Ulugh Muhammad

Ulugh Muhammad (died 1445) (Urdu; Persian; Arabic:; Tatar: Oluğ Möxämmäd, Russian: Olugh Mokhammad), written as Ulanus by orientalists, was twice Khan of the Golden Horde and founder of the Kazan Khanate.

Reign
Ulugh Muhammad first came to power following the death of Yeremferden. His main competitor for control of the Horde was his cousin Dawlat Berdi, The son of Yeremferden. For much of his reign Ulugh Muhammad controlled Sarai, and was therefore seen as the more legitimate ruler within the Horde, although it was captured by his rival after the Siege of Sarai in 1420 and held by him for two years.

In 1422 Baraq Khan defeated both Ulugh Muhammad and Dawlat and drove them out of the country. while Dawlat remained in the outskirts of Crimea, Ulugh Muhammad fled to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and plead for assistance from Vytautas the Great. With this assistance he was able to march on Baraq and capture Sarai.

After regaining control over the Khanate, Ulugh Muhammad marched on Crimea, where Dawlat Berdi had re-established himself following Baraq's defeat and death. After a series of indecisive skirmishes his invasion was cut short due to the death of Vaytautas, which forced Ulugh Muhammad to concentrate his forces on Lithuania, where he supported Sigismund I Kestutian against Svitrigaila in the fight for the Lithuanian throne. Svitrigaila in turn supported Dawlat Berdi and later Sayid Ahmad I, as did Vasili II of Russia.

Ulugh Muhammad lost control of the Golden Horde again in the late 1430s and fled east, where he captured Kazan and founded the Kazan Khanate. From that location he waged a series of successful wars against Muscovy which culminated in the capture and ransom of Vasili II.

Family
Ulugh Muhammad was most likely the son of Jalal ad-Din khan, and the grandson of Tokhtamysh, although he may have been descended from Hassan Jefai, a relative of Tokhtamysh. Either way, he was a descendant of Jochi and therefore a Ghengisid.

Genealogy

 * Genghis Khan
 * Jochi
 * Touka-Timour
 * Ureng-Timour (Khan de Crimée)
 * Saridja
 * Toulak-Timour
 * Touka-Timour
 * Kendjé-Tok-Timour
 * Ali-Bek-Toula-Timour
 * Hassan-Tak-Timour
 * Ulugh Muhammad (1437-1446)**
 * Yakoub
 * Shaykh Ahmed
 * Hussein-Ivan Vassiliévitch
 * Prince Ivan Ivanovitch
 * Prince Timofeï Ivanovitch
 * Prince Ivan Timofeïevitch
 * Prince Piotr Ivanovitch
 * Prince Mikhaïl Petrovitch
 * Prince Andreï Mikhaïlovitch
 * Prince Prokhor AndréÏevitch
 * Prince Alexandre Prokhorovitch
 * Prince Prohor Alexandrovitch
 * Prince Alexandre Prokhorovitch
 * Prince Alexis Alexandrovitch
 * Prince Georges Alexéïevitch
 * Prince Cyril Alexéïevitch
 * Prince Alexandre Alexéïevitch
 * 1)-Princesse Kyra Alexandrovna
 * 2)Princesse Irina Alexandrovna
 * 3)Princesse Xénia Alexandrovna
 * Sources: archives familiales et le livre de velours des familles nobles de Russie.

Excavations
In 1977, during excavations in the Kazan Kremlin, the foundations of the two white stone mausoleum with the remains of rich graves were discovered. They were located in the territory of the Khan's residence and were probably tombs of the khans and their families. In one of them, relating to the 15th century, was the burial of a man 35–40 years of age. The deceased was pronounced representative of the Central Asian version of Mongoloid physical type: a person with massive cheekbones, a straight, slightly prominent nose. Features of the structure of bones of hands and the back of the skull indicate prolonged physical stresses of riding: straightened back to laid back shoulders and head slightly tilted back. A number of indicators suggest seasonality in diet, typical of nomadic life. Careful analysis led to the conclusion that the remains were those of the founder of the Kazan Khanate, Khan Mahmud. In 1994, T.S. Baluevoy reconstructed the face of Olugh Mokhammad.