Tokhtamysh

Tokhtamysh (d. ca 1406), was the founder and the first khan of the Golden Horde in 1380-1395. He was a descendant of Jochi and Genghis Khan.

The ruler of the Blue Horde, Mamai, was killed shortly after the Battle of Kulikovo. Tamerlane then helped Tokhtamysh to unite his White Horde with Blue Horde and to gain the throne of the combined state. In 1382 Tokhtamysh led a successful campaign against Muscovy as a punishment for the Kulikovo defeat. In 1389–1395 he led a losing war against Tamerlane which also caused a loss of the throne.

He then escaped to the Ukrainian steppes and asked for help Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania. In the great Battle of the Vorskla River (1399) the combined forces of Tokhtamysh and Vytautas were annihilated by two Tamerlane's generals, khan Temur Qutlugh and emir (murza, visir) Edigu. They defeated Tokhtamysh was killed in Siberia by the men of Edigu in 1406 or 1407.

The spelling of Tokhtamysh varies, but the most common spelling is Tokhtamysh. Toqtamysh, Toqtamış, Toktamys, Tuqtamış, and variants are also in use.