An Analytical Study on Legitimacy-Oriented Endeavors in Atabakan Lor the Small from the Mongols Invasion to the Establishment of Ilkhanid Dynasty (1220- 1260 AH)

The Mongol invasion of Iran in 616 AH. And the death of Sultan Mohammad Kharazmshah in 617 AH. ended the political unity of Iran within the framework of the Kharazm area and led to a period of instability and political competition. Therefore, various parts of Iran were influenced by local governments. The rule of Atabakan Lor the Small (580-1006 AH) is among these local governments formed during the Seljuk weakness. The interval between the Mongol invasion and the formation of the Ilkhanid dynasty was a difficult and critical period for the local governments of Iran. The crisis of their legitimacy and their head confrontation with the remnants of the Kharazmshahi monarchy, the Abbasid Caliphate, the Mongol central court were the most important dimensions of their political advancement. The purpose of this article, through a descriptive and analytical method and based on library resources, is evaluating legitimate efforts of Atabakan Lor and explaining their relationship with the legitimizing institutions in order to pass through this period and and to preserve their existence. The study, after giving an introduction to the discussion of this local government, shows that Atabakan, since the time of Shojaaddin,, the founder of this government, in their legitimation process, had been focusing on the legitimacy of the monarchy and the caliphate, but the fall of Kharazmshahian, the weakness of the caliphate and the seriousness of the Mongol threat led to a change in relations with the caliphate during the Hesam al-Din era until the increasing Mogol influence during Badr al-Din's time and continued the legitimacy of  Atabakan Lor to the confirmation of the Mongols.