The forceful Khiḍr Khan, a descendant of Jochi's son Shiban according to the Tawārīḫ-i guzīdah-i nuṣrat-nāmah,[1] asserted himself as ruler of the Golden Horde in June 1360, having eliminated his rival Nawruz Beg.

[4] He was opposed from the start by his uncle, Murād (or Murīd), who declared himself khan at Gülistan, by the advancing Ordu Malik, and possibly by Mamai in the west.

In these circumstances, Timur Khwaja quickly lost control of Sarai and fled back east of the Volga before being killed.

[5] The murder of Khiḍr Khan by Timur Khwaja and the latter's brief and unsuccessful reign contributed to the deepening of the Golden Horde's political crisis, from which it would never completely recover.

The brevity and confusion of Timur Khwaja's reign are reflected in the minimal information preserved in the sources, as well as a great deal of variation as to the details.