Bilarghu, also Pilargh'ou, was a

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

general of the ruler

Ghazan Mahmud Ghazan (5 November 1271 – 11 May 1304) (, Ghazan Khan, sometimes westernized as Casanus was the seventh ruler of the Mongol Empire's Ilkhanate division in modern-day Iran from 1295 to 1304. He was the son of Arghun, grandson of Abaqa K ...

during the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century. During the Mongol campaigns of 1299 in Syria, Bilarghu was put in charge of the rear-guard on the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

, in command of 10,000 men. In 1303, following the Mongol defeat against the

Mamluks Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-sold ...

at the Battle of Shaqhab, Ghazan supplied 1,000

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

under Bilarghu to protect

Cilician Armenia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, also known as Cilician Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia, was an Armenians, Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages b ...

against

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

incursions. In 1307, Bilarghu, who already had poor relations with

Hethum II Hethum II, OFM (; 1266– 17 November 1307) was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1289 to 1293, 1295 to 1296 and 1299 to 1303, while Armenia was a subject state of the Mongol Empire. He abdicated twice to take vows with the Franciscan ...

, was involved in an internal plot leading to his assassination of the Armenian rulers. Hetoum II and Leon III had been advocating and organizing the fusion of the Church of Armenia and the Catholic Church, but had been under terrible internal opposition. The opposing faction went to see Bilarghu, and accused Hetoum of plotting an insurrection against the Mongols. On November 17, Bilarghu decided to have them executed with their retinue when they visited him at

Anazarbus Anazarbus, also known as Justinopolis (, medieval Ain Zarba; modern Anavarza; ), was an ancient Cilician city. Under the later Roman Empire, late Roman Empire, it was the capital of Cilicia Secunda. Roman emperor Justinian I rebuilt the city ...

for a

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

Oshin is a Japanese television, Japanese Asadora, serialized morning television drama (''asadora''), which originally aired on NHK from 4 March 1983 to 31 March 1984; it is the 31st ''asadora'' overall to be produced. The 297 15-minute episodes follo ...

, brother of Hetoum, immediately marched against Bilarghu and vanquished him, forcing him to leave

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

. Oshin was crowned new king of the kingdom of

. Bilargu was executed by Oljeitu for his crime at the request of the Armenians.''Receuil des historiens des Croisades, Documents Arméniens I'', p. 664
/ref>

Notes

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References

*Claude Mutafian, ''Le Royaume Arménien de Cilicie'' *''Recueil des historiens des Croisades, Documents Arméniens I'', 14th century. 13th-century births 14th-century executions 1307 deaths Generals of the Ilkhanate People executed by the Mongol Empire People executed for murder

See also

Notes

References