The Role of the Qara'unas Group in Political and Military Interactions with the Timurid Government

Abstract One of the groups present in the Timurid era was the Qara'unas. Before the Timurids, they played a major role in the political life of Chagatai Ulus, because of their courage and bravery. But, the important thing was that despite the group's inherent importance as a force in the military sphere and militarism, they were less appreciated in other areas. This study, using the primary and research sources and relying on the descriptive-analytical method and looking again at the events related to this group in the Timurid period, attempted to explain the role of Qara'unas in the political and military equations of Chagatai Ulus and examine the reason behind Timurid's special treatment towards this group. The main question of this research is: why did the political and military prestige of Qara'unas gradually decrease in the Timurid era? The findings showed that Timurids, taking into account the historical experience of the Mongols, the opposition and conflict of Qara'unas at the beginning of the government with the Timurids and the intentional or unintentional negligence of this group in some missions assigned to them by the Timurids, had considered an insignificant role for Qara'unas in the political life of Chagatai Ulus. Introduction By examining the historical sources of the Timurid period, in addition to getting acquainted with the political system that governs Chaghatai Ulus, one can also understand the role of the forces present in this ulus. The role played by the groups in Chaghatai Ulus is unpredictable. The Qarau'nas group was one of the groups that made a name for themselves at important historical moments in the region. Due to its proximity to other groups present in the territory of the Chaghatai’s, this group became acquainted with the political system of this land and used it. Chaghatai Ulus' political system has always been based on unstable alliances. With a more competitive rival than the current government claims, tribal leaders easily violated the pact and turned to someone who felt more powerful. According to historical sources, the Qarau'nas were warriors, brave and ruthless, whose characteristics made government claimants constantly strive to unite with such forces. Alliance with such a militant group was a haven for any claimant to the government. All of these factors also contributed to the fact that Qarau'nas played an important and prominent role in the political life of the Chaghatai and deserved independent research. Th