Abstract
Power and Marriage: Political Marriage in the Triangle of Mamlukids, Golden Horde and Ilkhanids
Throughout the history, political marriages have been arranged to strengthen the alliances and friendships between the states. By this way, in the time of the Bahriyya Mamluks, the sultans of the Mamluk State implemented such political marriages. The political marriages of the Mamluks to the Mongolians were carried out with the elites of the Golden Hords and the Ilkhanids.
The political marriages of the Mamluks and the Mongolians, were of two types: the first type includes the political marriages between the states (that was, political marriages with the female members of the Khan's dynasty); and the other contains the political marriages with the females of the Wafidiyah, the Mongolian commanders taking refuge in the Mamluks. The first type of marriages allegedly consisting of the marriage-based alliances with the Golden Horde has two examples. One of the marriage alliances is the marriage between the Sultan Baybars and the daughter of Sultan Berke Khan whose name is not clearly mentioned in the sources. It is doubtful that this person is the Sultan Berke’s daughter. The other marriage is certainly between the Sultan en-Nasır Muhammed and Tulunbiye Khatun, of Chingiz Khan’s dynasty. The number of marriages in the above-mentioned second type is higher than those in the first one. The Sultan Baybars married several daughters of the wafadiyah and the Sultan Qalawun got married to Aslun Khatun. Besides of these, the sons of Qalawuns Ali, Halil and Muhammed, got also married to Mengubek and Ertekin. This study thus provides detailed information about these marriages and women’s role in political life.
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Keywords
Mamluk State, Golden Horde, Ilkhanids, Mongol, Wafidiyah, Political Marriage.