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r/SteppePosting

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While reading about the Xiongnu after the collapse of the confederation, I made this neat little connection

u/TsarOfIrony — 20 hours ago
▲ 819 r/SteppePosting+1 crossposts

The Hungarians betrayed what could've been their greatest weapon against the Mongols

u/TsarOfIrony — 5 days ago
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Apparently, the Khazar Khanate had an unusual system of succession.

Rather than having one khagan who reigned for the rest of his life, the Khazars had a system of dual leadership rooted in Turkic and Jewish tradition. The greater khagan was recruited from the Khazar house of notables and nearly strangled until he declared the number of years he wanted to reign, at the expiration of which he would be ritually killed by the nobles.

Arab traveller Ahmad ibn Fadlan wrote that there was a maximum limit on the number of years of a khagan's reign. If he reigned for over 40 years, the Khazars felt he was too old to rule, and executed him.

Sources:

  • "The History of the Jewish Khazars" by D. M. Dunlop
  • "European Russia c.500–c1050" by Thomas S. Noonan
u/GustavoistSoldier — 6 days ago
▲ 504 r/SteppePosting+3 crossposts

Supposedly the Indo-Aryan Iranians taught the Turkic and Mongolic people the "steppe way of life".

u/TsarOfIrony — 6 days ago
▲ 168 r/SteppePosting+3 crossposts

This guy is the reason China learned so much about Central Asia, and kinda started the Silk Road.

u/TsarOfIrony — 6 days ago
▲ 198 r/SteppePosting+1 crossposts

I wonder if the Cuman-Kipchaks like Sultan Baibars learned the feigned retreat strategy from the Mongols in Crimea

u/TsarOfIrony — 8 days ago