Seljuq dynasty

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Seljuq dynasty

The Seljuq (also Seljuq Turks, Seldjuks, Seldjuqs, Seljuks; in Turkish

Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and other parts of Eastern Europe....
Selçuklular; in ?aljuqiyan; in Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
????? Saljuq, or ???????? al-Salajiqa) were a Turco-Persian

Turco-Persian

The Turco-Persians were a heterogeneous confederation of certain Turkic peoples, Iranian peoples and Mongols peoples that eventually conquered much of Central Asia, Southwest Asia and South Asia during the 15th to 17th centuries....
Sunni Muslim

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south....
and the Middle East

Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
from the 11th to 14th centuries. They set up an empire known as Great Seljuq Empire

Great Seljuq Empire

The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Sunni Islam Turkish people Persianate empire established by the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks that once controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf....
that stretched from Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
through Persia and was the target of the First Crusade

First Crusade

The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to the appeal from Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. The Emperor requested that western volunteers come to their aid and repel the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia, Modern day Turkey....
.

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The Seljuq (also Seljuq Turks, Seldjuks, Seldjuqs, Seljuks; in Turkish

Turkish language

Arabic language

Turco-Persian

Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south....
and the Middle East

Middle East

Great Seljuq Empire

Anatolia

First Crusade

Oghuz Turks

The Oghuz were a group of loosely linked nomadic Turkic peoples. In the ninth century the Oghuz Turks from the Aral steppes drove the Pechenegs of the Emba region and the Ural River toward the west....
tribal confederations of Central Asia and marked the beginning of Turkic

Turkic peoples

The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern, central and western Eurasia, and who mostly speak languages belonging to the Turkic languages....
power in the Middle East

Middle East

Greater Iran

Greater Iran refers to the regions that have significant Iranian cultural influence. It roughly corresponds to the territory surrounding the Iranian plateau, stretching from the Caucasus to the Indus River, and conform to the historical understanding of the full territory of "Etymology of Iran."...
, the Seljuqs accepted the Persian culture

Persianate

A Persianate society is a society that is either based on, or strongly influenced by the Persian language, Persian culture, Persian literature, Persian art, and identity.In orther to non-Persian peoples become Persian especially in seljuk time....
and language, and played an important role in the development of the Turko-Persian tradition

Turko-Persian tradition

The composite Turko-Persian tradition was a variant of Islamic culture. It was Persianate society in that it was centered on a lettered tradition of Iranian Peoples origin; it was Turkic peoples insofar as it was for many generations patronized by rulers of Turkic background; it was Islamic in that Islamic notions of virtue, permanence, and e...
which features "Persian culture patronized by Turkic rulers." Today, they are remembered as great patrons of Persian culture, art, literature

Persian literature

Persian literature spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources has been within historical greater Iran including present-day Iran as well as reigions of Central Asia where the Persian language has been the national language through history....
, and language

Persian language

Oghuz Turks

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan , is the largest and most populous country in the South Caucasus, located partially in Eastern Europe and partially in Western Asia....
, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
, and Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is a Turkic peoples country in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic ....
.

Early history

Origins

Prior to the ninth century, hordes of Turks had crossed the Volga River

Volga River

The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, Discharge , and Drainage basin. It flows through the western part of Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia....
into the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolia and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Seas and various straits....
steppes. Originally, the House of Seljuq was a branch of the Qinik Oghuz Turks

Oghuz Turks

The Oghuz were a group of loosely linked nomadic Turkic peoples. In the ninth century the Oghuz Turks from the Aral steppes drove the Pechenegs of the Emba region and the Ural River toward the west....
who in the 9th century lived on the periphery of the Muslim world, north of the Caspian

Caspian

Caspian can refer to:*The Caspian Sea*The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea*The Caspian region, the loosely-defined area surrounding the Caspian Sea...
and Aral sea

Aral Sea

The Aral Sea is a landlocked endorheic basin in Central Asia; it lies between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south....
in their Yabghu Khaganate of the Oghuz confederacy, in the Kazakh Steppe

Kazakh Steppe

The Kazakh Steppe or Kirghiz Steppe, is a vast region of open grassland in northern Kazakhstan and adjacent portions of Russia, extending to the east of the Pontic steppe and to the west of the Emin Valley steppe, with which it forms part of the Eurasian steppe....
of Turkestan

Turkestan

Turkestan is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic peoples. It has been referenced in many Turkic and Persian sagas and is an integral part of Turan ....
. In the 10th century the Seljuqs migrated from their ancestral homelands into mainland Persia, in the province of Khurasan

Greater Khorasan

Greater Khorasan is a modern term for a geographic region spanning north-eastern Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and north-western Afghanistan....
, where they mixed with the local population and accepted the Persian culture and language

Persian language

Seljuq leaders

Rulers of Seljuq Dynasty 1037–1157

The "Great Seljuqs" were heads of the family; in theory their authority extended over all the other Seljuq lines, although in practice this often was not the case. Turkish custom called for the senior member of the family to be the Great Seljuq, although usually the position was associated with the ruler of western Persia.

Tugrul I (Tugrul Beg) 1037–1063
Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan

Alp Arslan was the second sultan of the Seljuk dynasty and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponym of the dynasty. He assumed the name of Muhammad bin Da'ud Chaghri when he embraced Islam, and for his military prowess, personal valour, and fighting skills he obtained the surname Alp Arslan, which means "a valiant lion" in Turkish lang...
bin Chaghri 1063–1072
Jalal ad-Dawlah Malik Shah I
Malik Shah I

Jalal al-Dawlah Malik-shah or simply Malik Shah was the Seljuk Turks sultan from 1072 to 1092.He drove the Byzantine Empire out of most of Anatolia following their defeat by his father Alp Arslan at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071....
1072–1092
Nasir ad-Din Mahmud I
Mahmud I of Great Seljuk

Nasir ad-Din Mahmud I was the sultan of Seljuk Turks . He succeeded Malik Shah I as Sultan, but he did not gain control of the empire built by Malik Shah, and Alp Arslan....
1092–1093
Rukn ad-Din Barkiyaruq
Barkiyaruq

Abu al-Muzaffar Rukn ud-Din Barkyaruq bin Malik?ah was the sultan of Seljuk Turks from 1094-1105.He was a son of Malik Shah I and participated in the succession wars against his three brothers, Mahmud I of Great Seljuk, Ahmed Sanjar, and Mehmed I of Great Seljuk....
1093–1104
Mu'izz ad-Din Malik Shah II
Malik Shah II

Mu'izz ad-Din Malik Shah II Was Seljukids Sultan in Baghdad during 1105. He was the grandson of Malik Shah I, and was theoretically the head of the dynasty, although his relative Ahmed Sanjar in Khorasan probably held more effective power....
1105
Ghiyath ad-Din Muhammad/Mehmed I
Muhammad I of Great Seljuk

Ghiyath ad-Din Muhammad Tapar was a son of Seljuk Turks Sultan Malik Shah I. He succeeded his nephew, Malik Shah II, as Seljuk Sultan in Baghdad, and thus was theoretically the head of the dynasty, although his brother Ahmed Sanjar in Khorasan probably held more practical power....
Tapar 1105–1118

Muhammad's son Mahmud II
Mahmud II of Great Seljuk

Mahmud II proclaimed himself the Seljuk Turks sultan of Baghdad in 1118 following the death of Mehmed I of Great Seljuk . Mahmud fought against the Seljuk Sultan of Khorasan, Ahmed Sanjar, whom Mehmed I had revolted against in 1105....
succeeded him in western Persia, but Sanjar, the governor of Khurasan from 1097 and the senior member of the family, becomes Great Seljuq sultan
Mu'izz ad-Din Ahmed Sanjar
Ahmed Sanjar

Mu'iz ud-Din Ahmad-e Sanjar was the sultan of the Great Seljuq Empire from 1118 to 1153. He was initially the sultan of Greater Khorasan until he gained the rest of the territory upon the death of Muhammad I of Great Seljuk....
1118–1157
The Oghuz take control of much of Khurasan, with the remainder in the hands of former Seljuq emirs

Seljuq sultans of Hamadan 1118–1194
The rulers of western Persia, who maintained a very loose grip on the Abbasids of Baghdad
Baghdad

Baghdad is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous. With a municipal population estimated at 6.5 million, it is the largest city in Iraq, and the second largest city in the Arab World....
. Several Turkish emirs gained a strong level of influence in the region, such as the Eldiduzids
Atabegs of Azerbaijan

The Atabegs of Azerbaijan rose from the ashes of the vast Seljuk Empire in the beginning of the 12th century. The atabeg was the title referred to the guardians appointed for minor princes of the Seljukid line who were nominally set over garrisons in provinces....
.
Mahmud II
Mahmud II of Great Seljuk

Mahmud II proclaimed himself the Seljuk Turks sultan of Baghdad in 1118 following the death of Mehmed I of Great Seljuk . Mahmud fought against the Seljuk Sultan of Khorasan, Ahmed Sanjar, whom Mehmed I had revolted against in 1105....
1118–1131
Da'ud (in Jibal
Jibal

Jibal was a short-lived Arab-ruled province located in western Iran, under the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad. It was roughly coterminous with the ancient country of the Media ....
and Iranian Azerbaijan) 1131
Tugrul II 1131–1134
Mas'ud 1134–1152
Malik Shah III 1152–1153
Muhammad II 1153–1160
Suleiman Shah 1160–1161
Arslan Shah 1161–1174
Tugrul III 1174–1194
Tugrul III killed in battle with the Khwarazmshah, who annexes Hamadan

Seljuq rulers of Kerman 1041–1187
Kerman
Kerman Province

Kerman is one of the 30 provinces of Iran of Iran. It is in the south-east of the country. Its center is Kerman. The province of Kerman is the second largest province in Iran, 180,836 km?....
was a province in southern Persia.

Qawurd 1041–1073
Kerman Shah 1073–1074
Sultan Shah 1074–1075
Hussain Omar 1075–1084
Turan Shah I 1084–1096
Iran Shah 1096–1101
Arslan Shah I
Arslan Shah I

Arslan Shah I was Sultan of Kerman , a city in Iran situated at the center of Kerman province. Located in a large and flat plain, this city is placed 1,076 km south of the Iranian capital, Tehran....
1101–1142
Mehmed I (Muhammad) 1142–1156
Togrül Shah 1156–1169
Bahram Shah 1169–1174
Arslan Shah II 1174–1176
Turan Shah II 1176–1183
Muhammad Shah
Muhammad-Shah ibn Bahram-Shah

Muhammad-Shah was the last Seljuks amir of Kerman, from 1183 until 1186....
1183–1187
Muhammad abandons Kerman, which falls into the hands of the Oghuz chief Malik Dinar

Malik Dinar (Oghuz Chief)

Malik Dinar was the Oghuz Turks ruler of Sarakhs from c. 1153 until 1179. He was also the ruler of the province of Kerman province from 1186 until his death....

Seljuq rulers in Syria 1076–1117

Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I
Tutush I

Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I was the Seljuk Turks 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....
1085–1086
Jalal ad-Dawlah Malik Shah I
Malik Shah I

Jalal al-Dawlah Malik-shah or simply Malik Shah was the Seljuk Turks sultan from 1072 to 1092.He drove the Byzantine Empire out of most of Anatolia following their defeat by his father Alp Arslan at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071....
of Great Seljuq 1086–1087
Qasim ad-Dawla Abu Said Aq Sunqur al-Hajib
Aq Sunqur al-Hajib

Qasim ad-Dawla Abu Said Aq Sunqur al-Hajib was the Seljuk Turks governor of Aleppo under Sultan Malik Shah I. He probably enjoyed some independence from his lord and was from 1087 the de-facto ruler of most of Syria....
1087–1094
Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I
Tutush I

Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I was the Seljuk Turks 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....
(second time) 1094–1095
Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan 1095–1113
Tadj ad-Dawla Alp Arslan al-Akhras 1113–1114
Sultan Shah 1114–1123
To the Artuqids

Sultan
Sultan

Sultan is an Islamic honorifics, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ???? sulah, meaning "authority" or "power"....
s/Emir
Emir

Emir , is a high Nobility or office, used throughout the Arab World and historically in some Turkic peoples states and Afghanistan. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking sheikhs, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes, with "Emirate" being analogous to principality in this sense....
s of Damascus
Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
:
Aziz ibn Abaaq al-Khwarazmi
Abaaq al-Khwarazmi

Aziz ibn Abaaq al-Khwarazmi was a commander under Malik Shah I and later became the first Seljuk Turks ruler to gain independence from the Great Seljuq Empire....
1076–1079
Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I
Tutush I

Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I was the Seljuk Turks 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....
1079–1095
Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq
Duqaq

Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq was the Seljuk Turks ruler of Damascus from 1095 to 1104.Duqaq was a son of the Seljuk ruler of Syria, Tutush I, and Khatun Safwat al-Mulk, He was the brother of Radwan....
1095–1104
Tutush II 1104
Muhi ad-Din Baqtash 1104
Damascus seized by the Burid Toghtekin
Toghtekin

Zahir 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....

Seljuq sultans of Rûm (Anatolia) 1077–1307
See Sultanate of Rûm
Sultanate of Rûm

The Sultanate of R?m was the Seljuq dynasty Turkish people sultanate that ruled in Anatolia in direct lineage from 1077 to 1307, with capitals first at Iznik and then at Konya....

* Kutalmish 1060–1077
Suleyman Ibn Kutalmish (Suleiman) 1077–1086
Dawud Kilij Arslan I
Kilij Arslan I

File:Ralamb Sipahi.jpgKilij Arslan was the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m from 1092 until his death in 1107. He ruled the Sultanate during the time of the First Crusade and thus faced the brunt of the entire attack....
1092–1107
Malik Shah
Malik Shah I

Jalal al-Dawlah Malik-shah or simply Malik Shah was the Seljuk Turks sultan from 1072 to 1092.He drove the Byzantine Empire out of most of Anatolia following their defeat by his father Alp Arslan at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071....
1107–1116
Rukn ad-Din Mas'ud
Mas'ud of Rüm

Masud I or Ma'sud I was the sultan of the Sultanate of R?m from 1116 until his death in 1156. Following the defeat and death of his father Kilij Arslan I by Radwan of Aleppo at Mosul in 1107, Masud lost the throne in favor of Melikshah....
1116–1156
Izz ad-Din Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II

Kilij Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultanate of R?m from 1156 until his death in 1192.As Arnold of Lubeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172....
1156–1192
Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw I 1192–1196
Suleyman II (Suleiman) 1196–1204
Kilij Arslan III
Kilij Arslan III

Kilij Arslan III was the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m for a short period in 1204 and 1205....
1204–1205
Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw I (second time) 1205–1211
Izz ad-Din Kaykaus I
Kaykaus I

Kaykaus I or Kayka'us I or Keykavus I was the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m from 1211 until his death in 1220. He was the eldest son of Kaykhusraw I....
1211–1220
Ala ad-Din Kay Qubadh I
Kay Qubadh I

Kayqubad I was the Sultanate of R?m who reigned from 1220 to 1237. He expanded the borders of the sultanate at the expense of his neighbors, particularly the Meng?cek and the Ayyubid dynasty, and established a Seljuk presence on the Mediterranean with his acquisition of the port of Kalon Oros, later renamed Alaiye in his honor....
1220–1237
Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw II
Kaykhusraw II

Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw II was the sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Baba Ishak uprising and the Mongol Empire invasion of Anatolia....
1237–1246
Izz ad-Din Kaykaus II
Kaykaus II

Kaykaus II or Kayka'us II was the eldest of three sons of Kaykhusraw II. He was a youth at the time of his father?s death in 1246 and could do little to prevent the Ilkhanate subjugation of Anatolia....
1246–1260
Rukn ad-Din Kilij Arslan IV
Kilij Arslan IV

Kilij Arslan IV was Seljuk Sultanate of R?m after the death of his father Kaykhusraw II in 1246. For part of his tenure as sultan he ruled with his two brothers Kaykaus II and Kayqubad II....
1248–1265
Ala ad-Din Kayqubad II
Kayqubad II

Kayqubad II was the youngest of the three sons of the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m Kaykhusraw II. As son of the sultan?s favorite wife, the Georgians princess G?rc? Hatun, he was designated heir....
1249–1257
Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw III
Kaykhusraw III

Kaykhusraw III was between two and six years old when in 1265 he was named Seljuk Sultanate of R?m. He was the son of Kilij Arslan IV, the weak representative of the Seljuq line who was controlled by the Perv?ne....
1265–1282
Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II
Mesud II

Masud II or Mas'ud II bore the title of Seljuk Sultanate of R?m at various times between 1284 and 1308. He was a vassal of the Ilkhanate and exercised no real authority....
1282–1284
Ala ad-Din Kayqubad III
Kayqubad III

Kayqubad III was briefly sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m between the years of 1298 and 1302. He was a nephew of the deposed Kaykaus II and had strong support among the Turkmen....
1284
Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II
Mesud II

Masud II or Mas'ud II bore the title of Seljuk Sultanate of R?m at various times between 1284 and 1308. He was a vassal of the Ilkhanate and exercised no real authority....
(second time) 1284–1293
Ala ad-Din Kayqubad III
Kayqubad III

Kayqubad III was briefly sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m between the years of 1298 and 1302. He was a nephew of the deposed Kaykaus II and had strong support among the Turkmen....
(second time) 1293–1294
Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II
Mesud II

Masud II or Mas'ud II bore the title of Seljuk Sultanate of R?m at various times between 1284 and 1308. He was a vassal of the Ilkhanate and exercised no real authority....
(third time) 1294–1301
Ala ad-Din Kayqubad III
Kayqubad III

Kayqubad III was briefly sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m between the years of 1298 and 1302. He was a nephew of the deposed Kaykaus II and had strong support among the Turkmen....
(third time) 1301–1303
Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II
Mesud II

Masud II or Mas'ud II bore the title of Seljuk Sultanate of R?m at various times between 1284 and 1308. He was a vassal of the Ilkhanate and exercised no real authority....
(fourth time) 1303–1307

The Seljuq line, already having been deprived of any significant power, effectively ends in the early fourteenth century

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