The War of Succession
Kadim Aralbai's sudden departure left the horde in a state of turmoil. He had not named a successor nor were there any obvious heirs. Several candidates emerged. Sayyid who had the support of many of the northern lords, from Karelia to Ufa, due to his aggressive views on Muscovy. The second was Borrokit whose popularity amongst a wide range of groups stemmed from his hardline on the uzbeks. Sayyid looked to have the upper hand due to his large base of support and was close to marching upon Astrakhan to seize the throne when the third contender Jagala, a general, emerged.
Jagala's bid for the throne was supported by most of the southern armies. This gave him extensive power and a wealth of confidence. He knew he had a serious chance at seizing power.
The areas of support for each prospective Khan as of May 1632
Jagala was wift to act. He gathered his armies and headed north into Sibir where Borrokit was based. Borrokit's supporters were vastly outnumbered and lacked the determination of Jagala. The two sides met in Jalutovorsk in what became the first battle of the War of Succession. The battle was swift. Jagala's men cut down all of Borrokit's supporters in a matter of hours and Borrokit himself was killed as he tried to flee.
The battle of Jalutovorsk
Borrokit's cause crumbled quickly with his death leaving Sayyid and Jagala to battle it out to become Khan.
For some months the two rivals for Khan consolidated their support. Neither wishing to move on Astrakhan immediately for fear of the other cutting them off from their support bases and eliminating them.
The War of Succession in August 1632
The War of Succession in December 1632
As 1633 began both rivals marched on Astrakhan. Sayyid reached the capital first thoguh and quickly had himself crowned Khan. Jagala of course denounced Sayyid as an illegitimate but halted his advance to ponder his next move.
The War of Succession following Sayyid's seizure of the throne
Sayyid gathered most of his army in Astrakhan to repel the attack he thought would come. Jagala though was smarter than that and made a swift move to cut off Sayyid from his support by means of a quick campaign north.
The War of Succession in March 1633
The campaign was highly successful and within a month Sayyid in Astrakhan was completely isolated from any home support.
This caused a great unrest amongst Sayyid's men who now slept uneasy ever fearful of the attack that could come at any time and from any direction.
Jagala laid siege to the city in May of 1633. He brought with him cannons, a rarity in the Horde's army as they were considered nothing more than lumbering tools that achieved nothing more than a slower march.
Their effect though in the siege of Astrakhan was devastating. Perhaps more so to the morale of the defenders, who had no idea what to do, than to the walls themselves.
Within two months a gap in the walls had been made and Jagala's men, experienced in this kind of warfare, poured through to slaughter every last man of Sayyid's army. Sayyid himself was caught alive and formally stripped of his title and forced to kiss Jagala's shoes. He was then given a sentence worse than death. He was set afloat on the Caspian in a boat.
Jagala now crowned himself Khan. A move than none openly opposed now. But the war had left deep divisions amongst the people of Horde. Particularly in the north where resentment at their defeat would run for a long time to come.