Kitbuqa

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This article is about Kitbuqa Noyan. For the Sultan of Egypt, see al-Adil Kitbugha. For other uses, see Kitbuqa (disambiguation).

Kitbuqa Noyan (d. 1260) (Turkic: Kitbuga, Mongolian: Хитбух) was a Christian Turk[1] belonging to the tribe of the Naimans. He was a lieutenant and confidant of Hulagu Khan, assisting him in his conquests in parts of the Middle East.

[edit] Biography

He was in command of one of the flanks which advanced on and sacked Baghdad, and he assisted in the conquest of Damascus. He was left in charge of the Mongol army remaining in the Middle East when Hulagu Khan returned to Mongolia after the death of his brother, the Great Khan Möngke:

"Kitbuqa, who had been left by Hulagu in Syria and Palestine with 10,000 Tatars, held the Land in peace and in state of rest. And he greatly loved and honoured the Christians (...) Kitbuqa worked at recovering the Holy Land"

—Monk Hayton, "Flor des Estoires de l'Orient", circa 1300.[2]

[edit] Battle of Ain Jalut

Kitbuqa moved towards Egypt when confronted by the Mamluk army. He was killed at the Battle of Ain Jalut (spring of Goliath) in the Mongol defeat by the Mamluks. Mamluk histories paint him as a great warrior who refused to retreat when the Mongols were clearly being overpowered at Ain Jalut, and who wanted death in battle over retreat and shame. Ironically, he was apparently captured alive and executed. Mamluk histories say that he expected his death to be avenged by Hulagu Khan, which never occurred because of his conflict with Berke. Kitbuqa's death and the defeat of the Mongols at Ain Jalut marked the beginning of the end for the west expansion of Mongol Empire. It was the first occasion they had been decisively defeated and failed to avenge such a loss. But Mongols continued to invade Syria, Japan, India, Hungary, Poland and Southeast Asia.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Online - Battle of 'Ayn Jalut
  2. ^ Quoted in "Histoire des Croisades III", Rene Grousset, p593
  3. ^ Amitai-Preiss, Reuven. Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260–1281 (first edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. .