Orda Ichen was a Mongol Khan and military strategist who ruled during the 13th century.

Orda Ichen ( c. 1204-1280 A.D.) is credited for founding the White Horde, he was the eldest son of Jochi and the first grandson of Genghis Khan. At the death of his father and grandfather, Orda Khan inherited the Eastern portions of his father’s lands. Which mainly consisted of the territories between Lake Balkhash and the Volga river, it was in these lands where Orda eventually founded the White Horde (also known as Ak Orda). West of the Volga river were the lands of his younger brother Batu Khan, who became the first ruler of the Blue Horde.

Hoelun from the Mongolian tribe Ongirad was supposed to marry a Merkit warrior called Chiledu, but Yesugei Baghatur from the Kiyad Khanate abducted Hoelun while she was traveling from Ongirad to Merkit. This event triggered hostilities between the Merkit & Kiyad tribes, Temüjin Borjigin was born from the marriage between Hoelun & Yesugei. When Temüjin became 16 years old he married Börte Ujin from the Kongirat tribe, the Merkits took revenge by abducting Börte when Temüjin was 18. Temüjin formed an alliance with his blood brother Jamuha and his foster-father Toghril, the Merkits were defeated by the alliance which Temüjin had formed and his wife Börte was reclaimed.

Jochi supposedly was born shortly after Börte was liberated and Genghis Khan always accepted Jochi as his first born son, but to some it remained uncertain whether Temüjin Borjigin or Chilger Boke was the real father of Jochi. As Genghis Khan’s first born son, Jochi was favored as rightful heir to the Mongolian empire. It was Chagatai who brought up the dispute of Jochi’s illegitimacy, but Genghis Khan remained determined that Jochi was his legitimate first born son. It was when Genghis named Ögedei as his rightful successor that Jochi rebelled against his father, Chagatai and Ögedei were sent against Jochi who died in February 1227 before it came to any hostilities. Jochi’s descendants were the oldest branch of the Genghis Khan family, although they were not favored for succession by other rivaling family members.

Orda Ichen was the first born son of Jochi, his younger brothers were Batu, Berke, Shayban, Sinkur, Toga-Timur and Baul-Teval. After the death of Genghis Khan the Mongol empire was divided into four Khanates, after the invasion of Europe four other Khanates also established within the empire; the White Horde commanded by Orda Khan, the Blue Horde commanded by Batu Khan, Sibirean Khanate commanded by Shayban and a Khanate on the upper reaches of the Volga river centered around Volga Bulgaria commanded by Toga-Timur (which later became known as the Qasim Khanate). All these were brothers of each other and Orda Khan was the oldest, Orda was known to have participated in the massive Mongol invasion of Rus in 1237-1242. His younger brother Batu Khan claimed anarchy over the Khanates, while Orda remained in the background.

Subutai & Batu Khan led two armies against Hungary, while Orda Khan, Baidar & Kadan attacked Poland as a diversion to prevent the Poles and Czechs from assisting Hungary in combat. Orda’s forces sacked the cities of Sandomierz and Kraków in April 1241, but were unable to conquer the capital Wrocław of Lower Silesia. While Orda was preparing siege on Wrocław, Baidar and Kadan received glowing reports that king Wenceslaus I of Bohemia was two days away with an army of 50,000 soldiers. Orda Khan broke off the siege and turned to Legnica where he intercepted the military forces of Henry II the Pious, before there could be any kind of merging between the forces of Henry II and the forces of king Wenceslaus I.

Orda’s deployment of 20,000 mounted archers demonstrated speed & tactical superiority versus the slower more heavily armored European armies, series of deceptive Mongolian attacks separated the Polish formation making them vulnerable for salvoes of Mongolian arrows. A smoke screen was used to conceal the Mandugai’s withdrawal, thereby misleading Henry’s military forces. After the European knights pursued the fleeing Mandugai, the Mongols were able to separate the knights from the infantry and defeated them one by one. Henry II the Pious was intercepted while trying to escape the battlefield, his head was paraded on a spear while marching through the town of Legnica. Wenceslaus I withdrew from battle to gather reinforcements from Thuringia and Saxony, but was eventually hunted down by the Mandugai at Kłodzko.

Orda was one of the Mongol army commanders together with Subutai, Güyük and Möngke, in 1241 he alongside with Chagatai's sons Baidar and Kadan led the Mongol diversionary force in Poland. Orda Khan assaulted the southwestern border of Lithuania and the Polish Baltic coast, the three leaders then attacked the Silesian capital Breslau. Baidar lay siege on the town but eventually trod Northwards with Orda and Kadan towards Liegnitz where they defeated the armies of Henry II the Pious. Orda joined forces with Kadan and Baidar at Liegnitz, fighting in the Battle of Legnica and after that passing through Bohemia joining with the main Mongolian army in Hungary. Orda Khan died in 1280 before he could consolidate his ülüs, Köchü Khan extended the line of successors for the White Horde after Orda Khan's death.

Very little is known about Orda’s wife and children, however his dynastic lines lived on for many generations. Urus the eighth Khan of the White Horde was a direct descendant of Orda khan, Urus Khan became the leader of both the Blue and White Horde. Tokhtamysh was one of Orda's descendants, he dethroned the Batukhanids and ascended the throne of the Golden Horde in the late 14th century.

* Orda (1226-1280) * Kochu (1280-1302) * Buyan (1302-1309) * Sasibuqa (1309-1315) * Ilbasan (1315-1320) * Mubarak Khwaja (1320-1344) * Chimtay (1344-1374) * Urus (1374-1376) * Temur Malik (1377) * Toqtamish (1377-1378)

* List of Mongol Khans * List of Khans of the Golden Horde