Talk:Abu Sa'id (Ilkhanid dynasty)

Source question
There's currently a statement in this article about Pope John XXII writing to Abu Sa'id to "remind him about his alliance." The source given is this website, in French. Now, the source definitely does say that, but, can we find something a bit more reliable? Like maybe something with actual footnotes that indicate where the information came from? I've been checking my own sources, such as Peter Jackson's Mongols and the West, and haven't been able to confirm this communication. I'm not saying it's false, but can anyone else confirm this in another (preferably printed peer-reviewed footnoted) source? Thanks, Elonka 08:57, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Abu Sa'id had a long and eventful reign. That Pope John XXII wrote him a letter is not a notable event. There is no evidence that the Ilkhan received the letter and no record of a response. Denis Sinor writes that the letter urged Abu Sa'id "to follow the example set by his ancestors in sending embassies to the pope and renewing friendship with the king of France." Please note that "friendship" is not an "alliance". I will track down the letter if necessary. I have removed the entire section and the misleading French website. (see Denis Sinor, "The Mongols and Western Europe," A History of the Crusades, ed. Kenneth M. Setton (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1975), vol. 3, p. 543. ) Aramgar (talk) 22:08, 26 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Here are other sources for the communications between the Pope and Abu Said, and the latter's involvelment in defending Armenia: Lithuania ascending: a pagan empire within east-central Europe, 1295-1345, by S. C. Rowell Cambridge University Press, 1994 ISBN 052145011X, ISBN 9780521450119 . Also Eastward Bound Rosamund Allen and A History of Armenia by Vahan M. Kurkjian. Also Rosamond E. Mack Bazaar to Piazza, Islamic trade and Italian Art 1300-1600 on the diplomatic and trading relations between the Il-Khanate and the West during the rule of Abu Said. Proposed text hereafter. PHG (talk) 20:06, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

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Relations with the West
Although devoid of the intention to become a Christian, Abu Sa'id maintained good relations with Western powers throughout his reign and welcomed Christian merchants and friars in his realm. The Ilkhanid cities of Tabriz and Sultaniya became major emporiums for silk trade, and Venice maintained a consulate in Tabriz until the 1320s. In 1320, the Egyptian sultan Naser Mohammed ibn Kelaoun invaded and ravaged Christian Armenian Cilicia, capturing and destroying the port of Ayas, prompting Pope John XXII to send a letter from Avignon to Abu Sa'id, dated July 1st, 1322, reminding him of the friendship of his ancestors with Christians, and asking him to intervene in Cilicia. In this letter "the pope, in terms that recall those of Oljeitu in his letter to Philip the Fair, encouraged the Il-khan to follow the example set by his ancestors in sending embassies to the pope and renewing friendship with the king of France". At the same time he advocated that he abandons Islam in favour of Christianity. The Pope managed to obtain Mongol support, and as a result 20,000 Mongol troops were sent by Abu Sa'id to support Cilicia, prompting the Mamluks to negociate. A 15 year ceasefire between Constantin, patriach of the Armenians, and the sultan of Egypt was put in place. A peace treaty was signed between the Mongols and the Mamluks in 1322, the Treaty of Aleppo. After Abu Sa'id's death in 1336 relations between Christian princes and the Mongols were essentially abandoned. Due to the advent of political anarchy, Western colonies and commercial presence in the Persian realm also decreased dramatically.

Coinage


Here's a coin of the Abu Sa'id period. Feel free to insert it into the article. PHG (talk) 19:22, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

And another. PHG (talk) 20:11, 21 March 2009 (UTC)