High Chief Jochi of Yaik (1181-February 1227) was the eldest son of Genghis Khan and Khan of the Golden Horde from 1225 to 1227, preceding Batu Khan.
Biography[]
Jochi as High Chief of Yaik
Jochi was born in 1181, the son of Genghis Khan and Borte. Borte gave birth to him shortly after she was rescued from the rival Merkit confederation by his father, so his paternity was disputed; this was a reason why Genghis Khan did not have Jochi as his successor. However, Jochi became a general of his father, and in 1207 he conquered the forest peoples of Siberia. In 1210 and 1218 he fought the Kirghiz tribe, and in April 1220 he conquered Signak, Jand, and Yanikant from Khwarezm. Jochi and his brother Chagatai Khan argued over military strategy during the siege of the Khwarezmian capital of Urgench (present-day Koneurgenc, Turkmenistan), causing a rift between them. Jochi prolonged the siege by extensive negotiations, but it was eventually taken. Jochi was promised the city by his father, which is what prevented Chagatai from sacking the city. Jochi died in 1227, the same year as his father. His son Batu Khan succeeded him as Khagan of the Golden Horde, the Mongol state that ruled what would later be the Soviet Union.