Political relations between the Polish-Lithuanian state and the Golden Horde in the second half of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century

Abstract

This article gives a brief analysis of the political relationship between the Polish-Lithuanian state and the Golden Horde in the second half of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. During the military conflict between Emir Timur and Tokhtamysh, the asylum was granted by Vytautas Prince of Lithuania to the Tatar troops and their families from the Golden Horde. Part of them received land and settled near Trakai. The village “Forty Tatars” soon became a centre of the formation of special military troops of Tatar cavalry. The relationship with the Golden Horde during the 150 years was an important factor of internal political situation in Polish-Lithuanian state, and also played an important role in diplomatic, trade and ethno-cultural ties. Despite the weakening power of the khans in Saray in the second half of the 14th century, Tatar merchants continued to be intermediates in the international trading between the Hanseatic cities and Orient until the collapse of the Hanseatic League in the second half of the 17th century.