Alexios II Komnenos vs Ghazan Khan

Alexios II was crowned co-emperor alongside his father Manuel I Komnenos at the age of two. This was a dynastic move to secure the succession, but left the empire in the hands of regents after Manuel's death in 1180.

Alexios II was strangled to death in Constantinople on the orders of his cousin Andronikos I Komnenos. Andronikos had seized power as regent and then co-emperor, and eliminated the 14-year-old Alexios to secure his own rule, ending the direct Komnenian line.

Ghazan implemented a comprehensive reform program including tax reform, standardization of weights and measures, land redistribution, and the establishment of a new legal code. He also reformed the military and postal system, stabilizing the Ilkhanate after decades of instability.

Ghazan converted to Islam upon ascending the throne, becoming the first Ilkhan to adopt the faith. He publicly declared Islam the state religion, ordered the destruction of Buddhist temples and churches, and adopted the name Mahmud. This transformed the Ilkhanate's identity.

Ghazan patronized scholars, historians, and scientists, including the vizier Rashid al-Din, who wrote the Jami' al-tawarikh, a world history. Ghazan also built observatories, hospitals, and mosques, contributing to the cultural flowering of the Ilkhanate.

Ghazan led three major invasions of Mamluk Syria, capturing Damascus and Aleppo in 1299

Ghazan's Mongol army defeated the Mamluks under Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad at Wadi al-Khaznadar near Homs. The victory allowed the Mongols to occupy Damascus and Aleppo, but they withdrew after a few months due to logistical problems and the need to return to Persia.