Guyuk Kan

Guyuk or Kuyuk (Mongolian: Гүюг хаан ᠭᠦᠶᠦᠭ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ 1206 - 1248) was the third Great Khan (1246-1248) of the Mongol Empire.

Guyuk or Kuyuk (Mongolian: Гүюг хаан ᠭᠦᠶᠦᠭ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ 1206 - 1248) was the third Great Khan (1246-1248) of the Mongol Empire.

Guyuk or Kuyuk (Mongolian: Гүюг хаан ᠭᠦᠶᠦᠭ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ 1206 - 1248) was the third Great Khan (1246-1248) of the Mongol Empire.

Early Years

Guyuk's father, Ogodei, was the third son of Genghis Khan and had been chosen as his successor at a kurultai (Mongol clan assembly) held in 1219, ten years before the effective start of his reign, as a compromise solution before the irresolvable rivalry between his two older brothers, Jochi and Chagatai.

In 1235, under the command of Ogodei, another important kurultái decided the Mongol strategy for the following years. The Mongol armies would split up and attack on two fronts thousands of miles apart: there would be a campaign against Song-dynasty China, led by Ogodei's favorite sons, and another in Europe, led by Batu Khan and Subodei, in the that Guyuk also participated along with other grandsons of the four descendant branches of Genghis Khan.

Ogodei was much more interested in the attack against China because it so happened that on the way were the territories belonging to the family of his little brother Tolui, who had died shortly before, and which he wanted to seize. To make things easier, Ogodei tried to arrange Guyuk's wedding to Tolui's widow, Sorjojtani, which she refused as she hoped that her four sons would ultimately inherit power. Sorjojtani's decision was momentous for the future of the Mongol empire, which would largely be divided up by Möngke, Hulagu and Kublai, while Ariq Böke would briefly act as Great Khan until he was defeated by Kublai.

During the European campaign there is news of a tough confrontation between Guyuk and Buri (who was the son of Chagatai) on the one hand and Batu (son of Jochi) on the other. Batu aspired to supremacy for being the son of the eldest son of Genghis while Guyuk claimed to be the son of the current Great Khan, while Buri reproached Batu for an old family matter: it had always been in doubt whether Jochi was really a legitimate son of Genghis. Khan. The situation escalated to such an extent that Ogodei called them all to his presence and directed harsh words at Guyuk, whom he never considered among his favorite sons.

This attack on Europe marked the peak of Mongol expansion to the west. The Mongol armies scored victories in Russia, Poland, Germany, Hungary, and reached the outskirts of Vienna. However, in late 1241, Ogodei, the last surviving of Genghis Khan's four legitimate sons (third in order of birth), died and the Mongol armies withdrew. In the following ten years the struggle for the succession between the different branches of the family would take precedence over the expansion of the empire.

Ascendance to Great Khan

His choice was complicated, as his father had designated his favorite grandson Shiremun (Mongolian version of the Biblical Solomon) as his successor, but his widow Toreguene delayed the election until she got her son Guyuk nominated. He had a brief reign, only two years, in which his cousin Batu Khan, ruler of the Golden Horde, was his main rival. Determined to continue the European campaign, recruiting Batu's troops thanks to his dignity as Great Khan, died before reaching his goal when he was on his way to Europe, after allegedly falling ill due to excessive drinking.