Kitbuqa Noyan (died 1260), also spelledKitbogha,Kitboga, orKetbugha, was anEastern Christian of theNaimans,^[1] a group that was subservient to theMongol Empire. He was alieutenant and confidant of the Mongol IlkhanHulagu, assisting him in his conquests in the Middle East including thesack of Baghdad in 1258. When Hulagu took the bulk of his forces back with him to attend a ceremony in Mongolia, Kitbuqa was left in control of Syria, and was responsible for further Mongol raids southwards towards theMamluk Sultanate based inCairo. He was killed in 1260 at theBattle of Ain Jalut, which was the first major loss of the Mongolian advances and halted their expansion into Arabia and Europe.

In 1252,Möngke Khan ordered Kitbuqa to lead the advance guard of Hulagu Khan's armyagainst the fortresses of the Nizari Ismailis. He advanced with Hulagu into western Persia, mounting a series of sieges, and commanded one of the flanks thatsacked Baghdad in 1258 before assisting in the conquest ofDamascus in 1260.^[2][3][a]

Historical accounts, quoting from the writings of the medieval historianTemplar of Tyre, would often describe the three Christian rulers (Hethum I of Armenia,Bohemond VI of Antioch, and Kitbuqa) entering the city of Damascus together in triumph,^[4][5] though modern historians have characterized this story asapocryphal.^[6][7][8]

When Hulagu Khan withdrew his forces, responding to internal events in the Mongol Empire (the death of Hulagu's brother, the Great Möngke Khan), Kitbuqa was left in charge of the Mongol army remaining in the Middle East:

Kitbuqa, who had been left by Hulagu in Syria and Palestine, held the Land in peace and in state of rest. And he greatly loved and honoured the Christians because he was of the lineage of the Three Kings of Orient who came to Bethlehem to adore the nativity of Our Lord. Kitbuqa worked at recovering the Holy Land.

— Hayton of Corycus,La flor des estoires de la terre d'Orient (1307).^[9]

In command of a force estimated to be between 10,000 and 20,000 troops, Kitbuqa attempted to continue the Mongol advance towardsEgypt. However, the Mamluks had negotiated a passive truce with theCrusaders, allowing the Mamluks to advance northwards through Crusader territory, and camp for resupply near the Crusader stronghold ofAcre. In this way, the Mamluks were able to engage the depleted Mongol army nearGalilee, at the pivotalBattle of Ain Jalut (spring ofGoliath). The Mongols were defeated, and Kitbuqa was captured. When he was brought, bound, before the Mamluk sultan he was defiant, describing the Mongol vengeance that would befall the victors. He taunted the Mamluk emirs, saying how he had always been loyal to his master, whilst they had betrayed theirs.^[10] Kitbuqa was executed by veteranMamluk Jamal al-Din Akoush al-Shamsy.

Mamluk histories speak of Kitbuqa with respect, painting him as a great warrior who refused to retreat when the Mongols were clearly being overpowered at Ain Jalut, and who favored death in battle over retreat and shame. It was expected that Kitbuqa's death would be avenged by Hulagu, but an internal conflict between Hulagu and his cousinBerke of the MongolGolden Horde prevented this from happening. Kitbuqa's death and the defeat of the Mongols at Ain Jalut marked the beginning of the end for the Westward expansion of the Mongol Empire. It was the first occasion they had been decisively defeated and failed to avenge such a loss, though the Mongols continued to invade Syria, Japan, Hungary, Poland and Southeast Asia for the next several decades.^[11]

• Runciman, Steven (1987).A History of the Crusades: Volume 3, The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 9780521347723.