Jochi

Jochi was the eldest son of Genghis Khan and Börte, born soon after Börte’s rescue from Merkit captivity. Doubts about his paternity became a source of tension with his brother Chagatai, although Genghis publicly treated him as a son. Jochi commanded campaigns in Siberia and the west and received territories that later formed the basis of the Golden Horde. He died shortly before Genghis, leaving his sons Batu and Orda to inherit his ulus.

Jochi is a major character in Conn Iggulden’s Conqueror series, where the paternity dispute and rivalry with Chagatai shape the imperial succession. Historical fiction often portrays him as more independent or compassionate than his brothers, though such characterisation exceeds the evidence. His early death is one of the crucial contingencies in the division of the Mongol Empire.

In Conn Iggulden’s Bones of the Hills, the conquests enlarge the empire but intensify rivalry between Jochi, Chagatai and Ögedei as Genghis is forced to confront the question of succession. Conn Iggulden’s Lords of the Bow places Jochi within a narrative shaped by military command and battlefield decision-making, court politics and dynastic power, and family, marriage and personal loyalty.