khanate · Central Asia and the Steppe
Western Chagatai Khanate
Origins
The Chagatai Khanate split in the 1340s. In the west, the Qara'unas amir Qazaghan defeated and killed Khan Qazan in 1346 or 1347, after which Transoxiana was governed by amirs who set up puppet khans of Chagatai or Ögedei descent, while the east became Moghulistan.
Rule and society
Real power lay with the Turkic and Mongol tribal amirs of the Barlas, Jalayir, Arlat and Qara'unas, who had settled among the towns of Transoxiana and adopted Islam. Qazaghan ruled as amir until his murder in 1358, after which rival amirs fought for control. The region was invaded twice by Tughlugh Timur of Moghulistan, in 1360 and 1361.
Decline and legacy
Out of these struggles rose Timur of the Barlas, first allied with and then against Amir Husayn, Qazaghan's grandson. In 1370 Timur defeated Husayn at Balkh and took power, ruling through a puppet Chagatai khan and founding the Timurid Empire.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Qara'unas was part of Western Chagatai Khanate1347 CE – 1370 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Western Chagatai Khanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/western-chagatai-khanate
- MLA
- “Western Chagatai Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/western-chagatai-khanate. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Western Chagatai Khanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/western-chagatai-khanate.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Western Chagatai Khanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/western-chagatai-khanate (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻