Chormaqan (also Chormagan or Chormaqan Noyan) (; Chagatai: جورماقان;

Khalkha Mongolian The Khalkha dialect is a dialect of central Mongolian widely spoken in Mongolia. According to some classifications, the Khalkha dialect includes Inner Mongolian varieties such as ''Shiliin gol'', ''Ulaanchab'' and ''Sönid''. As it was the basis ...

: ; died was one of the most famous generals of the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

under

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

and

Ögedei Khan Ögedei Khan (also Ögedei Khagan or Ogodei; 11 December 1241) was the second Khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. The third son of Genghis Khan, he continued the expansion of the empire that his father had begun. Born in 1186 AD, Öged ...

. He was also a member of the keshik.

Career

A member of the Sunud tribe, Chormaqan is mentioned in '' The Secret History of Mongols'' many times. He probably participated in the Mongol campaigns in North

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and later in the

Subutai Subutai (c. 1175–1248) was a Mongol general and the primary military strategist of Genghis Khan and Ögedei Khan. He ultimately directed more than 20 campaigns, during which he conquered more territory than any other commander in history a ...

's and

Jebe Jebe (or Jebei, , pronounced as ''Zev''; birth name: Jirqo'adai (Modern Mongolian: Zurgaadai), , ) (death: approximately 1224) was one of the most prominent Noyans (generals) of Genghis Khan. He belonged to the Besud clan, part of the Taichud ...

's famous journey through

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

s. He was a quiver bearer, as such often mentioned in sources as " Qurchi". He was appointed by Ögedei in the winter of 1230 to renew the Mongol conquests in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, which had languished since Genghis Khan's assault on and near destruction of the

Khwarezmid Empire The Khwarazmian Empire (), or simply Khwarazm, was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim empire of Turkic '' mamluk'' origin. Khwarazmians ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran from 1077 to 1231; first as vass ...

from 1218 to 1223. His army reportedly consisted of around 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, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

around

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

, firmly established the

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...

and

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, also known as Cilician Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia, was an Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian ...

as vassals to the Mongols. 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 the submission of the Qutlugkhanids in

Kerman Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. History Kerman was founded as a def ...

, whose ruler

Buraq Hajib Buraq Hajib, also spelt Baraq Hajib (died 1234), Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press. . was a Khitan who founded the Qutlugh-Khanid dynasty in the southern Persian province of Kirman ...

sent his son

Rukn al-Din Mubarak Khwaja Rukn al-Din Mubarak Khwaja was a Qutlugkhanid ruler of Kerman and the son of Buraq Hajib, founder of the dynasty. Life He was the only son of Buraq Hajib and Uka Khatun. He was sent to court of Ögedei Khan in 1234 by his father as a gesture o ...

to Ögedei's court. Another local noble who submitted was

Salghurid The Salghurids (), also known as the Atabegs of Fars (), were a Persianate society, Persianate dynasty of Salur tribe, Salur Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman origin that ruled Fars province, Fars, first as vassals of the Seljuks then for the Khwara ...

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 city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

did not 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 South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

up to 8 tumens and set up

Ganja ''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...

as his powerbase, although some sources state he Ani,

Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

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 Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu; ; ; ; ( 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. As a son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of Ar ...

and

Abaqa Abaqa Khan (27 February 1234 – 4 April 1282, , "paternal uncle", also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler ('' Ilkhan'') of the Ilkhanate. The son of Hulagu Khan and Lady Yesünčin and the grandson of Tolui, he reigned from 1265 ...

.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 was married to King David VII of Georgia. His other son was Bora. Armenian Prince

Hasan Jalal Hasan-Jalalyan ( is a medieval Armenian people, Armenian dynasty that ruled over parts of the South Caucasus. From the early thirteenth century, the family held sway in Khachen (Greater Artsakh (historic province), Artsakh) in what are now the ...

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 13th-century generals Year of birth unknown {{Mongol-Empire-stub