Wings of the Golden Horde

The Wings of the Golden Horde were subdivisions of the Golden Horde in the 13th to 15th centuries CE. Jochi, the eldest son of the Mongol Empire founder Genghis Khan, had several sons who inherited Jochi's dominions as fiefs under the rule of two of the brothers, Batu Khan and the elder Orda Khan who agreed that Batu enjoyed primacy as the supreme khan of the Golden Horde (Jochid Ulus).^{[citation needed]}

Orda, along with some of his younger brothers, ruled the eastern (left/blue) wing of the Golden Horde while Batu and others ruled the western side (right/white) wing.^{[citation needed]} These Hordes are known as the "White", "Blue" and "Grey" (Shaybanid) Hordes in Slavic and Persian historiography. The two main divisions are also known as Batu's Ulus (district) and Orda's Ulus.

The relationship between color and direction is a common feature of the Eurasian Steppe amongst Turkic, Mongolic, Slavic and other peoples. Due to the match up of colours, it is likely related to the Four Symbols commonly used in Han China, the blue dragon is associated with the east and the white tiger is associated with the west. The exact history of the relationship between the two however is not precisely known. Under some versions of the traditional system, the east is associated with the left side and the west is associated with the right side because the observer is assumed to be facing the south. Different authors use 'Blue Horde' and 'White Horde' with opposite definitions, which can lead to confusion and has created the need for checking the convention that individual authors use.^[1]

^
Vasary, who seems to know the most, prefers east=blue. East=blue is Russian or Turkic and east=white is Persian or Uzbek. Some authors have the Mongol usage of east=left, west=right. Golden Horde is a Russian usage which was probably not used by the Tatars. All authors place the division near the Volga-Ural area. The halves are also called Aq Orda (white) and Kök Orda (blue).
- East=Blue:
- May, 2017 has east=blue, no explanation (Timothy May, Mongol Empire, v1, p 70
- Vasary, 2009 says that the Tatars used east=blue and west=white. He says east=white comes from Persian historians such as Mu'in al-Din Natanzi (fl 1410s) and many standard western sources have followed this. Research in the last 40 years (before 2009) reverses this, so east should be blue. (Istvan Vasary in Cambridge History of Inner Asia, page 81
- Bregel, 2003: In Turkic usage west=white, east=blue. The reverse comes from an unnamed fifteenth century Persian source. He says that west=right, east=left is a Mongol usage.(Yuri Bregel, Historical Atlas of Central Asia, Map 38.)
- East=White
- Baumer, 2016 uses east=white. He says that in Timurid and Uzbek sources of the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries west=blue and east=white. West=white is used by Russian writers. The Mongols did not use color terms. (Cristoph Baumer, History of Central Asia, vol 3, page 262)
- Ashrafyan,1997 has east=white, west=golden, no explanation. (History of Civilizations of Central Asia, vol IV, pp 328, 343)
- Hildinger,1997: east=white, no explanation (Erik Hildinger, Warriors of the Steppe, p 178, 198
- Grousset, 1970: has east=white and does not use blue. (Rene Grousset, Empire of the Steppes, 1970, p393)
- Howorth, 1880 has west=blue. He says blue=dependent and that Russian east=blue comes from the Blue or Aral Sea. (Henry Howorth, History of the Mongols, 1880, part 2, page 216)

[1] Vasary, who seems to know the most, prefers east=blue. East=blue is Russian or Turkic and east=white is Persian or Uzbek. Some authors have the Mongol usage of east=left, west=right. Golden Horde is a Russian usage which was probably not used by the Tatars. All authors place the division near the Volga-Ural area. The halves are also called Aq Orda (white) and Kök Orda (blue).
East=Blue:

May, 2017 has east=blue, no explanation (Timothy May, Mongol Empire, v1, p 70

Vasary, 2009 says that the Tatars used east=blue and west=white. He says east=white comes from Persian historians such as Mu'in al-Din Natanzi (fl 1410s) and many standard western sources have followed this. Research in the last 40 years (before 2009) reverses this, so east should be blue. (Istvan Vasary in Cambridge History of Inner Asia, page 81

Bregel, 2003: In Turkic usage west=white, east=blue. The reverse comes from an unnamed fifteenth century Persian source. He says that west=right, east=left is a Mongol usage.(Yuri Bregel, Historical Atlas of Central Asia, Map 38.)

East=White

Baumer, 2016 uses east=white. He says that in Timurid and Uzbek sources of the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries west=blue and east=white. West=white is used by Russian writers. The Mongols did not use color terms. (Cristoph Baumer, History of Central Asia, vol 3, page 262)

Ashrafyan,1997 has east=white, west=golden, no explanation. (History of Civilizations of Central Asia, vol IV, pp 328, 343)

Hildinger,1997: east=white, no explanation (Erik Hildinger, Warriors of the Steppe, p 178, 198

Grousset, 1970: has east=white and does not use blue. (Rene Grousset, Empire of the Steppes, 1970, p393)

Howorth, 1880 has west=blue. He says blue=dependent and that Russian east=blue comes from the Blue or Aral Sea. (Henry Howorth, History of the Mongols, 1880, part 2, page 216)

[2] East=Blue:

[3] May, 2017 has east=blue, no explanation (Timothy May, Mongol Empire, v1, p 70

[4] Vasary, 2009 says that the Tatars used east=blue and west=white. He says east=white comes from Persian historians such as Mu'in al-Din Natanzi (fl 1410s) and many standard western sources have followed this. Research in the last 40 years (before 2009) reverses this, so east should be blue. (Istvan Vasary in Cambridge History of Inner Asia, page 81

[5] Bregel, 2003: In Turkic usage west=white, east=blue. The reverse comes from an unnamed fifteenth century Persian source. He says that west=right, east=left is a Mongol usage.(Yuri Bregel, Historical Atlas of Central Asia, Map 38.)

[6] East=White

[7] Baumer, 2016 uses east=white. He says that in Timurid and Uzbek sources of the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries west=blue and east=white. West=white is used by Russian writers. The Mongols did not use color terms. (Cristoph Baumer, History of Central Asia, vol 3, page 262)

[8] Ashrafyan,1997 has east=white, west=golden, no explanation. (History of Civilizations of Central Asia, vol IV, pp 328, 343)

[9] Hildinger,1997: east=white, no explanation (Erik Hildinger, Warriors of the Steppe, p 178, 198

[10] Grousset, 1970: has east=white and does not use blue. (Rene Grousset, Empire of the Steppes, 1970, p393)

[11] Howorth, 1880 has west=blue. He says blue=dependent and that Russian east=blue comes from the Blue or Aral Sea. (Henry Howorth, History of the Mongols, 1880, part 2, page 216)

[1]

Wings of the Golden Horde

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