d. 1260 · Mongol Ilkhanid commander
Kitbuqa
Hülegü's Nestorian Christian commander of Naiman origin; after Hülegü withdrew in 1260 he led the Mongol army in Syria, and was defeated and killed by the Mamluks at Ayn Jalut.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Kitbuqa came from the Naiman tribe, among whom Nestorian Christianity was widespread, and was one of the vanguard commanders in Hülegü's western campaign. He took part in the operations against the Nizari castles in 1256 and the capture of Baghdad in 1258.
Role in the Crusades
In 1260 the Mongols took Aleppo and Damascus; the Armenian king Hethum I and Prince Bohemond VI of Antioch acted with the Mongols. When Hülegü returned east with most of his army on the death of Möngke Khan, a smaller force remained in Syria under Kitbuqa. The Franks of Acre allowed the Mamluk army to pass through their territory. On 3 September 1260 at Ayn Jalut the army of Qutuz and Baybars defeated the Mongols, and Kitbuqa was killed.
Historical significance and source problems
Kitbuqa's defeat was the turning point that halted the Mongol advance on Syria and Egypt. Accounts of his death, especially in Rashid al-Din's work, stress a heroic end. Latin and Armenian sources highlight his Christianity.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.