Hulegu Khan

Hulegu Khan
ᠬᠦᠯᠡᠭᠦ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ
Painting of Hulegu Khan by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, early 14th century
Ilkhan
Reign1256 – 8 February 1265
SuccessorAbaqa Khan
Bornc. 1217
Mongolia
Died (aged 47)
Zarrineh River
Burial
Consort
IssueSee below
HouseBorjigin
FatherTolui
MotherSorghaghtani Beki
ReligionBuddhism
Tamgha

Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu (c. 1217 – 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. As a son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of Ariq Böke, Möngke Khan, and Kublai Khan.

Hulegu's army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the Ilkhanate in Persia. Under Hulegu's leadership, the Mongols sacked and destroyed Baghdad, ending the Islamic Golden Age and the Abbasid dynasty. They also weakened Damascus, causing a shift of Islamic influence to the Mamluk Sultanate in Cairo.