Some notes on the Golden Horde – Shirvanshahs relations du­ring the Decline of Ilkhanate and Timurid rule in Azerbaijan

Research objectives: To explore the relations between the Shirvanshah dynasty and the Golden Horde during the decline of the Ilkhanate and the Timurid period. Research materials: The article’s author examined various primary Arabic and Persian sources, and secondary pieces of literature related to the history of the Shirvanshah dynasty and Golden Horde written during the Mongol and Timurid periods. Owing to the lack of comprehensive information in these sources, some numismatic materials were also utilized. Results and novelty of the research: According to some primary sources, the ruler of Shirvan submitted to the vassalage of the Ilkhanate dynasty, which was created by Chinggis Khan’s grandson Hulegu Khan during his occupation of Azerbaijan. However, the territory of Shirvan became the subject of contention between two Mongol ulus, the Ilkhanate and the Jochids, due to its status as the territory of Chinggis Khan and its historical role as a battlefield between the two Mongol ulus. During the decline of the Ilkhanate, the rulers of Shirvanshah and some local powers, such as the clergy and aristocrats, who had become more active in assisting the Jochids in their efforts to gain control of Azerbaijan, subsequently pursued a policy of re-establishing their independence. Following its appearance on the Timurid stage, Shirvan was once again transformed into a theater of war between Timur and his rival Toqtamish. The objective of this conflict was to secure control of the strategic caravan – trade routes in the Caucasus. During this period, Shirvan was briefly under the rule of the Golden Horde. Nevertheless, Sheikh Ibrahim Darbandi, the ruler of Shirvan, pursued a policy of maintaining equilibrium between these two powers during the initial stages. Ultimately, he chose to ally with Timur, who was in a stronger position of real power, and entered an alliance with him. This paper offers an attempt to investigate the relations of the Shirvanshahs with the Golden Horde during the fall of the Ilkhanate and Timurids as well as some less-researched aspects of these relations.