Alghu (d. 1265 or 1266) was a khan of the
Chagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate, or Chagatai Ulus ( xng, , translit=Čaɣatay-yin Ulus; mn, Цагаадайн улс, translit=Tsagaadain Uls; chg, , translit=Čağatāy Ulusi; fa, , translit=Xânât-e Joghatây) was a Mongol and later Turkicized kh ...
(1260–1265/6). He was the son of
Baidar and the grandson of
Chagatai Khan
Chagatai Khan ( Mongolian: ''; Čaɣatay''; mn, Цагадай, translit=Tsagadai; chg, , ''Čaġatāy''; ug, چاغاتاي خان, ''Chaghatay-Xan''; zh, 察合台, ''Chágětái''; fa, , ''Joghatây''; 22 December 1183 – 1 July 1242) ...
.
Biography
In 1260 he was appointed as head of the ''ulus'' of the Chagatai Khanate by the
Great Khan
Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...
claimant
Ariq Böke, in opposition to the child khan
Mubarak Shah and his mother
Orghana, marrying her. In 1261 he was sent to
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
, 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
The eldest son of Genghis Khan, (who established the Mongol Empire) Jochi had several sons. When he died, they inherited their father's dominions as fiefs under the rule of their brothers, Batu Khan, as supreme khan and Orda Khan, who, although ...
. He also seized control of
Samarkand
fa, سمرقند
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
and
Bukhara
Bukhara ( Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and the city ...
, which before had been ruled jointly between the Chagatai Khan and the Great Khan. Alghu supported Ariq Böke in the
Toluid Civil War
The Toluid Civil War was a war of succession fought between Kublai Khan and his younger brother, Ariq Böke, from 1260 to 1264. Möngke Khan died in 1259 with no declared successor, precipitating infighting between members of the Tolui family ...
against
Kublai Khan
Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of ...
, but later deserted him. In 1262 he rebelled against Ariq Boke and commanded 150.000 soldiers against him; 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
Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang.
Overview
Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turk ...
, Mas'ud Beg making him his vizier, as well as Orghana. The revolt severely weakened Ariq Böke's and contributed to his eventual loss to Kublai Khan.
In 1263 Alghu declared his allegiance to Kublai, and then attacked
Kaidu
Kaidu (Middle Mongol: , Modern Mongol: / , ; ; c. 1230 – 1301) was a grandson of the Mongol khagan Ögedei (1185–1241) and thus leader of the House of Ögedei and the ''de facto'' khan of the Chagatai Khanate, a division of the Mongol Em ...
, whose lands bordered his, under the pretext that the latter had supported Ariq Böke. Kaidu turned to
Berke
Berke Khan (died 1266) (also Birkai; , tt-Cyrl, Бәркә хан) was a grandson of Genghis Khan and a Mongol military commander and ruler of the Golden Horde (division of the Mongol Empire) who effectively consolidated the power of the Blue ...
, 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 near
Otrar
Otrar or Utrar ( kk, Отырар, ''Otyrar'', otəˈɾɑɾ otk, 𐰚𐰭𐱃𐰺𐰢𐰣, Keŋü Tarman), also called Farab, is a Central Asian ghost town that was a city located along the Silk Road in Kazakhstan. Otrar was an important town ...
He was buried in
Almaliq.
Family
He was married to
Orghana Khatun and several other wives, with whom he had three sons:
# Qaban
# Chübei — created Prince of Weiwu (威武王) and Prince of Xining (西宁王) in 1304
#* Toqta
#*
Yasa'ur Yasa'ur (died 1320) was a Chagatai prince who launched a revolt against the Ilkhan Abu Sa'id. He was the son of Chübei, and a great-great-grandson of Chagatai Khan.
Yasa'ur had originally resided within the Chagatai ''ulus''. In 1314 he partici ...
#* Düküles
#* Ejil Buqa
#* Nom-Quli — 2nd Prince of Xining (西宁王), became ancestor of
Kara Del
Kara Del or Qara Del was a Mongol-led kingdom that existed in Hami in present-day Xinjiang. It was founded by the Yuan prince Gunashiri, a descendant of Chagatai Khan, in the late 14th century (c.1389), and ruled by the Chagatayids thereafter ...
rulers
[Franke, Herbert. ]
A 14th Century Mongolian Letter Fragment.
Asia Major 11 (1965): 120-27.
#* Aq Buqa
#* Sati
#* Da'ud
#* Gambo Dorji
#* Chigin-Temur
#* Jirghudai
#* Mingtash
#* Könchek Dorji.
# Toq-Temür
## Esen Böke
## Oqruqchi
References
1266 deaths
Chagatai khans
13th-century monarchs in Asia
Year of birth unknown
{{CAsia-hist-stub