Which Mongol ruler established the Ilkhanate in Persia?

Hulagu established the Ilkhanate in Persia. A grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of Möngke and Kublai, Hulagu led a major Mongol expedition into western Asia during the 1250s.

Möngke Khan sent Hulagu west to subdue remaining independent powers, including the Nizari Ismaili strongholds and the Abbasid Caliphate. Hulagu captured Alamut in 1256 and entered Baghdad in 1258. The sack of Baghdad ended the Abbasid caliphate’s political rule there and marked a decisive expansion of Mongol power in the Middle East.

Hulagu’s conquests created the territorial foundation of the Ilkhanate, a Mongol-ruled state centered in Persia and parts of Mesopotamia. The title ilkhan is often understood as “subordinate khan,” reflecting the dynasty’s original relationship with the Great Khan in Mongolia, although the Ilkhans later exercised substantial independence. Hulagu was not Kublai, Ögedei, or Genghis Khan: he belonged to the Toluid branch of the imperial family and ruled after their generations.