Jochi
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Jochi or Jöchi (c. 1185-1227), was the first son of Genghis Khan's wife Börte. The wording there is important; shortly after the marriage, Börte had been abducted by the members of the Merkit tribe. She was recovered, but shortly after her recovery, gave birth to Jöchi. Officially, Genghis treated Jochi as his first son, but the unspoken doubt as to his paternity would prevent he and his descendants from playing a major role in ruling the empire.
He played an important role in the campaigns of his "father" up until the early 1220s. After the campaign against the Khwarezmid Empire, however, he retired to his lands in the Siberian steppe, where he was ordered to suppress the native tribes and assist the raid of Jebe and Subedei. He was tardy, however, and only arrived with reinforcement after the raid was over. He did nothing to expand his domains in the west, possibly sulking, though he maintained correct formal relations with his father. The choice of the third son Ögedei as successor was common knowledge; this is a plausible explanation for his withdrawal from court life and a possible reason for anger against Genghis.
In any event, though nothing is particularly clear, the histories give hints of plots against Genghis, and of Genghis pondering a pre-emptive strike in return. This all came to naught, when Jochi died in early 1227, about six months before Genghis himself.
Jochi's inheritance was divided among his sons Orda and Batu, who founded the White Horde and the Blue Horde, respectively, and would later combine their territories into the Kipchak Khanate or Golden Horde.
See Also
de:Jochi Khan ja:ジョチ zh:术赤
