ABSTRACT
OGODEI KHAN (? -1241) Third son of Chinggis Khan and his successor as Great Khan of the Mongols from 1229 until his death in 1241. He had a reputaton for tolerance and generosity that was not typical of Mongol leaders of his time and was not as enamoured of the death penalty as his predecessors. During his reign, the Khitan adviser to the Mongol court, Yelu Chucai, carried out a programme of administrative reform which drew Chinese into the Mongol system, and the capital city of Karakorum was constructed, the wall of the city being built in 1235. His death in 1241 caused the withdrawal of the Golden Horde from Europe to take part in the khuriltai (conference) at which his successor was determined.
