An Illustrated
Introduction to the Kipchak
Turks
by
BASARAB the WARY
mka Justin
Dragosani-Brantingham

1st Edition

Copyright 1999, Justin
Dragosani-Brantingham

28

1Preface
Enclosed in this booklet is an introduction to the
Kipchak Turks and their culture. Its purpose is to easily
spread knowledge to any of its readers, and be useful. I consulted many sources to make this booklet, and to learn muchthat I have not presented here. For a speaker and reader ofEnglish, the search for the Kipchaks can be arduous. Scholars have written hundreds of articles, most in Russian, German, French, Latin, Turkish, even Norwegian and Scandinavian, the least abundant probably English.
I sincerely wish to acknowledge Professor Peter B.
Golden, world renowned expert on the Turks, for his personal correspondence, aiding me in my quest for all things
Kipchak. I also owe thanks to my wife, Theophano Kepoure, mka Shannon, for her unending support.
Any portion of the book may be duplicated or distributed without prior written consent of the author, excluding for any personal gain or profit.
Enjoy it!

(21) later period first-hand cultural accounts of the Kipchaks can be had by reading
Ibn-Batuta's (1307-1377 C.E.) travels.
(22) David Nicholle, Attila . . ., 52-3.
(23) Peter B. Golden, "Cumanica IV: . . ., 108.
(24) Andras Paloczi-Horvath, Pechenegs, Cumans, Iasians: Steppe People in Medieval Hungary. Budapest: Corvina/Kultura, 1989, 97.
(25) Andras Paloczi-Horvath, Pechenegs, . . ., 53.
(26) Peter B. Golden, "Religion . . ., 188.
(27) Peter B. Golden, "Religion . . ., 191-193.
(28) Consult Vladimir Nabokov, The Song . . .; Robert C. Howes, The Tale of theCampaign of Igor. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1973; Geza Kuun, ed., Codex
Cumanicus. Budapest: MTAK, 1981.
(29) Consult Greg S. Rogers, "An examination of historians' explanations for the
Mongol withdrawal from East Central Europe," East European Quarterly 30 (Spring1996): 3-27.
(30) Peter Golden, An Introduction . . ., 278.

SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO:
BASARAB the WARY
mka Justin Dragosani-Brantingham
P.O. Box 14322
Grand Forks, N.D. 58208-4322(701) 696-2094
email: basarab@gfherald.infi.net
About BASARAB the WARY:
Basarab the Wary is a Kipchak warrior from thesouth Russian steppes who never indulged in conquests as
his 1100s brothers have done, but has traveled throughout
Eurasia, freeing slaves and opposing brutality, finding theforests nearly as likeable as the plains. The forests are fitting, anyhow, as his horsemanship requires work. Basarab
227

bers, The Devil's Horsemen. New York: Atheneum, 1979, 15.
(3) Numerous sources cite the Kipchak-Mamluk connection, for easy reference
one can refer to David Nicholle, Saladin and the Saracens. London: Osprey
Publishing, 1986, 36-40.

fell in love with a fine Pecheneg woman living within
Byzantium, Theophano, and they roam the steppes freely
with their dog, Haywynn Cossas, at their side.

(4) For an excellent historical essay on Kipchak religion, see Peter B. Golden,"Religion among the Qipchaqs," Central Asiatic Journal ([last issue of] 1998):
180-237.
(5) See Christopher Gravett, German Medieval Armies: 1300-1500. London:
Osprey Publishing, 1985, 42.
(6) Peter B. Golden, "Cumanica IV: The Qipchaq Tribes," Archivum Eurasiae
Medii Aevi, v. IX (1997), [pp 99-122] 108-121.
(7) David Nicholle, Attila and the Nomad Hordes. London: Osprey Publishing,
1990, 32.
(8) Karl Heinrich Menges, "The Oriental Elements in the Vocabulary of theOldest Russian Epos, The Igor' Tale," Word: The Journal of the Linguistic Circleof New York, Vol. 7, December 1951, [pp 1-98] 3-4.
(9) Peter Golden, An Introduction . . ., 270.
(10) David Nicholle, Attila . . ., 52; Vladimir Nabokov, Song of Igor's Campaign.
New York: Vintage Books, 1960, 111.
(11) Peter Golden, An Introduction . . ., 279.
(12) Chingis Khan first established the Kipchak Khanate as a reward for Juji's
military prowess. See Michael Prawdin, Eden and Cedar Paul, trans., The Mongol Empire. New York: MacMillan Co., 1940, 111.
(13) Peter B. Golden, "Cumanica IV: . . ., 107.
(14) Peter Golden, An Introduction . . ., 279.
(15) David Nicholle, Attila . . ., 52.
(16) David Nicholle, Attila . . ., 52.
(17) James Chambers, The Devil's . . . 14.
(18) David Nicholle, Attila . . ., 52.
(19) David Nicholle, The Age of Tamarlane. London: Osprey Publishing, 1990,
40.

Drawing by Angus McBride in Christopher Gravett, German Medieval
Armies: 1300-1500. London: Osprey Publishing, 1985, 27.

(20) David Nicholle, Attila . . ., 14.

26

3

Kultura, 1989, 40-41.

1290 (10 July) Three Cumans assassinate Lasislas IV.
1298 Battle of Gollheim; a Hungarian-Cuman force fights
with the army of Albrecht I of Habsburg.
1300s (early) compilation of the "Codex Cumanicus".
1328 Pope John XXII instructs Hungarian bishops not tocollect tithes from Cumans.
1330 King Charles Robert of Hungary has unsuccessful campaign against Basarab, Voivode (warrior prince) of Wallachia.
1347-1349 First campaign of Hungarian King Louis theGreat against Naples.
1348 Pope Coloman VI charges Minorite friars to convert
Cumans.
1350 Louis the Great's second campaign against Naples.
1397 King Sigismund introduces the "militia portalis".
1418 First record of Cuman "seats".

Map of Cuman migration and settlement. The black solid line marks
the eastern and southern borders of the Russian principalities. The
shaded area denotes the territory of other Turkic tribes referred to in
Russian as the "Chernye Klobuki," a melange of people including remnants of Pechenegs (pronounced Pawt-zi-nok), all of whom usually
allied themselves with Kievan Russia against the Kipchaks. They were
known for their black cowls/caps/headgear with gave them their name.
It is also noted in the Song of Igor's Campaign that they would enterbattle with nothing but a dagger. This reference may actually apply tothe short sabre/enlarged dagger that some Turkic warriors wore horizontally across their belly, similar to the Anglo-Saxon "seax". The
statues illuminate the central Kipchak settlement areas and locations of
their statues. From Andras Paloczi-Horvath, Pechenegs, Cumans,
Iasians: Steppe People in Medieval Hungary. Budapest: Corvina/

4

Notes
(1) Peter Golden, An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1992, 277.
(2) When the Mongols sacked Samarkand in 1220, a portion of the Kangli garrison had surrendered and asked to join the Mongols because they too were nomads of the steppes. The Mongols found the "disloyalty" abhorrent, surrounded
the Kangli camp, and slaughtered them. Chingis Khan once said, "A man who isonce faithless can never be trusted." Ironically, here the Mongol double-standard
exhibited itself. The Mongols often offered surrender as an option for mercy, or
they would show none to offer an example of their ferocity! See James Cham-25

ace and murdered Kotian and his family. The Cumans, disillusioned, desperate, and furious, exacted revenge upon the
Hungarians by deserting them in their greatest time of need.
They fled to the Balkans, ravaging as they went.
(12 April) The Mongols annihilate the Hungaria army near
the village of Muhi.
John III settles 10,000 Cumans as military colonists inThrace and Anatolia, later mustered for campaigns in
Europe. Other Cumans living in lower Bulgarian plain in
Bulgaria.
1246 Cumans re-enter Hungary and fight with Bela IVagainst Duke Frederick of Austria.
1247 Bela IV cements the Cuman alliance again by arranging the marriage of his eldest son, Stephen V, to the Cuman
Khan's daughter, who received her name "Elizabeth" on her
baptism.
1254 Baptism of Elisabeth's parents in Dominican church of
Buda.
1264-1265 Stephen (as "Younger King") wars with father
Bela IV, who has Cumans on his side.
1278 (26 August) Battle of Durnkrut (Marchfeld); Rudolf
Habsburg of Austria and Ladislas IV of Hungary defeat Ottokar II.
1279 (23 June) Hungary's first Cumanian Law.
(10 August) Decrees of Hungarian Diet at Teteny issued(2nd Cumanian Law).
1280 (?1282) Battle of Lake Hod; Ladislas IV ("the Cuman")forcibly restrains Cumans from leaving Hungary.
24

The Kipchaks
The Medieval world knew them by different names.
The Russians called them "Polovetsy", the Hungarians "Kunok", the Arabs and Persians "Qipchaq" and "Qangli", theMongols "Kimchag", the Germans sometimes "Falven", andmost of the rest of Europe knew them as the "Cumans". The
varied spellings of their names continue seemingly endlessly
to include "Kipchak", "Qifjaq", "Xifjaq", "Kimcha'ud","Quman", "Comani", "Polovtsy", "Skythicon" (what the Byzantines called the Pechenegs or Cumans in their army), andtens more. The popular forms of the Anglicized spellings forthis group of peoples are: "Kipchak/Qipchaq," "Cuman,"and "Kangli."
Why three? The Kipchaks could be delineated into
three main groupings: the main body/whole body can bereferred to as the Kipchaks, while the western [European]branch is usually recorded as Cumans, and the eastern[Asiatic] branch are known as the Kangli.
The Kipchak legacy is the story of the hub of theworld during a tumultuous and monumentally historic time.
Nearly everyone has heard of the Mongols, and nearly half ofmany know of the exploits of the Mamluks of Middle Eastern notoriety, but how many can recite the deeds of the intrepid Kipchaks, even though the Kipchaks were an integral
part of Mongol and Mamluk history? Actually, these tribes
are well known in fables and history in languages other thanEnglish. Hundreds of these foreign works have the Kipchaks
as their subjects.
The Kipchaks first appear in Russian chronicles in1055 C.E. (1), causing additional alarm as they moved into
the area in the wake of the Russian people's ever-increasing
threat from Turkic tribes moving westward. Driven by thedesire for space and autonomy, the Kipchaks spread out andin less than ten years had already waged many battles with
Russian princes and continued to gain vast territories. Kipchaks would be masters of the door to or from Europe, Asia,5

or the Middle East- the southern steppes- for the next 150
years, pillaging and taking captives to be sold to Arab,
Greek, or Italian merchants. Eurasians feared and revered
them. Later, when Mongol expeditions reached lands inhabited by Kipchaks, vendettas and alliances were renewed as a
portion of the confederated Kipchak tribes were Mongolic in
origin, as well as Turkic. Indeed, some of the Kipchaks
sided with the Mongols and became members of their army,
while others resisted the ancient enemy to the point that theMongols repeatedly used fleeing Kipchaks as an excuse toinvade territories! When Mongols took Kipchaks captive, ifthey did not slay them for their insolence, or their distrust ofthem as traitors if they surrendered (2), they were sold intoslavery in the Middle East. Kipchaks comprised a substantial portion of the Mamluk populace (3)! Russian gains,
Mongol defeats, Mamluk fates, all are facets of the historic
Kipchaks.
Part of the appeal of the Kipchak persona is theirabundance of eclectic conditions brought upon by their travels, settled regions, and captivities. One could historicallyplace a Kipchak in any religion: their own tribal beliefs ofShamanism, aspects of Manichaeanism, Nestorian Christianity, Eastern Orthodox, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Islam,even Buddhist, as historical examples exist to verify all thesechoices (4). Moreover, a Kipchak could serve in a Byzantine, Georgian, Hungarian, Kwarizmian, or Russian garrison,or on the flip side could be fighting any of the above. They
could be exchanging blows with the Varangian Guard that
defended the Byzantine Empire. A Teutonic Knight, used ina small part to settle and fortify Hungary, could defend
against Kipchak incursions. The Hungarians even loaned
Kipchaks to German armies (5). An Egyptian or Syrian Sultan may incorporate Kipchak Mamluks into his army. A
Kipchak merchant may reside in Italy, as the Italians who
traded in the Black Sea and Mediterranean had much to dowith Mongol expansion into Europe. In fact, the Kipchak
Khanate Khan, Janibeg, backed by Venetians, seiged Kaffa,

Cumans, Bulgars, Khazars and Alans attempt to ambush
Mongols, accept a Mongol bribe to withdraw, and are consequently attacked and slaughtered.

623

Dominicans send missionaries to Cumans.
1223 (16 June) Kotian Khan and joint Russian army suffer
Mongol defeat at the River Kalka, near the Sea of Azov.
1227 Bortz/Bortch (meaning "debt") khan of the Cumans
west of the Dneiper, has his people baptised as Catholics andswears allegiance to Hungary in Moldavia.
1229 Bishopric of Cumania with seat at Milkov in Moldavia.
1236 Batu and Subedei commence Mongol campaign inWest.
1238 Kotian Khan seeks once and for all sanctuary from theMongols after many defeats at their hands, and at least one
victory, and finds asylum in Hungary.
1239 The Bela IV and the Hungarians welcome the Kipchaks
into Hungary through the Radna Pass with a great ceremony
on Easter Day, 1239. Kotian has agreed to convert his people to Catholicism, and be loyal to Hungary.
1240 Alliance of Baldwin II, Latin Emperor of Constantinople, with Cumans on lower Danube.
1241 (March) The Mongols, having taken Galich, are poised
to strike Hungary. Hungarian resentment had been building
against the Cumans whose large herds destroyed farmland
and nomadic ways conflicted with Hungarian communities.
Bela IV found it necessary to shelter he great Kotian Khanand his family in a royal palace in Pest. A group of German
and Hungarian soldiers, most likely instigated by Duke Frederick Babenberg of Austria, mounted an assault on the pal-against the Cumans.
1122 Pechenegs (pronounced Pawt-zi-noks) are defeated at
the Battle of Eski Zagra. The Cumans subsequently occupty
their lands.
1159 The Ipat'yevskaya Chronicle reports Russians deserting
lands along the middle Dneiper River region due to Polovetsian ravages.
1180 The Polovetsi aid Prince Igor Syvatoslavich and the
Olgovichi against Prince David Rostislavich in Smolensk.
1183 Kievan Grand Prince Svyatoslav (not Igor) captures
Khan Kobyak
1185 (March) Russian Princes Ryurik and Svyatoslav defeat
the Polovetsi on the Khorol River. Igor Svyatoslavich, seeking his own fame a month later, launches his famous, thoughdisastrous, campaign against the Polovetsi. Koncheg Khan
retaliates successfully in Pereiaslavl region.
1185-1187 Revolt against Byzantine rule by Cumandescended Bulgarian "boyars" Peter and Asen, with Bulgar,
Wallachian and Cuman troops; foundation of second Bulgar
state.
1203 Cumans capture Kiev.
1219 Prince Mstislav of Novgorod, with Cuman help from
Kotian Khan, recaptures Galich from Magyars. Start ofChingis Khan's Kwarizmian campaign.
1220 Mongols take Bukhara Samarkand. Kangli garrisonsslaughtered.
1221 King George IV's Cuman cavalry of Georgian Royal
Guards defeated by Mongols; Kotian Khan's force of22

an important Genoese port on the Crimean Peninsula. He
catapulted Plague infested bodies within its walls. Four
ships laden with Kaffa survivors escaped to Italy, only tobring the Black Plague with them and spread it to the rest ofEurope!
How does
one explain exactly
what and who the
Kipchaks
we r e ?
Their ethnogenesis
remains an intense
subject of discussion.
We know of approximately 40 groupingsor tribes that existed
at one time or another, of Turkic, Iranian, or Mongolicethnicity (6). But theheterogeneity does
not stop there. Other
Eurasian tribes andpossibly caucasiantribesliketheJames Chambers, The
Kasogs, Circassians,
Devil's Horsemen.
Teutonic Crimean East Goths, andN e w
Y o r k :Avars could have had participating
Atheneum, 1979, xiv.
members as the Kipchaks migrated
west. The ancestors of the Kipchaks
had their origians in Central Asia, northern fringes of the
steppes east of the Ural Mountains. The Kipchaks originallygrew out of the Kimak tribes, an obscure people that lived inunderground houses and never converted to Islam (7).
The semantics of the of the word root of Kipchak,or Cuman, or Kangli appears, in the analysis of scholars, tobe "yellow”. The "yellow" may be metaphorical, or literal.
Yellow may originally have implied tribal designation, a7name, or it may give a clue to their outward appearance:
whitish, yellow, beige, tan, light-brownish, sandy, blonde.
The light color reference (refering most likely to fair skinand hair) has been noted again and again, with the earliest
German account by Adam of Bremen; and Matthaios ofEdessa referred to them as the "Blonde Ones"(8). The pallid
nomenclature could also refer to the color horses they favored, or the symbolic description of the steppe environment
they came from (9). Either interpretation is equally valid,
and they both may be right depending on the distinct group.
Moreover, the Kipchaks were regarded as handsome people,
their women much desired and married to anxious others(10).
T he Kipchaks
never established a state,
and their formlessness may
have served to prolong
their existence, or hasten
its demise, depending on
one's interpretation. The
twelfth century Jewish
traveler, Petahia of Ratisbon commented that "theyhave no king, only princes
and royal families” (11).
The Kipchaks faced no
grand, prolonged threat thatwould force a cooperative
state- Statue of Cuman woman, accessories hanging from her belt. Theirhood. dress, and hair, is clearly detailed. From Andras Paloczi-Horvath,
Pechenegs, Cumans, Iasians: Steppe People in Medieval Hungary.
Budapest: Corvina/Kultura, 1989, 99.

Byzantium often hesitated to war with the Kipchaks beyond
the Danube, and instead opted to bribe them, as did the Hungarians to the west. The shahs of Kwarizm had more important targets in the islamic lands of Iran and Iraq, but hired

possibly to add insult to injury, had his brother Budjek dispatch him with a sword. (p.71) His death helped to devastate
the Kipchaks' already worsening fate.
Found in Peter B. Golden, "Religion among the Qipchaqs," ([last issue of] 1998): 180-237:
Itlar/It-ogli/Ituk: all derivatives of a descriptive name meaning "dog", "dog-like", or "dog head"- all complimentaryterms.

Timeline
1055 Cuman advance guard at the Dnieper in pursuit ofGhuzz tribe.
1061 Cumans at southern fringe of Russian principalities.
1068 Russian Princes Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, and Vsevolod
beaten by Polovetsians on Al'ta/L'to River.
1071 Cumans at border of Kievan principality.
1078 First Cuman intrusion into the Balkans.
1079 Russian Prince Oleg "Gorislavich"'s brother, Prince
Roman of Tmutarakan, is killed by Polovetsi.
1091 Battle of Mount Levunion; Byzantines and and Cumanallies devastate the Pechenegs. Cuman army invades Hungary and is vanquished by King (St.) Ladislas.
1099 Bonyak Khan's Cumans defeat Hungarian army ofKing Coloman Beauclerc at Przemysl.
1103 Unified Russian forces crush Cumans.
1116 Cumans occupy Sarkel; Prince Yaropolk's campaign

821

Kotony/Kotian/Kuthan/Kutan: leader of the Kipchaks thatsought refuge in Hungary under Bela IV and fell victim tojealous Hungarian nobles.

Found in James Chambers, The Devil's Horsemen. New
York: Atheneum, 1979:
Bachman: After Mongol suprise attacks in 1237 that claimed
outying Kipchak clans, the Kipchaks rallied behind Bachman
Khan, and hid in the forests along the Volga. Mankgu andBudjek eventually surrounded him on an island river, andcaptured him. He refused to kneel before Mankgu and exlaimed, "Do you think I am a camel?" Rather than plead formercy, he requested to die by Mankgu's own hand. Mankgu,

Kipchaks for garrison duty. The Russians posed one of thelarger threats, but by the mid 1100s the lack of princely unity
fragmented with constant internecine wars. It wasn't until
the Mongols that Kipchaks faced a lethal concerted enemy,
and the Mongols consequently ended all likelyhood of a sovereign Kipchak state. They did, however, adopt the tribal
name to designate Juji's and Batu's territory centered at
Saray/Sarai on the lower Volga River, the Kipchak Khanatethe Golden Horde (12)!
Through marital and martial alliances, the Kipchaks
maintained in an ambiguous existence with the Russians,
Byzantines, Georgians, Kwarizmians -- one of war at one
moment and peace at another. The assorted tribes, each under a ruling clan, formed subconfederations under charismatic ruling houses and acted independently of each other,including implementing opposing policies (13). It is important to note that the Kievan Rus grouped the Kipchaks thatthey had direct contact with in two classifications. The socalled "Wild Cuman" tribes had an ongoing tradition of hostility, while the "Non-Wild Polovcian" tribes were morefriendly (14).
The Kipchaks drove many tribes before them, assimilating or dominating tribes such as the Oghuz, Pecheneg(pronounced Pawt-zi-nok) and various Iranian, FinnoUgrian, and Slav nomadic groups. They controled the South
Russian steppes and parts of the northern coast of the BlackSea, and from Wallachia and Moldavia (present day Rumania) raided deep into the Byzantine Empire. To this end,
they occasionally joined forces with the Normans of southern
Italy or the Hungarians who attacked Byzantium from thewest (15). After 1159 C.E., the Kipchaks shifted their centerof influence north to the Dnepr River and raided Russia,
though a portion stayed and settled into a life as Rumanians
with the Vlachs. Kipchaks in Byzantium south of the Danube eventually served as garrisons and then as a fief or"pronoia" holding military aristocracy (16).
A Kipchak could make a living as a warrior in many
ways. One could quest and conquer with the tribe and keep20

9Found in Andras Paloczi-Horvath, Pechenegs, Cumans,
Iasians: Steppe People in Medieval Hungary. Budapest:
Corvina/Kultura, 1989:
Alpra/Al-bura: meaning "tawny-colored camel", supreme
Cuman commander 1260s and 70s, Cuman leader who in1273 King Charles of Sicily admonishes to stay loyal to the
Hungarian crown after the death of King Stephen. (p. 91)
Zeyhan/Zehanus: possible murderer of Ladislas IV. (pg. 54)
Arbuz: meaning "watermelon", possible murderer of Ladislas
IV. (p. 55)
Turtel/Tort-oyul: meaning "five sons" possible murderer of
Ladislas IV. (p. 55)
Kemenche/Kamanche: meaning "little bow" possible murderer of Ladislas IV. (p. 55)
Menk/Manj: meaning "birthmark", led Bela IV's troops in
1264 against Bela's own son, Duke Stephen. (p. 55)
Uzur: a member of the Great Council at Teteny which settled
the provisions of the law of 1279 regarding Cuman settlement. (p. 55)
Tolon/Tolun: meaning "full moon", a member of the GreatCouncil at Teteny which settled the provisions of the law of1279 regarding Cuman settlement. (p. 55)

the spoils. Another option could be to hire hisself or herself
out as a mercenary in exchange for the promise of loot. Or,
as many Kipchaks did, one could serve as a member of agarrison. Unfortunately, too many Kipchak warriors that
settled into a garrison forgot their light cavalry skills andbecame poor infantry. The Mongols took full advantage ofthis when it slaughtered the Kipchak garrison at Samarkand
in 1220 (17). Kipchak women could fight alongside theirmale counterparts (18).
Kipchaks fought largely as light cavalry, although
in the late 11-early 12th century they fielded heavy cavalry.
The Kipchak weapons of choice were a recurve and latercomposite bow (worn at their hip with the quiver), javelin,and curved sabre (not having as pronounced a curve as ascimitar). The heavy cavalry may have been equipped withthe above items, and/or additionally a mace, a round or almond shaped shield, and a heavy spear for lancing. European contact had its influence as well: later period Kipchaks
have been known to wield battle-axes and war hammers.
Cuman chain mail found at Csolyos. Notice the alternating rows of butted and riveted mail. From Andras Paloczi-Horvath, Pechenegs, Cumans, Iasians: Steppe People inMedieval Hungary. Budapest: Corvina/Kultura, 1989,

The Kipchak horseman used stirrups, commonly oval shaped, and utilized a large bridle
and a bit for the horse. A small whip, often
attached to the wrist, was

The Cuman mounted archer shown shooting to the rear, a revered skill. It is depicted in a wall painting in Szepesmindszent (Bijacovce, Czechoslovakia)
telling the Legend of St. Ladislas. He is
wearing a pointed felt cap over a chain
mail coif and a long caftan with embroidered hems that fasten at the side; at his
belt is strapped a lidded quiver. From
Andras Paloczi-Horvath, Pechenegs,
Cumans, Iasians: Steppe People in Medieval Hungary. Budapest: Corvina/Kultura,10

see page 102).
Kopti: chieftain, took Vladimir
Eldechyuk: chieftain, took Svyatoslav of Rilsk
Kobyaka: chieftain, Igor once held an alliance with him
Toksobich & Kolobich & Etebich & Tetrobich: Russian
versions of Kipchak chieftains captured in battle, may be
any of the above forementioned or other individuals entirely (see page 105). The Kipchak base name would most
likely be the equivalent of: Toks(o), Kolo, Ete, Tetr(o).
Lavor/Ovlur/Vlur: possibly a kinsman, aided Igor in his
escapeSharokan/Sharohan/Sharukan: (Kipchak base name Sharu/
Sharo) chieftain, Konchak's grandfather who had been defeated by the Russians in a great battle on the Sula River in
1107. Called "the Old" by Russians.
Asalup: his daughter married Igor's grandfather, Oleg
Girgen: his granddaughter was Igor's stepmother.
The following name can be found in: Robert C. Howes,
The Tale of the Campaign of Igor. New York: WW Norton and Co, Inc., 1973:
Bonyak/Bonyek/Bongek: chieftain, time of Sharukan.
Called "the Mangy" by Russians. (see page 2)
Toglyy: cheiftain, time of Igor's imprisonment. (see page8)
The following names can be found in: Peter Golden, An
Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1992, 279.
Etrek/Otrok: son of Sharokan/Sharohan/Sharukan
Sirchan: son of Sharokan/Sharohan/Sharukan
Eltut: brother to Konchak/Konchek
Yurgi: occidental name of Konchak/Konchek's son, diedagainst the Mongols at the Battle of Kalka
Sevench: son of Bonyak/Bonyek/Bongek
The following name can be found just about anywhere:19

guages and alphabets, a plethora of Kipchak name spellings exist. All of the following name versions are documentable and correct, depending on preference- somebeing more common than others. Kipchak names aredescriptive. They can represent a personal trait, an idea,a social station.
The following names can be found in: Vladimir
Nabokov, Song of Igor's Campaign. New York: Vintage
Books, 1960:
Konchak/Konchek/Kumcheg: meaning "trousers", a chieftain, daughter married Igor's son Prince Vladimir of
PutivlChilbuk: chieftain, took Igor of Novgorod-Seversk
Roman (most likely not a Kipchak name/occidental): sonof Kza, chieftain, took Vsevolod of Kursk
Gzak/Gza/Kza/Koza: chieftain, father of Roman

18

another essential part of a horseman's accessories. Turkic
chiefs were known to wield the symbolic mace with a head
shaped like that of a bull, it is quite possible Kipchaks shared this tradition (19). An established
Turkic warrior could wear a sword belt completewith pendant straps, a mark of military aristocracy(20). Banners could be cloth with tribal emblems,and could be made of dyed horse hair- the moretails, the more established the warrior or group.
Western heraldry did have an influence as Kipchaks moved west, and eventually war- A Cuman snaffle bit andriors displayed hybridized European- a pair of oval stirrups
Kipchak heraldry.
from Kunszentmarton.
Kipchak armor consisted of From Andras PalocziPechenegs,
either a short sleeved, chain mail hau- Horvath,
Cumans, Iasians: Steppe
berk of commonly alternating butted People in Medieval
and riveted rows, iron or leather lamel- Hungary.
Budapest:lar, or leather Corvina/Kultura, 1989,
Examples of Kipchakarms and armor in S.A. cuirass complete,
Pletneva, Polovtsy. or a combination of these, complete
Moscow: Nauka, 1990, with shoulder spaulders; a conical ironhelm with detachable
bronze anthropomorphic
face plate, and sometimes
a chain or leather camailsuspended from the helm.
The favored Kipchak battle tactic wasrepeated charges by cavalry archers, a feigned
retreat, and lastly a skillfull ambush. In supportof this end, they maintained large numbers ofhorses to refresh fatigued
ones. The Kipchaks traveled largely with wagons
as well, not only to carry11their supplies and lodgings, but to transport their sophisticated mangonels, ballistas, and incendiary weapons used to
wreak havoc on fortifications. The wagon had four large
wheels. Wooden laths made up the frame of their light felt
tent that could sat atop the wagon and could easily be placedon the ground. The Kipchaks "grilled" the windows of theirtents, making it easy to see out, but hard to see in (21). The
Kipchaks constructed forts of their own for defense and settlement as they became more sedentary. Occasionally accompanying Balkan Kipchaks were Vlach tribesman mostly
used as infantry.
Male garb and female garb were similar in Kipchak
culture, but not the same. According to the crusader Robertde Clari, the ordinary tribesmen dressed in sheepskins (22).
Many did. In fact, the shirt of choice was actually a long,
sleeveless vest of sheepskin, hair side out, worn in conjunction usually with bracers. An under tunic, or tabard, withshort or long sleeves,extending to the mid
calf, and split only infront and back between the legs- horseman style, could beworn in conjunction
with the vest, or either article alone.
Although easily themost common, Kipchak men did not
Examples of Kipchak wagons,
wear this style of tabard exclu- with detachable tent tops thatsively. Men wore conical felt could additionally be set up on theor leather hats, pointy or ground. From S.A. Pletneva,
Moscow: Nauka, 1990,
rounded at the top with fur trim Polovtsy.
66.
around the base if leather, or abroad brim if felt. This broad brim helped to distinguish
Kipchaks because it was upturned on the sides and rear, andpointy in the front. Men sported long hair and pronounced
moustaches, and could wear their hair loose or braided, down
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The Turkish system of geographic referents is colored: black=north, white=west, blue=east, red=south(30).
When firewood could not be had, Kipchaks useddung for fires.
When stationary and not traveling, the Kipchaks
would loose their horses, oxen, and camels without
sheppards or guards, as strict laws/taboos against
thievary existed in their culture.
Their diet could consist of a type of soup with millet,
any meat they had cut up in pieces and added. Theyeat this alongside curdled milk (cottage cheese).
Bread and other solid foods could be rare dependingon locale.
For drink, one could imbibe"qumizz" (curdled mare's milk) or "buza" (beer).
Horses were their livelihood, and they maintained
them by the thousands.
They showed a remarkable respect for their women,
serving them and letting them have the leisure of
riding on horse or wagon while the men may walk.
Purple, actually a deep crimson very similar to purple, is period for Kipchak decoration.

Names
Due
t o
t h e
numberso fculturesthat
madementionof the Cuman burial in the Donets region complete with K i p and horse trappings. From Andras Paloczichaks quiverin aHorvath, Pechenegs, Cumans, Iasians: Steppe People
v a r i - in Medieval Hungary. Budapest: Corvina/Kultura, ety ofl a n - 1989, 102.
17

is entirely possible that the Kipchaks' fighting style and nearcommon origins posed a threat to the Mongols. Ancient animosity had a part to play as well. The Kipchaks had provided sanctuary for Merkit and other refugees, victims of
Chingis Khan's wars in his rise to Mongolian power. Harboring "slaves" as steppe cultures referred to their vanquished who fled them, was an affront to the Mongols. The
Kipchaks themselves had used the same language earlier
when addressing the Byzantines regarding their harboring ofbeaten Avars.
After the Mongol conquest, Kipchak culture began
to adopt (forcibly or willingly) more Mongol and other customs from exterior influences wherever they happened tosettle. Mongol words, foods, even clothing dominated portions of the Kipchak populace in the Golden Horde. Thankfully, manuscripts would survive that would preserve for
future generations the history and language of the Kipchaks.
Two of the more notable being the Russian Epic of "TheSong/Lay of Igor's Campaign", the tale of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich's disastrous campaign against the Cumans in 1185;
and the "Codex Cumanicus", a Cuman dictionary comprisedby different authors in the early 1300s with Italian, German,
and Persian translations including riddles (28). Treatment
will not be given these two works due to the extensive commentary possible, save to say they serve as excellent sources.
Kipchaks would change, and time would go on, but the factthat Kipchaks made a dramatic impact on world eventswould never change. It is even contemplated by scholarsthat the Mongol retreat from Europe was not to elect a new
Khan, but to chase the fleeing Kipchaks to the Balkans (29).
One can still find remnants of these proud people in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, where people continue to have
Kipchak tribal names and speak modern versions of the Kipchak tongue, but this too is in jeapordy. Alas, that is a modern story . . .

Kip“facts”
16

their back. A tradition of braiding coloredribbon into their hair existed for both men
and women. For both men and women,boots, either felt or leather were tall, running the majority of the leg, with support
straps connecting to a belt. Additionally,
Cuman decorative but- a m o n g Cuman armlets from Balotaton from Bodoglar- men
and puszta. From Andras Paloczipuszta in Andras Paloczi w o m e n , Horvath, Pechenegs, Cumans,-Horvath, Pechenegs,
Iasians: Steppe People in MedieCumans,
Ia s i a n s : decorative val Hungary. Budapest: Corvina/r m Kultura, 1989, pl. 41.
Steppe People in Medie- a
val Hungary. Budapest: b a n d s ,Corvina/Kultura, 1989, e i t h e r
c l o t h(sewn on) or metal, were popular.
Women wore pants aswell, and sometimes dresses. The female tunic was shorter
than the mens, and sometimes split in four along the legfront and back, and the two sides. Females commonly
donned stout, conical felt hats, flat on top, with a cloth veil
extending down their back. This veil did
Rosette and hemispherical Cuman not cover their hair, face, or neck (excluding
dress mounts from the back). Hair could be worn in braids
B a l o t a p u s z t a . twisted into buns at the side of the head orFrom
An d r a s
descending down the back.
Paloczi-Horvath,
Tribes or clans could be designatedPechenegs,
Cumans, Iasians: by a name of an animal or object, by the
Steppe People in person who led them, or even by the person
Medieval Hunleading them adopting the name of the tribe.
gary.
Budapest:
Corvina/Kultura, For example, the "Altunopa" clan or tribe
1989, pl. 47.
(unknown distinction),has the word roots"Altun (< Turk. gold)"and "-opa/-oba (< Turk.
extended family, camping unit, tribe)." The
name of the "gold" clan,
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and many times its leader, would be called "Altunopa."
The rule can be applied to any household or group. Simply
add -opa/-oba to any Turkic noun. Additionally, the leader
could have -apa/-aba instead of -opa/-oba which would
denote him as the senior ancestor or military chief (23).
The family structure of the Kipchaks is as follows:a "beg" or "bey" was the head of the family, or nobility, aExamples of jewelry in S.A. Pletneva,
Polovtsy. Moscow: Nauka, 1990, 125.

14

man in charge, etc.; fami-lies formed a "horde" or "clan" led by a "sultan"; and many
hordes formed to create a tribe, or a number of tribes, ruledby a "Khan". Feudalism would eventually usurp the traditional social structure, changing tribal identity from kinshipto territory-based, and some Kipchaks did settle into sedentary lives, attracted by agriculture, and making money atcrafts such as iron and leather working, archery items, andsaddle making. A few Kipchaks as merchants followed theancient trade routes from their towns to the Middle East, theOrient, even to Italy.
Religion among the Kipchaks is no easy analysis.
Their traditional religion seems to be shamanistic and totemic, recognizing animal spirits and ancestors. The Cumans
called their shamans "Kam" (24). Kipchaks, being tribal,
continued to recognize the importance of family, of ancestors, of the first people, the original "Great King" that all
died and had lived well would see. Funerals for great persons involved building a mound, placing the deceased inside,often with a horse, sometimes a servant or slave, and otheruseful items for the afterlife. The Kipchaks held the dog "It/Kopec (<Turkic dog)" as sacred. So sacred in fact, that aperson, a clan, or a tribe would take on the name of the dog,or type of dog. Oaths were sworn with swords in hand thattouched the carcass of a dog cleaved in two (25). They respected the wolf, "bori (<Turkic wolf)", immensely, the resourceful, ferocious, steppe predator, and at times would
howl along with them to commune (26). The Khans' personal bodyguard were referred to as "bori". Allies, brothers,
family, could implement blood bonds (the mixing or drinking of each others blood to symbolically cement a bond)(27).
The Kipchaks inevitably fell prey to other conquerers, some of most skillfull warriors that the world had everknown- the Mongols. The Kipchaks tried in vain to resist
them, fighting them steppe by steppe (pun intended) as the
Mongols advanced westward from Samarkand. The Mongols slaughtered them in their wake most treacherously as
they seemingly targeted the Kipchaks on every occasion. It
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