Alp-Tegin
| Alp-Tegin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of Ghazna | |
|
In office 962–963 | |
| Monarch | Mansur I |
| Succeeded by | Abu Ishaq Ibrahim |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
920s (?) Central Asian steppes |
| Died |
September 963 Ghazna |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Alp-Tegin, (Persian: الپتگین; Alp Tegīn, Turkic for brave prince) sometimes spelled as Alptigin, was a Turkic slave commander of the Samanid Empire, who would later become the semi-independent governor of Ghazna from 962 until his death in 963.
Before becoming governor of Ghazni, Alp-Tegin was the commander-in-chief (sipahsalar) of the Samanid army in Khorasan. In a political fallout over succession of the Samanids he crossed the Hindu Kush mountains southward and captured Ghazna, located strategically between Kabul and Kandahar in present-day Afghanistan, and thereby establishing his own principality, which, however, was still under Samanid authority.[1] He was succeeded by his son, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim.
Biography
Alp-Tegin was originally part of the nomadic Turks that roamed the steppes, but was later captured and brought as a slave to the Samanid capital of Bukhara.[2] During the reign of Nuh I (r. 943–954), Alp-Tegin was appointed as the head of the royal guard (hajib al-hujjab).[2] During the reign of Nuh's son and successor Abd al-Malik I (r. 954-961), Alp-Tegin was appointed as the governor of Balkh, and by 961 he was the commander-in-chief (sipahsalar) of the Samanid army in Khorasan, thus succeeding Abu Mansur Muhammad. Alp-Tegin also played a major role in the appointment of Muhammad Bal'ami as vizier.[2]
Abd al-Malik I died a few months later (November). Alp-Tegin and Bal'ami sought to use his death as an opportunity to make the deceased ruler's young son Nasr the new ruler, in order to become the de facto of the state due to his young age.[2] However, several powerful figures of the Samanid state, such as Fa'iq Khassa, favored Abd al-Malik's brother Mansur I, and managed to make him the new ruler.[3] Bal'ami then quickly went over to Fa'iq's side, leaving Alp-Tegin isolated. Furthermore, Mansur I, when he ascended the throne, quickly had Alp-Tegin dismissed from the governorship of Khorasan. Alp-Tegin then took his personal guard and went to Balkh, where he in April 962 defeated an army sent by Mansur I.[2]
He thereafter left for Ghazna, a small town in Zabulistan, ruled by the local Lawik dynasty.[4] During his march to the town, he was confronted by troops of the local rulers of Bamiyan and Kabul, whom he defeated. He then reached Ghazna and seized it from its ruler Abu Bakr Lawik, who was a kinsman of the Kabulshah. Alp-Tegin then secured his position by receiving an investiture from the Samanids as the governor of Ghazna. Alp-Tegin died a few months later (September 963) and was succeeded by his son Abu Ishaq Ibrahim.[2] Sabuktigin, a slave who was bought by Alp-Tegin and had accompanied him to Ghazna, was in 977 appointed as the ruler of Ghazna by the Turks of the town, thus marking the start of the Ghaznavid dynasty, which would later conquer all of Transoxiana and Khorasan.[1][4]
References
- 1 2 Bosworth 2001, pp. 578-583.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bosworth 1989, p. 898.
- ↑ Frye 1975, p. 152.
- 1 2 Bosworth 1975, p. 165.
Sources
- Frye, R.N. (1975). "The Sāmānids". In Frye, R.N. The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 136–161. ISBN 0-521-20093-8.
- Bosworth, C. E. (1975). "The early Ghaznavids". In Frye, R. N. The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 162–198. ISBN 0-521-20093-8.
- Bosworth, C. Edmund (1989). "ALPTIGIN". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 9. London et al. p. 898.
- Bosworth, C. Edmund (2001). "GHAZNAVIDS". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. X, Fasc. 6. London et al. pp. 578–583.
- Khalegi-Motlagh, Dj. (1983). "ABŪ MANṢŪR ʿABD-AL-RAZZĀQ". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 3. p. 335.
| New title | Governor of Ghazna 962–963 |
Succeeded by Abu Ishaq Ibrahim |