Bat Khan

General commander of the Western campaign of 1235 to 1241, khan of the Golden Horde, a great politician and military general of 13th century. After emperor Genghis khaan’s eldest son, Zuchi or Jochi passed away, the emperor announced his second son, Bat, as Zuchi’s successor.

Western Campaign:  In 1235, Bat was appointed as the general commander of the great army to Western campaign by Ogodei Khaan. He proved that he’s a talented general and a cunning leader during this campaign. This westward expansion came to a halt near modern day Austrian border after conquering Russia, Poland and Hungary. Western campaign of Bat was cancelled and a decision to withdraw the army was made after the death of Ogodei Khaan in 1241.  Bat’s campaign to the west secured his influence in the palace and the people followed him without question.

Establishment of Sarai capital city: King Bat returned to his father’s homeland in 1242 and established Sarai, the capital of his future nation, on the shores of Caspian Sea. His nation was named the Golden Horde, inspired by the golden rooftops of the tent in which the kings of the nation used to live while on campaigns. The word Horde derived from Ord in this case, means a palace in Mongolian language.

Improvement of trade:  Bat’s kingdom was the biggest of the Mongolian Empire and came in after Yuan Dynasty with their population. To boost the economy of the nation, Bat established new cities and villages, gave tax discount to merchants, awarded them for trading within his kingdom and established land and water trade routes southwards. These improvements greatly boosted the trade of Mongolian Empire, in fact, it reached the highest level compared to the previous years of the empire, making Mongolia great economic power.