Mongolian painting

Abaqa (1234 - 1282) was a Mongolian, the eldest son of Hulagu, and the second monarch of the Ilkhanate. Abaha was born in February 1234 and was the eldest son of Hulagu, the founder of the Irkhan. The stepmother who raised him up was Hulagu's beloved wife, Tuguskedun, a devout King. Tuguskotun is the spiritual leader of the Mongols in Persia. She is very tolerant of all religious sects. Abaha is likely to be a Tibetan Tantric Buddhist like his father, but influenced by his mother, he is also sympathetic to Christianity. As Hulagu's favorite son, Abaha was appointed governor of Turkestan.

In 1265, Hulagu died of illness. Before his death, he had made a pact with the Byzantine emperor Mikhail VIII to marry Mikhail VIII's daughter, Maria Peliorogina. When Maria arrived in Persia, Hulagu was dead. Therefore, she married Hulagu's son Abha. Abha became Il Khan at the same time as marrying Maria. Later that year, after the death of Tuguskodun, the role of spiritual leader was transferred to Maria.

Abaha took over power four months after Hulagu's death, and it took him months to redistribute the city. Abaha fixed the capital of the Ilkhanate in Tabriz. The city continued to serve as the capital until the end of the Persian Dynasty in Mongolia, except during the reign of Wanzodu. Like Hulagu, Abha regarded himself as just a deputy to Kublai Khan, and at his request, Kublai Khan issued him a letter of appointment.

Since the rule of Hulagu, the Ilkhanate has been at war with the Golden Horde, and this situation continued until the rule of Abaha. In the spring of 1266, the Golden Horde Khanate launched an offensive. Part of the reason for this attack was due to the Golden Horde's military alliance with the Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt: by diverting Abaha's attention, the Golden Horde prevented him from attacking areas of Syria that had been controlled by the Mamluk Dynasty since the Battle of Ayinzalut. It was not until the death of Bergo Khan in 1267 that hostilities in the Golden Horde Khanate ceased. After that, under the intervention and mediation of Khan Kublai Khan, Mango Timur, the successor of the Golden Horde Khanate, did not launch large-scale offensive operations on Abaha's territory, but he still maintained his alliance with the Mamluk Dynasty.

After Kublai Khan was named Khan, Ogutai's grandson Haidu, annoyed that he could not stand as the grandson of the Great Khan, formed an alliance at Taras against Kublai Khan and Abha, who elected Haidu as the ruler of Central Asia. In 1270, the Baba Khan launched an invasion of Persia. Abha defeated the Baba near Herat on July 22, 1270, after a pretended retreat to deceive the enemy. The following year (1271), Abha sent troops to retaliate against the Chagatai Khanate, and he successfully sacked Bukhara. Until 1280, there were still small-scale armed conflicts between the Ilkhanate and the Chagatai Khanate.

In 1260, during the rule of Hulagu, Pohemond VI of Antioch, influenced by his father-in-law, Hatun I of Little Armenia, voluntarily made Antioch and Tripoli vassal states of the Ilkhanan. By 1268, Baibar I of the Mamluk Dynasty captured Antioch. Due to the fall of Antioch, Edward I of England launched the Eighth Crusade in 1271. He also sent envoys to Abaha, hoping to receive assistance. Abaha agreed to his request and promised to send 10,000 cavalry to attack Syria from Asia Minor. Mongolian troops moved south from Aleppo. Although they were small in strength, they triggered a large number of Muslim escapes from the south to Cairo. On the other hand, Edward I's army was completely unable to coordinate with the Mongolian army, and they could not even achieve a decent victory. Abaha's army finally had to retreat. When Baibar I began to counterattack, the Mongolian army had long since retreated north of the Euphrates River.

In 1277, Baibal I died. In 1280, the Abbahs launched another attack on Syria. On October 20, the Mongols captured Aleppo. The Abbahs sent envoys to Acre, asking for reinforcements from the Crusaders. However, the Crusaders were in a ten-year truce with the Mamluks, so they refused the Mongols' request. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was now embroiled in another war. The Abbahs called on the Franks to launch a new crusade, but only Edward I (who lacked funds to come) and the Knights Hospitaller responded positively. The Mongols finally retreated, and they informed the Franks that they would send 50,000 Mongol cavalry and 50,000 infantry back in the winter of 1281, but this was not answered.

In September 1281, Abagha launched the war he had announced beforehand. He was assisted only by the Little Armenians and the Knights Hospitaller. On October 30, 50,000 Mongol troops, plus 30,000 Armenians, Greeks, Georgians, and 200 Knights Hospitaller, encountered the main force of the Mamluks led by the Sultan of Garavin, and the Battle of Homs began. The Mongols once routed the Mamluks' right flank, but when the commander was wounded, their morale was weakened and they finally had to withdraw from the battle. The battle ended in vain, and both sides paid a heavy price.

On April 1, 1282, Abaha died in Hamadan. His death was not unrelated to his excessive drinking habits. Legend has it that he discovered a black bird in a tree after drinking too much, so he ordered his men to shoot the bird, but people around him did not see the black bird he mentioned. Abaha said this and died suddenly. His widow Maria returned to Constantinople after his death, refused her father's request to marry her again and became a nun.