Ilkhan Empire

Ilkhanate
ایلخانان
Nomadic empire Division of the Mongol Empire
1256–1335/1353
Ilkhanate at its greatest extent
Capital		Maragha (1256–1265) Tabriz (1265–1306) Soltaniyeh (1306–1335)
Languages		Persian Mongolian
Religion		Shamanism, Nestorianism and Buddhism (1256–1295) Islam (1295–1335)
Government		Monarchy
Khan
•	1256–1265	Hulagu Khan
•	1316–1335	Abu Sa'id
Legislature		Kurultai
History
•	Established	1256
•	Disestablished	1335/1353
Area
•	1310 est.	3,750,000 km2 (1,450,000 sq mi)
Preceded by Succeeded by Mongol Empire Khwarazmian dynasty Abbasid Caliphate Sultanate of Rum Kingdom of Georgia Muzaffarids Kartids Eretnids Chobanids Injuids Jalayirids Mamluks Sarbadars Kingdom of Georgia Ottoman Empire
Today part of		Iran  Azerbaijan  Armenia  Afghanistan  Turkey  Turkmenistan  Pakistan  Iraq  Georgia  Syria  Tajikistan  Russia

The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate (Persian: ایلخانان‎‎, Ilkhānān; Mongolian: Хүлэгийн улс, Hulagu-yn Ulus), was established as a khanate that formed the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire, ruled by the Mongol House of Hulagu. It was founded in the 13th century and was based primarily in Iran as well as neighboring territories, such as present-day Azerbaijan and the central and eastern parts of present-day Turkey. The Ilkhanate was originally based on the campaigns of Genghis Khan in the Khwarazmian Empire in 1219–24 and was founded by Hulagu Khan, son of Tolui and grandson of Genghis Khan. With the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire after 1259 it became a functionally separate khanate. At its greatest extent, the state expanded into territories that today comprise most of Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, western Afghanistan, and southwestern Pakistan. Later Ilkhanate rulers, beginning with Ghazan in 1295, would convert to Islam.

According to the historian Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, Kublai Khan granted Hulagu (Hülegü) the title of Ilkhan after his defeat of Ariq Böke. The term il-Khan means "subordinate khan" and refers to their initial deference to Möngke Khan and his successor Great Khans of the Mongol empire. The title "Ilkhan", borne by the descendants of Hulagu and later other Borjigin princes in Persia, does not materialize in the sources until after 1260.