Man of Many Faiths
Oljeitu provides an example of the influence different religions had across the Mongol Empire. He was baptized a Christian as a child, but later in life he converted to Buddhism and then Sunni Islam, before ending up a Shiite.
Two major decisions during Oljeitu’s rule affected life within the khanate: Oljeitu converted to the Shiite branch of Islam, and he appointed Rashid al-Din to run the southern half of the realm and Ali Shah (d. 1324) to run the north. (This system of splitting the daily operations of the government between two advisors existed through all the Ilkhans). Both decisions led to problems. Sunni Muslims in the realm disliked the Shiites and the official recognition that came with such a prominent conversion. This led to conflict between the two factions within the government. And the two advisors’ battle for control eventually led Ali Shah’s allies to accuse Rashid al-Din of poisoning Oljeitu, who died in 1316. The charge was false, but that did not stop Mongol officials from executing the great scholar and government official by cutting his body in half.
After Rashid’s death, a general named Choban (d. 1327) served as the chief advisor to the new Ilkhan, Abu Said (c. 1304-1335), who was Oljeitu’s son. Abu Said came to power when he was only 12. Around 1320 Abu Said and Choban led a military force that fought off an attack in Azerbaijan from the Mongols of the Golden Horde. Another Mongol, a Chaghatai prince, led a rebellion in 1319 in Khorasan, in what is now northeast Iran. The Ilkhanate was also able to end this threat.
Abu Said ruled well over the Ilkhanate until his death. He signed a peace treaty with the Mamluks, and he kept the government together as different groups within it competed for power. With his death, however, Ilkhanate politics became chaotic. Abu Said did not have a son nor any male relative to take his place; he was the last descendant of the great Mongol conqueror Hulegu to rule. Mongol princes with distant ties to Chinggis began fighting for control. These civil wars gave other ethnic groups-Persians, Arabs, Turks-a chance to drive the Mongols out of power. Most historians cite 1353 as the end of the Ilkhanate.
The Black Death
One problem the Golden Horde struggled with during the 1340s and 1350s was an outbreak of a highly contagious disease called bubonic plague, which was also known as the black death. During the mid-14th century, this plague spread across Asia into Europe, eventually killing millions of people. Some historians believe the black death can be traced to the Mongols, who brought it to the city of Kaffa, on the Crimean Sea. Fleas from rats and marmots, which were common in Mongolia, carried the disease. The fleas spread the disease to the Mongols, who infected the Europeans they were fighting at Kaffa. The soldiers then carried the black death home with them when they returned to Europe.
World History
