Zengid dynasty
Encyclopedia
The Zengid dynasty was a Muslim
dynasty
of Turkic
origin, which ruled parts of Syria
and northern Iraq
on behalf of the Seljuk Empire.
(or Zangi), who became the Seljuk Atabeg
(governor) of Mosul
in 1127. He quickly became the chief Turkish potentate in Northern Syria and Iraq, taking Aleppo
from the squabbling Ortoqid emir
s in 1128, and capturing the County of Edessa
from the Crusaders in 1144. This latter feat made Zengi a hero in the Muslim world, but he was assassinated by a slave two years later, in 1146.
On Zengi's death, his territories were divided, with Mosul and his lands in Iraq going to his eldest son Saif ad-Din Ghazi I
, and Aleppo and Edessa falling to his second son, Nur ad-Din Mahmud. Nur ad-Din proved to be as competent as his father. In 1149 he defeated Prince Raymond of Antioch
at the battle of Inab
, and the next year conquered the remnants of the County of Edessa
west of the Euphrates River. In 1154 he capped off these successes by his capture of Damascus
from the Burid Emirs
who ruled it.
Now ruling from Damascus, Nur ad-Din's success continued. Another Prince of Antioch, Raynald of Châtillon
was captured, and the territories of that Principality
greatly reduced. In the 1160s, Nur ad-Din's attention was mostly held by a competition with the King of Jerusalem
, Amalric I
, for control of the Fatimid
Caliphate
of Egypt
. Ultimately, Nur ed-Din's Kurdish
general Shirkuh
was successful in conquering Egypt in 1169, but Shirkuh's nephew and successor as Governor of Egypt, Saladin
, eventually rejected Nur ad-Din's control.
Nur ad-Din was preparing to invade Egypt to bring Saladin under control when he unexpectedly died in 1174. His son and successor As-Salih Ismail al-Malik
was only a child, and was forced to flee to Aleppo, which he ruled until 1181, when he was murdered and replaced by his relation, the Atabeg of Mosul. Saladin conquered Aleppo two years later, ending Zengid rule in Syria.
Zengid princes continued to rule in Northern Iraq well into the 13th Century, ruling Mosul until 1234; their rule did not come finally to an end until 1250.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
of Turkic
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
origin, which ruled parts of Syria
Syria
Syria , 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....
and northern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
on behalf of the Seljuk Empire.
History
The dynasty was founded by Imad ed-Din ZengiZengi
Imad ad-Din Zengi was the atabeg of Mosul, Aleppo, Hama and Edessa and founder of the Zengid dynasty, to which he gave his name.-Early life:...
(or Zangi), who became the Seljuk Atabeg
Atabeg
Atabeg, 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...
(governor) of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
in 1127. He quickly became the chief Turkish potentate in Northern Syria and Iraq, taking Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
from the squabbling Ortoqid emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
s in 1128, and capturing the County of Edessa
County of Edessa
The County of Edessa was one of the Crusader states in the 12th century, based around Edessa, a city with an ancient history and an early tradition of Christianity....
from the Crusaders in 1144. This latter feat made Zengi a hero in the Muslim world, but he was assassinated by a slave two years later, in 1146.
On Zengi's death, his territories were divided, with Mosul and his lands in Iraq going to his eldest son Saif ad-Din Ghazi I
Saif ad-Din Ghazi I
Saif ad-Din Ghazi I was the Emir of Mosul from 1146 to 1149He was the eldest son of Zengi of Mosul, and the elder brother of Nur ad-Din....
, and Aleppo and Edessa falling to his second son, Nur ad-Din Mahmud. Nur ad-Din proved to be as competent as his father. In 1149 he defeated Prince Raymond of Antioch
Raymond of Antioch
Raymond of Poitiers was Prince of Antioch 1136–1149. He was the younger son of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine and his wife Philippa, Countess of Toulouse, born in the very year that his father the Duke began his infamous liaison with Dangereuse de Chatelherault.-Assumes control:Following the...
at the battle of Inab
Battle of Inab
The Battle of Inab, also called Battle of Ard al-Hâtim or Fons Muratus, was fought on June 29, 1149, during the Second Crusade. The Syrian army of Nur ad-Din Zangi destroyed the Crusader army of Raymond of Antioch and the allied followers of Ali ibn-Wafa.-Background:Nur ad-Din had gained control...
, and the next year conquered the remnants of the County of Edessa
County of Edessa
The County of Edessa was one of the Crusader states in the 12th century, based around Edessa, a city with an ancient history and an early tradition of Christianity....
west of the Euphrates River. In 1154 he capped off these successes by his capture of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
from the Burid Emirs
Burid dynasty
The 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. The Burids gained recognition from the...
who ruled it.
Now ruling from Damascus, Nur ad-Din's success continued. Another Prince of Antioch, Raynald of Châtillon
Raynald of Chatillon
Raynald of Châtillon was a knight who served in the Second Crusade and remained in the Holy Land after its defeat...
was captured, and the territories of that Principality
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade.-Foundation:...
greatly reduced. In the 1160s, Nur ad-Din's attention was mostly held by a competition with the King of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, Amalric I
Amalric I of Jerusalem
Amalric I of Jerusalem was King of Jerusalem 1163–1174, and Count of Jaffa and Ascalon before his accession. Amalric was the second son of Melisende of Jerusalem and Fulk of Jerusalem...
, for control of the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Ultimately, Nur ed-Din's Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
general Shirkuh
Shirkuh
Asad ad-Din Shirkuh bin Shadhi , also known as Shêrko or "Shêrgo" was an important Kurdish military commander, and uncle of Saladin....
was successful in conquering Egypt in 1169, but Shirkuh's nephew and successor as Governor of Egypt, Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, eventually rejected Nur ad-Din's control.
Nur ad-Din was preparing to invade Egypt to bring Saladin under control when he unexpectedly died in 1174. His son and successor As-Salih Ismail al-Malik
As-Salih Ismail al-Malik
As-Salih Ismail al-Malik was an emir of Damascus in 1174, the son of Nur ad-Din ZangiHe was only eleven years old when his father died in 1174. As-Salih came under the protection of the eunuch Gumushtugin and was taken to Aleppo, while Nur ad-Din's officers competed for supremacy...
was only a child, and was forced to flee to Aleppo, which he ruled until 1181, when he was murdered and replaced by his relation, the Atabeg of Mosul. Saladin conquered Aleppo two years later, ending Zengid rule in Syria.
Zengid princes continued to rule in Northern Iraq well into the 13th Century, ruling Mosul until 1234; their rule did not come finally to an end until 1250.
Zengid Atabegs and Emirs of Mosul
- Imad ad-Din Zengi IZengiImad ad-Din Zengi was the atabeg of Mosul, Aleppo, Hama and Edessa and founder of the Zengid dynasty, to which he gave his name.-Early life:...
1127-1146 - Saif ad-Din Ghazi ISaif ad-Din Ghazi ISaif ad-Din Ghazi I was the Emir of Mosul from 1146 to 1149He was the eldest son of Zengi of Mosul, and the elder brother of Nur ad-Din....
1146-1149 - Qutb ad-Din MawdudQutb ad-Din MawdudQutb ad-Din Mawdud was the Zengid Emir of Mosul from 1149 to 1169. He was a brother and successor of Saif ad-Din Ghazi I.-Biography:...
1149-1170 - Saif ad-Din Ghazi II 1170-1180
- Izz ad-Din Mas'udIzz ad-Din Mas'udIzz ad-Din Mas'ud I bin Mawdud was a Zangi emir of Mosul....
1180-1193 - Nur ad-Din Arslan Shah INur ad-Din Arslan Shah INur ad-Din Arslan Shah I was the Zengid Emir of Mossul 1193–1211. He was successor of Izz ad-Din Mas'ud.-See also:* Zengid dynasty...
1193-1211 - Izz ad-Din Mas'ud II 1211-1218
- Nur ad-Din Arslan Shah II 1218-1219
- Nasir ad-Din MahmudNasir ad-Din MahmudNasir ad-Din Mahmud was the Zengid Emir of Mossul 1219–1234. He was successor of Nur ad-Din Arslan Shah II.-See also:* Zengid dynasty...
1219-1234 - Badr al-Din Lu'lu 1234-1259
Zengid Emirs of Aleppo
- Imad ad-Din Zengi IZengiImad ad-Din Zengi was the atabeg of Mosul, Aleppo, Hama and Edessa and founder of the Zengid dynasty, to which he gave his name.-Early life:...
1128-1146 - Nur ad-Din Mahmud 1146-1174
- As-Salih Ismail al-MalikAs-Salih Ismail al-MalikAs-Salih Ismail al-Malik was an emir of Damascus in 1174, the son of Nur ad-Din ZangiHe was only eleven years old when his father died in 1174. As-Salih came under the protection of the eunuch Gumushtugin and was taken to Aleppo, while Nur ad-Din's officers competed for supremacy...
1174-1181 - Imad ad-Din Zengi II 1181-1183
Zengid Emirs of Sinjar (in Northern Iraq)
- Imad ad-Din Zengi II 1171-1197
- Qutb ad-Din MuhammadQutb ad-Din MuhammadQutb ad-Din Muhammad was the Zengid Emir of Sinjar 1197–1219. He was successor of Imad ad-Din Zengi II.-See also:* Zengid dynasty...
1197-1219 - Imad ad-Din Shahanshah 1219-1220
- Jalal ad-Din Mahmud 1219-1220
- Fath ad-Din Umar 1219-1220
Zengid Emirs of Jazira (in Northern Iraq)
- Mu'izz ad-Din Sanjar Shah 1180-1208
- Mu'izz ad-Din MahmudMu'izz ad-Din MahmudMu'izz ad-Din Mahmud was the Zengid Emir of Jazira 1208–1241. He was successor of Imad ad-Din Zengi II.-See also:* Zengid dynasty...
1208-1241 - Mahmud Al-Malik Al-Zahir 1241-1250