Arpa Ke'un
Tenth Ilkhan
Biography
Arpa Ke'un was a great-grandson of Ariq Böke (son of Tolui and grandson of Genghis Khan), making him a member of a collateral Toluid branch rather than a direct descendant of Hülegü. When the last unified Ilkhan Abu Sa'id died suddenly in camp without an heir in November 1335, Arpa was elevated to the throne with the staunch backing of the vizier Ghiyas al-Din Muhammad.
Shortly after his accession, he proved his military capability by repelling an invasion across the Caucasus by Ozbeg Khan of the Golden Horde. He attempted to bolster his legitimacy by marrying Abu Sa'id's sister, but his lack of direct descent from Hülegü and his firm governance alienated powerful Mongol tribal emirs and regional commanders.
In the spring of 1336, the powerful Oirat commander Ali Padishah in Baghdad rebelled, raising a rival prince named Musa. At the Battle of the Jaghatu River near Maragheh, Arpa's forces disintegrated after key commanders defected on the battlefield. Captured while fleeing, Arpa was executed in May 1336. His death plunged the Ilkhanate into over two decades of destructive civil war among rival warlords fielding puppet khans.