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Also known as the Great State or the Ulus of Jochi, it was a large Mongol-Tatar state entity extending across Eastern Europe and Siberia. It was originally formed as part of the Mongol Empire, became a fully independent state in 1260, and later embraced Islam. Until the mid-14th century, it was the largest and militarily strongest state in all of Eastern Europe, occupying much of what is now Ukraine and Russia, with unimaginable profits from the taxes levied on its conquered territories. However, as a result of internal divisions and waning momentum, the khanate’s power gradually began to decline, until in 1380, at the First Battle of Kulikovo, the horde was significantly defeated by the Russian princes for the first time.
The core of the Mongol-Tatar army was light cavalry with bows and arrows, whose mobility and ‘hit-and-run’ capability was unmatched by the slow moving heavily armoured armies of the time. The main strategy of advancing hordes was ruthless pillaging and scorched earth tactics, aimed at deterring subjected lands from attempting resistance.
We write about the horde in particular because it was the basis of Cuman ethnicity and warfare, and because it strongly shaped the migration and warfare of the time.
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