Sultan Mohammed Öz-Beg, better known as
Uzbeg or
Ozbeg (1282–1341, reign 1313–1341), was the longest-reigning
khan of the
Golden Horde, under whose rule the state reached its zenith. He was succeeded by his son
Jani Beg.
He was the son of Toghrilcha and grandson of
Mengu-Timur, who had been khan of the Golden Horde from 1267–1280.
Coronation and Conversion of Islam by the Horde
Ozbeg's father Togrilcha was one of Genghisid princes that overthrew Tode-Mengu (r.1280–1287). Later, he was executed by
Tokhta (1291–1312). Tokhta took Togrilcha's wife and sent his son Ozbeg to exile on a distant region of the Golden Horde:
Khorazm or the country of
Circassians.
Converted to Islam by Ibn Abdul Hamid, a Bukharan sayyid and sheikh of the
Yasavi order, Öz-Beg assumed the throne upon the death of his uncle Tokhta in January 1313 with the help of former khans
vizier Temur Qutlugh and Bulaghan (or Bayalun)
khatun. At first, Mongol nobles were against him and organized the plot to kill new Khan. Uzbeg found out the plot and crushed the rebels. His adoption of
Islam as a
state religion led to a conspiracy of
Shamanist and
Buddhist princes, which he subdued severely. Ozbeg determinedly spread Islam amongst the Golden Horde and allowed missionary activities to expand in the surrounding regions. Ozbeg found out that his competitor was backed by the envoys of the
Great Khan......
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