Tekuder

Ahmed Tekuder (; ; 10 August 1284), also known as Sultan Ahmad, was the sultan of the Ilkhanate from 1282 to 1284. He was a son of Hulegu and brother of Abaqa. He was eventually succeeded by his nephew Arghun Khan.

Early life Tekuder was born c. 1246 in Mongolia to Hulagu and Qutui Khatun from the Mongol Khongirad tribe as his seventh son. His birth date is not mentioned elsewhere but according to sources he died aged 37, therefore his birth year must have been around 1246 or 1247. He was baptized in his childhood as a Nestorian Christian and was given the name Nicholas. He arrived in the Ilkhanate sometime in the 1260s with his mother Qutui and brother Tekshin. Years later, he was granted governorship of Nahavand and Dinavar by Abaqa, who respected his mother Qutui. Qutui was also invested with territories with income of 100.000 gold coins near Mayyafariqin by Abaqa.

Conversion to Islam The circumstances of Tekuder's conversion to Islam are unknown. However, according to Ibn al-Fuwati he had been given information about his religious mentor and perhaps the person responsible for Tekuder's conversion - Kamal al-Din Abd ul-Rahman. He was described as a Greek slave of al-Musta'sim Billah, who rose in rank thanks to his skills at alchemy and met Abaqa to whom he was introduced by Aybak. Abd ul-Rahman was introduced to Tekuder later by his mother Qutui Khatun. Tekuder sometime later converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmed, while Abd ul-Rahman would later rise in court and eventually be an ambassador to Mamluk Egypt.

Election and reign He arrived to the Jaghatu valley near Maragha to attend the kurultai for the election of new Il-Khan after Abaqa's death in April 1282. Suqunjaq Noyan

His first act was to clear Ata-Malik Juvayni of charges brought against him by Majd al-Mulk Yazdi, a vizier who accused him of embezzling state funds. Tekuder restored him to the government of Baghdad, while people lynched Majd al-Mulk for witchcraft. He also appointed his younger half-brother, Qonqurtai, as viceroy of Anatolia the following month. However Arghun believed that the Juvayni brothers were responsible for his father's death by poisoning. He came to Baghdad to spend the winter of 1282-1283 and restarted the investigation of the accusations of embezzlement which may have caused Ata Malik's stroke on 5 March 1283. Arghun tried negotiate a truce, which Ahmad, against the advice of his councillors, refused. Another embassy sent by Arghun, this time led by his son Ghazan arrived at Tekuder's camp near Semnan on 31 May. The embassy was a success, as Ahmad accepted a truce on the condition that Arghun send his brother Gaykhatu as a hostage. Arghun agreed to the terms and sent his brother accompanied by two amirs, including Nawruz into the custody of Buqa, then the most senior of Tekuder's commanders, on 13 or 28 June. He expressed his aim to forge an alliance with Qalawun against the wishes of his own council in a letter. Qalawun sent a reply on 3 December 1282 urging Tekuder to release the Sultanate of Rum from vassalage as a fellow Muslim. Tekuder sent a second embassy, headed by his religious mentor Kamal al-Din Abd ul-Rahman to Egypt Tödai Khatun (m. 6 April 1284), widow of Abaqa Khan; Qurquchin Agachi Noghachi Qonqurchin Agachi Kalturmish Khatun - married firstly to Shadai, son of Bughu (perhaps Buqa), married secondly to Toghan, son of Shadai of Jalairs in levirate