Rise To Power in Golden Horde and Europe
Nogai's father Tatar died when he was serving under Hulegu. In 1262, during the civil war between Berke and Hulegu Khan, Nogai's army surprised the invading forces of Hulegu at the Terek River. Many thousands were drowned, and the survivors fled back into Azerbaijan. In 1265, Nogai led his army across the Danube, sending the Byzantine forces fleeing before him, and devastated the cities of Thrace. In 1266, the Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus, anxious to make an alliance, gave his daughter Euphrosyne Palaeologina to Nogai as a wife. That same year, Nogai lost an eye fighting his relative, Abaqa Khan, in Tiflis. But he lived on terms with Abagha and his successor Arghun after the death of Berke.
Nogai ruled the Russians of Galicia-Volhynia, the Ossetes and part of the Vlachs directly. He attacked Lithuania with the northern Russian princes in 1275. In 1285, Nogai and Talabuga Khan invaded Hungary with Mongol and Cuman troops, but unlike Subutai forty years earlier, they were defeated. The Mongols ravaged Transylvania, but were beaten by the Hungarian royal army under Ladislaus IV near Pest, and the retreating Mongol forces were ambushed by the Szekely. Nogai and Talabuga made a third raid against Poland in 1287/1288, but little is known of the result. Some sources claim that they returned with 20,000 captives. Nogai sent 4,000 Mongol soldiers to Constantinople in 1282, to help his father in law Emperor Michael suppress the rebels headed by John I Doukas of Thessaly. But Michael died and Andronikos II used the allied troops to fight against Serbia.
In 1286, Nogai compelled king Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia to recognize his suzerainty. He also reasserted Mongol authority over Bulgaria's internal affairs. In 1277, a popular movement led Ivaylo of Bulgaria defeated the Mongols, but in 1278-79 Nogai defeated the Bulgarians and besieged Ivaylo in Silistra. Ivaylo tried to ally with Nogai, but Nogai had him murdered, and made the new Bulgarian Emperor George Terter his vassal. After George's flight to Constantinople, Nogai set his close associate Smilets on the Bulgarian throne.
Despite his power and prowess in battle, Nogai never attempted to seize the Golden Horde khanate for himself, preferring to act as a sort of kingmaker. He served under several Golden Horde Khans: Berke, Mengu-Timur, Tuda-Mengu, Talabuga, and Tokhta. This last khan proved to be more headstrong than the others, and he and Nogai began a deadly rivalry. By this time, Nogai effectively had control of the western-most sections of the Golden Horde. He overthrew Tuda-Mengu and killed Tulabuga. He was unable to enthrone himself because his great grandmother was a concubine.
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