Chormaqan, Noyan
(1200–1240), Mongolian general. Chormaqan Noyan led the armies of the Mongol empire across the Amu Dar'ya River and into the area of present-day Iran in 1230, conquering much of what would later be the Il-Khanate (a Mongol dynasty that ruled in Persia from 1256 to 1353). Genghis Khan (1165–1227) originally delivered the orders for this invasion in 1221 during the war against the Khwarizm empire, which lay on the lower Amu Dar'ya River, but a rebellion delayed the campaign. Chormaqan served in this earlier campaign as a qorchi (quiver bearer) for Genghis Khan's bodyguard.
Ogodei (1185–1241), the son and successor of Genghis Khan, renewed the command in 1229. Chormaqan's orders were to expand the Mongol empire and hunt down Jalal al-Din Khwarazmshah (d.1230–1231), the last sultan of the Khwarizm empire. While a subordinate commander, Taimaz, pursued Jalal al-Din, Chormaqan efficiently secured the conquest of Iran through force and diplomacy. By 1232, Iran was firmly under Mongol control.
In 1234, Chormaqan turned his attention to the region of Transcaucasia, the region of modern Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and parts of Turkey. After a fiveyear campaign, Chormaqan successfully conquered Transcaucasia. He ruled as the military governor for two years until he died. His wife Altan Khatun (flourished 1220–1245) succeeded him as regent until one of his lieutenants, Baiju (flourished 1230–1260), was named his successor.
Further Reading
Blake, Robert P., and Richard N. Frye (1949) "The History of the Nation of the Archers by Grigor of Akanc." Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 12: 269–399.
Cleaves, Frances W., trans. and ed. (1982) The Secret History of the Mongols. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Grousset, René. (1970) The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia. Trans. by Naomi Walford. Rutgers, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Juvaini, 'Ala-ad-Din Ata-Malik. (1958) The History of the World-Conqueror. 2 vols. Trans. by John A. Boyle. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
May, Timothy. (1996) "Chormaqan Noyan: The First Mongol Military Governor in the Middle East." M.A. thesis, Indiana University.
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