Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq (died June 8, 1104) was the Seljuk ruler of
DamascusDamascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and its current population is estimated at about 1,669,000...
from 1095 to 1104.
Duqaq was a son of the Seljuk ruler of
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
,
Tutush IAbu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I was the Seljuk ruler of Damascus from 1079 to 1095, succeeding Abaaq al-Khwarazmi. In 1085 he conquered most of Syria from the Great Seljuk Sultan Malik Shah I, but lost it in 1086, only to recapture it in 1094...
, and Khatun Safwat al-Mulk, He was the brother of
RadwanFakhr al-Mulk Radwan was a Seljuk ruler of Aleppo from 1095 to 1113.He was the son of Tutush I and brother of Duqaq, but was raised by his tutor Janah ad-Dawla al-Husain. When Tutush died in 1096, Radwan inherited his Syrian possessions and ruled from Aleppo, though Janah ad-Dawla was in charge...
. When their father died in 1095, Radwan claimed Syria for himself, and Duqaq initially inherited territory in the Jezirah and lived with his brother in
AleppoAleppo is a city in northern Syria, the second largest Syrian city and the capital of the Aleppo Governorate; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km² and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria by population...
. However, he soon rebelled and seized control of
DamascusDamascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and its current population is estimated at about 1,669,000...
, throwing Syria into near anarchy and civil war.
Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq (died June 8, 1104) was the Seljuk ruler of
DamascusDamascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and its current population is estimated at about 1,669,000...
from 1095 to 1104.
Duqaq was a son of the Seljuk ruler of
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
,
Tutush IAbu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I was the Seljuk ruler of Damascus from 1079 to 1095, succeeding Abaaq al-Khwarazmi. In 1085 he conquered most of Syria from the Great Seljuk Sultan Malik Shah I, but lost it in 1086, only to recapture it in 1094...
, and Khatun Safwat al-Mulk, He was the brother of
RadwanFakhr al-Mulk Radwan was a Seljuk ruler of Aleppo from 1095 to 1113.He was the son of Tutush I and brother of Duqaq, but was raised by his tutor Janah ad-Dawla al-Husain. When Tutush died in 1096, Radwan inherited his Syrian possessions and ruled from Aleppo, though Janah ad-Dawla was in charge...
. When their father died in 1095, Radwan claimed Syria for himself, and Duqaq initially inherited territory in the Jezirah and lived with his brother in
AleppoAleppo is a city in northern Syria, the second largest Syrian city and the capital of the Aleppo Governorate; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km² and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria by population...
. However, he soon rebelled and seized control of
DamascusDamascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and its current population is estimated at about 1,669,000...
, throwing Syria into near anarchy and civil war. Duqaq had the support of
Yaghi-SiyanYaghi-Siyan was the governor of Antioch during the First Crusade.He was a Turkish slave of the Seljuk sultan Malik Shah I, who had captured Antioch in 1085 and appointed Yaghi-Siyan governor around 1090. Malik Shah died in 1092, and his successor Tutush I granted Yaghi-Siyan more territory around...
of
AntiochAntioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River...
, who had no quarrel with Radwan but disliked Radwan's
atabegAtabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince...
Janah ad-Dawla; joining Yaghi-Siyan and Duqaq was
IlghaziNajm ad-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq was the Turkish Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122.-Biography:His father Artuk was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had been appointed governor of Jerusalem by the Seljuk emir Tutush. When Artuk died, Ilghazi and his brother Sökmen succeeded him as...
, governor of
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
. Radwan allied with Ilghazi's brother Sokman.
Radwan attacked Yaghi-Siyan, and when Duqaq and Ilghazi came to assist him, Radwan besieged Damascus as well. However, Radwan soon quarrelled with Janah ad-Dawla, who captured Hims from him, and with his atabeg out of the alliance, Yaghi-Siyan was much more willing to assist him. This new alliance was sealed with a marriage between Radwan and Yaghi-Siyan's daughter. The two were about to attack
ShaizarShaizar, Shayzar or Saijar was a medieval town and fortress in Syria, ruled by the Banu Munqidh dynasty, which played an important part in the Christian and Muslim politics of the crusades.- Early history :...
when they heard of the arrival of the
First CrusadeThe First Crusade was a military expedition by European Christians to regain the Holy Lands taken by the Muslim conquest of the Levant, which resulted in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099. It was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to the appeal from Byzantine...
; all the various alliances were disbanded and everyone returned to their own cities, though if any of the alliances had remained intact, or they had all worked together, they would likely have been able to prevent the success of the crusade.
Over the winter of 1097-1098,
Antioch was besiegedThe Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098. The first siege, by the crusaders against the Muslim city, lasted from October 21, 1097, to June 2, 1098. The second siege, against the crusaders who had occupied it, lasted from June 7 to June 28, 1098.-Background:Antioch...
by the Crusaders, and Yaghi-Siyan and his son Shams ad-Dawla sought help from Duqaq. On December 30, 1097, reinforcements from Duqaq were defeated by the foraging party of
Bohemund of TarantoBohemond I, also spelled Bohemund or Boamund, , Prince of Taranto and Prince of Antioch, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade as he led the whole Crusader army until the conquest of Antioch.-Early life:...
, and Duqaq retreated to
HomsHims Hims Hims is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Hims Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
. Duqaq later joined
KerboghaKerbogha was Atabeg of Mosul during the First Crusade and was renowned as a soldier. He was a Turk who owed his success to his military talent. In 1098, when he heard that the Crusaders had besieged Antioch, he gathered his troops and marched to relieve the city. By the time he arrived, around...
of
MosulMosul is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some 400 km northwest of Baghdad...
to attack the crusaders after they had occupied Antioch in June of 1098, but during the battle, Duqaq's line deserted and Kerbogha was defeated. While occupied in Syria, Duqaq's possessions in the Jezirah were seized by some rebellious vassals; in 1099 he recaptured Diyarbakr.
In 1100 Duqaq ambushed
Baldwin I of EdessaBaldwin I of Jerusalem, formerly Baldwin I of Edessa, born Baldwin of Boulogne , 1058? - 2 April 1118, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade, who became the first Count of Edessa and then the second ruler and first titled King of Jerusalem...
at Nahr al-Kalb, outside
BeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan Area, which...
, while the latter was on his way to Jerusalem to succeed his brother
Godfrey of BouillonGodfrey of Bouillon was a medieval knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087...
as king. Baldwin's men held a narrow pass and Duqaq's troops were not able to break through; Baldwin was victorious and continued on to Jerusalem.
In 1103 Duqaq captured
HomsHims Hims Hims is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Hims Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
when Janah ad-Dawla, Radwan's former atabeg, was assassinated. Duqaq fell sick in 1104, and on the advice of his mother, appointed his own atabeg
ToghtekinZahir ad-Din Toghtekin was a Turkic military leader, who was atabeg of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder of the Burid dynasty of Damascus.-Biography:...
as atabeg to his young son Tutush II. Duqaq died on June 8 of that year. Toghtegin soon overthrew Duqaq's dynasty to establish the
Burid dynastyThe Burid dynasty was a Turkish dynasty which ruled over Damascus in the early 12th century. The first Burid ruler, Toghtekin, began as a servant to the Seljuk ruler of Damascus, Duqaq. Following Duqaq's death in 1104, he seized the city for himself. His family ruled the city until 1154, when it...
, which would rule Damascus for the next half-century.
Sources
- Kenneth Setton, ed. A History of the Crusades, vol. I. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1958 (available online).
- The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades: Extracted and Translated from the Chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi
Hamza ibn Asad abu Ya'la ibn al-Qalanisi was an Arab politician and chronicler in Damascus in the 12th century.He descended from the Banu Tamim tribe, and was among the well-educated nobility of the city of Damascus...
. H.A.R. Gibb, London, 1932.