Muhammad-Bulyak: the splendor and weakness of power
Muhammad-Bulyak (who ruled from 1369 to 1380) was a protégé of Karachibek Mamai and ruled mainly in the western part of the Golden Horde, with its center in Crimea. In different years, when Mamai’s troops were successful, coins were minted in his name in Sarai and other centers of the Volga region. As Mamai’s power grew, his authority spread to almost the entire Volga region. But as Mamai’s military forces weakened, his power became increasingly nominal. The main factor in this was Rus.
Arab Shah goes to Mamai.
The weakening of the “Mamai Horde” and the invasions of Rus by the khans of the Kok Horde (for example, Arabshakh in 1377, etc.) caused a surge of anti-Horde activity in the Russian principalities, observed in the mid-1370s. The Moscow princes grew so powerful that in 1377 they subjugated the Bulgarians, who had previously been under Mamai’s influence. In the context of political destabilization, Mamai’s response was limited to organizing campaigns in the Poochye and Posurye regions, which were intended more to reinforce diplomatic pressure. The formal reason for the further deterioration of relations with the Moscow principality was Mamai’s demand for the payment of tribute in the previous amounts of the “Russian exit.” The Pereyaslav program of uniting the Russian principalities amid the strife in the Golden Horde evolved in the late 1370s into the idea of the need to completely destroy the forces of the “Mamai Horde.” Within the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, the influence of the anti-Horde faction grew, and an ideology of liberation from the power of “infidels” began to form in some church circles.
Center of resistance
The general internal war, which had been going on for many years, clearly undermined the foundations of central power in the Golden Horde, and on its outskirts, the desire to distance oneself from this “zamytani” was growing.
Moscow became the center of resistance, effectively uniting all of North-Eastern Rus’ and breaking the resistance of Tver. Grand Prince Dmitry Ivanovich of Vladimir initially acted in line with Mamai’s policy and even, on his orders, made campaigns to the Volga region, capturing the Bulgarian ulus for him. But from 1376, his policy became increasingly independent. With the help of his brothers and allies, he began to capture the territories of the Ulus of Mukhshi and strengthen his troops. In 1378, he openly challenged Mamai and defeated the troops of his bek Begich in the battle on the Vozha River. From that moment on, the clash between Dmitry Ivanovich and Mamai became a matter of time. Everyone hastily gathered their forces, and by 1380, the decisive act of this drama had arrived.
The Battle of the Vozha River.
Tyulak: the collapse of the “Mamai Horde”
With his power rapidly weakening, Mamai began to experience internal political difficulties. It is possible that some of the Tatar clans that supported him were ready to compromise with the khans of the Kok Horde. But Mamai preempted them by carrying out another change of khan in 1379. The former khan and his entourage were executed, and he was replaced by a new ruler, known from coin legends as “Bulyak” or “Tulyak” — the second reading is more acceptable. A later version of Mamai’s murder of his king is described in the Patriarchal Chronicle: “The wicked and proud prince Mamai of the Volga Horde ruled over the entire Horde and killed many princes and kings, appointing himself king at will. There was also much turmoil, and no one trusted him, and he killed many princes and alputs in his Horde. He also killed his own king…” The same name, rendered as “Tyulak,” is mentioned in the text of a khan’s decree from 1379, issued to Metropolitan Mikhail (Mitya), and a similar name, ‘Telyak’ or “Tetyak,” is found in the Kulikovsky cycle of tales. Contrary to the opinion of V.L. Egorov, there is no reason to assume that this is a derogatory name for Mamai, who allegedly proclaimed himself khan, since in all chronicle sources he is referred to only as “prince of the Horde,” and besides, there are direct references in the chronicles to the presence of a khan from the Chingizid clan in the “Mamai Horde” on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo.
Mamai and his attempts
In preparation for the decisive battle, Mamai attempted to consolidate his power in the Lower Volga region, as evidenced by the coins of Khan Tulyak, issued in Khadzhi-Tarkhan in 782 AH (April 7, 1380 – March 27, 1381). Although Mamai managed to gather considerable forces and attract a number of mercenaries from Genoa and enlist the support of the Lithuanian prince Yagailo, he suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Kulikovo and fled to his ulus.
In the Black Sea region, Mamai attempted to prepare for a new campaign, but history did not give him the chance for revenge. Mamai’s plans to prepare a new army were thwarted by an invasion from the east, “from the Blue Horde,” by the army of Khan Tokhtamysh, who had by that time captured most of the territory of the Ulus of Jochi. The meeting of the two opponents on the Kalka River ended with the “princes of Mamai” switching sides to the new khan, who “dismounted from their horses and bowed to Tokhtamysh, swore allegiance to him according to their faith, and pledged their loyalty to him.” Among the latter were undoubtedly the aforementioned Kutlug-Buga and his son Ilyas, who subsequently received influential positions in the Crimean ulus administration. The betrayal of his own army forced Mamai to flee to Crimea, where he hoped to receive help and protection from the Genoese, with whom he had a treaty. However, the inhabitants of Kafa, assessing the real balance of power, preferred the physical elimination of Mamai to conflict with the new khan.
The events described, oversaturated with conspiracies and battles amid a succession of rulers, create the impression of the collapse of an empire. Meanwhile, the desire to unite the country and revive its great power did not lose its historical momentum. Khan Tokhtamysh (1380-1396) became the voice of these interests, relying on the military forces of the Tatar clans, which had firmly established themselves in Kok-Orda and Sarai, displacing the former rulers.