Alptigin
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Alptigin (Persian: الپتگین ) was the grandfather of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Alptigin was a Turkic general from Balkh who had risen from slave to general and eventually to Governor of Khorasan based from Ghazni. Later in a political fallout over succession of the Samanids he crossed the Hindu Kush mountains to capture Ghazni, located strategically between Iran and India, and established his independence.
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[edit] Career
Two military families arose from the Turkic Slave-Guards of the Samanids — the Simjurids and Ghaznavids — who ultimately proved disastrous to the Samanids. The Simjurids received an appanage in the Kuhestan (Quhestan) region of southern Khorasan and Alp Tigin founded the Ghaznavid fortunes when he established himself at Ghazna (modern Ghazni, Afghanistan) in 962.
When the Samanid Emir Abdul Malik I, died in 961 CE it created a succession crisis between Abdul Malik's brothers. He and Abu al-Hasan Simjuri, as Samanid generals, competed with each other for the governorship of Khorasan and control of the Samanid empire by placing on the throne emirs they could dominate. Abu al-Hasan died in 961, but a new rival Fa'iq rose and eventually Mansur I was elected by the court ministers, and having backed the wrong candidate Alptigin retired from Khurasan to Ghazna, where he ruled as a largely independent sovereign, thus starting the Ghaznavid list in 962 CE. Coins of the era however show that he still nominally acknowledged the Samanid authority.
Sultan Alptigin was succeeded in 975 by his son and in 977 by son-in-law Sabuktigin.
[edit] Legacy
Alptigin is regarded as the founder of the Ghaznavid Empire.
[edit] References
Ferishta, History of the Rise of Mohammedan Power in India, Volume 1: Section 15 [1]
| Ghaznavid Ruler 961–975 |
Followed by: Sabuktigin |
