Chormaqan (also Chormagan or Chormaqan Noyan) (;
Khalkha Mongolian
The Khalkha dialect ( mn, Халх аялгуу / / , ) is a dialect of central Mongolic widely spoken in Mongolia. According to some classifications, the Khalkha dialect includes Southern Mongolian varieties such as ''Shiliin gol'', ''Ulaanch ...
: ; died c. 1241) was one of the most famous generals of the
Mongol Empire under
Genghis Khan and
Ögedei Khan
Ögedei Khagan (also Ogodei;, Mongolian: ''Ögedei'', ''Ögüdei''; – 11 December 1241) was second khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire. The third son of Genghis Khan, he continued the expansion of the empire that his father had begun.
...
. He was also a member of the
keshik.
Career
A member of the
Sunud
The Sunuds ( Khalkha-Mongolian: ''Сөнөд''/Sönöd; ; English: Sonid, Sönid) are a Southern Mongol subgroup. They live in Sonid Right Banner and Sonid Left Banner of China.
See also
* Demographics of China
* List of medieval Mongolian tr ...
tribe, Chormaqan is mentioned in ''
The Secret History of Mongols'' many times. He probably participated in the Mongol campaigns in North
China and later in the
Subutai's and
Jebe
Jebe (or Jebei, mn, Зэв, ''Zev''; birth name: Jirqo'adai (Modern Mongolian: Zurgadai), mn, Зургаадай, ) (death: approximately 1224) was one of the most prominent Noyans (generals) of Genghis Khan. He belonged to the Besud clan, ...
's famous journey through
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...
and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n
steppes. He was a quiver bearer, as such often mentioned in sources as "
Qurchi".
Appointed by
Ögedei in the winter of 1230 to renew the Mongol conquests in
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, which had languished since Genghis Khan's assault on and near destruction of the
Khwarezmid Empire
The Khwarazmian or Khwarezmian Empire) or the Khwarazmshahs ( fa, خوارزمشاهیان, Khwārazmshāhiyān) () was a Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire that ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran in the app ...
from 1218 to 1223. His army reportedly consisted of from 30.000 to 50.000 men.
At the approach of Chormagan and the new Mongol army, the small Khwarezmid band under
Jalal ad-Din were swept away. Further campaigns in the mid-1230s, based from the steppes in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
around
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
, firmly established the
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამეფო, tr), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in circa 1008 AD. It reached its Golden Age of political and economic ...
and
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia as vassals. It is theorized that these moves may have been made to secure communications for the attack westward led by
Batu that followed shortly thereafter.
Chormaqan also received submission of
Qutlugkhanids in
Kerman, whose ruler
Buraq Hajib sent his son
Rukn al-Din Mubarak Khwaja to Ögedei's court. Another local noble who submitted was
Salghurid
The Salghurids ( fa, سلغُریان), also known as the Atabegs of Fars (), were a Persianate dynasty of Salur Turkmen origin that ruled Fars, first as vassals of the Seljuqs then for the Khwarazm Shahs in the 13th century.
History
The ...
atabeg Abu Bakr b. Sa'd I, who sent his brother or nephew Tahamtan to
Karakorum
Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian Script:, ''Qaraqorum''; ) was the capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan dynasty in the 14–15th centuries. Its ruins lie in th ...
.
Isfahan didn't submit to Mongol rule, therefore he had to lay a siege to there in 1236. Upon submission of Georgian and Armenian feudals, he divided
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
up to 8 tumens and set up
Ganja
Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: aːɲd ...
as his powerbase, although some sources state he
Ani
Ani ( hy, Անի; grc-gre, Ἄνιον, ''Ánion''; la, Abnicum; tr, Ani) is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia.
Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the ...
,
Kars and environs. His rule weakened in 1239 on arrival of Chinqai and
Korguz to Khorasan, to whom fiscal administrator was transferred by
Ögedei.
Chormaqan died around 1241 and was replaced by
Baiju, his lieutenant.
Family
His wife Altani held considerable amount of influence in
ordo
''Ordo'' (Latin "order, rank, class") may refer to:
* A musical phrase constructed from one or more statements of a rhythmic mode pattern and ending in a rest
* Big O notation in calculation of algorithm computational complexity
* Orda (organizati ...
, upon whose suggestion Baiju was appointed. His son
Shiramun later served under the
Il-khans Hulagu
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...
and
Abaqa
Abaqa Khan (27 February 1234 – 4 April 1282, mn, Абаха/Абага хан (Khalkha Cyrillic), ( Traditional script), "paternal uncle", also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler (''Ilkhan'') of the Ilkhanate. The son of Hul ...
.
[Jackson, Peter (December 15, 1993)]
Čormāgūn
''Encyclopædia Iranica
''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times.
Scope
The ''Encyc ...
''. His daughter
Esukan Esukan ( ka, ესუქანი) () was a queen consort of Georgia as the fourth and last wife of King David VII Ulu.
According to the anonymous 14th-century ''Chronicle of a Hundred Years'', Esukan was a daughter of the Mongol general Chormaq ...
was married to King
David VII of Georgia
David VII, also known as David Ulu ( ka, დავით VII ულუ) (1215–1270), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia from 1247 to 1270, jointly with his namesake cousin, David VI, from 1247 to 1259, when David VI, revolting f ...
.
His other son was Bora. Armenian Prince
Hasan Jalal
The House of Hasan-Jalalyan ( hy, Հասան-Ջալալյաններ) was an Armenian dynasty that ruled the region of Khachen (Greater Artsakh) from 1214 onwards in what are now the regions of lower Karabakh, Nagorno-Karabakh and small part of ...
offered him the hand of his daughter Ruzanna (Ruzukan). Bora was executed during reign of Hulagu.
References
External links
''Chormaqan Noyan: The First Mongol Military Governor in the Middle East'' by Timothy May''Chormaqan and the Mongol Conquest of the Middle East'' by Timothy May
Generals of the Mongol Empire
Genghis Khan
1241 deaths
Year of birth unknown
{{CAsia-hist-stub