Toregene's Rise to Regent and Guyuk's Election

Key Insight

Following Ogodei's decline in political interest after the loss of his favorite son in the China campaign, Toregene meticulously worked to secure her son Guyuk's succession, despite Ogodei's nomination of a grandson. After Ogodei's death, Toregene summoned a khuriltai for Guyuk's election but lacked a quorum from the Golden Family, necessitating five years of intense political effort to build the required support. She replaced her late husband's ministers with her own, notably appointing Fatima, a Tajik or Persian captive from the Khwarizm campaign, who became her trusted confidante and a central political figure.

By 1246, Toregene had consolidated enough power to orchestrate Guyuk's election. The deliberations were held privately among the Golden Family and key functionaries. However, his installation was a major public event, attracting foreign dignitaries from across the empire throughout the summer, culminating in a ceremony in August. Among the attendees were emirs, governors, princes, kings, the Seljuk sultan from Turkey, representatives of the Caliph of Baghdad, and two claimants to the Georgian throne. Grand Prince Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich of Vladimir and Suzdal, the highest-ranking European delegate, died suspiciously after dining with Toregene.

During this period, on July 22, 1246, Friar Giovanni of Plano Carpini, a 65-year-old cleric and agent of Pope Innocent IV, arrived as the first envoy from western Europe. He had traveled approximately 3000 miles in 106 days. The Mongols mistakenly believed he brought the Pope's submission. Instead, his letter chastised them for invading Europe and demanded explanations, asserting the Pope's sole authority from God. Guyuk, likely Christian or well-disposed to it, challenged the Pope's claims, asserting God had granted Mongols control of the world through Genghis Khan's Great Law and invited the Pope to Karakorum to pay homage. This initial diplomatic contact quickly devolved into theological and religious insults.