Kipchaks
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Map of Asia and Europe circa 1200 C.E. |
Kipchaks (also spelled as
Kypchaks,
Qipchaqs,
Qypchaqs) (,
Karachay-Balkar: Къыпчакъ,
Uzbek: Қипчоқ,
Kazakh: Қыпшақ,
Kumyk: Къыпчакъ,
Nogai: Кыпчак,
Chinese: é'¦å¯Ÿ,
QīncháTurkish: "Kıpçak") are an ancient
Turkic people, first mentioned in the historical chronicles of
Central Asia in the
1st millennium BC. Their language was also known as
Kipchak. The western Kipchaks are also known as
Cumans (Kumans, Kuns) in western Europe, and Polovtsi (Polovtsians) in Russia and Ukraine.
Nomadic Turkic people, known in Russian as
Polovtsi, coming from the region of the
River Irtysh, conquered what is present day southern
Ukraine and Russia in the
11th century and founded a
nomadic state in the
steppes along the
Black Sea (
Desht-i Qipchaq). They invaded the territory of
Moldavia,
Wallachia and part of
Transylvania in the 11th century, and from there they continued their plundering of the
Byzantine Empire and the
Kingdom of Hungary. In
1089, they were defeated by
Ladislaus I of Hungary, again by Russian Prince
Vladimir Monomakh in the
12th century, and finally crushed by the
Mongols in
1241. After the breakup of the
Mongol empire, the Kipchaks were part of the khanate comprising present-day
Russia,
Ukraine, and
Kazakhstan, called the
Golden Horde.
Members of the
Bahri dynasty, the first dynasty of
Mamelukes in
Egypt, were Kipchaks, one of the most prominent examples being Sultan
Baybars, born in
Solhat,
Crimea.
The modern Northwestern
Turkic languages are named after the Kipchaks. Some of the descendants of the Kipchaks are now known as
Siberian Tatars,
Nogays,
Kazakhs,
Tatars (partly),
Crimean Tatars (partly),
Karachays (partly),
Krymchaks,
Karaims (partly),
Kumyks (partly).
According to some accounts, Kipchaks have mostly descended into modern
Kyrgyz and
Uzbek ethnic populations. Continuing along this line, the native population of the
Ferghana Valley is said to be largely Kipchak.
Kipchak is also the name of a
Kazakh tribe within modern-day
Kazakhstan.
There is also a village named 'Kipchak' existent in
Crimea.
Most of the Caucasian(white) muslim people of middle east are descending from Kipcaks.
The word "kypchak" is found in traditional
Oghuz Khan Epics .
*
Bahri dynasty*
Battle of the Stugna River*
Battle of the Kalka River*
Codex Cumanicus*
Cumans*
Khazars*
Kipchaks in Georgia*
Mamelukes*
Pechenegs*
Tale of Igor's Campaign* "Polovtsi". The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05.
* "Pouchenie" by
Vladimir Monomakh. The medieval Russian Annal (in Russian).
* "Tale of Igor's Campaign". The medieval Russian Annal (in Russian).
*
Codex Cumanicus*http://web.archive.org/web/20041013025137/http://sophistikatedkids.com/turkic/70+Dateline/kipchak+dateline+En.htm Kipchak dateline]
