2024, vol. 12, no. 2. Vorotyntsev L.V., Galimov T.R.

2024, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 307-319

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2024-12-2.307-319

EDN: https://elibrary.ru/YSCTJU

   “POISONED” KHANS: THE PHENOMENON OF THE SUDDEN DEATH
OF RULERS IN THE MENTAL PERCEPTION OF MEDIEVAL MONGOLS

L.V. Vorotyntsev 1, T.R. Galimov 2*
1 Bunin Yelets State University
Yelets, Russian Federation
2 Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University
Kazan, Russian Federation
* galimov_t_r@mail.ru

Abstract. Research objectives: To find out the real causes of death of the Mongolian khans Yesugei-baatur, Ogedei, and Guyuk, as well as the circumstances of the emergence of ideas about their poisoning, reflected in a number of narrative sources.
Research materials: The work used the Mongolian historical and literary works “Mongol un-niucha tobchiyan” (“The Secret History of the Mongols”) and “Altan Tobchi” (“Golden Legend”), the Mongolian-Chinese dynastic chronicle “Yuan Shi”, as well as the works of the Hulaguid “chroniclers” Rashid al-Din (“Jami at-tawarih”) and Juveini ata-Malik (“Tarikh-i-jehangusha”). In addition, the information contained in the travel notes of the head of the papal embassy to the court of Guyuk Khagan – Giovanni del Plano Carpini – and the ambassador of the French King Louis IX, Guillaume Rubruk, were involved.
Results and novelty of the study: the topic of reflection and interpretation in medieval written sources of the sudden deaths of Mongolian rulers has been beyond the attention of nomadic historians up to the present time. Because of this circumstance, the relevance of the problem raised in the study lies in considering one of the least studied aspects of the mental history of Eurasian nomads. The article examines several episodes related to the sudden death of three Mongolian khans (Yesugei-baatur, Ogedei, Guyuk) and the interpretation of these tragic events in narrative sources. Based on a critical analysis of the information presented in written sources, as well as the use of data from natural science disciplines (medicine, geography), the authors conclude that the misconceptions common in historical science about the violent nature of the deaths of the above-mentioned Mongolian rulers are false. According to the authors of the study, the causes of the sudden and premature deaths of Yesugei-baatur, Ogedei, and Guyuk were, respectively, food toxicological poisoning, the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption, and the progressive development of a chronic, incurable disease. It should be noted that the presented work is in the nature of an interdisciplinary study and is a thematic continuation of the article published in the journal “Golden Horde Review” in 2023 [8].

Keywords: Mongol Empire, great Khans, Yesugei-baatur, Ogedei, Guyuk, poisoning, chronic diseases, mental perception

For citation: Vorotyntsev L.V., Galimov T.R. “Poisoned” khans: the phenomenon of the sudden death of rulers in the mental perception of medieval Mongols. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2024, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 307–319. https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2024-12-2.307-319 (In Russian)

REFERENCES

  1. Abzalov L.F. Hygienic culture of nomads of the Eurasian steppes in 13th–15th centuries. Scientific notes of Kazan University. Нumanities. Vol. 126. Book 6, pp. 22–34. https://doi.org/10. 269907/2541-7738. 2020.6.22-34 (In Russian)
  2. Abzalov L.F. “Hot Spring for Cure of Diseases”: On the Practice of Hydropathy in the Golden Horde. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2017. Vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 756–769. https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2017-5-4.756-769 (In Russian)
  3. The Great Medical Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Moscow: The Soviet Encyclopedia Publ., 1974. 576 p. (In Russian)
  4. The Great Medical Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. Moscow: The Soviet Encyclopedia Publ., 1975. 608 p. (In Russian)
  5. The Great Medical Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. Moscow: The Soviet Encyclopedia Publ., 1978. 483 p . (In Russian)
  6. The Great Medical Encyclopedia. Vol. 20. Moscow: The Soviet Encyclopedia Publ., 1988. 544 p. (In Russian)
  7. The Great Medical Encyclopedia. Vol. 22. Moscow: The Soviet Encyclopedia Publ., 1984. 544 p. (In Russian)
  8. Vorotyntsev L.V., Galimov T.R. The “necessary death” of the Grand Duke: on the question of the causes and circumstances of the death of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich in the autumn of 1246. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. Vol. 11, no. 3, 2023, pp. 562–581. https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2023-11-3.562-581 (In Russian)
  9. Gurevich A. Ya. From the history of mentalities to historical synthesis. Disputes about the main thing: Discussions about the present and future of historical science around the French Annales school. Moscow, 1993. 208 p. (In Russian)
  10. Juveini Ata-Malik. The history of the conquest of the world. Moscow: Magister Press Publishing House, 2004. 689 p. (In Russian)
  11. Drobyshev Yu. I. Climate and Khans: the role of the climatic factor in the political history of Central Asia. Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2018. 264 p. (In Russian)
  12. The Golden Horde in historical sources. Vol. 3. Chinese and Mongolian sources. Moscow: Nauka, 2009. 336 p. (In Russian)
  13. Kozin S.A. The Secret History. Moscow-Leningrad: Oriental Literature, 1941. 619 p. (In Russian)
  14. Zubkova E.U. The mental dimension of history: the search for a method. Questions of history. 1995, no. 7, pp. 153–160. (In Russian)
  15. “The history of the Mongols” of the monk Magakia, 13th century. St. Petersburg, 1871. 106 p.
  16. Kradin N.N. Nomads of Eurasia. Almaty, 2007. 207 p. (In Russian)
  17. Lubsan Dabzan. Altan tobchi (“The Golden Legend”). Moscow, 1973. 440 р. (In Russian)
  18. Pochekaev R.Yu., Pochekaeva I.N. The female Rulers of Eurasia. History and myths about the female rulers of the Turkic-Mongolian states of 13th–19th centuries. St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 2012. 384 p. (In Russian)
  19. Pochekaev R.Y. Baty. The Khan who was not Khan. Moscow: Eurasia, 2007. 350 p. (In Russian)
  20. Porsin A.A. Trial in the case of the Poisoning of Ögedei Khan in the Context of Contradictions between Different Groups of Sources. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2023, Vol. 11, no. 1, 24–36. https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2023-11-1.24-36 (In Russian)
  21. Plano Carpini Ioahn de. History of the Mongols: Text, translation, commentaries. Edited by A.A. Gorsky, V.V. Trepavlov; podgot. lat text of P.V Lukin. trans. from lat. A.A. Volin, P.V. Lukin, comment. A.A. Gorsky, V.P. Lukin, S.A. Maslova, R.Yu. Po­chekaev, V.V. Trepvlov; Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow: Institute of Far Eastern Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2022. 383 p. (In Russian)
  22. Journey to the Eastern countries of Plano Carpini and Rubruk. Moscow, 1956. 287 p. (In Russian)
  23. Rashid al-Din. A collection of chronicles. Vol. 1. Book 1. Moscow: USSR Aca­demy of Sciences Publ., 1952. 222 p. (In Russian)
  24. Rashid al-Din. A collection of chronicles. Vol. 1. Book 2. Moscow: USSR Aca­demy of Sciences Publ., 1952. 315 p. (In Russian)
  25. Rashid al-Din. A collection of chronicles. Vol. 2. Moscow: USSR Academy of Sciences Publ., 1960. 248 p. (In Russian)
  26. Skrynnikova T.D. Charisma and power in the era of Genghis Khan. St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 2003. 384 p. (In Russian)
  27. Trepavlov V.V. “The White Tsar”: the image of the monarch and ideas about citizenship among the peoples of Russia of the 15th–18th centuries. Moscow: Vostochnaya literatura Publ., 2007. 255 p. (In Russian)
  28. Khromova E.B. From the background of historical anthropology formation in Russia: contribution of the history of mentalities. Historical and Socio-Educational 2018, vol. 10, no. 1–5, pp. 53–61. https://doi.org/10.17748/2075-9908-2018-10-5/1-53-61 (In Russian)

INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Leonid V. Vorotyntsev – Cand. Sci. (History), Research Fellow, Bunin Yelets State University (28, Kommunarov Str., Yelets 399770, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0002-6139-3392. E-mail: leonrus1245@mail.ru

Teymur R. Galimov – Cand. Sci. (History), Senior Lecturer of the Department of History of the Tatarstan, Anthropology and Ethnography, Institute of International Relations, Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University (44, Levo-Bulachnaya Str., Kazan 420111, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0002-3052-8063. E-mail: galimov_t_r@mail.ru

 Received  21.02.2024  Revised 27.03.2024
Accepted  04.05.2024