Qara Yusuf
Encyclopedia
Abu Nasr Qara Yusuf Nuyan ibn Muhammad was the ruler of the Kara Koyunlu
or Black Sheep Turkomans from c.1388 to 1420, although his reign was interrupted by the Timurid
invasion (1400-05).
and Tabriz
, in fact both the Jalayirids and the Kara Koyunlu were threatened by the Timurids to the east. In 1396 Timur
appointed his son Miran Shah
as Timurid viceroy of Azerbaijan
. By collaborating on equal terms with the Jalayirid Sultan Ahmad
against the Timurids, Qara Yusuf effectively secured the independence of the Kara Koyunlu.
. In 1402 they returned together with an army. However, once they had retaken control of Baghdad they quarrelled, and Qara Yusuf expelled Ahmad from the city. Ahmad took refuge with the Mamelukes, but they imprisoned him out of fear of Timur. In 1403 the Timurids drove Qara Yusuf out of Baghdad again. He too sought asylum with the Mamelukes, and was imprisoned by them along with Ahmad. Together in prison, the two leaders renewed their friendship, making an agreement that Ahmad should keep Baghdad while Qara Yusuf would have Azerbaijan
. When Timur died in 1405 the Mamelukes released them both.
Qara Yusuf, having returned from exile in Egypt, went back to Azerbaijan
, defeated the Timurid Abu Bakr near Nakhichevan, and reoccupied Tabriz (1406). Abu Bakr and his father Miranshah tried to recapture Azerbaijan, but on April 20, 1408, Qara Yusuf inflicted a decisive defeat on them in which Miranshah was killed. This battle, one of the most important in the history of the Orient, nullified the results of Tamerlane's conquests in the West .
.
Qara Yusuf died in 1420 and was succeeded by his son Qara Iskander
.
Kara Koyunlu
The Kara Koyunlu or Qara Qoyunlu, also called the Black Sheep Turkomans , were a Shi'ite Oghuz Turkic tribal federation that ruled over the territory comprising the present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan, north-western Iran, eastern Turkey and Iraq from about 1375 to 1468.The Kara Koyunlu Turkomans at one...
or Black Sheep Turkomans from c.1388 to 1420, although his reign was interrupted by the Timurid
Timurid Dynasty
The Timurids , self-designated Gurkānī , were a Persianate, Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turko-Mongol descent whose empire included the whole of Iran, modern Afghanistan, and modern Uzbekistan, as well as large parts of contemporary Pakistan, North India, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the...
invasion (1400-05).
The Jalayirid vassalage broken
At the beginning of Qara Yusuf’s reign, although the Kara Koyunlu were supposedly vassals of the Jalayirid dynasty in BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
, in fact both the Jalayirids and the Kara Koyunlu were threatened by the Timurids to the east. In 1396 Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
appointed his son Miran Shah
Miran Shah
Miran Shah was a son of Timur, and a Timurid governor during his father's lifetime.Miran Shah's first charge was a vast region centered around Qandahar, which he was granted in 1383. That same year, he destroyed a rebellion against Timurid authority by the Kartids, then vassals of Timur in...
as Timurid viceroy of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. By collaborating on equal terms with the Jalayirid Sultan Ahmad
Ahmad (Jalayirids)
Sultan Ahmad was a Jalayirid ruler . He was the son of Shaikh Uvais.-Struggle With His Brothers:Ahmad came to power as a result of a plot against his brother Husain. In 1382 he departed from Ardabil, which he had been given control of, and took Tabriz; Husain was captured and executed...
against the Timurids, Qara Yusuf effectively secured the independence of the Kara Koyunlu.
The Timurid Invasion
The Timurids began another campaign in 1400 and defeated both the Kara Koyunlu and the Jalayirids. Qara Yusuf and Sultan Ahmad Jelair both fled and took refuge with the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid IBayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
. In 1402 they returned together with an army. However, once they had retaken control of Baghdad they quarrelled, and Qara Yusuf expelled Ahmad from the city. Ahmad took refuge with the Mamelukes, but they imprisoned him out of fear of Timur. In 1403 the Timurids drove Qara Yusuf out of Baghdad again. He too sought asylum with the Mamelukes, and was imprisoned by them along with Ahmad. Together in prison, the two leaders renewed their friendship, making an agreement that Ahmad should keep Baghdad while Qara Yusuf would have Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. When Timur died in 1405 the Mamelukes released them both.
Qara Yusuf, having returned from exile in Egypt, went back to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, defeated the Timurid Abu Bakr near Nakhichevan, and reoccupied Tabriz (1406). Abu Bakr and his father Miranshah tried to recapture Azerbaijan, but on April 20, 1408, Qara Yusuf inflicted a decisive defeat on them in which Miranshah was killed. This battle, one of the most important in the history of the Orient, nullified the results of Tamerlane's conquests in the West .
After Timurids
Having firmly established as a ruler of Azerbaijan with Tabriz as his capital, Qara Yusuf fell foul of his former ally Ahmad Jelair, sultan of Baghdad . Ahmad tried to seize Azerbaijan, but was defeated near Tabriz on August 30, 1410, and assassinated the next day passing Iraq Arabi into hands of Qara Yusuf. Within few months, Qara Yusuf ruled Turkoman Kingdom of Qara Qoyunlu extending from the Georgian frontier to Basra, with Tabriz and Baghdad as its capitals. After the death of Qara Yusuf in December 1419, Shah Rukh tried to take Azerbaijan from Qara Yusuf's son Iskander. Despite defeating Iskander, twice in 1421 and 1429, only the third expedition of Shah Rukh in 1434 succeeded, when he entrusted the government to Iskander's own brother, Jahan ShahJahan Shah
Muzaffar al-Din Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf was the leader of the Kara Koyunlu Turkmen tribal federation in Azerbaijan and Arran who reigned c.1438-1467. During his reign he managed to expand the Kara Koyunlu’s territory to its largest extent, including Western Anatolia, most of present day Iraq,...
.
The conquest of Baghdad
The agreement between Ahmad and Qara Yusuf did not last. Wanting to regain Azerbaijan, Ahmad attacked the Kara Koyunlu, and briefly occupied Tabriz. However in August 1410 Qara Yusuf defeated him, and captured and executed him and his son Ala al-Daula. Ahmad’s nephew Sultan Valad briefly succeeded him but in 1412 Qara Yusuf captured Baghdad, and installed a Kara Koyunlu line of rulers there, effectively ending the rule of the Jalayirid dynasty.Qara Yusuf died in 1420 and was succeeded by his son Qara Iskander
Qara Iskander
Qara Iskander ibn Yusuf ruled the Kara Koyunlu or Black Sheep Turcoman tribe from 1420-1436. His struggles with the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh show that he was a brave leader, but he was not able to continue developing what he inherited from his father Qara Yusuf and his reign saw the decline and...
.
See also
- Rulers of Kara KoyunluRulers of Kara KoyunluThis is the list of rulers of Kara Koyunlu dynasty . The dynasty ruled the territory now part of present-day Iran, Iraq and eastern Turkey. Their capital was the city of Tabriz.-Kara Koyunlu rulers:...