The
Chupanids, also known as the
Süldüz or the
Chobanids (????? ????? ??????,
Amir Chupani), were descendants of a
Mongol family of the
Suldus clan that came to prominence in 14th century
Persia.
[1] At first serving under the
Ilkhans, they took
de facto control of the territory after the fall of the
Ilkhanate. The Chupanids made
Arran (
Azerbaijan) their stronghold, while the
Jalayirids took control in
Baghdad.
[2]The early Chupanids were members of the Soldus tribe. Sorgan Sira, one of the first important Chupanids, served Genghis Khan during the latter's rise to power. Later on, the Chupanids came to live under the authority of the Ilkhanate. A descendent of Sorgan Sira, Amir Tuda'un, was killed in 1277 fighting against the Mamluks at the battle of Eblistan. He left a son, Malek, who in turn fathered Amir Chupan, the namesake of the Chupanids.
During the early 1300s, Amir Chupan served under three successive Ilkhans, beginning with Ghazan Mahmud. A military commander of note, Chupan quickly gained a degree of influence over the Ilkhans and married several members of the line of Hulagu Khan. His power fueled resentment among the nobility, who conspired against him in 1319 but failed. The Ilkhan Abu Sa'id, however, also disliked Chupan's influence and successfully eliminated him from court. He fled in 1327 to Herat, where the Kartids executed him. Several of his sons fled to the Golden Horde or the Mamluks of Egypt while others were killed.
The Chupanids were not completely wiped out from Persia. A daughter of Chupan's, Baghdad Katun, had caught the eye of Abu Sa'id. During Chupan's lifetime, she had been married to Hasan Buzurg, the future founder of the Jalayirids, but after Chupan fled Hasan Buzurg divorced her, and she married Abu Sa'id. She quickly gained influence over the Ilkhan and exercised the wide powers given to her. She was alleged (but never proven) to have been involved in any conspiracies against the Ilkhan, but was believed by some to have caused Abu Sa'id's death in 1335. Abu Sa'id's successor Arpa Ke'un executed her.
