The
Chagatai Khanate was a
Mongol, and later linguistically
Turkicized,
[1] khanate that comprised the lands ruled by
Chagatai Khan (alternative spellings
Chagata,
Chugta,
Chagta,
Djagatai,
Jagatai,
Chaghtai), second son of the
Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors. Initially it was considered a part of the
Mongol Empire, but it later became fully independent.
At its height in the late 13th century, the Khanate extended from the Amu Darya south of the Aral Sea to the Altai Mountains in the border of modern day Mongolia and China.[2]
The khanate lasted in one form or another from 1220s until the late 17th century, although the western half of the khanate was lost to Tamerlane in the 1360s. The eastern half remained under Chagatai khans who were, at times, allied or at war with Timur's successors. Finally, in the 17th century, the remaining Chagatai domains fell under the theocratic regime of Apaq Khoja and his descendants, the Khojijans, who ruled East Turkestan under Dzungar and Manchu overlordships consecutively.
Its name means "Chagatai Country/Nation" in the Mongolian language.
