Malik-Shah I ( Persian : ملک شاه ) was the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092, under whom the sultanate reached the zenith of its power and influence.
72-402: Malik-Shah (Persian: ملكشاه ), also transliterated as Malek-Shah , Malikshah or Melikshah , may refer to: Malik-Shah I (1055–1092), sultan of Great Seljuq Malik-Shah II ( fl. 1105 ), grandson of Malik Shah I, sultan of Great Seljuq Malik-Shah III (1152–1153), sultan of Great Seljuq Malik Shah (Rûm) (1110–1116), sultan of
144-663: A fief . In 1071, Malik-Shah took part in the Syrian campaign of his father, and stayed in Aleppo when his father fought the Byzantine emperor Romanos IV Diogenes at Manzikert . In 1072, Malik-Shah and Nizam al-Mulk accompanied Alp-Arslan during his campaign in Transoxiana against the Karakhanids. However, Alp-Arslan was badly wounded during his expedition, and Malik-Shah shortly took over
216-489: A Seljuk peace emissary. He wanted to settle the eastern question and the persistent Turkic incursions and settlements with a decisive military victory. He understood that raising another army would be both difficult and expensive. The emperor attempted to recall Tarchaneiotes and his half of the forces, but they were no longer in the area. There were no engagements that day, but on 26 August, the Byzantine army gathered itself into
288-560: A desire to see if the Empire's struggles could present new opportunities. In hindsight, both Byzantine and modern historians are unanimous in dating the decline of Byzantine fortunes to this battle. As Paul K. Davis writes, "Byzantine defeat severely limited the power of the Byzantines by denying them control over Anatolia, the major recruiting ground for soldiers. Henceforth, the Muslims controlled
360-403: A few men in the rout of his wing. The Seljuks did not pursue the fleeing Byzantines, nor did they recapture Manzikert itself at this point. The Byzantine army regrouped and marched to Dokeia , where they were joined by Romanos when he was released a week later. The most serious material loss was the emperor's extravagant baggage train. The result of this disastrous defeat was, in simplest terms,
432-618: A fief. Throughout Malik's reign new institutions of learning were established and it was during this time that the Jalali calendar was reformed at the Isfahan observatory . In 1086–87, he led an expedition to capture Edessa , Manbij , Aleppo , Antioch and Latakia . During this expedition, he appointed Aq Sunqur governor of Aleppo and received homage of the Arab emir of Shaizar , Nasir ibn Ali ibn Munquidh. In 1089, Malik-Shah captured Samarkand with
504-577: A peace treaty with the Byzantines, signed in 1069; he saw the Fatimids in Egypt as his main enemy and had no desire to be diverted by unnecessary hostilities. In February 1071, Romanos sent envoys to Arslan to renew the 1069 treaty; keen to secure his northern flank against attack, to which Arslan agreed. Abandoning the siege of Edessa, he immediately led his army to attack the Fatimid-held Aleppo. However,
576-517: A pitched battle; the Seljuk cavalry simply disengaged when challenged, in the classic Parthian tactics of steppe warriors. With the Seljuks avoiding battle, Romanos was forced to order a withdrawal by nightfall. However, the right wing misunderstood the order, and Doukas deliberately ignored the emperor's order to cover the army's withdrawal and marched directly back to the Byzantine camp outside Manzikert. With
648-489: A proper battle formation and began to march on the Seljuk positions, with the left wing under Bryennios, the right wing under Theodore Alyates , and the centre under the emperor. Andronikos Doukas led the reserve forces in the rear – a foolish mistake by the emperor, considering the dubious loyalties of the Doukas family. The Seljuks were organized into a crescent formation about four kilometres away. Seljuk horse archers attacked
720-620: A result "the Empire ;... would never recover." In the aftermath of the battle, Norman soldiers who had served in the Byzantine armies spread tales about the defeat and likely inspired an episode in the Chanson de Roland in which the amirant of Babylon, Baligant , fights Charlemagne and is defeated only through the aid of Saint Gabriel . The battle is described in the novel The Lady For Ransom by Alfred Duggan . The largest mosque in Turkey,
792-494: A siege of 25 days, they captured the city. In 1068, Romanos IV Diogenes took power and, after some speedy military reforms, appointed Manuel Komnenos (nephew of Isaac I Komnenos) to lead an expedition against the Seljuks. Manuel captured Hierapolis Bambyce in Syria , next thwarted a Turkish attack against Iconium with a counterattack, but was then defeated and captured by the Seljuks. Despite this success, Alp Arslan quickly sought
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#1732856027702864-434: Is also memorable for the poetry of Omar Khayyam . Despite being arguably the most powerful monarch of his era, it is believed that Malik-Shah was unpretentious and modest. The legend has it that during the years that were hugely successful for Seljuks on all fronts, Malik-Shah, overwhelmed by the imperial might of his dynasty, used to climb to the top of a hill and say the following: "Oh Almighty God, I will somehow cope with
936-401: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Malik-Shah I During his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan , along with the latter's vizier Nizam al-Mulk . During one such campaign in 1072, Alp Arslan was fatally wounded and died only a few days later. After that, Malik-Shah was crowned as
1008-553: The Byzantine Empire had remained strong and powerful in the Middle Ages, it began to decline under the reign of the militarily incompetent Constantine IX Monomachos and again under Constantine X Doukas – a brief two-year period of reform under Isaac I Komnenos merely delayed the decay of the Byzantine army. About 1053, Constantine IX disbanded what the 11th century Byzantine historian John Skylitzes called
1080-518: The Duke of Antioch , a contingent of Georgian and Armenian troops and some (but not all) of the Varangian Guard to total around 40,000 men. The quantity of the provincial troops had declined in the years before Romanos, as the government diverted funding to mercenaries who were judged less likely to be involved in politics and could be disbanded after use to save money. The march across Asia Minor
1152-453: The Çamlıca Mosque of Istanbul, has four minarets that span 107.1 metres (351 ft), a measurement that refers to the Battle of Manzikert (1071). In 2018, Turkey's ruling AKP announced their future agenda for 2023, 2053 and 2071 targets: 100th anniversary of the republic, 600th anniversary of conquest of Istanbul and 1000th anniversary of battle of Manzikert, respectively. Crusade of Kings ,
1224-412: The "Iberian Army", which consisted of 50,000 men. Skylitzes' contemporaries, the former officials Michael Attaleiates and Kekaumenos , agree that by demobilizing these soldiers, Constantine did catastrophic harm to the empire's eastern defenses. Constantine made a truce with the Seljuks that lasted until 1064, when a large Seljuk army under Alp Arslan attacked the theme of Iberia and took Ani ; after
1296-428: The 11th century, saw the victory at Manzikert as an entrance to Asia Minor. The brunt of the battle was borne by the Byzantine army's professional soldiers from the eastern and western tagmata , as large numbers of mercenaries and Anatolian levies fled early and survived the battle. The fallout from Manzikert was disastrous for the Byzantines, resulting in civil conflicts and an economic crisis that severely weakened
1368-478: The Battle of Manzikert as a pivotal point in the decline of the Byzantine Empire. In both battles, separated by over a hundred years, a more elusive Seljuk opponent ambushed a large Byzantine army. However, the implications of Myriocephalum were initially limited, thanks to Manuel I Komnenos ' holding on to power. The same could not be said of Romanos, whose enemies "martyred a courageous and upright man," and as
1440-457: The Byzantine Empire's ability to defend its borders adequately. This led to the mass movement of Turks into central Anatolia – by 1080, an area of 78,000 square kilometres (30,000 sq mi) had been gained by the Seljuk Turks. It took three decades of internal strife before Alexius I (1081 to 1118) restored stability to Byzantium. Historian Thomas Asbridge says: "In 1071,
1512-411: The Byzantines as they drew closer; the centre of their crescent continually moved backwards while the wings moved to surround the Byzantine troops. The Byzantines pressed on despite the arrow attacks and captured Alp Arslan's camp by the end of the afternoon. However, the right and left wings, where the arrows did most of their damage, almost broke up when individual units tried to force the Seljuks into
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#17328560277021584-598: The Byzantines thoroughly confused, the Seljuks seized the opportunity and attacked. The Byzantine right wing was almost immediately routed , thinking they were betrayed either by the Armenians or the army's Turkish auxiliaries. Some authors suppose that Armenians were the first to flee, and they all managed to get away, while by contrast, the Turkish auxiliaries remained loyal to the end. Other sources suggest that Armenian infantry stoutly resisted and did not turn tail, not abandoning
1656-481: The Byzantines were not invincible. The usurpation by Andronikos Doukas also politically destabilized the empire, and it was difficult to organize resistance to the Turkic migrations that followed the battle. Finally, while intrigue and the deposition of emperors had taken place before, Romanos' fate was particularly horrific, and the destabilization caused by it also rippled through the empire for centuries. What followed
1728-469: The Egyptian Sea [Mediterranean Sea]. Years and decades later, Manzikert came to be seen as a disaster for the Empire; thus, later sources greatly exaggerated the number of troops and casualties. Byzantine historians would often look back and lament the "disaster" of that day, pinpointing it as the moment the decline of the Empire began. It was not an immediate disaster, but the defeat showed the Seljuks that
1800-546: The Emperor) survived and took part in later events. The battle did not directly change the balance of power between the Byzantines and the Seljuks; however, the ensuing civil war within the Byzantine Empire did, to the advantage of the Seljuks. Doukas had escaped without casualties and quickly marched back to Constantinople, where he led a coup against Romanos and proclaimed his cousin Michael VII as basileus . Bryennios also lost
1872-511: The First Crusade is at least in part attributable to the political confusion which resulted from Malik-Shah's death. Malikshah had many wives and concubines and multiple children born from them. Principal wives were: Concubines: The 18th century English historian Edward Gibbon wrote of him: On his father's death the inheritance was disputed by an uncle, a cousin, and a brother: they drew their cimeters, and assembled their followers; and
1944-516: The Moslems." The favourable judgment of heaven was ratified by the caliph; and for the first time, the sacred title of Commander of the Faithful was communicated to a Barbarian. But this Barbarian, by his personal merit, and the extent of his empire, was the greatest prince of his age. Malik-Shah displayed substantial interest in science, art and literature. The Isfahan Observatory or Malikshah Observatory
2016-578: The Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malik_Shah&oldid=1256487952 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Articles containing Persian-language text Short description
2088-523: The Seljuqs crushed an imperial army at the Battle of Manzikert (in eastern Asia Minor ), and though historians no longer consider this to have been an utterly cataclysmic reversal for the Greeks, it still was a stinging setback." It was the only time a Byzantine emperor became the prisoner of a Muslim commander, and the first time since Valerian that a Roman emperor was captured alive by an enemy force. Although
2160-586: The Turkic warlord Arghar to restore what he had destroyed during his raids in the territory of the Shirvanshah Fariburz I . During the same year, he appointed Qavurt's son Rukn al-Dawla Sultan-Shah as the ruler of Kerman. One year later, Malik-Shah sent an army under Sav-Tegin to Arran , which was ruled by the Shaddadid ruler Fadlun III . Sav-Tegin managed to easily conquer the region, thus ending Shaddadid rule. Malik-Shah then gave Gorgan to Fadlun III as
2232-597: The West saw Manzikert as a signal that Byzantium was no longer capable of being the protector of Eastern Christianity or of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Places in the Middle East . Delbrück considers the battle's importance exaggerated, but the evidence makes clear that it resulted in the Empire's inability to put an effective army into the field for many years. The Battle of Myriokephalon (or Myriocephalum) has been compared to
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2304-748: The actual battle, wrote: ...the fortunes of the Roman Empire had sunk to their lowest ebb. For the armies of the East were dispersed in all directions, because the Turks had over-spread, and gained command of, countries between the Euxine Sea [ Black Sea ] and the Hellespont , and the Aegean Sea and Syrian Seas [ Mediterranean Sea ], and the various bays, especially those which wash Pamphylia , Cilicia , and empty themselves into
2376-399: The army. Alp-Arslan died some days later, and Malik-Shah was declared as the new sultan of the empire. However, right after Malik-Shah's accession, his uncle Qavurt claimed the throne for himself and sent Malik-Shah a message which said: "I am the eldest brother, and you are a youthful son; I have the greater right to my brother Alp-Arslan's inheritance." Malik-Shah then replied by sending
2448-469: The battle as "the greatest disaster suffered by the Empire in its seven and a half centuries of existence". Sir Steven Runciman , in his "History of the Crusades", wrote that "the Battle of Manzikert was the most decisive disaster in Byzantine history. The Byzantines themselves had no illusions about it. Again and again, their historians refer to that dreadful day." Anna Komnene , writing a few decades after
2520-562: The battle was a chain of events – of which the battle was the first link – that undermined the Empire in the years to come. They included intrigues for the throne, the fate of Romanos, and Roussel de Bailleul 's attempting to carve himself an independent kingdom in Galatia with his 3,000 Frankish , Norman , and German mercenaries. He defeated the Emperor's uncle John Doukas , who had come to suppress him, advancing toward
2592-611: The battle, he performed his devotions at Thous, before the tomb of the Imam Riza. As the sultan rose from the ground, he asked his vizier Nizam, who had knelt beside him, what had been the object of his secret petition: "That your arms may be crowned with victory," was the prudent, and most probably the sincere, answer of the minister. "For my part," replied the generous Malek, "I implored the Lord of Hosts that he would take from me my life and crown, if my brother be more worthy than myself to reign over
2664-476: The battle, the Turks of Malik-Shah's army mutinied against him, but he nevertheless managed to defeat and capture Qavurt. Qavurt then begged for mercy and in return promised to retire to Oman . However, Nizam al-Mulk declined the offer, claiming that sparing him was an indication of weakness. After some time, Qavurt was strangled to death with a bowstring, while two of his sons were blinded. After having dealt with that problem, Malik-Shah appointed Qutlugh-Tegin as
2736-473: The burial site of Malik Shah, his descendants, as well as celebrated bureaucrats of the sultanate like Nizam al-Mulk. Malik Shah's decision of residing in a capital far away from the centers of Turkmen settlement around Merv , Rayy , Hamadan , and Azerbaijan could well be explained by the increasing distance between him and his nomadic subjects. Battle of Manzikert Byzantine Empire Seljuk Empire The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt
2808-619: The capital to destroy Chrysopolis ( Üsküdar ) on the Asian coast of the Bosphorus. The Empire finally turned to the Seljuks to crush de Bailleul, which they did. However, the Turks ransomed him back to his wife, and it was only after the young general Alexios Komnenos pursued him that he was captured. These events all interacted to create a vacuum that the Turks filled. Their choice to establish their capital in Nikaea ( Iznik ) in 1077 could be explained by
2880-498: The central field army ( Tagmata ). Amongst the native Byzantine element of the army were provincial troops from both the eastern and western military themes . Under Doukas, the rear guard at Manzikert was largely made up of the private retinues and peasant levies of the border lords ( archontes ). Finally, the large and diverse host included 500 Frankish and Norman mercenaries under Roussel de Bailleul , some Turkic ( Uz and Pecheneg ) and Bulgarian mercenaries , infantry under
2952-501: The emir Arslan-Tash, sent by Malik Shah, could not recapture it. The Sultan's ghilman , Kizil Sarug, besieged the Daru fortress in Kuhistan , but ceased hostilities in connection with the death of Malik Shah on November 19, 1092, possibly due to poisoning. Malik-Shah died on 19 November 1092 while he was hunting. He was most likely poisoned by the caliph or the supporters of Nizam al-Mulk. Under
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3024-415: The emperor and the Varangian Guard , were encircled by the Seljuks. Romanos was wounded and taken prisoner by the Seljuks. The survivors were many who fled the field and were pursued throughout the night, but not beyond that; by dawn, the professional core of the Byzantine army had been destroyed, while many of the peasant troops and levies who had been under the command of Andronikus had fled. When Romanos
3096-474: The emperor as many had. When Romanos saw the boldness of the Armenian foot soldiers, he displayed great affection for them and promised them unheard-of rewards. In the end, the emperor's personal troops and these Armenian foot soldiers suffered the heaviest casualties in the Byzantine army. The left wing under Bryennios held out a little longer but was also soon routed. The remnants of the Byzantine centre, including
3168-418: The following message: "A brother does not inherit when there is a son." This message enraged Qavurt, who thereafter occupied Isfahan. In 1073 a battle took place near Hamadan , which lasted three days. Qavurt was accompanied by his seven sons, and his army consisted of Turkmens , while the army of Malik-Shah consisted of ghulams ("military slaves") and contingents of Kurdish and Arab troops. During
3240-559: The following message: "You must relinquish Baghdad to me, and depart to any land you choose." This was because Malik-Shah wanted to appoint his grandson (or nephew) Ja'far as the new caliph. The Sultan had a good relationship with the Shias at large except for the Ismailis of Hassan ibn Sabbah . Followers of Sabbah managed to occupy the Alamut fortress near Qazvin , and the army under the command of
3312-399: The governor of Fars and Sav-Tegin as the governor of Kerman . Malik-Shah then turned his attention towards the Karakhanids, who had after the death of Alp-Arslan invaded Tukharistan , which was ruled by Malik-Shah's brother Ayaz, who was unable to repel the Karakhanids and was killed by them. Malik-Shah eventually managed to repel the Karakhanids and captured Tirmidh , giving Sav-Tegin
3384-520: The key of the city. Malik-Shah then appointed his other brother Shihab al-Din Tekish as the ruler of Tukharistan and Balkh . During the same period, the Ghaznavid ruler Ibrahim was seizing Seljuk territory in northern Khorasan , but was defeated by Malik-Shah, who then made peace with the latter and gave his daughter Gawhar Khatun in marriage to Ibrahim's son Mas'ud III . In 1074, Malik-Shah ordered
3456-514: The loss of the Eastern Roman Empire's Anatolian heartland. John Julius Norwich says in his trilogy on the Byzantine Empire that the defeat was "its death blow, though centuries remained before the remnant fell. The themes in Anatolia were literally the heart of the empire, and within decades after Manzikert, they were gone." In his smaller book, A Short History of Byzantium , Norwich describes
3528-414: The massacre that historians earlier presumed. Modern scholars estimate that Byzantine losses were relatively low, considering that many units survived the battle intact and were fighting elsewhere within a few months, and most Byzantine prisoners of war were later released. Certainly, all the commanders on the Byzantine side (Doukas, Tarchaneiotes, Bryennios, Theodore Alyates, de Bailleul , and, above all,
3600-538: The new sultan of the empire, but the succession was contested by his uncle Qavurt . Although Malik-Shah was the nominal head of the Seljuk state, Nizam al-Mulk held near absolute power during his reign. Malik-Shah spent the rest of his reign waging war against the Karakhanids to the east and establishing order in the Caucasus . The cause of Malik-Shah's death remains under dispute to this day; according to some scholars, he
3672-584: The orders of Terken Khatun, Malik-Shah's body was taken back to Isfahan, where it was buried in a madrasa . Upon his death, the Seljuk Empire fell into chaos, as rival successors and regional governors carved up their empire and waged war against each other. The situation within the Seljuk lands was further complicated by the beginning of the First Crusade , which detached large portions of Syria and Palestine from Muslim control in 1098 and 1099. The success of
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#17328560277023744-488: The peace treaty had been a deliberate distraction: Romanos now led a large army into Armenia to recover the lost fortresses before the Seljuks had time to respond. Accompanying Romanos was Andronikos Doukas , son of his rival John Doukas . The army consisted of about 5,000 professional Byzantine troops from the western provinces and probably about the same number from the eastern provinces. These included long established regular units ( Heteria , Scholai and Straelati ) of
3816-612: The problem of hunger, please save me from the threat of abundance". Malik Shah did not spend as much time on campaign as his prominent predecessor Tughril or his father Alp Arslan did. Isfahan became securely established as his chief city of residence, although in the latter years of his rule Malik Shah preferred to winter in Baghdad . Whereas Alp Arslan had spent just over a year out of his decade-long reign in Isfahan, Malik Shah resided there for more than half of his rule. Isfahan also served as
3888-406: The region. The Byzantine Empire was limited to the area immediately around Constantinople, and the Byzantines were never again a serious military force." It is also seen as one of the root causes for the later Crusades , in that the First Crusade of 1095 was originally a western response to the Byzantine emperor's call for military assistance after the loss of Anatolia . From another perspective,
3960-512: The sight of the Seljuk Sultan – an unlikely event considering the reputation of the Roman general. Either way, Romanos' army was reduced to less than half his planned 40,000 men. Alp Arslan summoned his army and delivered a speech while dressed in a white robe similar to an Islamic funeral shroud on the morning of the battle. This was an encouraging message that he was ready to die in battle. Romanos
4032-475: The support of the local clergy, and imprisoned its Karakhanid ruler Ahmad Khan ibn Khizr, who was the nephew of Terken Khatun. He then marched to Semirechye , and made the Karakhanid Harun Khan ibn Sulayman, the ruler of Kashgar and Khotan , acknowledge him as his suzerain. In 1092, Nizam al-Mulk was assassinated near Sihna, on the road to Baghdad , by a man disguised as a Sufi . As the assassin
4104-628: The terms of peace that he had offered before the battle. According to Ibn al-Adim , in the presence of Arslan, Romanos blamed the raids of Rashid al-Dawla Mahmud into Byzantine territory for his interventions in Muslim territories which eventually led to the Battle of Manzikert. Romanos remained a captive of the Sultan for a week. During this time, the Sultan allowed Romanos to eat at his table while concessions were agreed upon: Antioch, Edessa, Hierapolis, and Manzikert were to be surrendered. This would have left
4176-464: The trees growing in Khnus and its surroundings. Thinking that Alp Arslan was either further away or not coming at all, Romanos marched towards Lake Van , expecting to retake Manzikert quickly and the nearby fortress of Khliat if possible. Alp Arslan was already in the area, however, with allies and 30,000 cavalry from Aleppo and Mosul . Alp Arslan 's scouts knew exactly where Romanos was, while Romanos
4248-451: The triple victory of Malek Shah established his own reputation and the right of primogeniture. In every age, and more especially in Asia, the thirst of power has inspired the same passions, and occasioned the same disorders; but, from the long series of civil war, it would not be easy to extract a sentiment more pure and magnanimous than is contained in the saying of the Turkish prince. On the eve of
4320-680: The vital core of Anatolia untouched. A payment of 10 million gold pieces demanded by the Sultan as a ransom for Romanos was deemed as too high by the latter, so the Sultan reduced its short-term expense by asking for 1.5 million gold pieces as an initial payment instead, followed by an annual sum of 360,000 gold pieces. Plus, a marriage alliance was prepared between Alp Arslan's son and Romanos’ daughter. The Sultan then gave Romanos many presents and an escort of two emirs and one hundred Mamluks on his route to Constantinople. Shortly after his return to his subjects, Romanos found his rule in serious trouble. Despite attempts to raise loyal troops, he
4392-690: Was completely unaware of his opponent's movements. Romanos ordered his general Joseph Tarchaniotes to take some of the regular troops and the Varangians and accompany the Pechenegs and Franks to Khliat . At the same time, Romanos and the rest of the army marched to Manzikert. This split the forces into halves of about 20,000 men each. It is unknown what happened to the army sent off with Tarchaniotes – according to Islamic sources, Alp Arslan smashed this army, yet Roman sources make no mention of any such encounter, and Attaliates suggests that Tarchaniotes fled at
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#17328560277024464-452: Was conducted into the presence of Alp Arslan, the Sultan refused to believe that the bloodied and tattered man covered in dirt was the mighty Emperor of the Romans. After discovering his identity, Alp Arslan placed his boot on the Emperor's neck and forced him to kiss the ground, a traditional symbolic gesture at the time. Alp Arslan then treated Romanos with considerable kindness and again offered
4536-574: Was constructed during his reign, closing shortly after his death in 1092 . It was from the work at the observatory that the Jalali Calendar was adopted. He thought highly of the art of architecture as well, as he enjoyed building new and splendid mosques in his capital, Isfahan . He was religiously tolerant which is supported by the fact that during his reign, subjects of the Seljuk Empire enjoyed internal peace and religious tolerance. Malik-Shah also showed lenience towards exquisite poetry as his reign
4608-503: Was defeated three times in battle against the Doukas family and was deposed, blinded , and exiled to the island of Proti . He died soon after due to an infection caused by his brutal blinding. Romanos' final foray into the Anatolian heartland, which he had worked so hard to defend, was a public humiliation. While Manzikert was a long-term strategic catastrophe for Byzantium, it was by no means
4680-682: Was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, theme of Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey ). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army and the capture of the Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes played an important role in undermining Byzantine authority in Anatolia and Armenia , and allowed for the gradual Turkification of Anatolia. Many Turks, travelling westward during
4752-595: Was immediately cut down by Nizam's bodyguard, it became impossible to establish with certainty who had sent him. One theory had it that he was an Assassin , since these assassins regularly made attempts on the lives of Seljuk officials and rulers during the 11th century. Another theory had it that the attack had been instigated by Malik-Shah, who may have grown tired of his overmighty vizier. After Nizam al-Mulk's death, Malik-Shah appointed another Persian named Taj al-Mulk Abu'l Ghana'im as his vizier. Malik-Shah then went to Baghdad and decided to depose al-Muqtadi and sent him
4824-471: Was long and difficult. Romanos brought a luxurious baggage train, which did not endear him to his troops. The local population also suffered plundering by his Frankish mercenaries, whom he was obliged to dismiss. The expedition rested at Sebasteia on the river Halys , reaching Theodosiopolis in June 1071. Some of his generals suggested continuing the march into the Seljuk territory and catching Alp Arslan before he
4896-629: Was poisoned by Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadi , while others say that he was poisoned by the supporters of Nizam al-Mulk. Although he was known by several names, he was mostly known as "Malik-Shah", a combination of the Arabic word malik (king) and the Persian word shah (which also means king). Malik-Shah was born on 16 August 1055 and spent his youth in Isfahan . According to the 12th-century Persian historian Muhammad bin Ali Rawandi , Malik-Shah had fair skin,
4968-508: Was ready. Others, including Nicephorus Bryennius , suggested they wait and fortify their position. It was decided to continue the march. Then they moved to Khnus city. The Byzantine army, which was heading towards the Manzikert plain , chose the route of the Kocasu Stream flowing through Khnus as a route to meet its water needs, and the army manufactured the spears to be used in the war from
5040-466: Was routed, and Basilakes was taken prisoner. Romanos then drew his troops into formation and sent the left wing out under Bryennios, who was almost surrounded by the rapidly approaching Turks and forced to retreat. The Seljuk forces hid among the nearby hills for the night, making it nearly impossible for Romanos to counterattack. On 25 August, some of Romanos' Turkic mercenaries came into contact with their Seljuk kin and deserted. Romanos then rejected
5112-551: Was tall and somewhat bulky. In 1064, Malik-Shah, only 9 years old by then, along with Nizam al-Mulk , the Persian vizier of the Empire, took part in Alp Arslan's campaign in the Caucasus . The same year, Malik-Shah was married to Terken Khatun , the daughter of the Karakhanid khan Ibrahim Tamghach-Khan . In 1066, Alp Arslan arranged a ceremony near Merv , where he appointed Malik-Shah as his heir and also granted him Isfahan as
5184-423: Was unaware of the loss of Tarchaneiotes and continued to Manzikert, which he easily captured on 23 August; the Seljuks responded with attacks by horse archers . The next day, some foraging parties under Bryennios discovered the main Seljuk force and were forced to retreat to Manzikert. Romanos sent the Armenian general Basilakes and some cavalry, as Romanos did not believe this was Alp Arslan's full army. The cavalry
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