Mongol conquest of Anatolia

Overview

Mongol invasions of Anatolia or Mongol invasions of Turkey occurred at various times, starting with the campaign of 1241–1243 that culminated in the Battle of Köse Dağ. Real power over Anatolia was exercised by the Mongols after the Seljuks surrendered in 1243 until the fall of the Ilkhanate in 1335. Because the Seljuk sultan rebelled several times, in 1255, the Mongols swept through central and eastern Anatolia. An Ilkhanate garrison was stationed near Ankara. Remains of the Mongol cultural heritage still can be seen in Turkey, including tombs of a Mongol governor and a son of Hulagu.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Mongol invasions of Anatolia, beginning with the campaign of 1241–1243 and culminating in the Battle of Köse Dağ, established Mongol dominance over the Seljuk sultanate of Anatolia and reshaped the political order of the region within the broader arc of Mongol conquests. Following the Seljuk surrender in 1243, real power over Anatolia passed to the Mongols, who exercised effective control over the region until the fall of the Ilkhanate in 1335. When the Seljuk sultan rebelled on multiple occasions, the Mongols responded with further sweeps through central and eastern Anatolia, including a campaign in 1255, reinforcing their authority and suppressing resistance. The stationing of an Ilkhanate garrison near Ankara reflects the degree to which Mongol administration became physically embedded in the Anatolian interior. The conquest left a lasting imprint on the region: tombs of a Mongol governor and a son of Hulagu remain in present-day Turkey as material evidence of the Ilkhanate's administrative and dynastic presence in Anatolia over nearly a century of Mongol suzerainty.