After Genghis Khan died in 1227, his vast territory was divided into four territories called khanates. The northwestern khanate was known as the Golden Horde. Led by Genghis Khan's grandson, Batu, its warriors swept into parts of eastern and central Europe. The southwestern khanate, known as the II-Khanate, led by his grandson Hulagu, advanced into the Muslim kingdoms of the Middle East, overran Persia, captured Baghdad in 1258, then moved into Syria and Palestine on their way to Egypt. The Muslim leaders of Egypt, known as the Mamluks, stopped the II-Khanate's advance in 1260. Meanwhile, in the east, another grandson, Kublai Khan, focused on conquering all of China.
