Qara'unas
Encyclopedia
Qaraunas, or Neguderis, or Nikudari, were a Mongol group that settled in Afghanistan
and east of Iran
.
word Khara meaning black. At first they were subjects to Great Khan and served as tamnas or tamachis in Afghanistan. Great Khan appointed their leaders from non-Chingisid generals such as Dayir and Mungudei. In 1238, they settled near India
to face military forces of Delhi Sultanate
. In 1250's their leader was Sali who was a general of tatar origin. Muslim lords arranged that 100,000 dinars be brought to Sali Noyan by the ghulcim and in return the commander would withdraw his troops from Multan
. Mongols invaded India
several times for booty and slaves.
Mongke
Khan ordered Sali and his tamna soldiers to join Hulegu's army in 1253. In 1260, Jochi
d princes Kuli, Baval and Tutar died. Cursed Baval, the father of Nogai
, was executed by the order of Hulegu Khan after taking permission from Berke
who was the khan of Jochid Ulus/Golden Horde. Soon after that, Kuli and Tutar died suspiciously. Golden Horde
soldiers, who served for Hulgeu, feared. They started to move to Kipchak steppes via Derbent
and other remnants went through Syria to Egypt
. Angered Hulegu punished many soldiers of Golden Horde for the defeat of Ain Jalut
. Mongol general Baiju
was executed as well. To the east, the flight of Jochid troops into Afghanistan in significant numbers led to the creation of the Negudar
i (Nikudari) Mongols or Qaraunas in 1262. Berke ordered general Neguder to raid eastern part of Ilkhanate
. Sometimes, historians call Qara'unas as the Neguderis. This term was derived from the name of Negudar.
during the reign of Alghu
in 1262. As a result of wars between Mongol khanates, Qara'unas deserted Hulegu and captured Sali bahadur. While majority of Qara'unas was ruled by Chagatai princes, their another group in Khorasan
formed the eastern border defensive for Abagha Khan. He appointed former Chagatai Khan Mubarak Shah
their leader.
Duwa
recalled his cousin Abdullah and appointed his son Qutlugh Khwaja
a governor there in 1299. The descendants of Duwa had ruled Qara'unas since then. Oljeitu reasserted his ancestors' claim on Afghanistan and repelled Qara'unas in 1314. Another Chagatai prince Yasa'ur
was given lands in Afghanistan by the latter Ilkhan. Thanks to his complaisance towards both the Buyantu Ayurbawda Khan of the Yuan
and the Ilkhan Oljeitu, Kebek
reoccupied the territory peacefully. Esenbuqa
and Tarmashirin
were all military governor of Qara'unas and became Chagatai Khans. This military group had attended all Mongol invasions of India
since 1241.
. Neguderis wintered around Ghazna and summered in Ghur and Garchistan. According to Marco Polo
, they were mixed with Indians
and Turks, because these soldiers were unable to reach Mongolia
to find Mongol wives. After the death of Qazan Khan
, Chagatai Khanate split into two parts until it was temporarily reunited under Tughlugh Timur
(1347–1363). Chagatai Mongol fell under the control of semi-nomadic oboghs: the Arlat in the west, the Barlas
in the centre, and the Jalayir
in the north, and two non-tribal military groups, the Qaraunas and the Qa'uchin.
While the Mongols in Moghulistan, eastern part of the Chagatai Khanate called their western counterparts in Transaxonia Qara'unas (blacks or mixed breed), the western Chagatayid called the Mongols of Moghulistan Jete (bandits). In western part of the khanate was under the control of Qara'unas such as amir Qazaghan and his son ‘Abdullah. But Suldus and Barlas nobles revolted against their rule in 1359.
With the Mongol (Moghul) invasion in 1360, the Qarauna ascendancy failed. In 1362 Tamerlane (Temur, Timur) rejoined the Qaraunas under Qazaghan's grandson, Husayn
. They freed Transaxonia from Mongols of Moghulistan
, whom they considered unruly bandits in the next year. But in 1365 the Moghuls invaded again. The Qarauna and Barlas forces were defeated.
Quickly after the Khan's fail, Timur and Husayn recovered. They co-ruled Maweranhar and installed puppet khan. Husayn decided to build himself a permanent capital and urban base on the site of Balkh
in Afghanistan and Turkestan
, ruined since the time of Chingis, but now to be developed as an anti Samarkand
.When ambitious Temur finally revolted in 1370 at the head of his coalition, Husayn had little support left and he was easily defeated and killed. Temur fully subjugated the Qara'unas in 1380s.
During the reign of Temur (d.1405), Qara'unas formed a huge part of his army. Babur
noted that they still spoke Mongolian in the late 15th century.
The Nikudari are (or were; Weiers notes that his informants were not aware of this term anymore) a population group of Afghanistan of Mongolic origin. While they don’t resemble Mongolians from their physical appearance as the Hazara people do, they are distinct from them in that the Hazara don’t exhibit any Mongolic linguistic peculiarities. The Nikudari, on the other hand, used to speak Moghol
which is probably extinct now. Their tribal name hails from their former military leader, Negudar
, who according to Morgan
was a general of the Golden Horde
, but according to the research of Weiers that Morgan fails to quote was a leader of rebels against Abaqa Khan
. Hazara people are reportedly descendants of them.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and east of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Foundation
The word Qarauna derived from MongolianMongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
word Khara meaning black. At first they were subjects to Great Khan and served as tamnas or tamachis in Afghanistan. Great Khan appointed their leaders from non-Chingisid generals such as Dayir and Mungudei. In 1238, they settled near India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to face military forces of Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
. In 1250's their leader was Sali who was a general of tatar origin. Muslim lords arranged that 100,000 dinars be brought to Sali Noyan by the ghulcim and in return the commander would withdraw his troops from Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
. Mongols invaded India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
several times for booty and slaves.
Mongke
Mongke
Mongke means "eternal" in Mongolian language and may refer to:-Medieval:* Möngke Khan , Great khan of the Mongol Empire* Yesü Möngke, khan of Chagatai khanate, 1247-1252* Mengu-Timur Mongke (also Mönkh, Monkh, Munkh) means "eternal" in Mongolian language and may refer to:-Medieval:* Möngke Khan...
Khan ordered Sali and his tamna soldiers to join Hulegu's army in 1253. In 1260, Jochi
Jochi
Jochi was the eldest of the Mongol chieftain Genghis Khan's four sons by his principal wife Börte. An accomplished military leader, he participated in his father's conquest of Central Asia, along with his brothers and uncles.-Early life:...
d princes Kuli, Baval and Tutar died. Cursed Baval, the father of Nogai
Nogai Khan
Nogai , also called Isa Nogai, was a general and de facto ruler of the Golden Horde and a great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan. His grandfather was Baul/Teval Khan, the 7th son of Jochi...
, was executed by the order of Hulegu Khan after taking permission from Berke
Berke
Berke Khan was the ruler of the Golden Horde who effectively consolidated the power of the Blue Horde and White Hordes from 1257 to 1266. He succeeded his brother Batu Khan of the Blue Horde and was responsible for the first official establishment of Islam in a khanate of the Mongol Empire...
who was the khan of Jochid Ulus/Golden Horde. Soon after that, Kuli and Tutar died suspiciously. Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
soldiers, who served for Hulgeu, feared. They started to move to Kipchak steppes via Derbent
Derbent
Derbent |Lak]]: Чурул, Churul; Persian: دربند; Judæo-Tat: דארבּאנד/Дэрбэнд/Dərbənd) is a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, close to the Azerbaijani border. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second most important city of Dagestan...
and other remnants went through Syria to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Angered Hulegu punished many soldiers of Golden Horde for the defeat of Ain Jalut
Battle of Ain Jalut
The Battle of Ain Jalut took place on 3 September 1260 between Mamluks and the Mongols in eastern Galilee, in the Jezreel Valley, not far from Ein Harod....
. Mongol general Baiju
Baiju
Baiju was a Mongol commander in Persia appointed by Ögedei Khan to succeed Chormagan, and expand Mongol power further in that area....
was executed as well. To the east, the flight of Jochid troops into Afghanistan in significant numbers led to the creation of the Negudar
Negudar
Negudar was a Mongol general under Berke, and a Golden Horde Noyan. With many other Golden Horde generals, he embraced Islam in the late 13th century. He subsequently took the Muslim name of Ahmad Khan....
i (Nikudari) Mongols or Qaraunas in 1262. Berke ordered general Neguder to raid eastern part of Ilkhanate
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
. Sometimes, historians call Qara'unas as the Neguderis. This term was derived from the name of Negudar.
Qara'unas in Mongol Empire
Although some scholars claim that this group owed allegiance to no khanate 1290s, it is known that it was largely brought under the Chagatai KhanateChagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate was a Turko-Mongol khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan , second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors...
during the reign of Alghu
Alghu
Alghu was a khan of the Chagatai Khanate . He was the son of Baidar and the grandson of Chagatai Khan.In 1260 he was appointed as head of the ulus of the Chagatai Khanate by the Great Khan claimant Ariq Böke, in opposition to the child khan Mubarak Shah and his mother Orghina...
in 1262. As a result of wars between Mongol khanates, Qara'unas deserted Hulegu and captured Sali bahadur. While majority of Qara'unas was ruled by Chagatai princes, their another group in Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
formed the eastern border defensive for Abagha Khan. He appointed former Chagatai Khan Mubarak Shah
Mubarak Shah
Mubarak Shah was head of the Chagatai Khanate . He was the son of Qara Hülëgü and Ergene Khatun, of the Mongol empire....
their leader.
Duwa
Duwa
Duwa , also known as Du'a, was khan of the Chagatai Khanate . He was the second son of Baraq. He was the longest reigning monarch of the Chagatayid Khanate and accepted the Great Khan's supremacy...
recalled his cousin Abdullah and appointed his son Qutlugh Khwaja
Qutlugh Khwaja
Qutlugh Khwaja was a son of Duwa, the Mongolian khan of Chagatai Khanate in the Mongol Empire. He became a chief of the Qara'unas in Afghanistan after Abdullah was recalled by the Khan to Central Asia in around 1298-1299...
a governor there in 1299. The descendants of Duwa had ruled Qara'unas since then. Oljeitu reasserted his ancestors' claim on Afghanistan and repelled Qara'unas in 1314. Another Chagatai prince Yasa'ur
Yasa'ur
Yasa'ur was a Chagatai prince who launched a revolt against the Ilkhan Abu Sa'id. He was the son of Chübei, and a great-great-grandson of Chagatai Khan.Yasa'ur had originally resided within the Chagatai ulus...
was given lands in Afghanistan by the latter Ilkhan. Thanks to his complaisance towards both the Buyantu Ayurbawda Khan of the Yuan
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
and the Ilkhan Oljeitu, Kebek
Kebek
Kebek was khan of the Chagatai Khanate from 1309 until 1310, and again from c. 1318 until his death.-First Reign:Kebek was the son of Duwa, who was khan from 1282 until 1307...
reoccupied the territory peacefully. Esenbuqa
Esen Buqa I
Esen Buqa I was Khan of the Chagatai Khanate . He was the son of Duwa.In 1309 Esen Buqa's brother Kebek ordered a meeting to determine the future of the khanate following his seizure of power...
and Tarmashirin
Tarmashirin
Tarmashirin Khan was the khan of the Chagatai Khanate following Duwa Timur.Tarmashirin is famous for his campaign in India in 1327 before he was enthroned. He destroyed every army on his way to Delhi. The Delhi Sultan gave him a large tribute to spare his life...
were all military governor of Qara'unas and became Chagatai Khans. This military group had attended all Mongol invasions of India
Mongol invasions of India
The Mongol Empire launched several Mongol invasions into the Indian subcontinent from 1221 to 1327. The Mongols made Kashmir their vassal state. However, the campaigns against the Delhi Sultanate proved unsuccessful, in spite of constant Mongol incursions....
since 1241.
Rise to power and decline
Serving under the Khans, they gained confident from them. Because qaraunas were main force for the campaigns in Persia and IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Neguderis wintered around Ghazna and summered in Ghur and Garchistan. According to Marco Polo
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
, they were mixed with Indians
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
and Turks, because these soldiers were unable to reach Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to find Mongol wives. After the death of Qazan Khan
Qazan Khan ibn Yasaur
-Biography:Qazan was the son of Yasa'ur, a Chagatayid prince who had revolted in the 1310s. Upon his ascension to the throne, he attempted to increase his power within the ulus. These measures provoked the anger of the nobility, who threw their support behind the Qara'unas Amir Qazaghan. The two...
, Chagatai Khanate split into two parts until it was temporarily reunited under Tughlugh Timur
Tughlugh Timur
Tughlugh Timur was the Khan of Moghulistan from c. 1347 and Khan of the whole Chagatai Khanate from c. 1360 until his death. He is believed to be the son of Esen Buqa...
(1347–1363). Chagatai Mongol fell under the control of semi-nomadic oboghs: the Arlat in the west, the Barlas
Barlas
The Barlas were a Mongol - later Turkicized - nomadic confederation in Central Asia and the chief tribe of the Timurids who ruled much of Central Asia, Iran, and South Asia in the Middle Ages.- Origins :According to the Secret History of the Mongols, written during the reign of Ögedei Khan, the...
in the centre, and the Jalayir
Jalayir
Jalayir is one of the Darliqin Mongol tribes according to Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's Jami' al-tawarikh. After the Mongol conquest in the 13th century many Jalayirs spread over Central Asia and the Middle East. Jalayirs are one of the founding tribes of Mongolia's largest ethnic group Khalkha....
in the north, and two non-tribal military groups, the Qaraunas and the Qa'uchin.
While the Mongols in Moghulistan, eastern part of the Chagatai Khanate called their western counterparts in Transaxonia Qara'unas (blacks or mixed breed), the western Chagatayid called the Mongols of Moghulistan Jete (bandits). In western part of the khanate was under the control of Qara'unas such as amir Qazaghan and his son ‘Abdullah. But Suldus and Barlas nobles revolted against their rule in 1359.
With the Mongol (Moghul) invasion in 1360, the Qarauna ascendancy failed. In 1362 Tamerlane (Temur, Timur) rejoined the Qaraunas under Qazaghan's grandson, Husayn
Husayn
Hussein , is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "handsome" or "beautiful"...
. They freed Transaxonia from Mongols of Moghulistan
Moghulistan
Moghulistan or Mughalistan is a historical geographic unit in Central Asia that included parts of modern-day Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Chinese Autonomous Region of Xinjiang...
, whom they considered unruly bandits in the next year. But in 1365 the Moghuls invaded again. The Qarauna and Barlas forces were defeated.
Quickly after the Khan's fail, Timur and Husayn recovered. They co-ruled Maweranhar and installed puppet khan. Husayn decided to build himself a permanent capital and urban base on the site of Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
in Afghanistan and Turkestan
Turkestan
Turkestan, spelled also as Turkistan, literally means "Land of the Turks".The term Turkestan is of Persian origin and has never been in use to denote a single nation. It was first used by Persian geographers to describe the place of Turkish peoples...
, ruined since the time of Chingis, but now to be developed as an anti Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
.When ambitious Temur finally revolted in 1370 at the head of his coalition, Husayn had little support left and he was easily defeated and killed. Temur fully subjugated the Qara'unas in 1380s.
During the reign of Temur (d.1405), Qara'unas formed a huge part of his army. Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
noted that they still spoke Mongolian in the late 15th century.
Modern descendants
The offspring of Qara'unas possibly forms part of Hazara people.The Nikudari are (or were; Weiers notes that his informants were not aware of this term anymore) a population group of Afghanistan of Mongolic origin. While they don’t resemble Mongolians from their physical appearance as the Hazara people do, they are distinct from them in that the Hazara don’t exhibit any Mongolic linguistic peculiarities. The Nikudari, on the other hand, used to speak Moghol
Moghol language
Moghol is a Mongolic language spoken in the region of Herat, Afghanistan, by a few members of the Hazara community. In the 1970s, when the German scholar Michael Weiers did fieldwork on the language, few people spoke the language, most knew it passively and most were older than 40...
which is probably extinct now. Their tribal name hails from their former military leader, Negudar
Negudar
Negudar was a Mongol general under Berke, and a Golden Horde Noyan. With many other Golden Horde generals, he embraced Islam in the late 13th century. He subsequently took the Muslim name of Ahmad Khan....
, who according to Morgan
David Morgan (historian)
David Morgan is a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His book The Mongols is considered a standard in the field. Originally published in 1986, a new expanded edition was published in 2007....
was a general of the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
, but according to the research of Weiers that Morgan fails to quote was a leader of rebels against Abaqa Khan
Abaqa Khan
Abaqa Khan , also Abaga , or Abagha Khan, was the second Mongol ruler of the Persian Ilkhanate. The son of Hulagu Khan and Yesuncin Khatun, he reigned from 1265–1282 and was succeeded by his brother Tekuder Khan...
. Hazara people are reportedly descendants of them.
See also
- List of Hazara tribes
- Mongol invasions of IndiaMongol invasions of IndiaThe Mongol Empire launched several Mongol invasions into the Indian subcontinent from 1221 to 1327. The Mongols made Kashmir their vassal state. However, the campaigns against the Delhi Sultanate proved unsuccessful, in spite of constant Mongol incursions....
- Chagatai KhanateChagatai KhanateThe Chagatai Khanate was a Turko-Mongol khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan , second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors...
- IlkhanateIlkhanateThe Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
- AimakAimakAymāq , also transliterated as Aimak or Aimaq, are a collection of Persian-speaking nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes. They are found throughout the north and northwest highlands of Afghanistan, immediately to the north of Herat, and in the Khorasan Province of Iran...
- Hazara people
- History of MongoliaHistory of MongoliaThe area of what is now Mongolia has been ruled by various nomadic empires, including the Xiongnu, the Xianbei, the Nirun, the Gökturks, and others. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. After the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty in 1368, the Mongols returned to their earlier patterns...
- History of AfghanistanHistory of AfghanistanThe written history of Afghanistan can be traced back to the Achaemenid Empire ca. 500 BCE, although evidence indicates that an advanced degree of urbanized culture has existed in the land since between 3000 and 2000 BCE. Alexander the Great and his Macedonian army arrived to Afghanistan in 330 BCE...
Notations
- Amitai-Preiss, Reuven. The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1998
- Nicolle, David, -- The Mongol Warlords Brockhampton Press, 1998
- Rashid al-Din, Universal history
- Saunders, J.J. -- The History of the Mongol Conquests, Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, 1971, ISBN 0-8122-1766-7
- Weiers, Michael (1971): Die Sprache der Moghol der Provinz Herat in Afghanistan. Göttingen: Opladen:15-24.