Rashiduddin
Also called: Rashid al-Din · Topic: Nomadic Empires: The Mongols · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
Rashiduddin was a Persian wazir, or chief minister, of the Il-Khanid ruler Ghazan Khan (ruled 1295–1304) in Iran. He was one of many officials from conquered peoples whom the Mongols employed to run their empire. Such officials helped steer Mongol rulers away from plunder and towards protecting farmers and towns. Rashiduddin also wrote a large history of the Mongols, the Jami al-Tawarikh. It is an important source for the period.
Example
In the 1290s Rashiduddin drafted a speech for Ghazan Khan to his Mongol-Turkish commanders. It told them not to pillage the peasants: "If you insult the peasantry, take their oxen and seed and trample their crops into the ground, what will you do in the future?"
Don't confuse with
- Juwaini: Juwaini was an earlier Persian chronicler known for the Bukhara "punishment of God" story and his inflated death toll at Merv. He was not Ghazan Khan's wazir.