The succession to the throne was disputed by the four sons of Malik Shah for more than thirty years, during which time they all attained power in their turns, when Sultan Sanjar became sole monarch of Persia. This prince is highly celebrated for humanity and valour, and is con sidered the best, if not the greatest, of the Seljookian kings. He recovered most of the territories which had been se parated from Persia during the civil wars which followed the death of his father, and bestowed the kingdom of Khau rizm upon his chief cup-bearer. But the latter years of his reign were marked with the most cruel reverses. The Turkoman tribeof Ghuz had withheld their tribute of forty thousand sheep. Sanjar marched an army into their ter ritories, but lie was defeated and taken prisoner, and the barbarians overran and desolated the fairest portion of his kingdom. After a confinement of four years, during which lie was exposed to innumerable insults and hardship, San jar effected his escape front his barbarous gaolers, but was so overcome by the deplorable situation of his country, that lie fell into a state of melancholy, from which he never recovered. After his death Persia continued to be the theatre of intestine wars for a period of forty years ; and Toghrul the Third, the last monarch of the race of Sel jook, was defeated and slain by the ruler of Khaurizm, whose descendants held the ,tvereignty of Persia for about thirty years.
The contests which this time distracted the empire, raised up a number at petty princes or governors, called Atta-begs, who, ta-king advantage of the declining fortunes of the dynasty of Seljook, established their authority over some of its Fdest provinces, and transmitted them to their posterity. These chiefs enjoyed a local power, and often contemned with the reigning princes, till they %vere all swept away by the inundation of the Tartars under Chenghiz lawn. This destroyer of the human race divided his im mense conquests among his four sons, when Persia, Kho rassan, and Cabul, were assigned to Tuli Khan, who sur vived his father but a few years, and was succeeded by his son, the celebrated Hulakoo Khan.
This monarch, having captured Bagdad, and extirpated the race of the caliphs, fixed his residence at Maragba. Iu this delightful spot lie spent the remainder of his life, en joying the society of learned men, and promoting every work of science to the utmost of hip power. Philosophers and astronomers were assembled from every part of his dominions, who, under the direction of his favourite and learned minister Nasser-u-dcen, formed those astronomi cal tables, known under the name of the tables of Eel K hannec. The remains of a building situated on the sum mit of a low mountain near Maragha still marks the spot sacred to science, where these learned men carried on their observations. Hulakoo died before this observatory was completed, and bequeathed his sceptre to his son Abaka, a prince equally renowned for courage and wisdom, cle mency and moderation.
The reigns of this prince and of his successors, Ahmed, Arghoun, and Key Khatou, are marked by no events of importance, except the attempt of the latter to introduce a paper currency throughout his dominions, which how ever cost him both his crown and his life. This weak
prince, having exhausted his treasury by his unexampled prodigality, listened to the schemes of one of the officers of the revenue, who proposed to substitute a paper ex change in lieu of specie in all commercial transactions ; and by this means it was expected that all the gold and sil ver in the country would flow into the royal coffers, and give life and vigour to the government. For this purpose banking houses were erected in every city and town in Persia, where notes of various value were regularly issued ; and each note contained a positive mandate for all his ma jesty's subjects to receive them, on pain of punishment. This measure, however, was so unpopular, that it lasted but a few days, when it was repealed ; but it lost the mo narch the confidence of all ranks; and he was soon after deposed and slain by a confederacy of his disaffected no bles, at the head of which was Baidu Khan, the grandson of Hulakoo. Baidu, however, enjoyed the crown but a few months, when he fell by the hand of his nephew Gha zan Khan.
This prince, however, refused to ascend the throne till he was regularly elected, like his Mogul ancestors, by the assembled chiefs or ameers of the empire. lie then set himself to reform the many abuses which had crept into the government during a succession of weak princes. He " not only revived and reformed the institutes of Chenghiz, but framed a new and more full code of edicts; the object of which was, the reform of the administration of justice, the establishment of good regulations in the collection of the public revenue, the distribution of lands for the sup port of the army, the regulation of inns or caravanseries, the reform of the systewi of 1)ublie post-houses for officers and couriers of government, which appear to have been established throughout the kmpire, the suppression of rob bers, and the fixing the staielard of coins, weights, and measures." These laws were founded upon principles fitted to promote the moral impt-•ement of subjects, as well as the strength and safety of a sovernment ; and re main a lasting monument of the wisdom and justice of this great prince. Although at an early Per11-1 of his reign Ghazan Khan, with a hundred thousand of followers, had professed their conversion to the tenets of !sslam, yet his whole life was spent in a contest for Syria with sul tans of Egypt, the defenders of the faith which he adopted ; and in friendship with Christians, whom he en deavoured to re-establish in the Holy Land. In this war he was at first successful, but latterly experienced a corn, plete reverse, which accelerated his death, after a reign of nine years. This monarch, we arc informed, was remark able for the lowness of his stature, and the extreme ugii ness of his face and person ; but lie possessed a mind richly endowed with learning and virtue; and was the first of the \loghul race of kings who threw off all allegiance to the Khan of Tartary. His brother Khodah-bundah, in ascend ing the throne, proclaimed himself a follower of the sect of Aly, for which alone his memory is still cherished in Persia. He was succeeded by his son Abou Seyd, a youth of twelve years of age.