Afshin Bey ( tr, Afşin Bey;
fl.1016–1077) was a
Khorasani Turkmen
Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to:
Peoples Historical ethnonym
* Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages
Ethnic groups
* Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...
commander of the
Seljuk Empire in the 11th century. He served three Sultans:
Chaghri Beg,
Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan was the second Sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty. He greatly expanded the Seljuk territory and consolidated his power, defeating rivals to the south and northwest, and his v ...
and
Malik-Shah I
Jalāl al-Dawla Mu'izz al-Dunyā Wa'l-Din Abu'l-Fatḥ ibn Alp Arslān (8 August 1055 – 19 November 1092, full name: fa, ), better known by his regnal name of Malik-Shah I ( fa, ), was the third sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire from 1072 to ...
. He is believed to have disappeared after 1077.
Life
The young Afshin joined the service of
Chaghri bin Mika'il bin Saljûk in 1016 and assisted him in his campaigns.
[Ibn Aziz Ahmed, Ammār]
"Who was Afshin Bey?"
Retrieved June 30.[Sözlük, Ekşi]
"Afşin Bey"
In 1064, He was made responsible for the Seljuk incursions into
Byzantium
Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...
. He conquered many cities that still remain in Turkey today.
[Baynes, T.S. (2008). Anni, Encyclopædia Britannica (9th ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 72.] Due to his great feats, he had become a bitter enemy of the Byzantines and was captured near
Hoshin (later, released for ransom).
He partnered with
Emir Gümüshtigin of the
Danishmendid
The Danishmendids or Danishmends ( fa, دودمان دانشمند; tr, Dânişmendliler) was a Turkish beylik that ruled in north-central and eastern Anatolia from 1071/1075 to 1178. The dynasty centered originally around Sivas, Tokat, and N ...
dynasty to defeat the Byzantines in
Malatya.
In 1066, the Bey raided the
Nur Mountains.
[Jos J. S. Weitenberg, "The Armenian Monasteries in the Black Mountain", in K. Ciggaar and M. Metcalf (eds.), East and West in the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean, Vol. 1 (Peeters, 2006), pp. 79–81.] In 1067, he captured
Kayseri
Kayseri (; el, Καισάρεια) is a large Industrialisation, industrialised List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. The Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality area is comp ...
and
Kilikiya.
[Brian Todd Carey (2012). Road to Manzikert: Byzantine and Islamic Warfare (527–1071), p. 132. .] His liege
Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan was the second Sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty. He greatly expanded the Seljuk territory and consolidated his power, defeating rivals to the south and northwest, and his v ...
was overjoyed with these military feats.
Later, Afshin Bey raided
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
territories.
In 1070, Afshin Bey with his soldiers (10,000 men) defeated another Byzantine army.
In a sudden twist of events, a Seljuk commander killed Afshin's brother, and Afshin killed him for revenge. This made Afshin a fugitive and he ran away to
Anatolia, conquering lands on the way. After some time passed, Afshin made peace with Alp Arslan and gave those lands to him.
In 1071, Afshin participated in
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt 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 th ...
as a Seljuk commander.
In 1077, Malik Shah I shifted several commanders including Afshin Bey to be under the command of his brother
Tutush.
Afshin was sent to
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
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to crush rebellions.
However, disagreements ensued and Afshin disappeared.
In popular culture
He was paid homage by ''
Diriliş: Ertuğrul'', a historical docudrama. His character was played by .
See also
*
Artuk Bey
Zaheer-ul-Daulah Artuk Beg, known as Artuk Bey, was a Turkmens, Turkmen commander of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century, chief of the Oghuz Turks, Oghuz tribe of Döğer (tribe), Döğer, and eponymous founder of the Artuqid dynasty. His fath ...
*
Battle of Malazgirt
*
List of fugitives from justice who disappeared
This is a list of fugitives from justice, notable people who disappeared or evaded capture while being sought by law enforcement agencies in connection with a crime, and who are currently sought or were sought for the duration of their presume ...
References
{{Reflist
1016 births
11th-century Turkic people
Formerly missing people
Fugitives
Generals of the Seljuk Empire