NOTE 2.—­The real list of the “Kings of the Ponent,” or Khans of the Golden Horde, down to the time of Polo’s narrative, runs thus:  BATU, Sartak, Ulagchi (these two almost nominal), BARKA, MANGKU TIMUR, TUDAI MANGKU, Tulabugha, Tuktuka or TOKTAI.  Polo here omits Tulabugha (though he mentions him below in ch. xxix.), and introduces before Batu, as a great and powerful conqueror, the founder of the empire, a prince whom he calls Sain.  This is in fact Batu himself, the leader of the great Tartar invasion of Europe (1240-1242), whom he has split into two kings.  Batu bore the surname of Sain Khan, or “the Good Prince,” by which name he is mentioned, e.g., in Makrizi (Quatremere’s Trans. II. 45), also in Wassaf (Hammer’s Trans. pp. 29-30).  Piano Carpini’s account of him is worth quoting:  “Hominibus quidem ejus satis benignus; timetur tamen valde ab iis; sed crudelissimus est in pugna; sagax est multum; et etiam astutissimus in bello, quia longo tempore jam pugnavit.”  This Good Prince was indeed crudelissimus in pugna.  At Moscow he ordered a general massacre, and 270,000 right ears are said to have been laid before him in testimony to its accomplishment.  It is odd enough that a mistake like that in the text is not confined to Polo.  The chronicle of Kazan, according to a Russian writer, makes Sain succeed Batu. (Carpini, p. 746; J.  As. ser.  IV. tom. xvii. p. 109; Buesching, V. 493; also Golden Horde, p. 142, note.)

Batu himself, in the great invasion of the West, was with the southern host in Hungary; the northern army which fought at Liegnitz was under Baidar, a son of Chaghatai.

According to the Masalak-al-Absar, the territory of Kipchak, over which this dynasty ruled, extended in length from the Sea of Istambul to the River Irtish, a journey of 6 months, and in breadth from Bolghar to the Iron Gates, 4 (?) months’ journey.  A second traveller, quoted in the same work, says the empire extended from the Iron Gates to Yughra (see p. 483 supra), and from the Irtish to the country of the Nemej.  The last term is very curious, being the Russian Niemicz, “Dumb,” a term which in Russia is used as a proper name of the Germans; a people, to wit, unable to speak Slavonic. (N. et Ex. XIII. i. 282, 284.)

["An allusion to the Mongol invasion of Poland and Silesia is found in the Yuen-shi, ch. cxxi., biography of Wu-liang-ho t’ai (the son of Su-bu-t’ai).  It is stated there that Wu-liang-ho t’ai [Urtangcadai] accompanied Badu when he invaded the countries of Kin ch’a (Kipchak) and Wu-la-sz’ (Russia).  Subsequently he took part also in the expedition against the P’o-lie-rh and Nie-mi-sze.” (Dr. Bretschneider, Med.  Res. I. p. 322.) With reference to these two names, Dr. Bretschneider says, in a note, that he has no doubt that the Poles and Germans are intended.