Ilkhanate

The Ilkhanate (or Ilqanate, 1260-1335 CE) was that part of the Mongol Empire (1206-1368 CE) which mostly covered what is today Iran and parts of Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iraq, Armenia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Established by the Mongol general Hulegu (d. 1265 CE), the Ilkhanate took its name from the Mongol term for viceroy, ilkhan, a title awarded to Hulegu by his older brother and then ruler of the Mongols, Mongke Khan (r. 1251-1259 CE). Throughout its history, there were regular battles to defend the khanate's territories against neighbouring states and unsuccessful diplomatic relations with the West to form an alliance against the Mamluks of Egypt, although trade agreements were established with Italian city-states. Islam was adopted by some rulers, a reflection of the dominance of that religion amongst the state's populace, even if other faiths were practised, too. The Ilkhanate came to a definitive end by the mid-14th century CE when dynastic disputes caused its final disintegration.