Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T10:59:51.470Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - The search for a second front

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2009

Reuven Amitai-Preiss
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Get access

Summary

… Between our older and younger brothers, there was conflict. Because of this we could not ride towards you.

Abagha, in a letter to Baybars, 667/1268

Early on in the war, both the Mamluk Sultans and the Īlkhāns began to devote considerable efforts to diplomatic activities with various third parties. Both sides hoped that this would lead to the opening of a second front against their enemy, bringing about its weakening and neutralization, if not its defeat. It is true that Mamluk–Golden Horde relations as well as Īlkhānid–Frankish contacts have been well studied by modern scholars. Considering the importance of this subject for the history of Mamluk–Īlkhānid war, however, it is impossible to dispense with a discussion on this topic. It may also prove useful to re-examine the diplomatic relations within the context of the Mamluk–Īlkhānid war.

The beginnings of the Mamluk–Golden Horde entente

The relationship between Baybars and Berke Khan, ruler of the Golden Horde, originated in their mutual understanding that they shared a common enemy in Hülegü. Berke's conflict with Hülegü arose from the latter's occupation of the area south of the Caucasian mountains. It appears that prior to Hülegü's arrival the Jochids had enjoyed some type of vague sovereignty over all of Mongol Iran, which had now been denied them. The studies of Professor Ayalon and Dr. Jackson have shown that this question of sovereignty, along with the related matter of the control of revenues, were the fundamental reasons behind the Īlkhānid–Golden Horde war.

Type
Chapter
Information
Mongols and Mamluks
The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260–1281
, pp. 78 - 105
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×