The Toluid Civil War Splits the Empire
Two brothers each claim the title of Great Khan, and the Mongol Empire never reunites
Quick facts
- Rivals
- Kublai Khan and Ariq Boke
- Resolved
- 1264, in Kublai's favor
- Karakorum captured by Kublai
- 1262
- Result
- Empire splits into four khanates: Yuan, Golden Horde, Ilkhanate, Chagatai
What happened
When Mongke Khan died in 1259 during the campaign against the Song dynasty, a succession crisis broke out between two of his brothers, Kublai and Ariq Boke, both of whom declared themselves the new Great Khan. Ariq Boke held the advantage of controlling Karakorum, the traditional capital, and drew support from more conservative Mongols wary of Kublai's increasingly Chinese-influenced rule. The World History Encyclopedia notes the situation of two rival khans was not resolved until 1264, when Kublai finally prevailed, having already captured Karakorum itself in 1262. The war permanently fractured any pretense of a single unified Mongol Empire, which settled into four increasingly separate khanates: the Yuan dynasty in the east under Kublai, the Golden Horde in Russia, the Ilkhanate in Persia and the Middle East, and the Chagatai Khanate in Central Asia.
Why it matters
The Toluid Civil War marked the end of the Mongol Empire as a single political entity answering to one Great Khan. From this point the four khanates operated as effectively independent states, sometimes allied and sometimes at open war with each other, even though all were ruled by descendants of Genghis Khan.
How we know
The civil war's dates, Ariq Boke's base at Karakorum, and its 1264 resolution are documented in the World History Encyclopedia's biography of Kublai Khan.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Kublai Khan · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- World History Encyclopedia. Mongol Empire · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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