The Fall of the Ilkhanate

The fall of the Ilkhanate in 1335 was a major event in the history of the Middle East. The Ilkhanate, which had been the major power in the Middle East for almost a century, collapsed after a long succession crisis that followed the death of the last effective Ilkhan, Abu Sa’id. The collapse of the Ilkhanate was a major blow to the Mongol world, and it marked the end of Mongol rule in Persia.

The collapse of the Ilkhanate was followed by the rise of a number of successor states, including the Jalairid, the Chobanid, and the Muzaffarid dynasties. The successor states ruled Persia for the next century, and they were eventually absorbed by the Timurid Empire in the late fourteenth century. The Timurid Empire was a major patron of Islamic culture, and the Timurid court at Samarkand and Herat was one of the major cultural centers of the medieval world.

The Background to the Fall

The background to the fall of the Ilkhanate was the long series of events that had taken place in the Middle East in the early fourteenth century. The Ilkhanate had been weakened by a long series of internal disputes, including succession disputes, religious disputes, and political intrigues. The Ilkhanate was also weakened by external pressures, including the rise of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and the rise of the Golden Horde in the Russian steppe.

The most important of the internal disputes was the succession dispute that followed the death of Abu Sa’id in 1335. Abu Sa’id was the last effective Ilkhan, and his death without a clear heir triggered a long succession crisis. The crisis was eventually resolved by the breakup of the Ilkhanate into a number of successor states, each of which was ruled by a different branch of the Ilkhanid family.

The Death of Abu Sa’id

The death of Abu Sa’id in 1335 was a major event in the history of the Ilkhanate. Abu Sa’id was the last effective Ilkhan, and his death without a clear heir triggered a long succession crisis. The succession crisis was eventually resolved by the breakup of the Ilkhanate into a number of successor states.

Abu Sa’id was reportedly a popular and effective ruler, and he was able to maintain the unity of the Ilkhanate during a long period of crisis. Abu Sa’id was also a major patron of culture, and he sponsored a number of major artistic and literary projects. Abu Sa’id’s death was a major blow to the Ilkhanate, and it marked the beginning of a long period of political instability.

The Successor States

The successor states of the Ilkhanate were the states that emerged from the breakup of the Ilkhanate in 1335. The most important of the successor states were the Jalairid, the Chobanid, and the Muzaffarid dynasties. The Jalairid dynasty, which ruled Iraq and parts of Persia, was founded by Hasan Buzurg, a former commander of the Ilkhanate. The Chobanid dynasty, which ruled parts of Persia and Anatolia, was founded by Choban, a former commander of the Ilkhanate. The Muzaffarid dynasty, which ruled parts of southern Persia, was founded by Mubariz al-Din Muhammad, a former governor of the Ilkhanate.

The successor states ruled Persia for the next century, and they were eventually absorbed by the Timurid Empire in the late fourteenth century. The successor states were also involved in a number of major conflicts, including the long series of wars with the Mamluk Sultanate, the long series of wars with the Golden Horde, and the long series of wars with the Timurid Empire.

The Timurid Conquest

The Timurid conquest of the successor states of the Ilkhanate was a major event in the history of the Middle East. The Timurid Empire, which was founded by Timur (Tamerlane) in the late fourteenth century, conquered most of the successor states of the Ilkhanate in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. The Timurid Empire was a major patron of Islamic culture, and the Timurid court at Samarkand and Herat was one of the major cultural centers of the medieval world.

The Timurid Empire gradually declined in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and the eastern part of the former Ilkhanate was eventually absorbed by the Safavid Empire in Persia and the Uzbek Khanate in Central Asia. The western part of the former Ilkhanate was eventually absorbed by the Ottoman Empire, and the entire region was eventually incorporated into the modern states of the Middle East.

The Legacy of the Ilkhanate

The fall of the Ilkhanate has had a long shadow in the historical memory of the Middle East. The fall is remembered as a major event in the history of the region, and the fall is widely taught in Iranian schools as a major event in the history of the country. The fall is also remembered in the broader Islamic tradition as a major moment in the history of the Mongol world.

The fall of the Ilkhanate was also significant for the political life of the Middle East. The fall marked the end of Mongol rule in Persia, and it marked the beginning of a long period of political fragmentation in the region. The fall was also significant for the cultural life of the Middle East, since it marked the end of the major Ilkhanate cultural institutions and the beginning of a long period of relative cultural decline.

Sources

George Lane, Early Mongol Rule in Thirteenth-Century Iran (London, 2003).
Linda Komaroff, ed., The Legacy of Genghis Khan (New York, 2002).
Peter Jackson, The Mongols and the West (London, 2005).