Ogodei Khan's Rule and the Founding of Karakorum

Key Insight

Ogodei Khan's inauguration in 1229 at Avarga set a standard of extravagant celebration, marked by 'inebriated generosity' and the distribution of immense wealth like casket loads of pearls and bolts of silk. The family adopted the name 'Golden Family,' symbolizing both royalty and the vast riches they consumed. This period was characterized by continuous feasting and drinking, often to the point of passing out, reflecting a leadership 'drunk with riches' rather than earned conquests.

Defying his father's mobile governance, Ogodei established a permanent capital, Karakorum, in 1230. He chose a site on the Orkhon River, suitable for a nomadic camp with open steppe, ample water, and mountain sanctuary. However, this location proved ill-suited for a permanent city, lacking food production and shelter from harsh winters, issues that would 'plague, and ultimately doom,' the capital. His palace, built in a unique Mongol style by shooting arrows to define its dimensions, was 'exceedingly tall' with 'lofty pillars,' painted with colorful designs.

Karakorum primarily functioned as a large warehouse and workshop, collecting tribute from across the empire, rather than a showpiece capital. It housed newly recruited clerks, scribes, and translators. The city exhibited remarkable religious tolerance, with houses of worship for Buddhist, Muslim, Taoist, and Christian followers. To foster trade, Ogodei paid exceptionally high prices for goods, offered a 10 percent bonus, introduced standardized weights/measures, and created a paper money exchange system, alongside establishing garrisons and planting trees to secure and mark trade routes.