Following the general convention, the list encompasses the period from the death of Genghis Khan in 1227 to the sack of Sarai by the Crimean Khanate in 1502.
Most rulers of the Eastern half are poorly documented, and historiography still largely relies on the treatment by Hammer-Purgstall 1840, who had access to what are now considered unreliable sources, like versions of the account of Muʿīn-ad-Dīn Naṭanzī (earlier known as the "Anonymous of Iskandar").
While it is clear that the traditional chronology and genealogy are very flawed, they have enjoyed a lasting and pervasive influence in historiography, appearing even in recent publications, such as Bosworth 1996 and Baumer 2016.
(Revised chronology and genealogy according to Sabitov 2014) Sabitov 2014 likewise established a substantial revision to the list of rulers of the Eastern half of the Golden Horde, based on the Muʿizz al-ansāb, the Tawārīḫ-i guzīdah-i nuṣrat-nāmah, and the Čingīz-Nāmah.
For the first twenty years power was held by descendants of Urus Khan and Tohktamysh and by the warlord Edigu.