Which Mongol leader founded the Ilkhanate and conquered much of Persia?

• A. Genghis Khan
• B. Hulagu Khan
• C. Batu Khan
• D. Kublai Khan

Answer: (B)

Recognizing who established Mongol rule in Persia and created the western khanate that governed that region. Hulagu Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, led the western campaigns into Persia and beyond, capturing major lands and ending Abbasid political power with the sack of Baghdad in 1258. He then founded the Ilkhanate, ruling over much of Persia and neighboring areas, shaping Mongol rule in the Middle East for generations. The other figures were important in different domains: Genghis Khan launched the initial empire-wide conquests but did not found the western Ilkhanate; Batu Khan led the Golden Horde in Russia; Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty in China. So Hulagu Khan is the one who founded the Ilkhanate and conquered much of Persia.