'Double Rapprochement': Conversion to Islam Among the Mongol Elite During the Early Ilkhanate
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Protagonist of Qubilai Khan's Unsuccessful
BUQA CHĪNGSĀNG: PROTAGONIST OF QUBILAI KHAN’S UNSUCCESSFUL COUP ATTEMPT AGAINST THE HÜLEGÜID DYNASTY MUSTAFA UYAR* It is generally accepted that the dissolution of the Mongol Empire began in 1259, following the death of Möngke the Great Khan (1251–59)1. Fierce conflicts were to arise between the khan candidates for the empty throne of the Great Khanate. Qubilai (1260–94), the brother of Möngke in China, was declared Great Khan on 5 May 1260 in the emergency qurultai assembled in K’ai-p’ing, which is quite far from Qara-Qorum, the principal capital of Mongolia2. This event started the conflicts within the Mongolian Khanate. The first person to object to the election of the Great Khan was his younger brother Ariq Böke (1259–64), another son of Qubilai’s mother Sorqoqtani Beki. Being Möngke’s brother, just as Qubilai was, he saw himself as the real owner of the Great Khanate, since he was the ruler of Qara-Qorum, the main capital of the Mongol Khanate. Shortly after Qubilai was declared Khan, Ariq Böke was also declared Great Khan in June of the same year3. Now something unprecedented happened: there were two competing Great Khans present in the Mongol Empire, and both received support from different parts of the family of the empire. The four Mongol khanates, which should theo- retically have owed obedience to the Great Khan, began to act completely in their own interests: the Khan of the Golden Horde, Barka (1257–66) supported Böke. * Assoc. Prof., Ankara University, Faculty of Languages, History and Geography, Department of History, Ankara/TURKEY, [email protected] 1 For further information on the dissolution of the Mongol Empire, see D. -
Il-Khanate Empire
1 Il-Khanate Empire 1250s, after the new Great Khan, Möngke (r.1251–1259), sent his brother Hülegü to MICHAL BIRAN expand Mongol territories into western Asia, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel primarily against the Assassins, an extreme Isma‘ilite-Shi‘ite sect specializing in political The Il-Khanate was a Mongol state that ruled murder, and the Abbasid Caliphate. Hülegü in Western Asia c.1256–1335. It was known left Mongolia in 1253. In 1256, he defeated to the Mongols as ulus Hülegü, the people the Assassins at Alamut, next to the Caspian or state of Hülegü (1218–1265), the dynasty’s Sea, adding to his retinue Nasir al-Din al- founder and grandson of Chinggis Khan Tusi, one of the greatest polymaths of the (Genghis Khan). Centered in Iran and Muslim world, who became his astrologer Azerbaijan but ruling also over Iraq, Turkme- and trusted advisor. In 1258, with the help nistan, and parts of Afghanistan, Anatolia, of various Mongol tributaries, including and the southern Caucasus (Georgia, many Muslims, he brutally conquered Bagh- Armenia), the Il-Khanate was a highly cos- dad, eliminating the Abbasid Caliphate that mopolitan empire that had close connections had nominally led the Muslim world for more with China and Western Europe. It also had a than 500 years (750–1258). Hülegü continued composite administration and legacy that into Syria, but withdrew most of his troops combined Mongol, Iranian, and Muslim after hearing of Möngke’s death (1259). The elements, and produced some outstanding defeat of the remnants of his troops by the cultural achievements. -
The Mongol City of Ghazaniyya: Destruction, Spatial Reconstruction, and Preservation of the Urban Heritage1
Atri Hatef Naiemi The Mongol City of Ghazaniyya: Destruction, Spatial Reconstruction, and Preservation of the Urban Heritage1 Hülegü Khan (r. 1256-1265), a grandson of Chinggis Khan, founded the Ilkhanate in Iran in 1256 as the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. Mongol campaigns in Iran in the thirteenth century caused extensive destruction in different aspects of the Iranians’ social life and built environment. However, the political stability after the arrival of Hülegü intensified the process of urban development. Along with the reconstruction of the cities that had been extensively destroyed during the Mongol attack, the Ilkhans founded a number of new settlements. Their architectural and urban projects were mostly conducted in the northwest of present-day Iran, with some exceptions, for instance the city of Khabushan in Khurasan which was largely rebuilt by Hülegü and the notables of his court.2 In western Iran, Hülegü firstly focused his attention on the reconstruction of Baghdad, but following the designation of Azerbaijan as the headquarters of the Mongols, his urban development activities extended to this region. Maragha was chosen as the first capital of the Mongols and the most 1 This article has been adapted from a lecture presented in November 2019 at the Aga Khan Program in MIT. The research for this project has been facilitated by fellowship held with the Aga Khan program of MIT. I would like to thank Professors Nasser Rabbat and James Wescoat for their hospitality during the four months I spent at MIT in 2019. 2 In addition to Hülegü, Ghazan Khan also erected magnificent buildings in Khabushan. -
Politico-Economic Conditions of Ilkhanid Coins from Different Mint Houses by PIXE
Sociology and Anthropology 2(2): 29-34, 2014 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/sa.2014.020201 Politico-Economic Conditions of Ilkhanid Coins from Different Mint Houses by PIXE Javad Neyetani1, Amirhossein Salehi1,*, Seyed Mehdi Mousavi1, Mahdi Hajivaliei2, Ali Reza Hejabri Noubari1 1Department of Archaeology Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Jalal Al-Ahmad Highway, Nasr Bridge, Tehran, Iran 2Physics Department, Bu-Ali Sina University, Mahdiyeh St., Hamedan, Iran *Corresponding Author: [email protected] Copyright © 2014 Horizon Research Publishing All rights reserved. Abstract It has been proved that the basic changes in provide us with a general scheme of silver production post-Islam coin minting have been occurred in Ilkhanid era; technology. The silver extraction technology is divided into therefore a survey on the time coins may help us understand three periods: at first silver ore was used in this regard. Then the changes and econopolitical situation of the era. In this at the late 3rd millennium B.C the technology of Cerussite research, we have applied the non-destructive PIXE method mines application was used in the form of oxidized lead ores. to test 32 Ilkhanid coins belonging to various rulers. The The last period in Iran begins from the first millennium A.D. highest and the lowest silver percent’s in Damghan were when silver was extracted from Galena mines in the form of related to Ghazan, and Tegudar and Arghun, respectively. lead sulfide ores [9]. Regarding the conditions of the coins in Arghun era, we may The Islamic era has been studied in different places conclude that he had been engaged in the area's conflicts. -
Maria Paleologina and the Il-Khanate of Persia. a Byzantine Princess in an Empire Between Islam and Christendom
MARIA PALEOLOGINA AND THE IL-KHANATE OF PERSIA. A BYZANTINE PRINCESS IN AN EMPIRE BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTENDOM MARÍA ISABEL CABRERA RAMOS UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA SpaIN Date of receipt: 26th of January, 2016 Final date of acceptance: 12th of July, 2016 ABSTRACT In the 13th century Persia, dominated by the Mongols, a Byzantine princess, Maria Paleologina, stood out greatly in the court of Abaqa Khan, her husband. The Il-Khanate of Persia was then an empire precariously balanced between Islam, dominant in its territories and Christianity that was prevailing in its court and in the diplomatic relations. The role of Maria, a fervent Christian, was decisive in her husband’s policy and in that of any of his successors. Her figure deserves a detailed study and that is what we propose in this paper. KEYWORDS Maria Paleologina, Il-khanate of Persia, Abaqa, Michel VIII, Mongols. CapitaLIA VERBA Maria Paleologa, Ilkhanatus Persiae, Abaqa, Michael VIII, Mongoles. IMAGO TEMPORIS. MEDIUM AEVUM, XI (2017): 217-231 / ISSN 1888-3931 / DOI 10.21001/itma.2017.11.08 217 218 MARÍA ISABEL CABRERA RAMOS 1. Introduction The great expansion of Genghis Khan’s hordes to the west swept away the Islamic states and encouraged for a while the hopes of the Christian states of the East. The latter tried to ally themselves with the powerful Mongols and in this attempt they played the religion card.1 Although most of the Mongols who entered Persia, Iraq and Syria were shamanists, Nestorian Christianity exerted a strong influence among elites, especially in the court. That was why during some crucial decades for the history of the East, the Il-Khanate of Persia fluctuated between the consolidation of Christian influence and the approach to Islam, that despite the devastation brought by the Mongols in Persia,2 Iraq and Syria remained the dominant factor within the Il-khanate. -
The Mongols in Iran
chapter 10 THE MONGOLS IN IRAN george e. lane Iran was dramatically brought into the Mongol sphere of infl uence toward the end of the second decade of the thirteenth century. As well as the initial traumatic mili- tary incursions, Iran also experienced the start of prolonged martial rule, followed later by the domination and rule of the Mongol Ilkhans. However, what began as a brutal and vindictive invasion and occupation developed into a benign and cultur- ally and economically fl ourishing period of unity and strength. The Mongol period in Iranian history provokes controversy and debate to this day. From the horrors of the initial bloody irruptions, when the fi rst Mongol-led armies rampaged across northern Iran, to the glory days of the Ilkhanate-Yuan axis, when the Mongol- dominated Persian and Chinese courts dazzled the world, the Mongol infl uence on Iran of this turbulent period was profound. The Mongols not only affected Iran and southwestern Asia but they also had a devastating effect on eastern Asia, Europe, and even North Africa. In many parts of the world, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas in particular, the Mongols’ name has since become synonymous with murder, massacre, and marauding may- hem. They became known as Tatars or Tartars in Europe and Western Asia for two reasons. Firstly, until Genghis Khan destroyed their dominance, the Tatars were the largest and most powerful of the Turco-Mongol tribes. And secondly, in Latin Tartarus meant hell and these tribes were believed to have issued from the depths of Hades. Their advent has been portrayed as a bloody “bolt from the blue” that left a trail of destruction, death, and horrifi ed grief in its wake. -
Cilician Armenian Mediation in Crusader-Mongol Politics, C.1250-1350
HAYTON OF KORYKOS AND LA FLOR DES ESTOIRES: CILICIAN ARMENIAN MEDIATION IN CRUSADER-MONGOL POLITICS, C.1250-1350 by Roubina Shnorhokian A thesis submitted to the Department of History In conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada (January, 2015) Copyright ©Roubina Shnorhokian, 2015 Abstract Hayton’s La Flor des estoires de la terre d’Orient (1307) is typically viewed by scholars as a propagandistic piece of literature, which focuses on promoting the Ilkhanid Mongols as suitable allies for a western crusade. Written at the court of Pope Clement V in Poitiers in 1307, Hayton, a Cilician Armenian prince and diplomat, was well-versed in the diplomatic exchanges between the papacy and the Ilkhanate. This dissertation will explore his complex interests in Avignon, where he served as a political and cultural intermediary, using historical narrative, geography and military expertise to persuade and inform his Latin audience of the advantages of allying with the Mongols and sending aid to Cilician Armenia. This study will pay close attention to the ways in which his worldview as a Cilician Armenian informed his perceptions. By looking at a variety of sources from Armenian, Latin, Eastern Christian, and Arab traditions, this study will show that his knowledge was drawn extensively from his inter-cultural exchanges within the Mongol Empire and Cilician Armenia’s position as a medieval crossroads. The study of his career reflects the range of contacts of the Eurasian world. ii Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the financial support of SSHRC, the Marjorie McLean Oliver Graduate Scholarship, OGS, and Queen’s University. -
Attila Hárány
THE LAST REX CRUCESIGNATUS, EDWARD I, AND THE MONGOL ALLIANCE Attila Hárány This study explores the crusading efforts of Edward I, king of England (1272— 1307), in the last decades of the thirteenth century. It investigates the reason why the Plantagenet ruler was highly respected as the only athleta Christi on whom all the Christian powers laid their hopes to withstand the Muslims. I would not like to provide a detailed overview of King Edward's 1270 crusade, but give an analysis of the king's role and introduce his motives in the mirror of the expectations of the West. Edward I never ceased to support the negotium Terrae Sanctae, and after the fall of Acre he was treated as the apostle of the recuperatio. Edward was the only ruler in Europe to realize how rational it was to ally with the Mongols; therefore here I am examining Edward's life-long struggle to have an alliance with these pagans acknowledged. I am not giving an overview of the formation of the Franco-Mongol alliance from the late 1240s. Nevertheless, it has to be noted at the outset that England, and especially her monarch, Edward, played a primary role in the endeavors to establish not only political but strategic and tactical cooperation with the Il-Khans of Persia against the Mamluks. The Plantagenets were much concerned with taking a stand in the crusading enterprises and were the first to seek knowledge about the Mongols. They were well aware of the Tatars' superior military machinery. I will give a few snapshots of how they obtained direct knowledge about the Mongols, for instance, the letters incorporated in Matthew Paris' Chronica Majora.1 The Carmen Miserabile of Rogerius, Dean of Várad (Oradea) must also have been known to them through Rogerius' patron, the English Cardinal John Toletanus, and his circle, the English delegates at the Council of Lyons I. -
Khanate of the Golden Horde (Kipchak)
The Mongol Catastrophe For the Muslim east, the sudden eruption of the Mongol hordes was an indescribable calamity. Something of the shock and despair of Muslim reaction can be seen in the history of the contemporary historian Ibn al-Athir (d. 1233). He writes here about the year 1220-1221 when the Mongols (“Tartars”) burst in on the eastern lands. Is this a positive, negative, or neutral description of the Mongols? Why might the Mongols be compared to Alexander rather than, say, the Huns? they eat, [needing] naught else. As for their beasts which they ride, these dig into I say, therefore, that this thing involves the description of the greatest catastrophe the earth with their hoofs and eat the roots of plants, knowing naught of barley. and the most dire calamity (of the like of which days and nights are innocent) And so, when they alight anywhere, they have need of nothing from without. As for which befell all men generally, and the Muslims in particular; so that, should 0e say their religion, the‟ worship the sun when it arises, and regard nothing as unlawful, that the world, since God Almighty created Adam until now, hath not been afflicted for the; eat all beasts, even dogs, pigs, and the like; nor do they recognise the with the like thereof, he would but speak the truth. For indeed history doth not marriage-tie, for several men are in marital relations with one woman, and if a child contain aught which approaches or comes nigh unto it.... is born, it knows not who is its father. -
A History of Inner Asia
This page intentionally left blank A HISTORY OF INNER ASIA Geographically and historically Inner Asia is a confusing area which is much in need of interpretation.Svat Soucek’s book offers a short and accessible introduction to the history of the region.The narrative, which begins with the arrival of Islam, proceeds chrono- logically, charting the rise and fall of the changing dynasties, the Russian conquest of Central Asia and the fall of the Soviet Union. Dynastic tables and maps augment and elucidate the text.The con- temporary focus rests on the seven countries which make up the core of present-day Eurasia, that is Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Sinkiang, and Mongolia. Since 1991, there has been renewed interest in these countries which has prompted considerable political, cultural, economic, and religious debate.While a vast and divergent literature has evolved in consequence, no short survey of the region has been attempted. Soucek’s history of Inner Asia promises to fill this gap and to become an indispensable source of information for anyone study- ing or visiting the area. is a bibliographer at Princeton University Library. He has worked as Central Asia bibliographer at Columbia University, New York Public Library, and at the University of Michigan, and has published numerous related articles in The Journal of Turkish Studies, The Encyclopedia of Islam, and The Dictionary of the Middle Ages. A HISTORY OF INNER ASIA Princeton University Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge , United Kingdom Published in the United States by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521651691 © Cambridge University Press 2000 This book is in copyright. -
'A Pox on the Pax!'
‘A Pox on the Pax!’ A survey of the Pax Mongolica through Persian, Near Eastern and European sources Tobias Jones Research Masters in Middle Eastern Studies Supervisor: Dr. Gabrielle van den Berg 1 Table of Contents Chapter 1- Introduction ......................................................................................................................3 Chapter 2- Pax Mongolica in the Persian sources ..................................................................................8 2.1 Source Background....................................................................................................................8 2.2 Mongol destruction in the Persian sources................................................................................ 10 2.3 Life under the Mongols in the Persian Sources .......................................................................... 14 2.4 Travel and trade in the Persian sources..................................................................................... 25 2.5 Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 29 Chapter 3- Pax Mongolica in the Near Eastern Sources ....................................................................... 33 3.1 Source Background.................................................................................................................. 33 3.2 Mongol destruction in the Near Eastern sources ....................................................................... 36 -
LƯỢC SỬ PHẬT GIÁO VÀ HỒI GIÁO Tại AFGHANISTAN
Lược Sử Phật Giáo và Hồi Giáo tại Afghanistan Alexander Berzin Người dịch: Thích nữ Tịnh Quang Buddhist Nun Association in California publishes-2012 MỤC LỤC THAY LỜI TỰA CHƯƠNG I LƯỢC SỬ PHẬT GIÁO & HỒI GIÁO TẠI AFGHANISTAN Địa lý Sự hiện diện của Phật Giáo vào buổi đầu Trường phái Nhất Thiết Hữu Bộ và Vương quốc Graeco-Bactrian Thời đại Kushan Người White Huns và Turki Shahis Tây Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ (The Western Turks) Thời đại Umayyad và sự mở đầu của Hồi giáo Liên minh Tây Tạng Đầu thời kỳ Abbasid Cuộc nổi loạn chống lại đế chế Abbasids Triều đại Tahirid, Saffarid, và Hindu Shahi Triều đại Samanid, Ghaznavid, và Seljuk Triều đại Qaraqitan và Ghurid Thời kỳ Mông Cổ (Mongol) CHƯƠNG II SỰ GIAO THOA LỊCH SỬ GIỮA VĂN HÓA PHẬT GIÁO & HỒI GIÁO TRƯỚC TRIỀU ĐẠI MONGOL Giới thiệu: Khuynh hướng viết sử Phần I: Thời đại Umayyad Caliphate (661 - 750 CE) 1- Sự truyền bá của Phật giáo tại Trung Á và những vùng phụ cận trước kỷ nguyên Ả Rập 2- Sogdia và Bactria trước thời kỳ Umayyad 3- Sự chạm trán đầu tiên của Tín hữu Hồi giáo và Phật tử Châu Á 4 -Sự xâm tràn của những người Hồi giáo Đầu Tiên vào Tiểu Lục Địa Ấn Độ 5- Tây Tạng trước lúc giáo sĩ Hồi giáo đầu tiên Đến 6- Sự mở rộng thêm đế chế Umayyad ở West Turkistan Phần II: Đầu thời kỳ Abbasid (750 - Giữa Thế Kỷ 9 CE) 7- Sự vượt lên của đế chế Abbasids và sự suy tàn của nhà Đường Trung Quốc 8- Sự cải đạo của người Eastern Turks (Đông Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ) 9- Sự chuyển đổi tôn giáo của người Duy Ngô Nhĩ (Uighurs) 10- Sự tranh chấp của bè phái Hồi giáo và tuyên ngôn chiến tranh của Hồi giáo 11- Ý đồ chính