Ahmad Fanakati facts for kids
Ahmad Fanākatī (also known as Ahmad Banākatī) was an important Persian Muslim official. He lived a long time ago, from before 1242 until 1282. He worked for Kublai Khan, who was the leader of the Yuan dynasty in China. Ahmad was like a top minister and was in charge of all the money matters for the government. He is famous for setting up the financial system for the Yuan dynasty. Some history books say he was a "villainous minister" because people thought he was corrupt.
Ahmad's Life and Work
Ahmad Fanākatī came from a town called Fanākat in Central Asia. This area was once ruled by the Qara Khitai empire before the Mongol Empire took over.
Ahmad got his job with Kublai Khan thanks to Empress Jamui Khatun. She knew him before she married Kublai. He started working in her court and quickly moved into important financial roles by 1264.
Empress Chabi Khatun, Kublai's favorite wife, trusted Ahmad a lot. In 1262, he was put in charge of the government's money. He did a great job managing the finances in Northern China. He brought in huge amounts of tax money for Kublai's new government.
In 1270, Ahmad took full control of a new financial department. It was called the Department of State Affairs. This department was as important as the main administrative office, the Central Secretariat. After the Song dynasty was conquered in 1276, Ahmad also managed the money matters for Southern China. He created a government monopoly on salt. This meant the government controlled all salt sales. Salt sales became a very big part of the government's income.
During his 20 years in office, Ahmad built a strong group of supporters. This group included his family and other Muslims from Central Asia.
Ahmad's tax system was not popular with the Chinese people. They felt it was very strict and different from their old ways. People also said Ahmad was greedy. They believed he used his position to get rich himself.
The famous traveler Marco Polo wrote about Ahmad. He called him "Bailo Acmat (Achmac)." Marco Polo mentioned that Ahmad had 25 sons and gathered a lot of wealth.
In 1271, the Department of State Affairs became part of the Central Secretariat. While still handling money, Ahmad started getting involved in other government duties. This caused problems with other powerful groups. These groups included Crown Prince Zhenjin and other Mongol nobles. Chinese officials were also part of these rival groups.
The situation became very serious when Empress Chabi Khatun died in 1281. She had been Ahmad's main supporter. The next year, Ahmad was killed by Wang Zhu and Gao Heshang. After his death, his group lost its power.
Ahmad's killers were executed. But after Kublai Khan heard many complaints about Ahmad's corruption, he became very angry. Kublai ordered Ahmad's body to be removed from his tomb. He wanted the body to be disgraced. Kublai also ordered Ahmad's sons to be put to death.
Ahmad's Impact
In old Chinese history books, Ahmad is often shown as a bad official. His corruption and strict rule are often highlighted. However, another historical book, the Jami al-Tawarikh, speaks positively about his help to Kublai's government. More recent studies by Mongolian historians also tend to see his role positively. They recognize his importance in setting up the unique financial system of the Yuan dynasty.
