CHINGGIS KHAN CELEBRATES A HUNT WITH YOUNG KHUBILAI AND HÜLEGÜ, 1224
As reported by the Persian writer Rashid al-Dīn, in 1224 Chinggis Khan undertook the custom of yaghlamishi with his young grandson, Khubilai (aged 11) and Hülegü (aged 9). Celebrating their first hunting trip, Chinggis took fat from the kills and smeared them on the thumbs of the lads.
It's an interesting little story; recalling my previous post about Bolod Chingsang as an intermediary between Rashid al-Din and an older Khubilai decades later, we might wonder if this was a story Khubilai himself liked to retell. Considering Chinggis Khan died in 1227, it's possible this little ceremony was the final time Khubilai saw his grandfather.
We should also keep in mind who is being singled out here; the brothers Khubilai and Hülegü. Khubilai was the Great Khan of the Empire, whose legitimacy was recognized in the Ilkhanate, and Hülegü was the founder of the Ilkhanate. By focusing on the presence of these two boys (and excluding if any other grandsons were present!) Rashid here makes a direct line between Chinggis and these two lineages (beyond the obvious blood-relationship). By showing Chinggis personally taking part in smearing the fat on these grandsons (considering he had many, many grandsons) it's an indirect way of showing Chinggis saw them as special. The theme of famous grandfathers recognizing the importance of grandsons is not uncommon; in Rashid's own text, he has Hülegü's son and successor Abaqa Ilkhan (r.1265-1282) show extreme affection for his grandson Ghazan (r.1295-1304) who was Rashid's own patron. The 15th century Timurid author Mirkhwand has a story of Great Khan Ögedei (r.1229-1241) signalling his grandson Qaidu was exceptional and one day would be khan. The stories themselves may be real, but the details are possibly fudged in order to present them in a certain manner.
It's likely this Khubilai-Bolod connection from which Rashid provides his description of Chinggis Khan; learn more about that in my latest video:
