History of the Aral Sea region in the late xiv century according to chronicles and numismatic data (part 2. Events of ah 781-793)

Purpose. The authors compare the information from chronicles and numismatic sources and reconstruct the history of how two Ulus Juchi territories (the Khorezm and Sygnaq Country) were annexed by the Timur state. The previous interpretations included some unreliable facts which needed to be clarified. Results. According to our analysis, the events of the period ranged in chronological order looked as follows. In 778 AH, Toqtamysh was enthroned by Timur as the ruler of whole Dasht-i Kipchak. At the end of the year 780 AH, Toqtamysh captured Syghnaq lands wholly. Next year Timur conquered Urgench. Later Khorezm was ceded to Toqtamysh who was the a rightful juchid and an adopted son of Timur at the same time. In AH 781, Toqtamysh went to conquer Volga Saray. Khorezmian lands remained divided between Juchi’s and Chagatai’s States. The authorities of each part of Khorezm minted coins with the name of their own ruler. At that time, Syghnaq lands were divided, too. The capital of the Syghnaq remained faithful to Toqtamysh. Other parts of Syghnaq State were attacked by Juchi’s descendants belonging to different lines. In AH 781, Syghnaq Gulistan was captured by shibanid Hydr II khan, the son of Ibrahim-khan. In AH 782, Syghnaq Saray was ruled by a tuqatimurid Kuncha-khan. He was the son of Uljaytimur khan, who minted coins from 768 till 770 in Saray and Saraychuq. Kuncha khan minted coins in Uzkend in 783 AH. This year, when he left Syghnaq Saray, the town was captured by another warrior named Kukig (Koqtag). In 783 AH, the authorities of the Syghnaq capital minted anonymous coins with an inscription Power belongs to God the Highest, but till the end of the year the Syghnaq capital recognized Kuncha as its rightful khan. It continued in 784 AH as well. In 785 AH, Timur's army added Syghnaq country to Chagatai state. In 789 AH, military clashes between Toqtamysh and Timur began. Firstly, it concerned the Caucasus. Later Toqtamysh troops invaded Transoxiana but were forced to retreat on learning that amir Timur returned from the Iranian theater of operations. At that time, Kuncha and his nephew Timur-Qutlugh came to serve Timur. In 790 AH, Timur organized his fifth campaign to Urgench, destroyed it completely and resettled all of the inhabitants to Transoxiana. Timur planned a deep invasion into Juchi state to punish Toqtamysh, but first he organized several campaigns to Mogolistan in order to protect their lands and troops from the stab in the back. In 793 AH, Timur carried out a military expedition to Toqtamysh state, won the battle on the river Kondurcha and ravaged the Dasht-i Kipchak. In this campaign Kuncha, Timur-Qutlugh and amir Idegey escorted Timur troops, but later they moved away from him to collect their people. Timur-Qutlugh was proclaimed a Khan. Kuncha was forced to join Toqtamysh. Returning from the campaign, Timur made the whole Khorezm a part of his state and ordered to restore Urgench. Kuncha served Toqtamysh and commanded the right wing of his army during the battle of the Terek-river in 797 AH, when Timur’s troops defeated Toqtamysh army, and later destroyed the entire infrastructure of Golden Horde. Conclusion. The historical events are described more accurately because they are based on new reliable resources such as recently opened numismatic data. In this article we are the first to introduce numismatic evidence of minting by Hydr II-Khan and Kuncha Khan in Syghnaq territory in AH 781-784 into scientific circulation.