Baydu

Baydu was the fifth of the Mongol Ilkhans of Persia and a grandson of Hulagu, the founder of the dynasty. He reigned only a few months. ¹

The article says that Gaykhatu, his predecessor, was strangled on Thursday 6 Jumada II/21 April 1295. Baydu himself was put to death on Wednesday 23 Dhu al-Qa'da/5 October of the same year. ¹ The museum notes that the article on Gaykhatu dates his execution earlier, three days after the battle of Hamadan on 21 March 1295, and keeps both dates. ³

Baydu was a young and apparently unimportant prince who had been insulted by Gaykhatu. He became involved in the Mongol amirs' conspiracy against the Ilkhan that ended in Gaykhatu's deposition and execution, and the conspirators then invited him to take the throne. ¹

The new Ilkhan was at once opposed by his second cousin Ghazan, son of the Ilkhan Arghun and nephew of Gaykhatu, who advanced from Khurasan with an army to demand satisfaction for his uncle's death. An uneasy truce was made between the cousins, and when hostilities resumed the issue was decided without bloodshed in Ghazan's favour. ^{1 2}

The article credits this to the skill and diplomacy of Ghazan's general Nawruz, and in particular to Ghazan's having adopted Islam, at Nawruz's suggestion, and so won the support of the Muslims. ² Baydu was deserted by his followers and met his end at Nakhchiwan, the present-day Nakhichevan in the Azerbaijan S.S.R. in the article's wording, while trying to escape. ²

During his short reign he is said to have shown special favour to the Christians and so given offence to the Muslims. The article adds that according to Bar Hebraeus he was himself a convert; the OCR text breaks off at that point, so the museum does not state what he converted to. ²

The article relies on d'Ohsson's history of the Mongols and on Spuler's study of the Mongols in Iran. ²