the disintegration of the empire 129
once enthroned, ghazan’s brother Öljeitü behaved typically as a new
ruler, full of confidence and ready to take on risks. in 1305 he sent an
embassy to the monarchs of europe, one member of which was the sie-
nese tommaso Ugi, acting for the persian state. it announced that the
ilkhan had been enthroned, and recognised by the great Khan in china,
and that there was now peace between the rulers of the four mongol ulus,
allowing him finally to mobilise all his forces against the muslims in syria
and egypt. the moment was ripe for a new joint operation.302 his pro-
posal was taken up by pope clement v, who managed to assemble a fleet.
this never reached its destination however: the crusaders who took ship
intending to fight the saracens and conquer their country were in the end
content to take the island of rhodes.303
it goes without saying that Öljeitü, like his predecessors arghun and
ghazan, had gambled on having a reliable naval partner in his anti-
mamluk plans, a fleet which could fight dangerous, large-scale engage-
ments. however, the only powers that could fit this bill were genoa and
venice. the former had been out of play since 1290, so that the ilkhan now
turned all his attention to the serenissima.
in 1305 he offered the doge the chance to resume their old trading
relations, conclusive proof that he was interested in recruiting the repub-
lic in his planned war against cairo. Öljeitü promised that no venetian
merchant would have to pay taxes or be held to account for crimes com-
mitted by his fellows, and that the venetians would be allowed to found
their colony, to be governed by a bailey.304 the extremely attractive terms
offered and the context in which the offer was made, as part of a general
call to arms for the West, show that the persian ruler desperately needed
to involve venice in both policy and commerce in the ilkhanate, after the
genoese had defected in 1290.
the venetians either passed over the tempting offer in silence, or less
likely refused it only after limited negotiation in 1306–1307.305 either
way, the result was the same: no source mentions them anywhere in the
region until 1319, when alexios ii granted a privilege allowing them, as
others already did, to cross trebizond’s territory, of which the venetians
302 his letter to philip the fair of france has been preserved, and published with a
translation and philological commentary by haenisch, “Briefe,” pp. 229 ff.; for the historical
context see soranzo, Papato, pp. 349 ff., petech, “marchands,” pp. 566–567.
303 petech, “marchands,” p. 567.
304 DVL, i, p. 47, dates the document to 1306, which petech, “marchands,” p. 567, con-
vincingly corrects to 1305; cf. also desimoni, Conti, p. 40.
305 petech, “marchands,” p. 568, assumes so, with no documentary evidence.