- Alghu
Alghu (d.
1265 or1266 ) was a khan of theChagatai Khanate (1260 -1265/6). He was the son ofBaidar and the grandson ofChagatai Khan .In
1260 he was appointed as head of the "ulus" of the Chagatai Khanate by theGreat Khan claimantAriq Böke , in opposition to the child khanMubarak Shah and his mother Orghina. In1261 he was sent toCentral Asia , where he quickly established control of much of the Chagatai Khanate, as well as other areas, particularly those that were formerly under the control of theBlue Horde . He also seized control ofSamarkand andBukhara , which before had been ruled jointly between the Chagatai Khan and the Great Khan. In1262 he rebelled against Ariq Boke, and the conflict saw a series of violent clashes over the next two years. Alghu gained the support of the Great Khan's governor ofTurkestan , Mas'ud Beg, as well as Orghina. The revolt severely weakened Ariq Böke's power and contributed to his eventual loss toKublai Khan .In
1263 Alghu declared his allegiance to Kublai, and then attackedKaidu , whose lands bordered his, under the pretext that the latter had supported Ariq Böke. Kaidu turned toBerke , Khan of the Blue Horde, for assistance; the latter provided him with resources and an army. Alghu found his territories invaded, and was defeated by Kaidu in battle. However, Alghu struck back and was victorious in a new battle, and would have pressed his advantage had he not died in the end of 1265 or the beginning of 1266. He was buried inAlmaliq .References
*Michael Biran, "Qaidu and the Rise of the Independent Mongol State in Central Asia". The Curzon Press, 1997, ISBN 0-7007-0631-3.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.