Why Were the Mongols Called Tartars?

Mongols and Tartars were bitter rivals, so why are the two synonymous?

Mongol cavalry pursuing their enemy, from Rashid-al-Din’s Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh. Source: Wikimedia

In older literature, Mongols are often called “Tartars” or “Tatars.” We no longer use the term “Tatars” for Chinggis Khan and his men . Today, Tartar refers to Turkic-speaking people of Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, such as the Crimean Tartars. They aren’t related to the Great Khan and his descendants.

Though using Tartar for Mongols has fallen out of favor in academic circles, it persists in popular culture. Travel writer and journalist Justin Marozzi addresses Timur as a “Tartar” in his acclaimed work Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World.

Tartar felt odd while reading the book because I’ve never seen it used for Timur. Most historians identify him as a Turco-Mongol. It made me wonder: Why were the Mongols known as “Tartars” or “Tatars?”

Tatars were the rivals of the Mongols. Chinggis Khan destroyed them during the Mongol unification in the early 13th century. Several m…