- Amir Qazaghan
Qazaghan (died 1358) was the
amir of theQara'unas (1345 at the latest – 1358) and the effective ruler of the Chagatai "ulus" (1346 – 1358).Qazaghan's lineage is mostly unknown; it is possible that he became head of the Qara'unas through appointment instead of inheritance [Manz, p. 160] In 1345 he rebelled against his sovereign, the Chagatai Khan Qazan, but was defeated. The following year he tried again and succeeded in killing the khan. Qazan's death signified the end of the effective power of the Chagatai khans within the "ulus"; subsequent khans were rulers in name only. Qazaghan, in the interest of maintaining an image of legitimacy, contented himself with his title of amir and conferred the title of khan on descendants of
Genghis Khan of his own choosing: firstDanishmendji (1346-1348) and thenBayan Quli (1348-1358).During the twelve years that Qazaghan served as the
power behind the throne , the khanate devolved into a loose confederation of tribes that respected the overall authority of Qazaghan and his puppet khans, although he primarily commanded the loyalty of the tribes of the southern portion of the "ulus". Following the example of the khans before him, Qazaghan raided northernIndia . He also sent several thousand troops to aid theSultan of Delhi ,Muhammad bin Tughluq , against rebels in his country in 1350 or 1351. Following complaints from theArlat and theArpardi tribes, who were members of the "ulus", of raids by theKartids under Mu'izzu'd-Din, Qazaghan coordinated apunitive expedition with most of the tribes of the southern part of the "ulus". The coalition sackedHerat and gathered a large amount of plunder.In 1358 Qazaghan was assassinated by the son of Borolday, who had been amir of the Qara'unas before Qazaghan. He had aroused the anger of his murderer by denying him the
tumen of Borolday. He was succeeded as leader of the Qara'unas by his son, ‘Abdullah.Notes
References
*Manz, Beatrice Forbes, "The Rise and Rule of Tamerlane". Cambridge University Press, 1989, ISBN 0-521-34595-2.
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