Tarmashirin Khan

Born: Unknown Died: 1334 Reigned: 1330-1334 Khanate: Chagatai Khanate Title: Khan of the Chagatai Khanate

Overview

Tarmashirin Khan was one of the most controversial rulers in Chagatai history, a Khan who converted to Islam and attempted to transform the khanate into a Muslim state governed by Islamic law. His reign produced fierce resistance from the Mongol nomadic traditionalists of the eastern khanate who viewed his religious and administrative innovations as a betrayal of Mongol custom. His violent deposition and death at the hands of his own subjects ended an experiment in Islamic governance that would not be successfully completed until generations later.

Rise to Power

Tarmashirin came to the Chagatai throne around 1330. He was already a Muslim before his accession - he may have converted while residing in the western, more heavily Islamicized portions of the khanate. His path to the throne is not clearly documented, but he came to power during a period of succession instability following the deaths of Eljigidey and Duwa Temür.

Rule and Achievements

Tarmashirin's four-year reign was defined by his religious and legal policies:

• He formally converted to Islam and made it a matter of policy, promoting Muslim scholars and officials
• He attempted to introduce elements of Islamic law (Sharia) into the governance of the khanate, particularly in the western Transoxianian territories
• He neglected the eastern portions of the khanate - the steppe territories of the Tarim Basin and the Ili Valley - which were populated by Mongol nomads who remained committed to traditional practices
• He made visits to the Muslim cities of Transoxiana and was welcomed by the urban population, who found in him a sympathetic ruler
• His reign briefly flourished in the western khanate, with Muslim sources praising his piety and justice

The eastern nomads, however, grew increasingly alienated. They saw his neglect of the traditional Mongol homeland and his embrace of sedentary Islamic customs as a fundamental betrayal. Around 1334 they rose in rebellion, captured Tarmashirin, and put him to death.

Legacy

Tarmashirin's failed Islamicization attempt is a pivotal moment in Chagatai history. His deposition marked the beginning of the formal split between the western and eastern khanate - the Islamicized Transoxiana that would eventually become the western Chagatai Khanate and the nomadic eastern region that would evolve into Moghulistan. The split between these two worlds, anticipated by Tarmashirin's contradictions, would become permanent within a generation of his death. He is remembered as a ruler who was ahead of his time in the west and disastrously out of step in the east.