Mongol Taxation: Tamga and the Russian Silver Trade

In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the economic backbone of the Golden Horde's rule over Russia: the tamga tax. Unlike the better-known baskak system or yarlyk decrees, tamga was a commercial levy on goods and transactions, often paid in silver—a currency the Horde demanded from Russian principalities. Lucas explains how tamga originated as a Mongol stamp on trade goods, evolved into a general sales tax under Khan Uzbek, and eventually became a tool of political leverage. The hosts trace the flow of Russian silver through Sarai Berke's markets, the role of Genoese merchants in Caffa, and how Ivan Kalita of Moscow used tamga revenues to enrich his treasury and outmaneuver rivals like Tver. They also examine the term's linguistic journey from Mongol to Persian to Russian, its connection to the Russian word for customs, and how the system collapsed only after the Great Stand on the Ugra in 1480. The conversation highlights the paradox: the same tax that funded the Horde's decline also financed Moscow's rise. #Tamga #GoldenHorde #MongolTaxation #RussianHistory #IvanKalita #SaraiBerke #Caffa #KhanUzbek #MedievalTrade #SilverTrade #GenoeseMerchants #Yarlyk #Baskak #GreatStandOnTheUgra #MoscowRise #Tver #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo