Hulagu: The man who destroyed Baghdad and the Abbasids

[Parthicus]

Ilkhans (Mongols of Persia). Mint unclear. AR dirham (2.61 g, 28 mm). Hulagu (1256-1265 CE/654-663 AH), date possibly 657 AH. Obverse: Inscription citing the "Great Khan" (Mongke) and calling Hulagu Ilkhan (subsidiary khan). Reverse: Standard Muslim religious inscriptions, tamgha of Hulagu above. Album 2122. This coin: Pars Coins eSale 23, lot 170 (August 2, 2024).

Hulagu, a grandson of Chinghiz (Genghis) Khan and brother of both Mongke Khan and Kublai Khan, was born around 1217. Little is recorded of his early life. In 1251 Mongke became the Great Khan, and initially sent Hulagu to administer territory in China. However, in 1252 this land was reassigned to Kublai, and Hulagu was charged with conquering the Abbasid Caliphate and other lands in the West. Over the next few years he added territory in southern Persia and Iraq. He also started using the title Ilkhan (subsidiary khan), which would later be applied to the dynasty he founded. In early 1258 he began the siege of Baghdad, the Abbasid capital and, while not as important politically as it had been, still the cultural and intellectual center of the Islamic world. After a siege of only two weeks, the city fell, and Hulagu's troops looted and destroyed on a massive scale. Estimates of the number killed vary widely, from a low of around 100,000 to as many as a million. The last Abbasid caliph was captured alive and executed. Reportedly, as it was forbidden by Mongol law to spill the blood of nobles on the ground, the caliph was wrapped up in carpets and trampled by horses. Somehow, I doubt that was much consolation for him. Hulagu's forces next moved into Syria and were able to conquer both Aleppo and Damascus from the Ayyubids. For this he teamed up with local Christian rulers Hetoum I of Cilician Armenia and Bohemund VI of the Crusader state of Antioch. Hulagu next planned to destroy the Mamluk ruler Qutuz and capture Cairo, but first took most of his troops and horses to rest and recuperate in northwest Iran, leaving only a small force of around 10,000 behind. Qutuz and his lieutenant Baybars saw an opportunity, and at the battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 were able to completely rout the Mongol forces. Hulagu, and the Mongols, were never able to move so far west again. Hulagu was then drawn into a civil war with Berke Khan of the Golden Horde (Kipchak Khanate), another Mongol khanate which controlled Kievan Rus and adjacent territory. Hulagu died in early 1265, and Berke died a few months later, leaving the Mongol territories divided. Hulagu was succeeded by his son Abaqa, who continued the Ilkhan line.

Hulagu was nominally Buddhist, but appears to have been fond of Christianity. His mother was a Christian, his favorite wife was a Christian, and he had good relations with neighboring Christian rulers. He is also known to have sent a letter proposing an alliance with Louis IX of France, though it is not certain if the letter actually reached Louis, and in any case no alliance materialized. He is also considered to have had a positive effect in uniting and reviving Persian culture. But the sack of Baghdad in 1258 had a devastating effect on the Muslim world, symbolically as well as practically; the "Golden Age" of Islamic civilization was over. Please post your coins of Hulagu, or whatever else is related.

[Curtisimo]

I always enjoy your history write ups on your eastern empires coins. Great coin and thread. Unfortunately I don’t have much to contribute on the subject.

[John Conduitt]

Nice write up. I believe it was claimed he threw so many books from Baghdad’s libraries into the Tigris (perhaps including now-lost Greek, Roman and Islamic masterpieces) the river ran black.

Hulagu Khan Fals, 1260-1261, overstruck on a Badr al-Din Lu'lu' Fals, 1258-1259

Sinjar (Iraq). Bronze, 24mm, 6.87g. Shahada in three lines. 8-point star, ‘the Ilkhan Hulagu, may Allah increase his greatness’ (Album 2125.3; Zeno 35480, this coin). Overstruck on a Fals of Badr al-Din Lu'lu' (Album 1876).
Badr al-Din Lu'lu' (ruler of Mosul, Iraq) surrendered to Hulagu, sparing his city from destruction. He recognised Möngke as Supreme Khan on the under-coin. Hulagu overstruck it after their deaths in 1259.

Möngke Khan Jital, 1251-1260/AH649-658

Ghazna. Billon, 15mm, 3.14g. By the Power of the Creator of the World (Persian). Tamgha of the great khan Möngke in shape of a thunderbolt between floral patterns (Album 1978E.2).

Hulagu's slaughter of Muslims in Baghdad enraged Berke, who was a Muslim, resulting in war and the division of the Empire into Golden Horde and Ilkhanate.

Berke Khan (Golden Horde) Yarmak, 1265

Qrim. Silver, 2.18g. Padishah / of Islam Nasir / Defender of the Faith and Peace. Mint Qirim around a tamga; blessed be this year of the black cow (Sagdeeva 6; Zeno 82173, this coin). The legend is debatable!

Öljaitü was Hulagu’s great-grandson.

Öljaitü ibn Arghun Fals, 1304-1316

The Ilkhanate. Bronze, 23mm, 2.55g. Sun-face with eight rays within square. Three-lined and marginal legends citing Muhammad Khudabanda (Öljaitü was also known as Mohammad-e Khodabande) and title al-Sultan al-Azam (cf Mitchiner 1620).

Edited August 26 by John Conduitt

[Sulla80]

@Parthicus - I enjoy learning from your writeups and coins.  I don't have any coins from Hulagu, but I do have a coin from roughly this time period. A 22.5mm, 1.96g Dirhem from the Otrar mint with the tamgha of Qaidu (AH 662-701, 1270-1302 CE) on the obverse.  Otrar, aka Farab, was a significant city located in Central Asia, near the Syr Darya River in what is now southern Kazakhstan. It was an important city during the time of the Mongol Empire and the earlier Khwarazmian Empire. This coin was issued AH 677 = 1279 CE.

When Hulegu died in 1265, he left the Ilkahante to his son, Abaqa. The Chaghataid-Ogodeid alliance in Central Asia backed Qaidu  (a grandson of Ögedei Khan, great-grandson of Chinghiz (Genghis) Khan) for the Ilkhan throne. He clashed with Kublai Khan - refusing an invitation to court and witholding his support for Kublai as Great Khan.  He spent most of his reign fighting against Kublai Khan.  He died in 1301 CE and was in flight after a defeat near Karakorum.

Marco Polo wrote of Qaidu Khan, the Mongol religion and their nomadic way of life as follows:

"It should be known, therefore, that in the northern parts of the world there dwell many Tartars, under a chief of the name of Kaidu, who is of the race of Jengiz−khan, and nearly related to Kublaï, the grand khan.  He is not the subject of any other prince. The people observe the usages and manners of their ancestors, and are regarded as genuine Tartars. These Tartars are idolaters, and worship a god whom they call Naagai, that is, the god of earth, because they think and believe that this their god has dominion over the earth, and over all things that are born of it; and to this their false god they make idols and images of felt, as is described in a former book. Their king and his armies do not shut themselves up in castles or strong places, nor even in towns; but at all times remain in the open plains, the valleys, or the woods, with which this region abounds. They have no corn of any kind, but subsist upon flesh and milk, and live amongst each other in perfect harmony; their king, to whom they all pay implicit obedience, having no object dearer to him than that of preserving peace and union amongst his subjects, which is the essential duty of a sovereign. They possess vast herds of horses, cows, sheep, and other domestic animals."

-The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, XLIV of Ormus

Islamic, Mongols, Ögedeids (Chaghatayid) Khans, Qaidu Khan, AH 668-700 / AD 1270-1301, AR Dirham (, 2.5mm, 1.96g), Otrar mint, AH 677 = 1279

Obv: المُلک لله / الحمد لله ‘al-mulk lillāh / al-ḥamd lillāh’ (‘The kingdom is Allah’s. Praise be to Allah’ in Arabic); around, ضُرِبَ هذا ببلدة / اُترار / سنة سبع و سبعين و ستمائة ‘ḍuriba hā[dhā bi-baldat] / Utrār / sana khams / wa sab‘īn wa sitta miʾa’ (This was struck in the city of Otrar in the year 677’ in Arabic)

Rev: Tamgha of Qaidu with ornate patterns around; in the margin, citing the ʿAbbasid caliph al-Nasir li-din Allah (AH 575-622 / AD 1180-1225), الامام الأعظم الناصر امیر المؤمنین ‘al-imām al-aʿẓam al-Nāṣir amīr al-muʾminīn’ (The supreme imam al-Nasir, Commander of the Believers’ in Arabic).

Ref: Album 1985 (temp. of Tuqa Timur, circa AH 670-690 / AD 1272-1291).

Album notes: "There are also numerous non-‘Abbasid gold, silver and copper coins bearing only the name of al-Nasir, mainly of Central Asian origin. These were struck by the Mongols and are listed amongst their issues including some “anonymous” types of the Golden Horde and the Chaghatayids. Current theory has shown that some, probably the majority, were struck posthumously, i.e., after 622/1225."

Edited August 26 by Sulla80