Ahmed Khan bin Küchük () was the Khan of the Great Horde from 1465 to 1481.

Life

In 1465,üchü Ahmed Khan seized power in the Horde by rising against his brother Mahmud bin Küchük, who had been its ruler since 1459. In 1472, Ahmed Khan entered into alliance with the Polish king Casimir IV against Ivan III of Russia. In 1476, Ahmed Khan suggested to Ivan III that he should recognize him as his overlord. However the balance of forces was not in the Horde's favour.

Ahmed Khan bin Küchük

In 1480, Ahmed Khan organized another military campaign against Muscovy, which would result in the great stand on the Ugra river, 150 miles from Moscow. They stood off shouting at one another on opposite banks for weeks before a conflict became inevitable. Panic set in, as both sides suddenly turned deciding to flee, rather than fight in the tradition of Genghis Khan. The Horde's retreat meant that the last of the conflict between Eurasians was over. The Mongols' last possessions were in Kazan, Astrakhan, and Crimea. Ivan III, Russia's ruler, finally freed it from Tatar-Mongol overlords.

Ahmed Khan bin Küchük

On 6 January 1481, Ahmed Khan and his men were killed by Siberian Khan, Ibak Khan of Tyumen and Nogays at the mouth of the Donets River.

Ahmed Khan bin Küchük

Personal life

Ahmed Khan's wife was the Timurid princess Badi' al-Jamal, a sister of Sultan Husayn Bayqara of Khorasan. Through this marriage he had two sons, Mahmud Khan and Bahadur Khan, as well as a daughter, Khanzada Khanum. However, Badi' al-Jamal eventually left the Golden Horde and returned with her children to her brother's court in Herat.

Genealogy

Genghis Khan

Jochi

Orda Khan

Sartaqtay

Köchü

Bayan

Sasibuqa

Ilbasan

Chimtay

Urus

Temur-Malik

Temür Qutlugh

Temur ibn Temur Qutlugh

Küchük Muhammad

Ahmed Khan bin Küchük

References

Bibliography

1481 deaths

Khans of the Golden Horde

15th-century monarchs in Europe

Year of birth unknown