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The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

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Deal<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> rebellions <strong>of</strong> subject peoples <strong>and</strong><br />

wag<strong>in</strong>g war aga<strong>in</strong>st Muslim powers <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hear East were<br />

not <strong>the</strong> only military operations occupy<strong>in</strong>g Il-Khanid<br />

generals. Beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g with 1261, <strong>the</strong> Caucasus became an<br />

occasional <strong>the</strong>ater <strong>of</strong> warfare between fl-Khanida <strong>and</strong><br />

yet ano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>Mongol</strong> state, that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Golden Horde centered<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> lower Volga with its capital at Sarai. <strong>The</strong> organ-<br />

izer <strong>of</strong> this state, Berke-Khan (1257-66) a devout Muslim,<br />

was outraged by <strong>the</strong> anti-Muslim policies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> shamanist<br />

HfllegQ <strong>and</strong> especially by his massacre <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Muslim<br />

population <strong>of</strong> Baghdad <strong>in</strong> 1258. Hot only did Berke <strong>and</strong><br />

his successors attempt to <strong>in</strong>fr<strong>in</strong>ge on <strong>the</strong> uncerta<strong>in</strong><br />

boundary between his realm <strong>and</strong> HSlegU's (i.«»., <strong>the</strong> Caucasus),<br />

but <strong>the</strong>y also entered <strong>in</strong>to an alliance with <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly<br />

powerful Mamluk state <strong>in</strong> Egypt . <strong>The</strong> latter were <strong>the</strong> most<br />

ferocious enemies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Il-Khanids <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hear East, <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> only power to have dealt <strong>the</strong> <strong>Mongol</strong>s a severe military<br />

defeat <strong>the</strong>re <strong>in</strong> 12602.<br />

1 Spuler pp. 21-25; 27-29; SMP pp. 352-54; CJA'v. 3 p. 218<br />

foldout; KG pp. 395-96; VA's account on p. 153 is merely<br />

a chronological list derived from KG; SO p. 161; KG pp.<br />

249-54; Mur. pp. 121-25.<br />

2 Spuler p.20; SKP pp. 351-52; Het'ua p. 53.<br />

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