Everything about Hulagu Khan totally explained
Hulagu Khan, also known as
Hulagu,
Hülegü or
Hulegu (
Chagatai/; Arabic:هولاكو; c.
1217 –
8 February 1265), was a
Mongol ruler who conquered much of
Southwest Asia. Son of
Tolui and the
Kerait princess
Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of
Genghis Khan, and the brother of
Arik Boke,
Mongke and
Kublai Khan. Hulagu's army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the
Ilkhanate of
Persia. Under his leadership, the Mongols destroyed the two greatest centers of Islamic power,
Baghdad and
Damascus, causing a shift of Islamic influence to the
Mamluks in
Cairo.
Background
Hulagu was born to
Tolui, one of Genghis Khan's sons, and
Sorghaghtani Beki, an influential
Kerait princess. Sorghaghtani successfully navigated Mongol politics, arranging for all of her sons to become Mongol leaders. Hulagu was friendly to Christianity, as his mother was a
Nestorian Christian. Hulagu's favorite wife,
Dokuz Khatun, was also a Christian, as was Hulagu's closest friend and general,
Kitbuqa. Hulagu told the Armenian historian
Vartan Arewelc'i in 1264 that he'd been a Christian since birth. It is recorded however that he resorted to Buddhism as he neared his death, against the will of his Christian wife Dokuz Khatun.
Hulagu had at least three children:
Abaqa, second Ilkhan of Persia from 1265-1282, Taraqai, whose son
Baydu became Ilkhan in 1295, and
Teguder Ahmad, third Ilkhan from 1282-1284.
Military campaigns
Hulagu's brother
Mongke had been installed as Great Khan in 1251. In 1255, Mongke charged his brother Hulagu with leading a massive Mongol army to conquer or destroy the remaining
Muslim states in southwestern Asia. Hulagu's campaign sought the subjugation of the
Lurs, a people of southern
Iran; the destruction of the
Hashshashin sect; the submission or destruction of the
Abbasid caliphate based in
Baghdad; the submission or destruction of the
Ayyubid states in
Syria, based in
Damascus; and finally, the submission or destruction of the
Bahri Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. Mongke ordered Hulagu to treat kindly those who submitted, and utterly destroy those who did not. Hulagu vigorously carried out the latter part of these instructions.
Hulagu marched out with perhaps the largest Mongol army ever assembled – by order of Mongke, one in ten fighting men in the entire empire were gathered for Hulagu's army. He easily destroyed the
Lurs, and his reputation so frightened the Assassins (also known as the
Hashshashin) that they surrendered their impregnable fortress of
Alamut to him without a fight.
Battle of Baghdad (1258)
Guo Kan, set out for Baghdad in November of 1257. Hulagu demanded surrender; the caliph refused, warning the Mongols that they faced the wrath of God if they attacked the caliph. Hulagu's forces then besieged the city, which surrendered on
February 10 1258, leading to a week-long massacre by the Mongols, regarded as one of the most devastating events in the history of Islam.
Conquest of Syria (1260)
After Baghdad, in 1260, Mongol forces combined with those of their Christian vassals in the region, such as the army of
Cilician Armenia under
Hetoum I, and the Franks of
Bohemond VI of Antioch. This force then conquered Muslim
Syria, domain of the
Ayyubid dynasty. They took together the city of
Aleppo, and on
March 1,
1260, under the Christian general
Kitbuqa, they also took
Damascus. A Christian Mass was celebrated in the
Grand Mosque of the Umayyads (the former cathedral of Saint
John the Baptist), and numerous mosques were profaned. Many historical accounts describe the three Christian rulers (Hetoum, Bohemond, and Kitbuqa) entering the city of Damascus together in triumph,
The invasion effectively destroyed the
Ayyubid Dynasty, theretofore powerful ruler of large parts of the
Levant,
Egypt, and
Arabia. The last Ayyubid king
An-Nasir Yusuf was killed by Hulagu in 1260. With the Islamic power centers of Baghdad and Damascus gone, the center of Islamic power transferred to the Egyptian Mamluks in
Cairo.
Hulagu's intent at that point was to continue south through
Palestine towards
Cairo to engage the Mamluks. However, Great Khan
Mongke had died in late 1259, requiring Hulagu to return Karakorum to engage in the decision on who the next Great Khan would be. Hulagu departed with the bulk of his forces, leaving only about 10,000 Mongol horsemen in Syria under Kitbuqa to occupy the conquered territory. Kitbuqa's forces engaged in raids southward towards Egypt, reaching as far as
Ascalon and
Jerusalem, and a Mongol garrison of about 1,000 was placed in Gaza, with another garrison located in
Naplouse.
Battle of Ayn Jalut (1260)
The
Mamluks took advantage of the weakened state of Kitbuqa's forces. The Crusaders, though traditional enemies of the Mamluks, also regarded the Mongols as the greater threat. Discussions took place between the Muslims and the Christians, with debate about whether or not to join forces against the Mongols, but the Crusaders were not in agreement with this action. So instead, the Crusaders opted for a position of a careful neutrality, a passive alliance whereby the Egyptian forces were allowed to come north through Crusader territory, and resupply near the Crusaders' powerbase of
Acre. The Mamluks then engaged the remnants of the Mongol army in
Galilee, at the
Battle of Ayn Jalut. The Mamluks achieved a decisive victory, Kitbuqa was executed, and the location established a highwater mark for the Mongol conquest. In previous defeats, the Mongols had always returned later to re-take the territory, but they were never able to avenge the loss at Ayn Jalut. For the rest of the century, the Mongols would attempt other invasions of Syria, but never be able to hold territory for more than a few months. The border of the Mongol
Ilkhanate remained at the
Tigris River for the duration of Hulagu's dynasty.
Later campaigns
Hulagu returned to his lands by
1262, after the succession was finally settled with his brother
Kublai Khan established as Great Khan. But when Hulagu massed his armies to attack the Mamluks and avenge the defeat at Ain Jalut, he was instead drawn into civil war with
Batu Khan's brother
Berke. Berke Khan, a Muslim convert, had promised retribution in his rage after Hulagu's sack of Baghdad, and allied himself with the Mamluks. He initiated a series of raids on Hulagu's territories, led by
Nogai Khan. Hulagu suffered a severe defeat in an attempted invasion north of the
Caucasus in
1263. This was the first open war between Mongols, and signaled the end of the unified empire.
Communications with Europe
Hulagu sent multiple communications to Europe, in an attempt to establish a
Franco-Mongol alliance against the Muslims. In 1262, he sent an embassy to "all kings and princes overseas", along with his secretary
Rychaldus. However the embassy was apparently intercepted in
Sicily by King
Manfred, who was allied with the
Mamluks and in conflict with
Pope Urban IV, and Rychaldus was returned by ship.
On
April 10 1262, Hulagu sent through
John the Hungarian a letter to the French king
Louis IX, offering an alliance. It is unclear whether the letter ever reached Louis IX in
Paris, as the only known manuscript survived in
Vienna,
Austria. However, the letter stated Hulagu's intention to capture Jerusalem for the benefit of the Pope, and asked for Louis to send a fleet against Egypt:
Arghun) or Cassano (
Ghazan) are recorded.
The Polos
Niccolò and Maffeo Polo reportedly travelled to the realm of Hulagu and stayed in the city of
Bukhara, in modern day
Uzbekistan, where the family lived and traded for three years from 1261 to 1264. Nicolò and Maffeo then joined up with an embassy sent by Hulagu to his brother, the Great Khan
Kublai. In 1266, the Polos reached the seat of the Great Khan in the Mongol capital
Khanbaliq, present day
Beijing,
China. They reportedly remained there many years, until in 1291 sent on a mission by Kublai to escort a 17-year-old princess bride,
Kököchin, to
Arghun Khan, Hulagu's grandson.
Death
Hulagu Khan died in
1265 and was buried in the
Kaboudi Island in
Lake Urmia. His funeral was the only Ilkhanid funeral to feature human sacrifice. He was succeeded by his son
Abaqa, thus establishing his line.
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