Golden Horde (Öz Beg Khan)

Golden Horde
Map by COF
Leader	Öz Beg Khan
Capital	Sarai Berke
Religion	Islam Sunni (HR)
Culture	Steppe
Mercenaries	7
Religious Intolerance	4
Slavery	7
Traits	Aggressive, Diplomatic
Civilopedia

The Golden Horde led by Öz Beg Khan is a custom civilization by TopHatPaladin, with contributions from COF. It was released as part of the Civ V 10th Anniversary event.

This mod requires Brave New World.

Overview

Golden Horde

The Golden Horde, sometimes called the Kipchak Khanate or the Ulus of Jochi, was one of the hordes that emerged after the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire. It was also itself composed of two divisions, the Blue and White Hordes. The Golden Horde was founded by Batu Khan, one of the grandsons of Genghis Khan, and initially controlled the empire's northwestern territories: Rus', Cumania, and the Caucasus. At its height, it would also expand into Eastern Europe and Siberia.

Though the Golden Horde remained under central Mongol control throughout Batu Khan's lifetime, it would break away into an independent state in 1259, just a few years after Batu's death. As part of this fragmentation, the early decades of the Golden Horde's existence were heavily shaped by inter-Mongol warfare. The Berke-Hulagu War, fought between Berke of the Golden Horde and Hulagu Khan of the Ilkhanate, was one of the most impactful of these conflicts. This war culminated in the death of Berke on the road, leading the Golden Horde into a precarious position for much of the remainder of the century. However, the khans of the Golden Horde were still able to exert influence over the princes of the Rus'. This period also saw the ascendancy of Nogai Khan; Nogai never officially ruled the horde, but he was influential enough to effectively be the secondary khan. However, Nogai would eventually be defeated and killed by Tokhta in 1300. The decline of Nogai led to a period of peace, which Öz Beg Khan would then be able to exploit to strengthen the Golden Horde internally.

Öz Beg Khan

Öz Beg Khan was the longest-reigning khan of the Golden Horde. During much of his childhood, Öz Beg lived in exile; his father had been involved in the conspiracy that overthrew Tode-Mengu in 1287, leading the later khan Tokhta to send Öz Beg to the fringes of the empire in 1291. During this exile, Öz Beg converted to Islam, following the teachings of the Sufi sheikh Ibn Abdul Hamid.

Upon the death of Tokhta in 1313, Öz Beg ascended the throne of the Golden Horde, but his troubled accession and his Islamic faith made him initially unpopular among the nobility. Throughout the 1310s, shamanist and Buddhist factions rose up in the Horde, but these rebellions were consistently crushed by Öz Beg and his loyalists. Those who peacefully practiced non-Islamic faiths, however, were allowed to maintain their religion as long as they paid the jizya tax. Despite the early backlash against the Islamization of the Golden Horde, it ultimately proved able to stabilize state institutions and ensure the horde's longevity.

Öz Beg had fraught relations with the other Mongol states throughout his reign. He went to war against the Ilkhanate on three occasions, fighting in the Caucasus, and also sought to rid the Golden Horde of Yuan Dynasty influence. He also fought several wars and raiding campaigns against Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. The most fruitful of the Golden Horde's diplomatic relationships were largely with Europeans. Öz Beg held the Rus' principalities as tributaries, and was on several occasions able to use his power to act as a kingmaker in Rus' succession disputes. He also allowed Genoese and Venetian traders to settle in Crimea and elsewhere along the Black Sea coast.

Dawn of Man

Art by TopHatPaladin

"Hail, Öz Beg Khan, ruler of the glorious Golden Horde! Under your auspices, the Golden Horde reached the apex of its splendor. You threw off the encroachments of the Yuan and Ilkhanate with one hand, while maintaining firm control over the Russian princes with the other. So powerful were you that you were able to intervene in and resolve numerous Russian succession crises, and to host Genoese and Venetian traders without threatening your control. Internally, you brought the Islamic faith to the Golden Horde, overruling all opposition to create a new and stabler structure for your empire. Your glories even exceeded the capabilities of the old capital, forcing you to found the city of Sarai Berke to hold all the amenities you desired.

Great Khan, it has been some time since the Golden Horde reigned, and it seems that people have forgotten the strong hand of the Tatar yoke. Can you reclaim your triumphs and reassert your suzerainty over your rivals? Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time?"

Introduction: "I don't believe I've met you before. Are you one of my tributaries, or a foreign ambassador?"

Defeat: "All right, I know when I've been defeated. At least no man can deny that I fought with honor."

Unique Attributes

Golden Horde (Öz Beg Khan)
Art by TopHatPaladin The Tatar Yoke Gain a portion of the Gold and Culture generated by City-States from which you could demand tribute. Cities trading with City-States passively produce mounted units.
Art by TopHatPaladin Noyon (Knight) Strengthens nearby units by 15% Yields Gold from kills May pillage City-States' tile improvements without declaring war
Art by TopHatPaladin Yam Station (Caravansary) Provides a source of Horses to its city While a Trade Route originates in a city with a Yam Station, units trained there have +1 Movement

City List Sarai Berke Sarai Batu Saraichik Xacitarxan Bolghar Sighnaq Mukhsha Urgench Kazan Ukek Majar Pereslavl Mishar Otrar Sudak Bilyar Solkhat Orda Bazar Saqchi Aqtöbe Sawran Ochakiv Qashan Sayram Bish Dagh Uzgen

Spy List Batu Mengu-Timur Tokhtamysh Toghrilcha Jani Beg Bayalun Urduja Sheritumgha Kabak Bulughan

Music

Peace Theme	War Theme
Link	Link
Cold Winter by Tuomas Kantelinen	Chase 1 & 2 by Altan Urag

Mod Support

Additional Achievements

Stay Gold, Ponyboy	Win the game on any difficulty setting as the Golden Horde.
Don't Touch That, It's Dangerous	As the Golden Horde, use a Noyon to pillage a friendly City-State's source of Uranium.

Unique Cultural Influence

"Our people are now convening the kurultai and dividing into blue and white factions. I worry that the rest of the world will also succumb to the influence of your culture."

Full Credits List

Steam Workshop
Latest Version:	v 1
Last Updated:	23 September 2020

• TopHatPaladin: Design, Code, Art, Text
• COF: Map
• TarcisioCM: Leaderscene Background
• danrell: Unit Model
• JFD: Utilities
• Tuomas Kantelinen: Peace Theme
• Altan Urag: War Theme