[indcons]

Only one of the four branches: the Ilkhans. In fact, this is fascinating....the Mongols were known for their religious tolerence. However, after conversion to Islam (Timur the Lame was the first prominent Ilkhanite), the Mughals became fully fanatical adherences of that pedophile prophet.

The other three branches of the Mongols (Batu's Golden Horde, Kublai's Sino-Mongol, and the Chagatai horde in Mongolia) retained their Mongol shamanite religion or adopted Tibetian Buddhism.

[jimtorr]

Ah, yes, Timur the Lame, also known in the West as Tamerlane.

Timur briefly controlled all of Asia except for Mongol China and SE Asia and southern India.

[PzLdr]

The Mughals were descended from Babur the Tiger, who came from Fergana. Timur was not a Mongol, he was a Turk, and could not be Quan [he was not a Chinnghisid]. Initially, as Vizier, he operated through a Quan, who was a Chinnghisid.

The first major Quanate to convert to Islam was the golden Horde. they did it under Berke, Batu's brother and successor. That conversion, coupled with contention for the rich pasture lands of Azerbaijan, and Hulegu's sack of Baghdad and killing of the Caliph, led to an intermittent war that broke out upon the death of Mongke QaQuan, and probably saved the Ummayid/ Mameluke dynasty in Egypt.