But the main strategic mistake of the Khorezmshah was that he dispersed all his myriad troops to cities and fortresses.
The fragmented army was unable to offer a worthy resistance to the united Mongolian force. Already in 1220, the Khorezm military power ceased to exist. Muhammad himself fled with a small detachment towards the Caspian Sea. There he was landed on one of the islands, where the former great ruler died in January 1221.
Jelal ad-Din's struggle for the restoration of Khorezm
At this sad time for the country, Sultan Jelal ad-Din (1199-1231) entered the political arena. It is believed that when he died, Muhammad bequeathed the throne to him, that is, made him Khorezmshah. But the great ruler rested in poverty on a small island, without any power, and therefore his last will can hardly be considered legitimate. At the same time, many historians have called Jelal ad-Din exactly Khorezmshah since 1220. This does not change the essence, since this person did not have a great country under his command. He was only a banner, a symbol around which the enemies of the Mongols united.
For the first time he declared himself on the territory of Iran, where he defeated the thousandth Mongol unit with a small detachment. After that, detachments of soldiers began to join him, and soon the Sultan's army reached 10 thousand people. With this army, he approached Kandahar, which was besieged by the Mongols. The invaders were utterly defeated, and the reputation of Sultan Jelal ad-Din grew rapidly. Everyone began to consider him a real Khorezmshah and a liberator of Central Asia from the Mongols.
Jelal ad-Din's army
In 1221, the historical battle of Parvan took place (the territory of modern Afghanistan). The Khorezmians had an army of 70 thousand, and the Mongol army consisted of 30 thousand soldiers. They were commanded by Shigi-Khutukhu, Genghis Khan's half-brother. In this battle, the Mongols were utterly defeated. The victory served as a pretext for an uprising in many areas captured by the Mongols.
Realizing what this defeat threatened, Genghis Khan himself, at the head of a strong army, moved towards Sultan Jelal ad-Din. The decisive battle took place on the banks of the Indus River in December 1221. It was won by the Mongols. The sultan himself, in order not to be captured, rushed, sitting on a horse, into the river from a high cliff. He swam safely across the wide waters, got to the shore and threatened the Mongols watching him from the opposite side of the Indus with his sword. This scene delighted Genghis Khan. He turned to his sons and said: "This is how I should have a son!"
With 4 thousand soldiers, Sultan Jelal ad-Din went to India. There he ran into local rulers who resisted the newcomer Khorezmian. In these battles, the Indians showed themselves to be weak warriors. It must be said that then on the lands of Iran, the Sultan did not have worthy opponents. Only the Mongols could defeat this fearless heir to Muhammad II.
Jelal ad-Din spent 3 whole years in India. He tried to conclude an alliance against the Mongols with the Mamluk dynasty, which ruled in the Delhi Sultanate, but he was refused, not wanting to enter into conflict with Genghis Khan. At the end of 1224, the Sultan left the hot lands and headed west. His goal was to expel the Mongols and restore Khorezm within its former borders. He invaded Northern Iran, captured a number of cities, overthrew the ruler of the Ildegizid state Uzbek and took the city of Tabriz by storm.
In 1225, the Sultan organized a campaign against Georgia. In August, the Battle of Garni took place, in which the Georgian army was defeated. In 1226, the Khorezmians captured Tbilisi, plundered and burned it. Queen Rusudan took refuge in Kutaisi with her court and was unable to offer the invaders a worthy resistance. But Jelal ad-Din was not going to stay in Georgia. He took away the army weighed down with prey, and the weakened country was conquered by the Mongols in 1236.
Mongol army
It should be said that the Sultan did not have a clear plan to fight Genghis Khan. He seized the lands of local rulers, who had already adapted to the power of the Mongols, imprisoned his governors there, and they were very quickly overthrown. It turned out that the newly minted Khorezmshah was at war with his own Muslims, and only those who dreamed of an easy prey served him.
In 1228, the Kony Sultanate, the Egyptian Ayyubid dynasty and the Cilician Armenian state took up arms against Jelal ad-Din. They opposed the Sultan with a single army and defeated his army. And in 1230, the rebellious sultan suffered a second defeat at the hands of the allied forces at the Battle of Yassemmen.
After that, the strength of the Khorezmians noticeably weakened. In 1231 they were opposed by a 30,000-strong Mongol army under the command of Chormagan. It easily cleared the northern regions of Iran from the detachments of the Sultan and his supporters. Jelal ad-Din tried to gather a new army to resist the Mongols, but they attacked very quickly, and the sultan had no choice but to run away from his pursuers.
The detachment of the failed Khorezmshah went to the mountains of the Eastern Transcaucasia and thinned out with every oppression. And the Mongols did not lag behind and pursued the fugitives with amazing tenacity. In the end, Sultan Jelal ad-Din was left alone and took refuge in a Kurdish village. Here one of the Kurds saw on him a rich belt studded with diamonds. After that, the fate of the heir to Muhammad II was decided. He was killed to take possession of the belt. According to historians, it happened on August 15, 1231.
Monument to Jelal ad-Din
The memory of this man has survived for centuries. In Uzbekistan, he is revered as a national hero. Soviet writer Vasily Grigorievich Yan portrayed the image of this extraordinary personality in his work "Genghis Khan" written in 1939. This was also done by Grigol Abashidze (a Georgian writer of the Soviet era) in his novel "The Long Night", written in 1957.