Berke-Hulagu war

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The Berke-Hulagu war was a war between Berke, khan of the Golden Horde, and Hulagu, khan of the Ilkhanate, that was fought in the Caucasus mountains area in the 1260s after the destruction of Baghdad in 1258. This war marked a key moment in the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire after the death of the Great Khan Mongke.

[edit] Background

In 1252, Berke converted to Islam, and in 1257 he assumed power in the Golden Horde after the death of Ulagchi. Like his brother Batu, was loyal to the Great Khan Mongke. Although aware of Berke's conversion to Islam, Hulagu, after conquering Persia, destroyed Baghdad in 1258, added Iraq to the Mongol Empire, advanced towards Syria and Palestine, and began a war of attrition against the Mamluk Sultanate. Berke became enraged with Hulagu's rampage through Muslim lands, and as a preparatory step, directed his nephew Nogai Khan to raid Poland in 1259 in order to collect booty to finance a war. Several Polish cities were plundered, including Kraków and Sandomierz. Berke then struck an alliance with the primarily Mamluk overlords of Egypt.

That same year, Mongke died in a military campaign in China. Muslim Historian Rashid al Din quoted Berke Khan as sending the following message to Mongke Khan, protesting the attack on Baghdad, (not knowing Mongke had died in China) : "he has sacked all the cities of the Muslims, and has brought about the death of the Caliph. With the help of God I will call him to account for so much innocent blood." (see The Mongol Warlords, quoting Rashid al Din's record of Berke Khan's pronouncement; this quote is also found in The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War).

[edit] The war

In 1260 Hulagu's lieutenants in the Middle East lost the Battle of Ain Jalut to the Mamluks while Hulagu was in Mongolia to participate in the succession of a new Great Khan following the death of Mongke. Upon hearing the news, Hulagu began preparing to avenge the defeat. Two years later he returned to his lands in Persia, but was distracted and prevented from dealing with the Mamluks when Berke carried through on the threat to war against his cousin so as to avenge the sack of Baghdad. Berke again unleashed Nogai Khan to launch a series of raids - this time multiple reconassainces in force in the Caucasus region - which drew Hulagu north with the bulk of his forces.

With the greater part of his armies trekking north to contain Berke and minimal forces left in Syria, Hulagu was unable to send more than two tumens against the Mamluks to avenge the loss at Ain Jalut, which forces were easily defeated.

In the meantime, Hulagu and most of his forces were attempting to contain Nogai and Berke in Caucasus, when Hulagu's army was surprised and defeated by Nogai in the Terek River. Thousands of Hulagu's army drowned, and the survivors fled back into Azerbaijan. In 1265 Hulagu died, followed by Berke the next year.

[edit] Aftermath

This was the first open war between Mongols. Before that there had been tensions between Batu and Güyük that could have erupted into an open war, but the premature death of the latter averted hostilities. Berke and Hulagu set a precedent that was repeated in the form of further Mongol civil wars, such as the tensions between Arik Boke and Kublai Khan after 1260, Abaqa and Barak in 1270, Qaidu and Kublai Khan in the 1280s, Toqta and Nogai in the late 1290s and the war between Tokhtamysh and Timur in the late XIV century. This war, along with the second raid against Poland, also marked the rise of Nogai Khan in the Golden Horde. After Berke's death he became ever more powerful, and became a kingmaker in the Golden Horde.