Karamanoğlu
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Beylik of Karaman or of Karamanoğlu (Karamanoğulları in plural), also called Karamanids was the first Turkish kingdom to accept Turkish as its official language. Speaking any language aside from Turkish was prohibited. Karamanid was one of the most powerful fiefdoms in Anatolia, being second to the Ottoman Empire.
The state was established by Mehmet Bey in Larande. After it was captured by the Ottomans in 1468, the name of the city was changed to Karaman.
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[edit] History
Alladdin Keykubat I, the sultan of Seljuks from 1219 to 1237, had reached the border of the Byzantine Empire and ordered some from the house of Turkmen to keep the borders safe. No sooner had he done so than Cilicia was captured, and control of the city was given to the house of Karaman. At that time, the house was led by Nûre Sûfî, son of Sadeddin. After his death, Karaman Bey took over control of the house. He expanded his land by capturing castles in Ermenek, Mut, Gülnar, Mer, and Silifke. This expansion attracted the attention of the Seljuk Turks. Kılıç Arslan IV gave Larande as a gift to prevent a conflict. Bunsuz, brother of Karaman Bey, was chosen as a bodyguard for Kılıç Arslan IV's castle in Turkish 'Candar'.
However, peace between the Seljuks and the Karamanids did not last. Karaman Bey and his two brothers, Zeynül-Hac and Bunsuz, marched toward Konya, the capital of Seljuks, with 20,000 men. The Seljuk army, led by Muînüddin Pervâne, won the war and captured both of Karaman Bey's brothers.
After Karaman Bey died in 1262, his older son, Şemseddin Mehmet I, became the leader of the house. He immediately negotiated with other Turkmens to create an army against the Seljuks. At the battle of Göksu, the Seljuks were weakened. Because of that, Mehmed Bey captured Konya in 12 May 1277 and declared a prohibition against speaking any other language in his land. Unfortunately, the Seljuks wanted to retake Konya from the Karamanids, and eventually they assembled another army which defeated Mehmet Bey. After the war, he and some of his brothers were executed in 1277.
Expansion of Karamanid did not take place until the kingdom of İlhanli (the Mongol-ruled Ilkhanate of Persia) fell. The second expansion of Karamanid started at the same time with the marriage of Aleaddin Ali Bey to Nefise Sultan, daughter of Murad Hüdavendigar. Additionally, it was the first relation between Ottomans and Karamanids.
Through Ottoman expansion into the Balkans, Aleaddin Ali Bey captured the city of Beyşehir which had been an Ottoman city. However, it didn't take much time for the Ottomans to reach Anatolia and march toward Konya, the capital city of Karamanid. A treaty between the two kingdoms was made and peace existed until the reign of Bayezid I.
Timur gave control of Karamanid to Mehmet Bey, the oldest son of Aleaddin Ali Bey. After Bayezid died in 1403, the Ottoman Empire went into a political crisis. During this time, the Ottoman family were fought against for being kings. It was an opportunity not only for Karamanid, but also for all the Anatolian kingdoms. Mehmet Bey assembled an army to march on Bursa. He captured the city and damaged it. This would not be the last Karamanid invasion of Ottoman lands. However, Mehmet Bey was captured by Bayezid Pasha and sent to prison. He apologized for what he had done to Ottoman lands and was subsequently forgiven by the Ottoman Empire.
Ramazanoğlu Ali Bey captured Tarsus while Mehmet Bey was in prison. Mustafa Bey, son of Mehmet Bey, retook the city during a conflict between the Emirs of Sham and Egypt. After that, the Sultan of Mamluk sent an army to retake Tarsus from Karamanid. Mamluk damaged Konya after Karamanid was defeated, and Mehmet Bey retreated from Konya. Ramazanoğlu Ali Bey followed and captured him. According to an agreement between the two leaders, Mehmet Bey was exiled to Egypt for the rest of his life.
During the Crusade on the Ottoman Empire, Karamanid İbrahim Bey marched toward Ankara and Kütahya, destroying both cities. In the meantime, Murad Han of the Ottoman Empire was turning back from Rumeli with a victory against the Hungarian Crusaders. Like all other Islamic emirates in Anatolia, the Karamanids were accused of treason. Hence, İbrahim Bey accepted all Ottoman terms.
[edit] Power of Karamanid in Anatolia
According to Mesâlik-ül-Ebsâr, written by Şehâbeddin Ömer, the Karamanid army had 25,000 riders and 25,000 saracens. They also used the armies of some Turkmen tribes.
Their economic activities depended mostly on control of strategic commercial areas such as Konya and the ports of Lamos, Silifke, Anamur, and Manavgat.
[edit] Karamanid architecture
Anatolian Turk-Islamic architecture is divided into three groups: Karamanid, Seljuk, and Ottoman. Most Seljuk buildings were destroyed. On the other hand, Karamanid ruins, including 66 mosques, 8 Turkish baths, 2 inns and 3 Islamic schools, survive to this day.
Some of the most important architectural ruins are:
- Hasbey Dar'ül (1241) - A house of Islamic education
- Mosque of Şerafettın (XIII century) - A mosque
- İnce Mınare (Darül Hadıs) (1258-1279) - A house of Islamic education
- Hatunıye Medresesı - A school of Islam
[edit] List of rulers
- Nûre Sûfî Bey (Capital City: Ereğli) (1250?-1256?)
- Kerîmeddin Karaman Bey (Capital City: Ermenek) (1256?-1261)
- Şemseddin I. Mehmed Bey (1261-1283)
- Güneri Bey (1283-1300)
- Bedreddin (Mecdeddin) Mahmud Bey (1300-1308)
- Yahşı Han Bey (1308-1312) (Capital City: Konya)
- Bedreddin I. İbrahim Bey (1312-1333, 1348-1349)
- Alâeddin Halil Mirza Bey (1333-1348)
- Fahreddin Ahmed Bey (1349-1350)
- Şemseddin Bey (1350-1351)
- Hacı Sûfi Burhâneddin Musa Bey (Capital City: Mut) (1351-1356)
- Seyfeddin Süleyman Bey (1356-1357)
- Damad I. Alâeddin Ali Bey (1357-1398)
- Sultanzâde Nâsıreddin (Gıyâseddin) II. Mehmed Bey (1398-1399)
- Damad Bengi II. Alâeddin Ali Bey (1418-1419, 1423-1424)
- Damad II. İbrahim Bey (1424-1464)
- Sultanzâde İshak Bey (1464)
- Sultanzâde Pîr Ahmed Bey (1464-1469)
- Kasım Bey (1469-1483)
- Turgutoğlu Mahmud Bey (1483-1487)
