Akhsitan I

Akhsitan I (ruled 1160-1197) was the 21st Shirvanshah king best known for moving the capital of Shirvan from Shamakha to Baku in what is today the country of Azerbaijan.

Name

Meaning of his name was a subject of debate among scholars. According to Minorsky, his name is of Ossetian origin and means "powerful" (Aghsartan in Georgian).^[1]

Reign

He came to power with intervention of Ildeniz. Once on the throne, Akhsitan restored friendly relationships with the Seljuk Turks and with Georgia. In 1173 he came to the aid of his father-in-law by putting down the Georgian revolt of Prince Demy, aided by his cousin, the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos who often stayed in Shirvan. Although in his early career he had relied on Atabeg Azerbaijan for military assistance, by 1186 he had sensed an opportunity to attack them. This proved ill judged and the Atabeg ruler Qizil Arslan counterattacked capturing most of Shirvan before continuing to overrun the whole Seljuk Empire. A year later, in 1192, Shamakhi was destroyed by a terrible earthquake, and Akhsitan I moved the Shirvan capital to the city of Baku.

Raids of Rus' and Kypchak

His reign saw raids of Rus' with 73 ships in 1174 which sailed from Volga and threatening shores of river Kura. Meanwhile, a Kypchak horde sacked Derbent and captured Shabran the same year. Akhsitan called his allies Georgia and Byzantine Empire, which proved to be successful as in siege of Derbent. III George subjugated city with aids from Andronikos I Komnenos and turned it over to shah. They also defeated and burned Rus' navy.

Family

He was married several times, firstly to his cousin - Ismat ad-Din Safvat ad-Din Safvat al-Islam, granddaughter of David IV of Georgia (died in the 1192 earthquake), secondly a daughter of Rusudan. Issues:

• Prince Abul Fath Muhammad Shah - his mentor was Khaqani, he did now survive to adulthood and died 1176.
• Prince Manuchehr - born in 1176/7, died in age of 16, during 1192 earthquake.
• Unnamed daughter - married to Atabeg prince Amir Amiran 'Umar, died in the 1192 earthquake.
• Unnamed 3 daughters - died in the 1192 earthquake.

His entire family was wiped out by 1192 Shamakhi earthquake. His only successors were his brothers.

Legacy

His reign is notable for change of capital from Shamakhy to Baku. Maiden Tower and castle of Mardakan were built during his reign.

References