jihad because of the Ilkhanids domination of the wealth of North Iran, and the Ilkhanate's demands for the Golden Horde to not sell slaves to the Mamluks. In 1262 the conflict turned into open war. Hulagu Khan suffered a severe defeat in an attempted invasion north of the Caucasus in 1263. Hulagu's forces were crushed at the Terek river by Berke's nephew Nogai, forcing Hulagu into retreat; he died in 1265. Also Chagatai Khan Alghu invaded Khwarizm and annexed Golden Horde lands. The Jochid army unsuccessfully tried to halt his advance. Berke also supported Great Khan claimant Ariq Böke in the Toluid Civil War, and he minted coins in the name of Ariq Böke. However Kublai defeated Ariq Böke by 1264. Kublai called both Hulagu and Berke to discuss Ariq Böke. However, both of them noted that they could not attend the Kurultai at the time, and a new Kurultai was never held. Aftermath As Berke sought to cross the Kura river to attack Hulagu's son, Abaqa Khan, he fell ill and died sometime between 1266 and 1267. He was succeeded by his grandnephew, Mengu-Timur. The policy of alliance with the Mamluks, and containment of the Ilkhanate, was continued by Mengu-Timur. Many historians are in agreement that the intervention by Berke against Hulagu saved the remainder of the Holy Land, including Mecca and Jerusalem, from the same fate as Baghdad. Ancestry See also List of Khans of the Golden Horde Berke–Hulagu war William of Rubruck Negudar Notes References Citations Sources Amitai-Preiss, Reuven. The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1998 Chambers, James. The Devil's Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe Hildinger, Erik. Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to A.D. 1700 Morgan, David. The Mongols, Nicolle, David. The Mongol Warlords Brockhampton Press, 1998. Reagan, Geoffry. The Guinness Book of Decisive Battles (Canopy Books, New York, 1992). Saunders, J. J. The History of the Mongol Conquests (London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971). Soucek, Svatopluk. A History of Inner Asia, Cambridge, 2000. Vásáry, István, "'History and Legend' in Berke Khan's Conversion to Islam", in Aspects of Altaic Civilization, vol. III, ed. D. Sinor, Bloomington (IN), 1990, 230-252 (reprinted in: Idem, Turks, Tatars and Russians in the 13th-16th Centuries (Farnham, Alershot, 2007) (Variorum Collected Studies Series: CS884), XVII.) 1266 deaths Khans of the Golden Horde Generals of the medieval Islamic world Converts to Islam Mongol Empire Muslims 13th-century rulers in Europe