The outline of the history as gathered from Hammer and D'Ohsson is as
follows: -
NOGHAI, for more than half a century one of the most influential of the
Mongol Princes, was a great-great-grandson of Chinghiz, being the son of
Tatar, son of Tewal, son of Juji. He is first heard of as a leader under
Batu Khan in the great invasion of Europe (1241), and again in 1258 we
find him leading an invasion of Poland.
In the latter quarter of the century he had established himself as
practically independent, in the south of Russia. There is much about him
in the Byzantine history of Pachymeres; Michael Palaeologus sought his
alliance against the Bulgarians (of the south), and gave him his
illegitimate daughter Euphrosyne to wife. Some years later Noghai gave a
daughter of his own in marriage to Feodor Rostislawitz, Prince of
Smolensk.
Mangu- or Mangku-Temur, the great-nephew and successor of Barka, died in
1280-81 leaving nine sons, but was succeeded by his brother TUDAI-MANGKU
(Polo's Totamangu). This Prince occupied himself chiefly with the
company of Mahomedan theologians and was averse to the cares of
government. In 1287 he abdicated, and was replaced by TULABUGHA
(Tolobuga), the son of an elder brother, whose power, however, was
shared by other princes. Tulabugha quarrelled with old Noghai and was
preparing to attack him. Noghai however persuaded him to come to an
interview, and at this Tulabugha was put to death. TOKTAI, one of the sons
of Mangku-Temur, who was associated with Noghai, obtained the throne of
Kipchak. This was in 1291. We hear nothing of sons of Tudai-Mangku or
Tulabugha.
Some years later we hear of a symbolic declaration of war sent by Toktai
to Noghai, and then of a great battle between them near the banks of the
Don, in which Toktai is defeated. Later, they are again at war, and
somewhere south of the Dnieper Noghai is beaten. As he was escaping with a
few mounted followers, he was cut down by a Russian horseman. "I am
Noghai," said the old warrior, "take me to Toktai." The Russian took the
bridle to lead him to the camp, but by the way the old chief expired. The
horseman carried his head to the Khan; its heavy grey eyebrows, we are
told, hung over and hid the eyes. Toktai asked the Russian how he knew the
head to be that of Noghai. "He told me so himself," said the man. And so
he was ordered to execution for having presumed to slay a great Prince
without orders. How like the story of David and the Amalekite in Ziklag!
(2 Samuel, ch. i.).
The chronology of these events is doubtful. Rashiduddin seems to put the
defeat of Toktai near the Don in 1298-1299, and a passage in Wassaf
extracted by Hammer seems to put the defeat and death of Noghai about
1303. On the other hand, there is evidence that war between the two was in
full flame in the beginning of 1296; Makrizi seems to report the news of a
great defeat of Toktai by Noghai as reaching Cairo in Jumadah I.A.H.
697 or February-March, 1298. And Novairi, from whom D'Ohsson gives
extracts, appears to put the defeat and death of Noghai in 1299. If the
battle on the Don is that recounted by Marco it cannot be put later than
1297, and he must have had news of it at Venice, perhaps from relations at
Soldaia. I am indeed reluctant to believe that he is not speaking of
events of which he had cognizance before quitting the East; but there is
no evidence in favour of that view. (Golden Horde, especially 269
seqq.; Ilchan. II. 347, and also p. 35; D'Ohsson, IV. Appendix; Q.
Makrizi, IV. 60.)
The symbolical message mentioned above as sent by Toktai to Noghai,
consisted of a hoe, an arrow, and a handful of earth. Noghai interpreted
this as meaning, "If you hide in the earth, I will dig you out! If you
rise to the heavens I will shoot you down! Choose a battle-field!" What a
singular similarity we have here to the message that reached Darius 1800
years before, on this very ground, from Toktai's predecessors, alien from
him in blood it may be, but identical in customs and mental
characteristics: -
"At last Darius was in a great strait, and the Kings of the Scythians
having ascertained this, sent a herald bearing, as gifts to Darius, a
bird, a mouse, a frog, and five arrows.... Darius's opinion was that the
Scythians meant to give themselves up to him.... But the opinion of
Gobryas, one of the seven who had deposed the Magus, did not coincide with
this; he conjectured that the presents intimated: 'Unless, O Persians, ye
become birds, and fly into the air, or become mice and hide yourselves
beneath the earth, or become frogs and leap into the lakes, ye shall never
return home again, but be stricken by these arrows.' And thus the other
Persians interpreted the gifts." (Herodotus, by Carey, IV. 131, 132.)
Again, more than 500 years after Noghai and Toktai were laid in the
steppe, when Muraview reached the court of Khiva in 1820, it happened that
among the Russian presents offered to the Khan were two loaves of sugar on
the same tray with a quantity of powder and shot. The Uzbegs interpreted
this as a symbolical demand: Peace or War? (V. et Turcomanie, p. 165.)
CHAPTER XXX.
OF THE SECOND MESSAGE THAT TOCTAI SENT TO NOGAI, AND HIS REPLY.
<+>(They carry a threat of attack if he should refuse to present himself
before Toctai. Nogai refuses with defiance.
