Pulad Khan

Born: Unknown Died: c. 1410 Reigned: 1407 - 1410 Khanate: Golden Horde Title: Khan

Overview

Pulad Khan was a son of Timur Qutluq who succeeded Shadi Beg following the latter's deposition by Edigu. He ruled twice during the turbulent years following Shadi Beg's removal, continuing the pattern of Edigu-supervised governance that had defined the post-Tamerlane Golden Horde. His reigns were marked by the increasing challenge posed by the sons of Tokhtamysh, who pressed their father's dynastic claims persistently throughout this period.

The post-Shadi Beg years saw Edigu's dominance begin to fray as the Tokhtamyshid princes — backed at various times by Lithuania and other external powers — repeatedly challenged the arrangement Edigu had imposed. Pulad Khan's position was caught between these forces: nominally the khan, actually dependent on Edigu, and threatened by rival Tokhtamyshid claimants who saw his Timur Qutluqid lineage as an obstacle to their own claims.

Pulad Khan managed to hold the throne for approximately three years in his primary tenure, making his reign one of the more sustained of this troubled period. His eventual displacement came not from Edigu's decision but from the intensifying pressure of Tokhtamysh's sons.

Rise to Power

Pulad Khan was installed by Edigu following Shadi Beg's removal around 1407. His lineage as a son of the able Timur Qutluq gave him Tuqa-Timurid Chinggisid credentials, and his family connection to the previous khan made the transition relatively smooth from Edigu's perspective.

Rule and Achievements

• Held the Golden Horde throne for approximately three years under Edigu's authority
• Navigated the intensifying Tokhtamyshid challenge to his tenure
• Was displaced but apparently survived, as he appears to have held the throne a second time briefly before final displacement
• No independent military or administrative achievements are recorded during his reign

Legacy

Pulad Khan's reign represents the beginning of the end for Edigu's grip on the Golden Horde. The sons of Tokhtamysh — Jalal ad-Din, Karim Berdi, Kebek, Jabbar Berdi, and others — would contest the throne repeatedly in the years following Pulad's displacement, and Edigu's ability to control these challenges diminished progressively. Pulad's dual tenure illustrates the instability that was now becoming endemic even in the Edigu-supervised arrangement, which had previously provided relative order.