In this episode of Why the Mongol Empire Split Apart So Quickly, Lucas and Luna zoom in on the Mongol civil war between Berke and Hulagu in the 1260s — a conflict that shattered the illusion of a united Mongol Empire and permanently divided the Golden Horde from the Ilkhanate. They explore the unlikely conversion of Berke Khan to Islam, the strategic alliance between the Mamluks and the Golden Horde, the brutal Battle of Tiflis, and how religious rivalry mixed with dynastic ambition to create an irreparable rift. Lucas explains why Berke allied with the Mamluks against his own cousin Hulagu, how the Ilkhanate's persecution of Muslims pushed the Golden Horde into open war, and why this civil war ensured that the Mongol Empire would never reunite. Specific names and events include Berke Khan, Hulagu, the Battle of Ayn Jalut, Baybars, Kublai Khan, the Mamluk Sultanate, the Golden Horde, the Ilkhanate, the siege of Tiflis, and the Caucasus front. Listeners will come away understanding that the Mongol Empire's fragmentation wasn't just about succession or appanages — it was driven by a bitter ideological war within the family itself.

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