Tartars

From Srafopedia

In Lyra's world, the name for Mongols, probably including the peoples of Siberia, Mongolia, Northern China, and Central Eurasia. They are known to perform a scalping operation called Trepanning, often performed on themselves to let in more Dust.

They are a barbaric and militaristic people, renowned as being highly-disciplined and merciless warriors, practicing torture. At the beginning of Northern Lights, the Tatars have just overrun Muscovy (Russia) and seems to be poised to begin the conquest of Europe.

The name Tatar is the word for Mongol in Russian in our world. It was corrupted to Tartars in western and central Europe.

In our world the Mongols were eventually eclipsed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century A.D. Presumably in Lyra's World they were not.

They were the guards at Bolvangar and throughout the Trilogy are known only for their barbaric acts and that they are on the side of the Magisterium. Their dæmons are wolves.

Lee Scoresby, Iorek Byrnison and John Faa all fought in the Tunguska Campaign. This is probably a war of the Tartars against either the Muscovites or the Brytish (similar to the Crimean War).