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24 Rashid al-Din: In Defense of Chaghatay Khan Introduction Rashid al-Din (1247–1318) was born into a Jewish family in the city of Hamadan, in western Iran, just a few years before the Mongol prince Hülegü (r. 1256–65) led a conquering force into the Middle East. Rashid al-Din’s father and grandfather were both employed at the Mongol court, and, after being trained as a physician, he too was awarded a position at the court of Abaqa (r. 1265–82), Hülegü’s son and the second ruler of the Il-Khanate. During that time Rashid al-Din converted to Islam, and proved himself to be exceptionally bright and talented. He was later elevated to the position of grand vizier during the reign of Ghazan Khan (r. 1295–1304), also a convert to Islam. It was Ghazan Khan who ordered Rashid al-Din to write the Jami῾ al-tavarikh (Collection of histories), a Persian history composed as the Mongols were near the peak of their power in the region. Rashid al-Din’s efforts to complete this task were facilitated by his position as grand vizier under both Ghazan Khan and Öljeytü (r. 1304–16). In addition to enjoying unfettered access to the vast holdings of the Il-Khanate’s Persian libraries and an array of Mongol and Chinese sources, Rashid al-Din had patrons who permitted him access to the information included in the Altan Debter (the “Golden Book”), a uniquely valuable Mongol chronicle that has since passed out of existence. As a Persian, Rashid al-Din was officially Islamic Central Asia under Mongol Rule B 140 The Mongol Empire forbidden from reading this carefully guarded work—only Mongols were permitted access. But his il-khan patrons sidestepped this restriction by ordering Mongol research assistants to read the text of the Altan Debter and relay relevant information to Rashid al-Din. While this allowance may have stretched the spirit of the law, it has added immeasurable value to the Jami῾ al-tavarikh as a source for the history of the Mongols. The Jami῾ al-tavarikh presents a full and detailed account, and it is in some ways unsurpassed by any other Persian chronicle of the period. But one cannot overlook the fact that Rashid al-Din was clearly beholden to his Mongol patrons; indeed his occasionally obsequious treatment of Ghazan Khan and Öljeytü may leave critical readers wondering whether the work is anything more than sycophantic propaganda. However, while a pro-Mongol bias clearly runs throughout the Jami῾ al-tavarikh, the events discussed are frequently corroborated in other contemporary sources, and careful textual analysis suggests that Rashid alDin ’s version of events is quite reliable. It is for this reason that his short essay on Chaghatay Khan proves so interesting—especially when compared against Juzjani’s (no less biased) discussion presented in the previous reading. Of the History of Chaghatay Khan Chaghatay was a just, competent, and awe-inspiring ruler. His father, Chinggis Khan, said to the amirs, “Whoever wishes to learn the yasa and yosun of kingship should follow Chaghatay. Whoever love property, wealth, chivalrous manners, and comfort should walk in the footsteps of Ögedei. And whoever wishes to acquire politeness, good breeding, courage, and skill in the handling of weapons should wait in attendance on Tolui.” And when he was sharing out the armies he gave him four thousand men, as is set forth in detail in his history in the section on the division of the armies. Of the amirs he gave him Qarachar of the Barulas people and Möge the father of Yesün Noyan, of the Jalayir people; and of the lands and yurts from the Altai, which is the yurt of the Nayman peoples [to the banks of the Oxus]. And, in accordance with the command of Chinggis Khan, he went forth with the armies, and carried out the operations with the utmost zeal and endeavor, and conquered the various countries in the manner already described . In the qonin yïl, that is, the Year of the Sheep, corresponding to Sha’ban of 607 of the Hijra [January–February, 1211], when Chinggis Khan set out against the land of Khitai, Chaghatay together with Ögedei and Tolui captured five towns: Un-Ui, Tung-Cheng, Fu-Jiu, Suq-Jiu, and Fung-Jiu. Then, when they had besieged and taken the town of Jo-Jiu, he sent all three to the edge of a mountain and its environs, and they...

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