Berke
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2013) |
| Berke Khan برکه خان | |
|---|---|
Kura River, Azerbaijan | |
| Issue |
|
| Dynasty | Borjigin |
| Father | Jochi |
| Religion | Islam |
Berke Khan (died 1266; also Birkai;
Name
Berke is a name used by both Turkic peoples and Mongols. In Mongolian berke (cf. bärk in Old Turkic) means "difficult, hard".[2]
Birth
Berke was born to
The latter claim was used to support the argument of historian Jean Richard that Berke's mother was Khan-Sultan (or Sultan Khatun), the captured daughter of Muhammad II of Khwarazm. The marriage between Jochi and Khan-Sultan took place in 1220, allowing Berke's birth to be no earlier than 1221.[4]
Background
Berke was present, with several of his brothers, at the inauguration of his uncle
In 1236, Berke joined his brothers
Berke further served under his brother during the invasion of Europe, fighting at the
Conversion to Islam
Berke Khan converted to Islam in the city of Bukhara in 1252. When he was at Saray-Jük, Berke met a caravan from Bukhara and questioned them about their faith. Berke was impressed with their faith and decided to convert to Islam. Berke then persuaded his brother Tukh-timur to become a Muslim as well.
In 1248 Batu sent Berke, along with his brother Tukh-timur, to Mongolia in order to install
Assuming the Golden Horde
When Batu died in 1255, he was briefly succeeded by his sons
Berke-Hulagu War
Berke became a devout Muslim. His conversion resulted in the Blue Horde becoming predominantly Muslim, although there were still animists and Buddhists among them. Berke was angered by Hulagu's destruction of Baghdad and was determined to deal with
In the meantime, the Ilkhanates led by
Hulagu returned to his lands by 1262, but instead of being able to avenge his defeats, was drawn into civil war with Berke and the Blue Horde. Berke Khan had promised such a defeat in his rage after Hulagu's sack of Baghdad.
Muslim historian
- "He (Hulagu) has sacked all the cities of the Muslims, and has brought about the death of the Caliph. With the help of God I will call him to account for so much innocent blood." (see The Mongol Warlords, quoting Rashid al-Din's record of Berke Khan's pronouncement; this quote is also found in The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War)
Before his succession, he also complained to Batu "We helped Möngke to enthrone. But he forgot who the enemy is or friend is. Now, he is starving the lands of our friend Caliph. It is abject". It is notable that Berke Khan kept his promise, allying himself with the Mamluks, (Berke sought an alliance with the
But the reasons for the conflict between Berke and Hulagu were both religious and territorial. Möngke Khan gave lands in current day Azerbaijan, which had been given to Jochi by Genghis Khan, to his brother Hulagu. Although Berke did not like the situation, he was patient until Möngke's death.
Berke at first desisted from fighting Hulagu out of Mongol brotherhood, he said Mongols are killed by Mongol swords. If we were united, then we would have conquered all of the world. but the economic situation of the Golden Horde due to the actions of the Ilkhanate led him to declare jihad because of the Ilkhanids domination of the wealth of North Iran, and the Ilkhanate's demands for the Golden Horde to not sell slaves to the Mamluks.[6]
In 1262 the conflict turned into open war. Hulagu Khan suffered a severe defeat in an attempted invasion north of the Caucasus in 1263. Hulagu's forces were crushed at the
Berke also supported Great Khan claimant Ariq Böke in the Toluid Civil War, and he minted coins in the name of Ariq Böke. However Kublai defeated Ariq Böke by 1264. Kublai called both Hulagu and Berke to discuss Ariq Böke. However, both of them noted that they could not attend the Kurultai at the time, and a new Kurultai was never held.
Aftermath
As Berke sought to cross the Kura river to attack Hulagu's son, Abaqa Khan, he fell ill and died sometime between 1266 and 1267.[7] He was succeeded by his grandnephew, Mengu-Timur. The policy of alliance with the Mamluks, and containment of the Ilkhanate, was continued by Mengu-Timur.
Ancestry
Jochi Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Dei Seichen | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Börte Ujin | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tacchotan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Berke Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sultan Khatun | ||||||||||||||||||||
See also
Notes
- ^ The Russian colloquial name Golden Horde for the Kipchak Khanate is believed to have been derived from the steppe color system for the cardinal directions: black – north, blue – east, red – south, white – west, and yellow (or gold) – center, or from the golden field tent of the ruler.
- ^ In this terminology the names Blue and White follow the Persian usage, as do most contemporary historians; in Turkish usage they are reversed, causing some confusion in secondary literature.
References
Citations
- ISBN 0-271-01073-8.
- ^ Mehmet Ölmez (2007). "On Mongolian asara- "to nourish" and Turkish aşa- "to eat" from Middle Mongolian to Modern Turkic languages". In Kurtuluş Öztopçu (ed.). Festschrift in Honor of Andras J. E. Bodrogligeti. Vol. 7. İstanbul: Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları. p. 242.
- ISBN 978-0-300-12533-7.
- ISBN 978-1-108-42489-9.
- S2CID 203044817.
- ISBN 978-0-8122-0531-2.
- ^ E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936, Volume 7 By Martijn Theodoor Houtsma, p. 708.
Sources
- Amitai-Preiss, Reuven. The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1998
- Chambers, James. The Devil's Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe
- Hildinger, Erik. Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to A.D. 1700
- Morgan, David. The Mongols, ISBN 0-631-17563-6
- Nicolle, David. The Mongol Warlords Brockhampton Press, 1998.
- Reagan, Geoffry. The Guinness Book of Decisive Battles (Canopy Books, New York, 1992).
- Saunders, J. J. The History of the Mongol Conquests (London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971).
- Soucek, Svatopluk. A History of Inner Asia, Cambridge, 2000.
- Vásáry, István, "'History and Legend' in Berke Khan's Conversion to Islam", in Aspects of Altaic Civilization, vol. III, ed. D. Sinor, Bloomington (IN), 1990, 230-252 (reprinted in: Idem, Turks, Tatars and Russians in the 13th-16th Centuries (Farnham, Alershot, 2007) (Variorum Collected Studies Series: CS884), XVII.)
- Konukçu, Enver (1992). BERKE HAN - An article published in the 5th Volume of Turkish Encyclopedia of Islam. Vol. 5. Istanbul: ISBN 978-97-53-89432-6.
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