Arghun Agha, also Arghun Aqa or Arghun the Elder (; ; - 1275) was a

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

noble of the Oirat clan in the 13th century. He was a governor in the Mongol-controlled area of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

from 1243 to 1255, before the

Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm ...

was created by

Hulagu Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...

. Arghun Agha was in control of the four districts of eastern and central Persia, as decreed by the great khan

Möngke Khan Möngke ( mn, ' / Мөнх '; ; 11 January 1209 – 11 August 1259) was the fourth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire, ruling from 1 July 1251, to 11 August 1259. He was the first Khagan from the Toluid line, and made significant reform ...

Early life

According to Rashid al-Din, when he was young, his father sold his son Arghun to Qadan of the

Jalayir Jalair ( mn, Жалайр; ; ), also Djalair, Yyalair, Jalayir, is one of the Darliqin Mongol tribes according to Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's ''Jami' al-tawarikh''. They lived along the Shilka River in modern Zabaykalsky Krai of Russia.History of Mo ...

, tutor of Ögedei who passed him to his son Ilüge, while according to Juvayni his father was a

mingghan Mingghan was a social-military unit of 1,000 households created by Genghis Khan. From this group could be recruited a Mongol regiment of 1,000 men. It is part of the ancient method of organization developed by the nomads of Central Asia based on the ...

commander. During his years with the Ogedeyid family, he gained reputation among the members of the ruling blood because he was well educated and versed in

Old Uyghur language Old Uyghur () was a Turkic language which was spoken in Qocho from the 9th–14th centuries and in Gansu. History The Old Uyghur language evolved from Old Turkic after the Uyghur Khaganate broke up and remnants of it migrated to Turfan, Q ...

. Arghun started his career as ''bitikchi'' (secretary) in during the reign of Ögedei. Later on, the latter's consort, Toregene Khatun, appointed him as then governor of Transoxiana - Korguz's ''

basqaq ''Darughachi'' (Mongol form) or ''Basqaq'' (Turkic form) were originally designated officials in the Mongol Empire that were in charge of taxes and administration in a certain province. The plural form of the Mongolian word is ''darugha''. They ...

'' and ultimately overall civil governor after Korguz's execution in .

Career

He was appointed to oversee vast lands from

Oxus The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin name or Greek ) is a major river in Central Asi ...

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

with Sharaf al-Din Khwarazmi as his secretary, whom he had a distaste in. His position was reaffirmed by

Güyük Khan Güyük (also Güyug;; ''c''. March 19, 1206 – April 20, 1248) was the third Khagan-Emperor of the Mongol Empire, the eldest son of Ögedei Khan and a grandson of Genghis Khan. He reigned from 1246 to 1248. Appearance According to Giovann ...

in 1246.

Ascelin of Lombardia Ascelin of Lombardy, also known as Nicolas Ascelin or Ascelin of Cremona, was a 13th-century Dominican friar whom Pope Innocent IV sent as an envoy to the Mongols in March 1245. Ascelin met with the Mongol ruler Baiju, and then returned to Europe ...

might have met him while he was at the court of Baiju in . He visited

Karakorum Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian Script:, ''Qaraqorum''; ) was the capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan dynasty in the 14–15th centuries. Its ruins lie in th ...

twice after his appointment in 1248 and 1251. On his third voyage, he was upheld by

in Transoxiana and was released after a while. His employees included the famous

Juvayni family The Juvayni family was a Persian family native to the Juvayn area in Khorasan. The most famous members were Shams al-Din Juvayni (d. 1284) and his elder brother Ata-Malik Juvayni (d. 1283). The family was known for patronizing many scholars and p ...

, Fakr al-Din Bihishti (d. 1256), Husam al-Din Bihishti, Najm al-Din Ali, Turumtai, Naimadai, etc. He made a census in Persia in accordance with the decree of Möngke in 1254 along with Najm al-Din Ali. He participated in Hulagu's campaign against the Nizaris in Persia in 1256. In 1259-61 he directed punitive operations against rebels in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and then was sent to Khorasan to fight the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragme ...

. He is described as faithful servant of the Qaghan in

n sources while the

n and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

n sources say he was cruel and violent overseer. However, one Georgian chronicle mentions he was a friend of equity, trustful in his language, a deep thinker, and profound in counsel. It also says Arghun conducted the empire-wide census in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...

, Alania,

Pontic steppe Pontic, from the Greek ''pontos'' (, ), or "sea", may refer to: The Black Sea Places * The Pontic colonies, on its northern shores * Pontus (region), a region on its southern shores * The Pontic–Caspian steppe, steppelands stretching from no ...

, Georgia, Armenia, and

. Arghun had many political enemies at the headquarters, so he had to visit the ''ordo'' of the Qaghan in

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

often to prove his loyalty. Although, Möngke appointed him to his former position after his accession in 1252, the Emperor summoned Arghun to answer a charge of treason. The

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

noble, Sempad Orpelian, justified Arghun completely and charged his enemy, a

Khorazm Khwarazm (; Old Persian: ''Hwârazmiya''; fa, خوارزم, ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the ea ...

i lieutenant, with being the real offender. Arghun was released and they returned together.

Under Hulagu

He mainted his administrative tasks under Hulagu and even punished underpaying vassals who owed them taxes, including

Gvantsa Kakhaberidze Gvantsa ( ka, გვანცა, or, archaically, Guantsa, გუანცა; also transliterated as Gwantza, Gontza, Gontsa, or Gonc'a) (died c. 1263) was a Queen Consort of Georgia as the third wife of King David VII “Ulu” ( r.: 1245-1270 ...

, Hasan Jalal of Khachen, Zakare III Zakarian, Akhsitan II and others in 1261. He accompanied Prince Abaqa in support of

Alghu Alghu (d. 1265 or 1266) was a khan of the Chagatai Khanate (1260–1265/6). He was the son of Baidar and the grandson of Chagatai Khan. Biography In 1260 he was appointed as head of the ''ulus'' of the Chagatai Khanate by the Great Khan claimant ...

against his struggle with

Under Abaqa

Arghun continued to serve Ilkhanate after death of Hulagu in 1265. His new post was in Khorasan, as deputy of Prince Tubshin. New Chagatai khan Baraq threatened to invade Ilkhanate until they leave

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

to them in 1270. Arghun Aqa fought in left flank under Prince Yoshmut in Battle of Herat on 22 July 1270 which resulted in a decisive victory. He served in Khorasan till his death on 17 June 1275.

Legacy

He appears to have funded Pir Huseyn Khanqah in Qubalıbalaoğlan, modern

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

. He is thought to be buried in Radkan, Khorasan.

Family

He had many wives, including a daughter of

Yesü Möngke Yesü Möngke (, died 1252) was head of the ''ulus'' of the Chagatai Khanate (1246 or 1247-1252). Biography He was the fifth son of Chagatai Khan and Yesülün Khatun. In or around 1246, he was appointed as khan of the Chagatai Khanate by his ...

, to whom he married in 1249. Another wife of his was Sürmish, who gave birth to Nawruz. He had at least 14 sons and 4 daughters: * A son (died 1270 in

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...

) * Girai Malik * Tatarji * Nawruz (d. 13 August 1297) * Lagzi Güregen (d. 2 April 1297) — married to Baba Khatun (daughter of

) ** Terjughan Khatun — married to

Öljaitü Öljaitü ( mn, , Öljaitü Qaghan, fa, اولجایتو), also known as Mohammad-e Khodabande ( fa, محمد خدابنده, ''khodābande'' from Persian meaning the "slave of God" or "servant of God"; 1280 – December 16, 1316), was the eig ...

* Hajji * Tarkhan Hajji ** A daughter — married Fakhr al-Din ibn Rukn al-Din of

Kartids The Kart dynasty, also known as the Kartids ( fa, آل کرت), was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Tajik origin closely related to the Ghurids, that ruled over a large part of Khorasan during the 13th and 14th centuries. Ruling from their capita ...

(1295–1308) * Yol Qutlugh * Bulquq * Oiratai * Ertai Ghazan (d. 1297) * Narin Hajji (d. 1297,

Hamadan Hamadan () or Hamedan ( fa, همدان, ''Hamedān'') (Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2019 census, its population was 783,300 in 230,775 families. The majority of people living in Ham ...

) * Arghun Hajji * Mengli Buqa * Barghun Hajji * Emine Khatun (died and buried in

Salmas Salmas ( fa, سلماس; ; ; ; syr, ܣܵܠܵܡܵܣ, Salamas) is the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. It is located northwest of Lake Urmia, near Turkey. According to the 2019 census, the city's population is 127,86 ...

) — possibly married to Taj al-Din 'Ali Shah, vizier. * Begi Khatun or Ilkuye Begi — married to Muzaffar al-Din Hajjaj in 1263/4 * A daughter — married to Kingshü, son of

Jumghur Jumghur () was the second son of Hulagu. Although according to some researchers, he may have been the eldest one. Life He was born to Hulagu and his Oirat wife Guyuk Khatun in 1234. He was descended from Genghis Khan on both sides: Hulagu was ...

* Menglitegin — married to Amir Tasu of Eljigin clan of Khongirad ** Bulughan Khatun Khorasani — married to

Ghazan Mahmud Ghazan (5 November 1271 – 11 May 1304) (, Ghazan Khan, sometimes archaically spelled as Casanus by the Westerners) was the seventh ruler of the Mongol Empire's Ilkhanate division in modern-day Iran from 1295 to 1304. He was the son of ...

Notes

References

* Amitai-Preiss, ''Mongols and Mamluks: the Mamluk-Īlkhānid War, 1260-1281'' * Rene Grousset, ''The Empire of the Steppes'' 1275 deaths People of the Ilkhanate Heads of state of Iran Mongol Empire people Oirats Year of birth unknown {{mongolia-stub