Sultanate or Chiefdom? The Status of Invited Genghisids in the Bashkir Horde During the Uprisings of the early 18th century

This article presents an interdisciplinary analysis of the Bashkir uprising of 1704 -1711, during which Bashkir leaders invited members of the Jochid dynasty to assume khanate leadership in alliance with Kazakh and Karakalpak forces.Their authority was based on the ikta-asaba contractual tradition, rooted in Turkic-Muslim public law.The legitimacy of the invited khans was affirmed by the Bashkir tribal assembly (jiyin) and recognized through investiture by the Caliph.This challenges the characterization of the Bashkir Horde as a stateless chiefdom, supporting instead its interpretation as a sultanate with a representative political structure.The view of the "Bashkir Horde" as a stateless chiefdom is disputed.Despite the fact that the servants of the empire called the rebels "thieves" and "utter traitors," the Horde was not an "akephaly," since the status of the sultanate was confirmed by the investiture of the caliph, with the legitimization of representative khan authority within the framework of Turkic-Muslim public law.