62 chapter three
from this perspective, the ilkhanid usurpation was merely one expres-
sion of a deep-seated tendency which eroded the cohesion of the empire
over the course of time. each ulus inherently needed to take shape as an
entity with its own goals and interests, which would only occasionally fit
with those of ‘the empire.’ after 1241 the appearance of solidarity was pre-
served at considerable cost6 but beneath the surface, the chieftains of the
various ulus were making and breaking alliances which did not bode well
for the unity of the empire. the unexpected appearance of a new power
centre, the ilkhanate, irreparably destroyed the already fragile interior
balance of the immense chinggisid polity. the shock not only broke the
empire apart into separate fragments, but also harshly lit up the antago-
nisms and bonds between them. henceforward, these ties were to dictate
how the new mongol states would act and interact.
the forces shaping the ilkhanate’s development were in place before it
even came into being. the most important of these predetermining factors
was the geopolitical setting, which was as compelling for the ilkhans as for
any other ruler of persia. this was the enduring foundation on which the
mongol state in persia built its position among the neighbouring powers.
two fundamentally hostile forces, the golden horde and the mamluk sul-
tanate, set the limits to the ilkhanate’s destiny even before hülegü could
proclaim its existence.
By contrast, the entente cordiale of 1251 between Batu and möngke,
which had laid the political foundations for the great Westward expan-
sion, was in the process of dissolving, and the first signs of this process
were the disputes between sarai and Qara Qorum over who would suc-
ceed Batu to the throne of the golden horde after his death in 1255.
his son sartak supported the Jochid-toluid alliance and received the
yarlïk of investiture from the great Khan, but died of poison on his return
from mongolia in 1257. his uncle Berke was suspected of the murder,
which according to an armenian chronicler was felt as a grave blow by the
christians, whom he had protected, as much as by the brothers hülegü
and möngke.7
after bloody internal struggles, a new political lineage emerged as the
victor in the golden horde.8 the christians mentioned by the armenian
6 cf. inter alia the conflict between sarai and Qara Qorum in chapter 2.1.2.
7 Kirakos in dulaurier, “mongols,” 11, 1858, p. 482.
8 Jūzjānī/raverty, ii, p. 1292.
