Ulugh Muhammad, ruler of Crimea, and Khan of Kazan. The son of the oglan Ichkile Hassan, the cousin of Tokhtamysh. He received the nickname "Ulugh" - older, large, in contrast to another Muhammed who was called "Kichi" - younger, small. Founder of the Khanate of Kazan. Khan of the Golden Horde in 1419-1423, 1426, 1428. In 1428-1432 he waged stubborn struggle for possession of the Ulug Ulus with the representatives of minor branch of Tukaytimurids. After the defeat, he escaped to Volga Bulgaria vilayet. And then, with the supporting by Vytautas, he regained the throne of the Golden Horde. Spred its power to the Crimea, he established friendly relations with the Sultan of TurkeyMurad II. Sent an embassy to Egypt. In 1431 son and grandson of Duch of Moscow Dmitriy Donskoy came to the court to Ulugh Muhammad for decide about successor of the princely title. Khan ruled in favour of grandson, Vasiliy II.
Golden Horde
Ulugh Muhammad first came to power following the death of Yeremferden. His main competitor for control of the Horde was his cousin Dawlat Berdi, the son of Yeremferden. For much of his reign Ulugh Muhammad controlled Sarai, and was therefore seen as the more legitimate ruler within the Horde, although it was captured by his rival after the Siege of Sarai in 1420 and held by him for two years. In 1422 Baraq Khan defeated both Ulugh Muhammad and Dawlat and drove them out of the country. while Dawlat remained in the outskirts of Crimea, Ulugh Muhammad fled to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and plead for assistance from Vytautas the Great. With this assistance, he was able to march on Baraq and capture Sarai. After regaining control over the Khanate, Ulugh Muhammad marched on Crimea, where Dawlat Berdi had re-established himself following Baraq's defeat and death. After a series of indecisive skirmishes his invasion was cut short due to the death of Vytautas, which forced Ulugh Muhammad to concentrate his forces on Lithuania, where he supported Sigismund Kęstutaitis against Švitrigaila in the fight for the Lithuanian throne. Švitrigaila, in turn, supported Dawlat Berdi and later Sayid Ahmad I, as did Vasili II of Moscow.
He lost control of the Golden Horde 1436, fled to Crimea, quarreled with the Crimeans, led a 3000-man army north and took the border town of Belyov. In 1437 Vasily II sent against him a huge army under the command of Dmitry Shemyaka, but they were defeated in the battle of Belyov. Soon after he moved to Volga and in 1438 captured Kazan, separating it from the Golden Horde. In 1439 he raided Russia and burned Kolomna and the outskirts of Moscow. We have no information for the next five years. In 1444–45 he occupied Nizhny Novgorod and marched on Murom. When Vasily counterattacked he was defeated and captured at the Battle of Suzdal, but soon ransomed. Muhammad died a few months later, possibly murdered by his son Mäxmüd.
Family
Ulugh Muhammad was most likely the son of Jalal ad-Din khan, and the grandson of Tokhtamysh, although he may have been descended from Hassan Jefai, a relative of Tokhtamysh. Either way, he was a descendant of Jochi and therefore of Genghis Khan. Note that the above contradicts the genealogy section below. The Russian Wikipedia says that his ancestry is uncertain and that there are several opinions. His son Mustafa died fighting near Ryazan in 1444. His son Qasim Khan went to collect ransom after the battle of Suzdal, entered Russian service and in 1452 founded the Qasim Khanate. His son Mäxmüd of Kazan succeeded him.
