Arghun Khan

Born: 1258 Died: March 10, 1291 Reigned: 1284-1291 Khanate: Ilkhanate Title: Ilkhan

Overview

Arghun Khan was the fourth Ilkhan, a son of Abaqa Khan who overthrew and executed his uncle Tekuder Ahmad to reclaim the throne for those committed to traditional Mongol religious practices and the anti-Mamluk military policy. He was a Buddhist who maintained the Ilkhanate's alliance-seeking approach toward European Christian powers and continued the dynasty's conflict with the Mamluk Sultanate. His reign is also notable for his diplomatic relationship with the Venetian merchant Marco Polo's world — he sent an envoy named Rabban Sauma on a remarkable diplomatic mission to Europe in 1287-1288, one of the most extraordinary diplomatic journeys of the medieval period.

Rise to Power

Arghun organized opposition to Tekuder Ahmad's reign among the Mongol military commanders who were alienated by the Ilkhan's conversion to Islam and his overtures to the Mamluks. In 1284, Arghun's faction arrested Tekuder Ahmad and executed him, and Arghun was recognized as Ilkhan with the support of the military establishment and the endorsement of Kublai Khan.

Rule and Achievements

Arghun Khan's seven-year reign maintained the Ilkhanate's traditional orientation:

• He resumed the anti-Mamluk policy, conducting campaigns in Syria though without achieving the decisive victory the dynasty sought
• He continued his father Abaqa's diplomatic outreach to European powers, seeking a joint crusade. His envoy Rabban Sauma — a Nestorian Christian monk of Turkic origin — visited the courts of the Byzantine Emperor, the King of France, the King of England, and Pope Nicholas IV in 1287-1288, leaving behind a remarkable account of his journey
• He patronized trade along the Silk Road and maintained the Ilkhanate's role as a commercial hub
• He employed the Jewish physician Sa'd al-Dawla as his chief minister, an unusual and controversial appointment that reflected his willingness to use non-Muslim talent regardless of religious background
• His reign was marked by relatively good governance of the Persian heartland, with the administrative apparatus functioning effectively

He died in 1291, reportedly from illness exacerbated by excessive consumption of medicines and elixirs in a futile attempt to extend his life.

Legacy

Arghun Khan is remembered primarily for Rabban Sauma's extraordinary diplomatic mission to Europe, which produced one of the most vivid accounts of medieval Eurasian diplomacy. His attempted alliance with Europe against the Mamluks remained unrealized, but the mission itself stands as a remarkable episode in cross-cultural exchange. His death without achieving the Mamluk conquest that had been the Ilkhanate's strategic goal since Hulagu's time left that ambition to his successors, who would eventually make peace rather than war with Egypt.