James Baquet The year was 1260. Genghis Khan’s grandson Mongke was the fourth Great Khan; from Karakorum, Mongolia, he was continuing his grandfather’s mission to conquer the world. On Mongke’s orders, his brother Hulagu Khan assembled an army to begin invasions of the west. From his base in Persia, in 1256 Hulagu proceeded south; leading one of the largest Mongol armies ever — with perhaps one-fifth of all the empire’s fighting men — he handily conquered the Order of Assassins, the Abbasids in Baghdad, and the Ayyubid states in Damascus. He sent envoys to Qutuz, the Mamluk leader in Cairo, with a message that read in part: “From the King of Kings of the East and West, the Great Khan. To Qutuz the Mamluk, who fled to escape our swords. You should think of what happened to other countries and submit to us.... Resist and you will suffer the most terrible catastrophes. We will shatter your mosques and reveal the weakness of your God and then will kill your children and your old men together.” In response, Qutuz beheaded the envoys and displayed their heads on one of the gates of Cairo. On his way to Egypt in 1260, the Mongols met serious resistance. For logistical reasons, Hulagu had withdrawn most of his army to east of the Euphrates River. Hearing this, the Mamluks entered Palestine and, leaving a small number of troops in the lowlands near Ain Jalut (the “Spring of Goliath”), hid themselves in the mountains. When the Mongols returned, the smaller contingent lured them into the highlands, where the body of the Mamluks was waiting in ambush. Though some of the Mongols were fortunate enough to retreat, the majority perished. Ordinarily, when the Mongols were defeated, they would come back with superior forces. But internal struggles amongst the leadership, brought on by the death of Mongke and the succession of Kublai Khan, delayed this. By the time Hulagu was ready, in 1262, his cousin Berke Khan had converted to Islam, and attacked Hulagu from the north — away from Egypt. This was the first Mongol-versus-Mongol action, and signaled the beginning of the end of Mongol hegemony. Vocabulary: Which words above mean: 1. attracted, tempted 2. representatives, ambassadors 3. easily 4. domination over other countries 5. Muslim places of worship 6. Islamic sect under the leadership of Hassan-i Sabbah 7. portion of troops 8. died 9. main group of troops 10. plains and valleys | 