ÿAzëz Shaykh (Turki/Kypchak and ; Oziz in the Russian chronicles) was Khan of the Golden Horde from 1364 to 1367. He held the traditional capital Sarai during a period of civil war among rival contenders for the throne. Throughout his reign, the westernmost portion of the Golden Hode was under the control of the beglerbeg Mamai and his puppet khan ÿAbdallÃÂh, while the easternmost portion was under the control of the heirs of Qara Nogai.
The origins of ÿAzëz Shaykh are unclear. The only specific testimony regarding his ancestry comes from the notoriously unreliable account of Muÿën-ad-Dën Naá¹Âanzë (previously known as the "Anonymous of Iskandar"), according to whom ÿAzëz Shaykh was the son of the ephemeral khan Tëmà «r KhwÃÂja. Despite Naá¹Âanzë's commonly recognized unreliability, this is sometimes accepted by modern scholars in the absence of an obvious alternative. However, the more credible sources do not list such a son of Tëmà «r KhwÃÂja, and a plausible hypothesis based on the TawÃÂrëḫ-i guzëdah-i nuá¹£rat-nÃÂmah identifies ÿAzëz Shaykh with the similarly named Shibanid ÿAzëz-BÃÂbÃÂ, son of Tà «n-KhwÃÂja, son of Balëq, son of Bà «rÃÂldÃÂy, son of Qutluq-Tëmà «r, son of SÃÂlghÃÂn, son of Shiban, son of Jochi, son of Chinggis Khan.
The circumstances of ÿAzëz Shaykh's rise to power are unclear. If the above identification is correct, he would have competed with his cousins, fellow Shibanids, for the throne of Sarai, while also competing with Mamai's Tuqa-Timurid puppet khans. The notion that he launched his claim to the throne from Azaq, based on his supposed early coinage there, has been disproved. One interpretation of events has him take Sarai from Khayr Pà «lÃÂd in 1364 and eventually follow his rival to take over Gülistan in 1365. Another interpretation makes ÿAzëz Shaykh the successor of MurÃÂd in Gülistan in 1363, taking over Sarai only later, in 1365, from Mamai's protégé ÿAbdallÃÂh.
ÿAzëz Shaykh quickly became involved in Russian affairs, competing with Mamai for the suzerainty over the Russian princes. In late 1365, ÿAzëz Shaykh dispatched his envoy Bayram KhwÃÂja to demand the submission and tribute of the Russian princes and to invest Boris Konstantinoviàas prince of Nià ¾nij Novgorod in place of Mamai's appointee, his brother Dmitrij Konstantinoviàof Suzdal'. Mamai and the grand prince, Dmitrij KonstantinoviÃÂ's son-in-law Dmitrij Ivanoviàof Moscow, opposed this and forced, with the help of the clergy, Boris to leave Nià ¾nij Novgorod to Dmitrij KonstantinoviÃÂ. Apparently changing tactics, ÿAzëz Shaykh next granted a diploma of investiture (jarlig) with the Grand Principality of Vladimir to Dmitrij Konstantinoviàof Suzdal', delivered by the khan's envoy Urusmandy and the prince's son, Vasilij DmitrieviàKirdjapa. Dmitrij KonstantinoviÃÂ, however, did not dare dispute the title with his son-in-law, Dmitrij Ivanoviàof Moscow and did not pursue his claim. When the autonomous emir of Bolghar, Pà «lÃÂd Tëmà «r, raided the lands of Nià ¾nij Novgorod in 1367 and suffered defeat at the hands of the Russians, ÿAzëz Shaykh had him executed and replaced with his own appointee, Asan (Ḥasan).
Mamai succeeded in suborning several of ÿAzëz Shaykh's emirs with bribes, and in the end ÿAzëz Shaykh was murdered, presumably on Mamai's behest. Naá¹Âanzë's account relates that ÿAzëz Shaykh was given to perverse customs. These were temporarily kept in check by the pious influence of a Sayyid, who was rewarded with the hand of the khan's daughter in marriage for his efforts. However, ÿAzëz Shaykh eventually returned to his sinful pleasures and was murdered.
If the identification of ÿAzëz Shaykh with ÿAzëz BÃÂbàis correct, according to the TawÃÂrëḫ-i guzëdah-i nuá¹£rat-nÃÂmah, he was the father of Nà «r ad-Dën, who was the father of Udurman. Neither of the two is known to have played a significant historical role.
(as identified by Gaev 2002)