Alghu

Alghu (d. 1265 or 1266) was a khan of the Chagatai Khanate (1260-1265/6). He was the son of Baidar and the grandson of Chagatai Khan.

In 1260 he was appointed as head of the ulus of the Chagatai Khanate by the Great Khan claimant Ariq Böke, in opposition to the child khan Mubarak Shah and his mother Orghina. In 1261 he was sent to Central Asia, where he quickly established control of much of the Chagatai Khanate, as well as other areas, particularly those that were formerly under the control of the Blue Horde. He also seized control of Samarkand and Bukhara, which before had been ruled jointly between the Chagatai Khan and the Great Khan. In 1262 he rebelled against Ariq Boke, and the conflict saw a series of violent clashes over the next two years. Alghu gained the support of the Great Khan's governor of Turkestan, Mas'ud Beg, as well as Orghina. The revolt severely weakened Ariq Böke's power and contributed to his eventual loss to Kublai Khan.

In 1263 Alghu declared his allegiance to Kublai, and then attacked Kaidu, whose lands bordered his, under the pretext that the latter had supported Ariq Böke. Kaidu turned to Berke, Khan of the Blue Horde, for assistance; the latter provided him with resources and an army. Alghu found his territories invaded, and was defeated by Kaidu in battle. However, Alghu struck back and was victorious in a new battle, and would have pressed his advantage had he not died in the end of 1265 or the beginning of 1266. He was buried in Almaliq.

References

• Michael Biran, Qaidu and the Rise of the Independent Mongol State in Central Asia. The Curzon Press, 1997, ISBN 0-7007-0631-3.