Otrok
Encyclopedia
Otrok was an early eleventh-century Kipchak
chieftain (khan
) who was involved in the wars with Kievan Rus'
, and later served to the king of Georgia
. He came of the Sharukanids, one the ruling houses of the Kipchak tribal confederation known to the Rus'
as "Wild Cumans
".
Otrok, known in Georgia as Atraka, son of Sharagan (i.e., Sharukan), after the victories of the Rus' Grand Prince
Vladimir II Monomakh
in 1109, fled to Georgia with some 40,000 followers, received baptism and entered the service of the Georgian king David IV of Georgia
(c. 1118). The Georgian-Kipchak alliance was further cemented by David's marriage to the khan’s daughter who received the name Gurandukht (we don't know her original Turkic name). Otrok’s Kipchaks helped David against the Seljuk Turks and contributed to the Georgian victory at Didgori
in 1121.
A passage in the East Slavic
chronicle Hypatian Codex
relates that after the death of Vladimir Monomakh (1125), an envoy (the bard Ör) arrived from Otrok's brother Sırchan, who lived in the Don
, urging him to return. Ör’s urges and songs were without effect until he produced some yawshan, the grass of his native steppe
. With this, Otrok tearfully decided to give up the security and fame he had won in "a foreign land", and returned to the steppe where he fathered Könchek, eventually one of the most famous foes of the princes of Kiev (not to be confused with the 14th-century Chagatai
khan Könchek
).
Kipchaks
Kipchaks were a Turkic tribal confederation...
chieftain (khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
) who was involved in the wars with Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
, and later served to the king of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. He came of the Sharukanids, one the ruling houses of the Kipchak tribal confederation known to the Rus'
Rus' (people)
The Rus' were a group of Varangians . According to the Primary Chronicle of Rus, compiled in about 1113 AD, the Rus had relocated from the Baltic region , first to Northeastern Europe, creating an early polity which finally came under the leadership of Rurik...
as "Wild Cumans
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
".
Otrok, known in Georgia as Atraka, son of Sharagan (i.e., Sharukan), after the victories of the Rus' Grand Prince
Grand Prince
The title grand prince or great prince ranked in honour below emperor and tsar and above a sovereign prince .Grand duke is the usual and established, though not literal, translation of these terms in English and Romance languages, which do not normally use separate words for a "prince" who reigns...
Vladimir II Monomakh
Vladimir II Monomakh
Vladimir II Monomakh |Basileios]]) was a Velikiy Kniaz of Kievan Rus'.- Family :He was the son of Vsevolod I and Anastasia of Byzantium Vladimir II Monomakh |Basileios]]) (1053 – May 19, 1125) was a Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kievan Rus'.- Family :He was the son of Vsevolod I (married in...
in 1109, fled to Georgia with some 40,000 followers, received baptism and entered the service of the Georgian king David IV of Georgia
David IV of Georgia
David IV "the Builder", also known as David II , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Georgia from 1089 until his death in 1125....
(c. 1118). The Georgian-Kipchak alliance was further cemented by David's marriage to the khan’s daughter who received the name Gurandukht (we don't know her original Turkic name). Otrok’s Kipchaks helped David against the Seljuk Turks and contributed to the Georgian victory at Didgori
Battle of Didgori
The Battle of Didgori was fought between the armies of the Kingdom of Georgia and the crumbling Great Seljuq Empire at the place of Didgori, 40 km west of Tbilisi, the modern-day capital of Georgia, on August 12, 1121...
in 1121.
A passage in the East Slavic
East Slavic languages
The East Slavic languages constitute one of three regional subgroups of Slavic languages, currently spoken in Eastern Europe. It is the group with the largest numbers of speakers, far out-numbering the Western and Southern Slavic groups. Current East Slavic languages are Belarusian, Russian,...
chronicle Hypatian Codex
Hypatian Codex
The Hypatian Codex is a compendium of three chronicles: the Primary Chronicle, Kiev Chronicle, and Galician-Volhynian Chronicle. It is the most important source of historical data for southern Rus'...
relates that after the death of Vladimir Monomakh (1125), an envoy (the bard Ör) arrived from Otrok's brother Sırchan, who lived in the Don
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
, urging him to return. Ör’s urges and songs were without effect until he produced some yawshan, the grass of his native steppe
Eurasian Steppe
The Eurasian Steppe is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Biome. It stretches from Hungary to Mongolia...
. With this, Otrok tearfully decided to give up the security and fame he had won in "a foreign land", and returned to the steppe where he fathered Könchek, eventually one of the most famous foes of the princes of Kiev (not to be confused with the 14th-century Chagatai
Chagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate was a Turko-Mongol khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan , second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors...
khan Könchek
Könchek
Könchek was Khan of the Chagatai Khanate . He was the son of Duwa.Upon his father's death, Könchek became Khan. His reign only lasted a year, before his death in 1308....
).