Above: a 16th century Chinese image of Subutai
SUBUTAI BA'ATAR: FACT AND MYTH
By far the most famous of Mongol generals, second only to great Chinggis Khan himself, Subutai Ba’atar (Ba’atar meaning ‘hero, brave, valiant, knight’ depending on translation and context) is often listed among the well known generals of history. Fighting and leading campaigns across Eurasia -China, Mongolia, Khwarezm, Iran, the Caucasus, the great steppe, Russia and Hungary- few generals in history can match his credentials.
Yet, the fact remains: we don’t know very much about him. There are a few reasons for this, one being that while his battles and campaigns are often noted in the sources, they generally reveal little about the man behind them, other than broad mentions of loyalty and courage. Secondly, the most detailed accounts of him, the biographies in the Ming era Yuan Shih (“History of Yuan [Dynasty]”- it was popular for Chinese dynasties to write an official history of their predecessor, though unfortunately the Yuan Shi is often noted for its poor quality compared to other dynastic histories) have been inaccessible to scholars. Historian Stephen Pow kindly provided me with translations of Subutai’s two biographies in the Yuan Shih from his article with Jingjing Liao, “Subutai: Sorting Fact from Fiction Surrounding the Mongol Empire’s Greatest General (With Translations of Subutai’s Two Biographies in the Yuan Shi).”
In addition to these translations, Pow also notes some common misconceptions about Subutai, which I will share below.
NAME: Not so much a misconception, but while Subutai is the most popular english transliteration of his name, it is not necessarily the most accurate. Suebe’etei perhaps better reflects it in Mongolian, while Subutai is based off the most common Chinese transcription. There are numerous, numerous transliterations, so I stick to Subutai for convenience.
TRIBAL ORIGINS AND FAMILY: It is popular to say that Subutai was of the Uriyangqai, a tribe inhabiting the forests north of Mongolia proper, famous for reindeer herding. The irony of the Mongols’ great general not even being a Mongol (not even growing up around horses!) may have popularized this. However, the Yuanshi biographies clearly state that Subutai was of the Uriyangqat. You may wonder what the significance is, but the Uriyangqat were actually closely related to Chinggis Khan’s own tribe, living in close proximity to them and most definitely living with horses instead of reindeer. The biographies further evidence this, as they note that one of Subutai’s ancestors befriended Chinggis Khan’s great-great-grandfather Tumbinai Sechen.
1.Nerbi (who met Tumbinai)
2.Boqutu
3.Qachi’un
4.Qaban
5. a) Qurghun (or Cha’urqan) b)Subutai
The Secret History of the Mongols has a tendency to refer to younger cousins as younger brothers poetically, so Jelme, son of Jarchi’udai the blacksmith, was not Subutai’s brother but an older cousin. The elder brother Subutai did have, Qurghun (or Cha’urqan in the Secret History, possibly two individuals as well) is strongly implied to have died around 1204 against the Naiman tribe. After his death, Subutai inherited his position (commander of 100 men) beginning his military career in earnest.
We are further supplied his date of birth (1176) and death (1248), making him a ripe 72 years old at his death! Meaning he defeated the Hungarians at Mohi at 65 years of age!
WEIGHT AND THE IRON CARTS: A popular internet myth (which I’ve seen in some popular historical works as well) is that in old age Subutai was so fat that he had to be carried around in a cart specifically designed with iron wheels to bear his weight. The sources have no evidence for such a thing at all, but there are some possibilities for its origin:
The Secret History of the Mongols has a well known anecdote wherein Subutai is being sent on campaign, and carts with iron shod wheels are mentioned.
The Ilkhanid vizier and historian Rashid al-Din has two anecdotes where a grandson of Batu’s brother Orda (named Qonichi) was so fat he needed to be moved in a cart, and also a Uriyangqat who was so fat he also needed to be moved in a cart. Somewhere along the line perhaps, someone who had seen those anecdotes, remembered Uriyangqat, saw Subutai and iron cart in a sentence and assumed “ah, he must have been grossly corpulent!” The irony of history’s great cavalry commander being unable to mount a horse must also have encouraged the story.
Frankly, a life of hard living on horseback, riding across Eurasia and surviving off of camp foods and hunting doesn’t lend itself well to becoming hugely fat.
WAS SUBUTAI UNDEFEATED IN BATTLE? This is often seen alongside his name, as an undefeated commander. First off, Subutai was by any means a phenomenal general, certainly among history’s greatest. While not to say the reality was mixed, there were actually a few (relatively minor) defeats recorded.
After the battle on the Kalka River in 1223, while returning east, a part (or the whole) of Subutai’s forces were attacked by Volga Bulghars, and defeated. There is a lot of controversy to this battle though, and few details survive except from authors like ibn al-Athir, authors who despised the Mongols and would have been happy to report, and exaggerate, a Muslim victory over the Mongols. In comparison, Mongolian and 'pro-Mongol' writers (i.e writers who worked for the Mongols) do not mention this defeat at all (Juvaini, for example, doesn't describe anything beyond their incursion into Georgia).
In 1230, Subutai ‘botched’ an attempt to relieve Mongol troops from Jin Dynasty forces, and in 1231 was defeated in battle by them, likely the final victory of the once mighty Jin Dynasty. Ogedai Khan was furious, and Subutai nearly lost his position except for the intervention of Tolui. While Subutai was briefly relieved of command, he was soon reinstated and commanded crushing defeats over the Jin, allowing for the final defeat of the Jin in 1234. For more on these episodes, see Atwood, "Pu'a's Boast and Doqolqu's Death: Historiography of a Hidden Scandal in the Mongol Conquest of the Jin," (2015).
Even in his most famous victory, the annihilation of the Hungarian army at Mohi in 1241, there is some controversy recorded in the sources. While Batu Khan engaged the enemy on a bridge over the Sajo river, Subutai was trying to build another crossing further downstream to flank the Hungarians. While ultimately successful, it had complications and did not go quickly, causing Batu to take unnecessary casualties. Afterwards, Batu was supposedly quite furious with Subutai.
Now, none of these really diminish Subutai’s place as one of history’s greatest generals, but it does paint a more realistic picture of his career. A few minor defeats with no lasting strategic consequences would be nothing to be ashamed of in a career like his.
For now, I leave you with this exchange, between the captured Jin Dynasty general Heda and Subutai (from 1233 I believe?) recorded in one of the Yuan shi biographies.
“When Heda, the general of Jin, was captured, he preferred to die rather than surrender. Yet, he asked where [Subutai] was, saying that he wanted to meet him. [Subutai] came to meet him, saying, “You will die momentarily. Why do you want to meet me?” Heda replied, “Each of us vassals worked for our respective masters. You are braver than other generals, and by nature you are a hero. Could that all really just be random chance? I have met you and now I shall die in peace.”
All information from Stephen Pow and Jingjing Liao, “Subutai: Sorting Fact from Fiction Surrounding the Mongol Empire’s Greatest General (With Translations of Subutai’s Two Biographies in the Yuan Shi).” Journal of Chinese Military History 7 (2018): 37-76.
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