Chobanids سلسله امرای چوپانی | |||||||||||
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1338–1357 | |||||||||||
![]() Division of Ilkhanate territory | |||||||||||
Capital | Tabriz | ||||||||||
Common languages | Persian,Mongolian | ||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
• Established | 1338 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1357 | ||||||||||
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TheChobanids or theChupanids (Persian:سلسله امرای چوپانی) were descendants of aMongol family of theSuldus clan that came to prominence in 14th centuryPersia.[1] At first serving under theIlkhans, they tookde facto control of the territory after the fall of theIlkhanate. The Chobanids ruled overAzerbaijan (where they were based),Arrān, parts ofAsia Minor,Mesopotamia, and west central Persia, while theJalayirids took control inBaghdad.[2][3]
During the early 14th century, Amir Chupan served under three successive Ilkhans, beginning withGhazan Mahmud. A military commander of note, Chupan quickly gained a degree of influence over the Ilkhans and married several members of the line ofHulagu Khan. His power fueled resentment among the nobility, who conspired against him in 1319 but failed. The IlkhanAbu Sa'id, however, also disliked Chupan's influence and successfully eliminated him from court. He fled in 1327 toHerat, where theKartids executed him. Several of his sons fled to theGolden Horde or theMamluks of Egypt while others were killed.
The Chobanids were not completely wiped out from Persia. A daughter of Chupan's, Baghdad Katun, had caught the eye of Abu Sa'id. During Chupan's lifetime, she had been married toHasan Buzurg, the future founder of theJalayirids, but after Chupan fled Hasan Buzurg divorced her, and she married Abu Sa'id. She quickly gained influence over the Ilkhan and exercised the wide powers given to her. She was alleged (but never proven) to have been involved in any conspiracies against the Ilkhan, but was believed by some to have caused Abu Sa'id's death in 1335. Abu Sa'id's successorArpa Ke'un executed her.
Arpa Ke'un's position proved to be weak; when a granddaughter of Chupan,Delsad Katun, fled toDiyarbakr, it caused the governor of that region to attack and defeat the Ilkhan. During the strife that occurred in the next few years, individual members of the Chobanids sided with various factions, such as Arpa or Hasan Buzurg. The latter ended up marrying Delsad Katun, who provided for the heirs to the Jalayirid position.
While the Jalayirids were consolidating their position inIraq, however, other Chobanid were also busy.Hasan Kucek, a grandson of Chupan, rallied much of the Chobanid family to his side and defeated the Jalayirids in 1338, paving the way for a Chobanid realm in the area aroundTabriz. That same year, he elevatedSati Beg, sister of Abu Sa'id and widow of Chupan, to the Ilkhanid throne. To keep Sati Beg in check, he forced her to marry his puppetSuleiman Khan. Hasan Kucek continued to fight the Jalayirids (a fight which was further complicated by the incursions made byTogha Temur ofKhurasan), but family infighting proved to be the most difficult challenge. Several members defected to the Jalayirids; in any case, Hasan Kucek was forced to deal with them up until his death in 1343.
A power struggle quickly emerged after Hasan Kucek's death. During the dispute, Hasan Kucek's brother Malek Asraf gained the upper hand and eliminated his uncles. By the end of 1344, Malek Asraf had gained effective control of the Chobanid lands. Like his predecessor, Malek Asraf used puppet monarchs from behind which he ruled. During his reign, the Chobanid attempted to captureBaghdad from the Jalayirids in 1347 but failed miserably. He also failed to seizeFars from theInjuids in 1350. As his reign wore on, Malek Asraf became more and more cruel, prompting widespread dissatisfaction amongst his subjects. When forces of the Golden Horde overran the Chobanid realm and captured Tabriz in 1357, few lamented the loss of power by the Chupanids. Malek Asraf was executed, and his family brought north to the Golden Horde. Malek Asraf's offspring were eventually killed off in Persia, bringing a definitive end to the Chobanids as a power.
Chupan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hassan | Timurtash | Demasq Kaja | Shaikh Mahmoud | Baghdad Khatun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hassan Kuchak | Malek Ashraf | Dilshad Khatun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History of theMongols |
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