Editing Muhammad II of Khwarazm (section)

==Fall==
[[File:Dinar of 'Ala al-Din Muhammad II, struck at the Bukhara mint.jpg|thumb|Gold ''[[Gold dinar|dinar]]'' of Ala ad-Din Muhammad II, struck at the [[Bukhara]] mint]]
In 1218, a small contingent of Mongols crossed borders in pursuit of an escaped enemy general. Upon successfully retrieving him, [[Genghis Khan]] made contact with the Shah. Having only recently conquered two-thirds of the [[Jin dynasty (1115-1234)|Jin dynasty]] and capturing [[Beijing]], Genghis was looking to open trade relations, but having heard exaggerated reports of the Mongols, the Shah believed this gesture was only a ploy to invade ''his'' land. Genghis sent emissaries to Khwarazm (reports vary – one stating a group of 100 Muslim merchants with a single Mongol leading them, others state 450) to emphasize his hope for a trade road. The Shah, in turn, had one of his governors ([[Inalchuq]], his uncle) openly accuse the party of spying, their rich goods were seized and the party was arrested.<ref name=Soucek>{{cite book | author = Svat Soucek | author-link = Svat Soucek | title = A History of Inner Asia | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 2002 | isbn = 0-521-65704-0 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/historyofinneras00souc/page/106 106] | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofinneras00souc/page/106 }}</ref> 
[[File:Mort de Muhammad Hwârazmshâh.jpeg|thumb|Muhammad II's death, depicted in a 1430 manuscript of the ''[[Jami' al-tawarikh]]'' by [[Rashid-al-Din Hamadani]]]]
Trying to maintain diplomacy, Genghis sent an envoy of three men to the Shah, to give him a chance to disclaim all knowledge of the governor's actions and hand him over to the Mongols for punishment. The shah executed the envoy (again, some sources claim one man was executed, some claim all three were), and then immediately had the Mongol merchant party (Muslim and Mongol alike) put to death and their goods seized.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Man |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=reak1EUA57sC |title=Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection |publisher=Bantam |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-553-81498-9 |pages=176 |language=en}}</ref> These events led Genghis to [[Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire|retaliate with a force of 100,000 to 150,000 men]] that crossed the [[Jaxartes]] in 1219 and sacked the cities of [[Samarkand]], [[Bukhara]], [[Otrar]] and others. Muhammad's capital city, [[Kunya Urgench|Urgench]], followed soon after.

Ala ad-Din Muhammad fled the Mongol onslaught and sought refuge in [[greater Khorasan|Khorasan]],{{fact|date=May 2022}} and later died of [[pleurisy]] on an island in the [[Caspian Sea]] near the port of [[Abaskun]] some weeks later. He was succeeded by his son [[Jalal al-Din Mangburni]].