Incorporation of the western uluses of the Golden Horde into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th–15th centuries (political, geographical, socio-economic and demographic aspects)

Abstract

This article analyses Turkic people in Lithuanian state. The history of relations between the peoples of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) and people of the steppe is in many ways a unique phenomenon. This uniqueness consists of two components: the GDL had a great impact on the Golden Horde, and the big part of the steppe (European part) people due to migration settled in the GDL. The article reveals two demographic processes. First, defeated part of nomads sought the protection in the GDL. The best example is khan Toktamysh. Second, the GDL annexed territories of the Golden Horde with Turkic inhabitants. This process could be illustrated by the example of “Simeon’s people” – Tatar group of the “Samara–Orelja” ulus, which was incorporated into the GDL by Simeon the prince of Kyiv in 1455.