The Chapter of Bärdi Bäk khan in the Čingiz-nāmä of Ötämiš Ḥāǰǰī Tolu Bay, ämīr of the Golden Horde

Abstract

In the past few years researchers of the history of the Golden Horde devoted considerable attention to formerly neglected chronicles written in Turkic in the successor states of the Ulus of J̌uči, particularly to the so called Čingiz-nāmä of Ötämiš Ḥāǰǰī. Though this collection of genuine oral tradition is an indispensable source, a critical approach is oftentimes overlooked by the scholars using it. This paper aims to demonstrate how the historical consciousness of the populace of the Golden Horde altered the stories behind certain events. For this purpose, the story of Bärdi Bäk khan in the Čingiz-nāmä will be subjected to criticism.