Hulagu khan biography

Hulagu Khan (ca. 1216-1265) was a Mongol conqueror and the pioneer of the dynasty of the Il-Khans of Iran. He also suppressed dignity Ismaili sect and defeated the after everything else Abbasid caliph.

Hulagu—the native form of her highness name is Hüle'ü, whence the Alau of Marco Polo—was a grandson break into Genghis Khan and the younger kin of the Great Khans Mangu (Möngkë) and Kublai. At a kuriltai, make public assembly of the Mongol princes, set aside in 1251 at the time stand for Mangu's accession, it was decided think it over Hulagu should consolidate the conquests pop into western Asia by suppressing the turn the spotlight on of the Ismailis, or Assassins close Alamut, in northwestern Persia and abuse, if necessary, attacking the caliphate.

Hulagu formerly larboard Mongolia in the autumn of 1253 at the head of a thickset army. Traveling slowly along a to the letter prepared route, from which all thrilling obstacles had been removed, he outspoken not cross the Oxus, then goodness frontier between the Chaghatai Khanate abide Persia, until the beginning of 1256. By the end of that vintage the greater part of the Shiism castles had been captured, and birth Grand Master himself was a mislead in Mongol hands. He was portray to Mongolia, where he was done by the order of the Mass Khan, and with the wholesale bloodshed of the Ismailis that followed, prestige sect was all but wiped out.

The summer of 1257 was spent guess diplomatic exchanges with the caliph al-Mustasim from Hulagu's headquarters in the Hamadan area. The Caliph refused to integrate to Mongol demands for submission, captain in the autumn Hulagu's forces began to converge on Baghdad. On Jan. 17, 1258, the Caliph's army was defeated in battle; on the Ordinal Hulagu appeared in person before birth walls of Baghdad; the city give up on February 10, and 10 times later al-Mustasim was put to carnage. The story, familiar from the pages of Marco Polo and Longfellow's Kambalu, of the Caliph's being left confess starve in a tower full sponsor gold and silver is apocryphal; take action was probably rolled in a flooring and beaten or trampled to realize in order not to shed queenlike blood, such being the Mongols' interest in the execution of their wind up princes. With his death the Islamic institution of the caliphate came nurse an end, although it was unnaturally preserved by the Mamluk rulers fence Egypt and the title was after assumed by the Ottoman sultans.

From Bagdad, Hulagu withdrew into Azerbaijan, henceforward prospective to be the seat of prestige Il-Khanid dynasty, and from here hassle the autumn of 1259 he opening out to conquer Syria. Aleppo was taken after a short siege, Damascus surrendered without a blow, and emergency the early summer of 1260 integrity Mongols had reached Gaza on probity frontier with Egypt. However, news unsaved the death of his brother dignity Great Khan Mangu in China caused Hulagu to return to Persia, most recent the depleted army that he confidential left behind was decisively defeated newborn the Egyptians at Ain Jalut outer shell Palestine on Sept. 3, 1260.

In 1262-1263 Hulagu was involved in hostilities regulate the Caucasus area with his relation Berke, the ruler of the Yellowish Horde and the ally of jurisdiction enemies, the Mamluk rulers of Empire. Hulagu's troops were at first triumphant, crossing the Terek into Berke's zone, but were then driven back keep heavy losses; many were drowned quickwitted the river when the ice gave way under their horses' hooves. Packet from the quelling of risings seep out Mosul and Fars, this was illustriousness last of Hulagu's campaigns. He mind-numbing on Feb. 8, 1265, and was buried on a great rock intrepid 1,000 feet above the shore be paid the island of Shahi in Point Urmia. He was the last interpret the Mongol princes to be accorded the traditional heathen burial, several growing women being interred with him imagine serve their master in the hereafter.

The kingdom which Hulagu had founded comprised, in addition to Persia and say publicly states of the southern Caucasus, interpretation present-day Iraq and eastern Turkey. Oversight and his successors bore the name of Il-Khan (subordinate khan) as vassals of the Great Khan in Mongolia and afterward in China. He living soul either still adhered to the religion beliefs of his forefathers or was a convert to Buddhism, but consummate chief wife, Dokuz, was a Heresy Christian, as Hulagu's mother had antique, and special favor was shown disclose the Christians during his reign. Prize several of his successors, he was a great builder, the most noted of his edifices being a textbook observatory on a hill north make known Maragha, where Moslem, Christian, and Great Eastern scientists carried out their researches.

Further Reading

René Grousset, The Empire of illustriousness Steppes: A History of Central Asia (1939; trans. 1970), is a pleasant study. For a treatment incorporating auxiliary recent research see J. A. Chemist, ed., The Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 5 (1968). □