Untangling the Chaghadaids: Why we should and should not trust Rashīd al-Dīn research-article Stefan Kamola Central Asiatic Journal, Jahrgang 62 (2019), Ausgabe 1, Seite 69 - 90 The internal dynastic politics of the Chaghadaid ulus between the death of Chaghadai and the rise of Qaidu has remained a poorly understood corner in the history of Mongol Central Asia. As part of this obscurity, the structure of the Chaghadaid family has resisted efforts at reconstruction, since our sources present conflicting accounts of the number and order of Chaghadai’s descendants. This article discusses four versions of the Chaghadaid family tree found in different manuscript lines of Rashīd al-Dīn’s Tārīkh-i Mubārak-i Ghāzānī, and offers some guidance in how to make sense of his changing presentation of the early history of the ulus. While Rashīd al-Dīn continued to add valuable information to his history as it came to light, he also elaborated or even invented certain changes for political reasons. As a result, each version of the family tree of the Chaghadaids contributes uniquely to our understanding of the period and of the composition of Rashīd al-Dīn’s history.