# Gubaydulla Chingiskhan

Ğūbaidolla Jäñgırūly Şyñğyshan (Kazakh: حاجی عبید الله جهانگیراوغولی چنغیسخان, Cyrillic: Ғұбайдолла Жәңгірұлы Шыңғысхан; 19 May 1840 – 28 February 1909), also transcribed from Russian as Gubaydulla Dzhangerovich Chingiskhan (Russian: Губайдулла‌ Джанге‌рович Чингисха‌н) was a Kazakh prince and General of the Cavalry of the Russian Empire.

## Biography

Chingiskhan was born on 18 May 1840 in Khan Ordasy as the son of Jäñgir-Kerei Khan (Khan of the Bukey Horde) and his wife Fatima. Through his father, Gubaydulla was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan through the line of Jochi (Töre). When Gubaydulla was 5 years old, his father died under disputed circumstances.
Chingiskhan received his primary education at the Russian-language school Bukey Horde, which was opened by his father. When he was 7 years old, he entered the Orenburg Neplyuevsky Cadet Corps, where his brothers Saiyp-Kerei, Ybyraiym and Ahmet-Kerei also studied. In 1849, Gubaydulla, together with Yesaul Zhitkov, who was adjutant of the Orenburg Governor General, went to St. Petersburg and was accepted for training in the Imperial Corps of Pages. His brothers were also graduates of the Page Corps. The sons of Jäñgir were the only Kazakhs who graduated from this prestigious military educational institution.
After graduating with honors from the Corps of Pages on 16 June 1856, the chambers page Gubaydulla began serving in the Life Guards Cossack Regiment with the rank of cornet and received the title of sultan. In the same year, he, along with his brothers, were invited to the coronation ceremony of Emperor Alexander II as representatives of the Bukey Horde.
In 1875, Chingiskhan was sent to Orenburg, where he was appointed to the post of special officer for the affairs of the Kazakhs, Bashkirs and Tatars. In 1866, rittmeister Gubaydulla was sent to the order of the ataman of the Don Cossacks, a year later he was sent to serve in the northwestern part of the Russian Empire.
In 1877—1878 he participated in the Russo-Turkish war. On 31 August 1877, as an aide-de-camp to a colonel of the Life Guards of the Cossack Regiment, Chingiskhan was awarded the Golden Weapon for Bravery. On 1 January 1878, he was promoted to major general with enrollment in the His Imperial Majesty's Suite. In the same year, Chingiskhan was awarded the Serbian Grand Officer's Cross. In 1879 he received the Order of St. Vladimir of the third degree. In 1882, Gubaydulla was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav of the first degree and the Montenegrin gold medal "For bravery".
On 30 August 1888, he was promoted to lieutenant general and assigned to the army cavalry reserve. On May 7, 1894, Gubaydulla became a cavalry general with a discharge from service, with a uniform and a pension.
Chingiskhan was the chairman of the Special Commission on waqfs in the Crimea until 7 December 1899. In the last year of his life, his wife was a hereditary noblewoman and actress, Feodosiya Velinskaya (1858—1931). Two months after the death of Gubaydulla she received the surname Chingiskhan. Velinskaya was the first performer of the part of the Snow Maiden in the opera The Snow Maiden by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Chingiskhan died in 1909 and was buried at the Derikoy Muslim cemetery near Yalta.