Tāj al-Dawla Alp Arslān ibn Riḍwān, nicknamed al-Akhras (the Mute), was the

Seljuk Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * Seljuk (warlord) (di ...

sultan of Aleppo The rulers of Aleppo ruled as kings, emirs and sultans of the city and its surrounding region since the later half of the 3rd millennium BC, starting with the kings of Armi, followed by the Amorite dynasty of Yamhad. Muslim rule of the city end ...

from AD 1113 ( AH 507) until his death in 1114 (508). According to

Ibn al-Athīr Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ash-Shaybānī, better known as ʿAlī ʿIzz ad-Dīn Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī ( ar, علي عز الدین بن الاثیر الجزري) lived 1160–1233) was an Arab or Kurdish historian a ...

, he was not actually mute but had only a

speech impediment Speech disorders or speech impairments are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. Speech skills are ...

and a

stammer Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the ...

. He was the son of the Sultan Riḍwān by a daughter of

Yağısıyan Yağısıyan, also known as Yaghi-Siyan (; died 1098) was a Seljuk Turkish commander and governor of Antioch in the 11th century . Although little is known about his personal life he was an important figure of the First Crusade. Governor of Anti ...

, governor of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

. Alp Arslān was only sixteen years old when he succeeded his father as sultan of Aleppo on 10 December 1113. As a result, according to Ibn al-Athīr, he "had only the semblance of authority as sultan, while" his ''

atabeg Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was wit ...

'' Luʾluʾ al-Yaya "had the reality". After coming to power, he ordered the death of his full brother Malikshāh and his paternal half-brother Mubārakshah in imitation of his father, who had also ordered the death of his brothers upon coming to power. While Luʾluʾ had control over the army, the ''

aḥdāth The ''ahdath'' ( ar, الأحداث, al-aḥdāth) were local militias or irregular police found in Syria in the 10th to 12th centuries. The ''ahdath'' maintained order and protected cities from outside domination. Though some later writers ascrib ...

'' (local militia) remained loyal to Alp Arslān and under his control. At the suggestion of Sāʿid ibn Badīʿ, ''

raʾīs ( ar, رئیس), plural , is an Arabic title meaning 'chief' or 'leader'. It comes from the word for head, . The corresponding word for leadership or chieftaincy is . It is often translated as 'president' in Arabic, and as 'boss' in Persian. Sw ...

'' (leader) of the ''aḥdāth'', Alp Arslān persecuted the Nizārī Bāṭiniyya, executing their leader, Abū Ṭāhir al-Sāʾigh, and confiscating the properties of the rest. In this way he drove many Nizārīs over to the Christian

Principality of Antioch The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It extende ...

. He later turned on Ibn Badīʿ, confiscating his property and exiling him to the ʿUqaylid emirate of Qalʿat Jaʿbar. He replaced him as ''raʾīs'' of the ''aḥdāth'' by a foreigner, Ibrāhīm al-Furātī. Because of his military weakness, Alp Arslān was forced to pay tribute to Antioch. In March 1114, Alp Arslān turned to Ṭughtegin of Damascus for protection against Antioch, against the Nizārīs and against his ''atabeg'', Luʾluʾ. Ṭughtegin sent forces to Aleppo, but they found the official toleration of the

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

unacceptable and left before the end of the year.

Roger of Salerno Roger of Salerno (or Roger of the Principate) (died June 28, 1119) was regent of the Principality of Antioch from 1112 to 1119. He was the son of Richard of the Principate and the 2nd cousin of Tancred, Prince of Galilee, both participants on the ...

, regent of Antioch, forced the resumption of tribute. With Ṭughtegin's forces gone, the ''atabeg'', in league with Shams al-Khawāṣṣ Yārūqtāsh, the lord of

Rafanīya Raphanea or Raphaneae ( grc, Ῥαφάνεια; ar, الرفنية, al-Rafaniyya; colloquial: ''Rafniye'') was a city of the late Roman province of Syria Secunda. Its bishopric was a suffragan of Apamea. History Josephus mentions Raphanea ...

, whom Ṭughtegin had deposed, had the ''

mamlūk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') i ...

''s murder Alp Arslān in the citadel. Luʾluʾ then placed Alp Arslān's six-year-old brother, Sulṭān Shāh, on the throne. When Luʾluʾ died in 1117, princess

Āmina Khātūn Amina Khatun (fl. 1117) was de facto ruler of Aleppo in 1117. El-Azhari, Taef. Queens, Eunuchs and Concubines in Islamic History, 661–1257. Edinburgh University Press, 2019 She was born to Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan, Amir of Aleppo (r. 1095–1113). ...

took ''de facto'' control of the city.

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* * * * * * {{Seljuk dynasty 1090s births 1114 deaths 12th-century Syrian people Seljuk rulers 12th-century Turkic people People of the Nizari–Seljuk wars Sultans of Aleppo