Ariq Böke

13th-century Mongolian monarch

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Lived 1219–1266, aged 47

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Wikipedia
41 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1219–1266
Aged 47

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

The youngest son of Tolui who split the Mongol Empire in half. When his brother Möngke died in 1259, Ariq Böke seized the throne while Kublai was away — then both were elected khan by rival factions, triggering a civil war that shattered Genghis Khan's empire for good.

Biography

About

Ariq Böke was born around 1219, the seventh and youngest son of Tolui and a grandson of Genghis Khan. After his brother the Great Khan Möngke died, Ariq Böke claimed the title and briefly took power while his brothers Kublai and Hulagu were absent from the Mongolian Plateau. When Kublai returned for an election in 1260, rival factions refused to agree and elected both men, launching the Toluid Civil War that fragmented the empire. Ariq Böke drew support from the traditionalists of the Mongol heartland; Kublai held the senior princes of North China and Manchuria. He died in 1266.

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