Asud

Asud (Mongolian Cyrillic: Асуд, IPA: /ˈasʊt/) were a guard and military group of Alani origin. The Mongol clan Asud is the plural of As, the Arabic name for the Alans, or it could derive from the Mongolian language word "asuukh" meaning to "to ask/query" as in "asuult (a question).

After the Mongol invasion of Rus, many Alans submitted to the Mongol Empire. Some of them resisted the Golden Horde longer. Many warriors moved from Northern Caucasia to Mongolia. It is also claimed that they helped their new masters to fight against the Circassians and that they participated in the Mongol invasion of Europe. Under the rule of Möngke Khan, many were brought east to fight against the Chinese Song Dynasty and Nanchao in Yunnan in 1258-1259. The Alan imperial guard was divided into two corps with headquarters in Karakorum.

After the coronation of Kublai Khan, those Alans participated in the campaign against Ariq Böke and later Qaidu under the Yuan Dynasty. They suffered heavy losses from Song resistance when they were under the command of Bayan of the Baarin and Aju.

Kublai Khan organized them into the Jasin guard (Alan guard) of 3,000 soldiers around 1271, along with some of the Kipchaks. The Alani guard reached its peak during the reign of Tugh Temür and their number expanded to 30,000. They remained influential in Mongolia until the 15th century, when the Oirats conquered Mongolia. During the 15-16th centuries, they formed part of the Yungshebiyu tumen in central Inner Mongolia.

Today, there are few people with the clan name Asud in Aru Khorchin banner, Inner Mongolia and Mongolia.^{[citation needed]}

See also