Monthly Archives: August 2023

Nizari Assassins in the 13th Century

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Ruth

We’ve talked about the Nizaris before; they were Persians converted by missionaries from Ismaili Egypt. Their Ismaili belief system conflated the spiritual ruler, the Imam, with the political leader, the Caliph. They rejected all Fatimid Caliphs after a certain point … Continue reading →

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Korea, Vietnam, and the Ilkhanate, 1251-4

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Ruth

Between 1251 and 1254, Mongol armies subdued the Goryeo Kingdom of Korea, though not without drama. Under military pressure, the Korean king sent them a hostage who was supposedly his son, but it turned out to be a stepson not of the … Continue reading →

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Möngke Builds Karakorum, 1251-4

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Ruth

In 1251, the Mongol Empire went through an internal coup. Temujin’s son Ögedei had died in 1241, and his widow got their son Güyük installed as Great Khan. But when Güyük died and his widow tried to do as her … Continue reading →

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Reconquista in Andalusia, 1236-46

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Ruth

The Reconquista moved into final stages when King Ferdinand III of Castile and Toledo inherited the kingdoms of Leon and Galicia, in 1230. He was the wealthiest, most powerful Spanish king yet: he married first a princess from the Hohenstaufen … Continue reading →

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The Mamluk Revolution in Egypt, 1250

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Ruth

Under the last real Ayyubid Sultan, as-Salih, the Mamluk corps was built up to unprecedented size and strength. They were a neat solution to a political problem because as slaves, they did what they were told, but as people with … Continue reading →

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The Saint and the Seventh Crusade, 1248-54

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Ruth

Of course, the Pope called a new crusade. But Europe was in bad shape for a Crusade. In the Sixth Crusade, the King of Hungary had led, but now Hungary was in ruins. Europe’s bad boy Frederick II was not … Continue reading →

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The Sack of Jerusalem, 1244

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Ruth

When the Mongols invaded the land of Khwarezmia, south of the Aral Sea, they touched off a wave of ferocious refugees who had been the toughest kids on the block—until the Mongols showed them up. So bands of Khwarezmian fighters … Continue reading →

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Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes, 1244

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Ruth

Jalal ad-Din Mohammed al-Rumi was born in Balkh, Afghanistan in 1207. Balkh was one of the cities in Genghis Khan’s early sweep of eastern Islam. When Jalal was born, the Mongols were mopping up the eastern Silk Road cities of … Continue reading →

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