Seljuq dynasty

House of Seljuq
Country	Great Seljuq Empire Sultanate of Rum Khazar Khaganate[citation needed]
Titles	Sultan of Seljuq Empire Sultan of Rum Emir of Damascus Emir of Aleppo
Founded	10th century - Seljuq
Dissolution	Damascus: 1104 - Baqtash was dethroned by Toghtekin Great Seljuq: 1194 - Toghrul III was killed in battle with the Tekish Rum: 1307 - Mesud II died

History of Greater Iran
Until the rise of modern nation-states
Pre-modern
Pre-Islamic  Prehistory Proto-Elamite civilization 3200–2800 BC Elamite dynasties 2800–550 BC Bactria-Margiana Complex 2200–1700 BC Kingdom of Mannai 10th–7th century BC Median Empire 728 –550 BC Scythian Kingdom 652–625 BC Achaemenid Empire 550–330 BC Seleucid Empire 330–150 BC Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 250-125 BC Parthian Empire 248–BC 224 CE Kushan Empire 30–275 Sassanid Empire 224–651 Afrighid dynasty 305–995 Hephthalite Empire 425–557 Kabul Shahi kingdom 565–879 Dabuyid dynasty 642–760 Kingdom of Alania 8th-9th century–1238/1239
Islamic  Patriarchal Caliphate 637–651 Umayyad Caliphate 661–750 Abbasid Caliphate 750–1258 Tahirid dynasty 821–873 Zaydis of Tabaristan 864–928 Saffarid dynasty 861–1003 Samanid dynasty 819–999 Sajids 889/890–929 Ziyarid dynasty 928–1043 Buyid dynasty 934–1055 Sallarid dynasty 941–1062 Ghaznavid Empire 975–1187 Ghurid dynasty 1149–1212 Seljuq Empire 1037–1194 Khwarazmian dynasty 1077–1231 Ilkhanate 1256–353 Kartids dynasty 1231–389 Muzaffarid dynasty 1314–1393 Chupanid dynasty 1337–1357 Jalayerid dynasty 1339–1432 Timurid Empire 1370–1506 Qara Qoyunlu Turcomans 1407–1468 Aq Qoyunlu Turcomans 1378–1508 Safavid Empire 1501–1722 Mughal Empire 1526–1857 Hotaki dynasty 1722–1729 Afsharid dynasty 1736–1750 Zand Dynasty 1750–1794 Durrani Empire 1794–1826 Qajar Dynasty 1794–1925

The House of Seljuq (Persian: سلجوقيان‎ Saljūqīyān; Turkish: Selçuklular) was a Turkish^[2][3][4] Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually adopted Persian culture and contributed to the Turko-Persian tradition^[5][6] in the medieval West and Central Asia. The Seljuqs established both the Great Seljuq Empire and Sultanate of Rum, which at their total height stretched from Anatolia through Persia, and were targets of the First Crusade.

Early history

The Seljuqs originated from the Qynyk branch of the Oghuz Turks^{[7][8][9][10]} who in the 9th century lived on the periphery of the Muslim world, north of the Caspian and Aral seas in their Yabghu Khaganate of the Oghuz confederacy,^[11] in the Kazakh Steppe of Turkestan.^[12] During the 10th century, due to various events, the Oghuz had come into close contact with Muslim cities.^[13]

When Seljuq, the leader of the Seljuq clan, had a falling out with Yabghu, the supreme chieftain of the Oghuz, he split his clan off from the bulk of the Tokuz-Oghuz and set up camp on the west bank of the lower Syr Darya (Jaxartes). Around 985, Seljuq converted to Islam.^[13] In the 11th century the Seljuqs migrated from their ancestral homelands into mainland Persia, in the province of Khurasan, where they encountered the Ghaznavid empire. The Seljuqs defeated the Ghaznavids at the battle of Nasa plains in 1035. Toghril, Chaghri, and Yabghu received the insignias of governor, grants of land, and were given the title of dehqan.^[14] At the battle of Dandanaqan they defeated a Ghaznavid army, and after a successful siege of Isfahan by Tughrul in 1050-51,^[15] they established an empire later called the Great Seljuk Empire. The Seljuqs mixed with the local population and adopted the Persian culture and language in the following decades.^{[16][17][18][19][20]}

Later period

After arriving in Persia, the Seljuqs adopted the Persian culture and used the Persian language as the official language of the government,^{[16][17][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]} and played an important role in the development of the Turko-Persian tradition which features "Persian culture patronized by Turkic rulers."^[28] Today, they are remembered as great patrons of Persian culture, art, literature, and language^[16][17][18] and are regarded as the ancestors of the Western Turks – the present-day inhabitants of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.

Seljuq leaders

Rulers of the Seljuq Dynasty

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.

• Muhammad's son Mahmud II succeeded him in western Persia, but Ahmad Sanjar, who was the governor of Khurasan at the time being the senior member of the family, became the Great Seljuq Sultan.

Seljuq sultans of Hamadan

The Great Seljuq Empire in 1092, upon the death of Malik Shah I^[1]

The rulers of western Persia, who maintained a very loose grip on the Abbasids of Baghdad. Several Turkic emirs gained a strong level of influence in the region, such as the Eldiduzids.

• Mahmud II 1118–1131
• 1131-1134 - Disputed
  • Dawud
  • Mas'ud (in Jibal and Iranian Azerbaijan) 1131
  • Toghrul II 1132–1134
• Mas'ud 1133–1152
• Malik Shah III 1152–1153
• Muhammad II
• Suleiman Shah 1160–1161
• Arslan Shah 1161–1174
• Toghrul III 1174–1194

In 1194, Tugrul III was killed in battle with the Khwarezm Shah, who annexed Hamadan.

Seljuq rulers of Kerman

Kerman was a province in southern Persia. Between 1053 and 1154, the territory also included Umman.

• 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 1101–1142
• Mehmed I (Muhammad) 1142–1156
• Toğrül Shah 1156–1169
• Bahram Shah 1169–1174
• Arslan Shah II 1174–1176
• Turan Shah II 1176–1183
• Muhammad Shah 1183–1187

Muhammad abandoned Kerman, which fell into the hands of the Oghuz chief Malik Dinar. Kerman was eventually annexed by the Khwarezmid Empire in 1196.

Seljuq rulers in Syria

• Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I 1085–1086
• Jalal ad-Dawlah Malik Shah I of Great Seljuq 1086–1087
• Qasim ad-Dawla Abu Said Aq Sunqur al-Hajib 1087–1094
• Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I (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

Sultans/Emirs of Damascus:

• Aziz ibn Abaaq al-Khwarazmi 1076–1079
• Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I 1079–1095
• Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq 1095–1104
• Tutush II 1104
• Muhi ad-Din Baqtash 1104

Damascus seized by the Burid Toghtekin

Seljuq sultans of Rum (Anatolia)

The Seljuq line, already having been deprived of any significant power, effectively ends in the early 14th century

The Kharāghān twin towers, built in Iran in 1053 to house the remains of Seljuq princes

The Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm in 1190, before the Third Crusade

• Kutalmish 1060–1077
• Suleyman I (Suleiman) 1077–1086
• Dawud Kilij Arslan I 1092–1107
• Malik Shah 1107–1116
• Rukn ad-Din Mesud I 1116–1156
• Izz ad-Din Kilij Arslan II 1156–1192
• Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw I 1192–1196
• Suleyman II (Suleiman) 1196–1204
• Kilij Arslan III 1204–1205
• Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw I (second time) 1205–1211
• Izz ad-Din Kaykaus I 1211–1220
• Ala ad-Din Kayqubad I 1220–1237
• Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw II 1237–1246
• Izz ad-Din Kaykaus II 1246–1260
• Rukn ad-Din Kilij Arslan IV 1248–1265
• Ala ad-Din Kayqubad II 1249–1257
• Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw III 1265–1282
• Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II 1282–1284
• Ala ad-Din Kayqubad III 1284
• Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II (second time) 1284–1293
• Ala ad-Din Kayqubad III (second time) 1293–1294
• Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II (third time) 1294–1301
• Ala ad-Din Kayqubad III (third time) 1301–1303
• Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II (fourth time) 1303–1307

Gallery

Family tree

See also

• Great Seljuq Empire
• Sultanate of Rûm
• Ottoman dynasty
• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties

Notes

Further reading

• Grousset, Rene (1988). The Empire of the Steppes: a History of Central Asia. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. p. 147. ISBN 0813506271. 
• Peacock, A.C.S, Early Seljuq History : A New Interpretation; New York, NY ; Routledge; 2010
• Previte-Orton, C. W. (1971). The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.