Abu Said’s Alleged Poisoned Handkerchief

In 1335, Abu Said, the last effective ruler of the Ilkhanate, reportedly died soon after a visit to the tent of his consort, Baghdad Khatun. According to later chroniclers, she wiped him down with a poisoned handkerchief after they had sex, taking revenge for the way he had forced their marriage and moved against her powerful family. Abu Said's sudden death without an heir shattered central authority in the Ilkhanate. The Mongol state in Persia soon fragmented into rival khanates and local dynasties fighting over the pieces.

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