Jarlig

Jarlig (Mongolian: зарлиг, zarlig; Russian: ярлык, iarlyk, also transliterated yarlyk, or even more correctly yarlıq, and the Tatar: yarligh) is a term used in the Russian historiography for khan "formal diplomas" or decrees of the Mongol Empire (particularly the khans of Golden Horde). It was one of three types of non-fundamental law pronouncements that had the effect of a regulation or ordinance, the other two being debter (a record of precedence cases for administration and judicial decisions) and billing (maxims or sayings attributed to Genghis Khan). The jarliq provide important information about the running of the Mongol Empire.

Ögedei Khagan prohibited the nobility from issuing gergees (tablet that gave the bearer authority to demand goods and services from civilian populations) and jarliqs in the 1230s.

From the mid-13th to mid-15th centuries, all princes of Northeastern Rus received jarliq authorizing their rule. The issuing of jarlyk on governing of Rus finalized the establishment of the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir (Grand Prince) and transfer of power from Kiev to Vladimir. Initially, those jarliq came from the qaghan in Karakorum, but after Batu established his khanate, they came from Sarai. None of these jarliq, however, is extant. In the mid-fifteenth century, Basil II began forbidding other Rus princes from receiving the jarliq from Mongol khans, thus establishing the right of the Moscow grand prince to authorize local princely rule.