KAIDU

died c. 1301 Mongol khan (reigned 12691301), the great-grandson of Genghis Khan, grandson of gdei, and a leader of the opposition to Kublai Khan's rule over the Mongol empire. Kaidu controlled Turkistan and, for a time, much of Mongolia proper, including Karakorum, the former capital of the Mongol empire. In spite of almost continuous warfare for more than 30 years, he was unable to break Kublai's power. Kaidu first emerged about 1263 as a claimant to Turkistan. By means of a military alliance, he won that province. By 1269 he had himself been recognized by a gathering of Mongol chieftains as their rightful khan. He spent most of his reign making war on Kublai Khan, continuing these attacks after Kublai's death in 1294. In 1301 Kaidu was defeated near Karakorum and was killed while in flight.