Arslan Isra'il, also known as Arslan Yabgu (died 1032) was a
Turkic chieftain, who was from the
Kınık tribe, which would later establish the
Seljuk Empire
The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turko-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total are ...
. His name Arslan means "the lion". Arslan was son of the warlord
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 ...
and uncle to the founders of the
Seljuk empire
The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turko-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total are ...
,
Chaghri and
Tughril
Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il ( fa, ابوطالب محمد تغریل بن میکائیل), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril), was a Turkmen"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
.
Biography
Background
Kınık tribe was one of the
Oghuz Turkic
The Oghuz languages are a sub-branch of the Turkic language family, spoken by approximately 108 million people. The three languages with the largest number of speakers are Turkish, Azerbaijani and Turkmen, which, combined, account for more t ...
tribes. They emerged in the area north of the Seyhun (
Syr Darya
The Syr Darya (, ),, , ; rus, Сырдарья́, Syrdarjja, p=sɨrdɐˈrʲja; fa, سيردريا, Sirdaryâ; tg, Сирдарё, Sirdaryo; tr, Seyhun, Siri Derya; ar, سيحون, Seyḥūn; uz, Sirdaryo, script-Latn/. historically known ...
River). According to some historians, they might be the former vassals of the
Khazars
The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...
. They settled around the city of
Jend, which was close to the territory of the
Karakhanids
The Kara-Khanid Khanate (; ), also known as the Karakhanids, Qarakhanids, Ilek Khanids or the Afrasiabids (), was a Turkic khanate that ruled Central Asia in the 9th through the early 13th century. The dynastic names of Karakhanids and Ilek ...
, who controlled most of
Transoxiana
Transoxiana or Transoxania (Land beyond the Oxus) is the Latin name for a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...
. However they were unruly neighbors. During the Karakhanid -
Samanid
The Samanid Empire ( fa, سامانیان, Sāmāniyān) also known as the Samanian Empire, Samanid dynasty, Samanid amirate, or simply as the Samanids) was a Persianate Sunni Muslim empire, of Iranian dehqan origin. The empire was centred in Kho ...
wars (992) they supported the Samanids instead of the Karakhanids. (Samanids were a Persian state to the south of
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin language, Latin name or Greek ) is a major rive ...
.)
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 ...
, the leader of the tribe was old and Arslan, one of his sons, distinguished himself during the battles against Karakhanids. Seljuk, died in 1009 and Arslan became the leader of the tribe. Arslan's brother
Mikail
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
was father to sultans
Tughril
Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il ( fa, ابوطالب محمد تغریل بن میکائیل), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril), was a Turkmen"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
and
Chaghri, founders of the Seljuk Empire.
[Islam Encyclopedia Vol 3 p.403-404 ](_blank)
/ref>
Political life
Karakhanids were several times defeated by Aslan's forces. Arslan also supported Ali Tigin during the Karakhanid civil war. Finally in 1025, Karakhanid sultan Yusuf Kadir met with Mahmud of Ghazni
Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...
to form a coalition against Kınık.
(Ghaznavids were a Turkic clan which had founded and empire in what is now Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.) The threat was too big for the tribe and Arslan relocated his tribe in the deserts. However, Arslan and his son Qutalmish
Qutalmish ibn Arslan ( 1ca, قُتَلمِش, fa, قتلمش) (alternative spellings: Qutalmis, Kutalmish, ) was a Turkic prince who was a member of Seljukid house in the 11th century. His son Kutalmışoğlu Suleiman, founded the Sultanate of Ru ...
were taken prisoner by Mahmud. There are two alternative stories of his surrender. According to Jean Paul Roux he was captured in a battle.[Jean Paul Roux: ''Türklerin Tarihi'' (tr:Aykut Kazancıgil-Lale Arslan Özcan),Kabalcı Yayınevi, İstanbul,2007, , p.202-207] But according to Islam Encyclopaedia, Mahmud arrested Arslan by a plot. He invited Arslan for peace talks. During the dinner following the talks, Arslan as well as his son Qutalmish were arrested and the soldiers accompanying them were killed. Mahmud sent Arslan and Qutalmish to Kalinjar Fort
Kalinjar ( hi, कालिंजर) is a fortress-city in Bundelkhand, in Banda District of Uttar Pradesh, in India. It was ruled by several dynasties including the Guptas, the Vardhana Dynasty, the Chandelas, Solankis of Rewa, Mughal a ...
(which is now in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
).
Later years
Arslan spent the rest of his life in prison. After Mahmud's death Tughril
Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il ( fa, ابوطالب محمد تغریل بن میکائیل), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril), was a Turkmen"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
, Arslan's nephew and Mas'ud I of Ghazni
Masoud (; ) is a given name and surname, with origins in Persian and Arabic. The name is found in the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and China. Masoud has spelling varia ...
, Mahmud's successor tried to reach an agreement. But the talks failed and Arslan died in prison in 1032.
Aftermath
Tughril and Chaghri, Arslan's nephews, founded the Seljuk Empire. Qutalmish who had escaped from the prison also participated in the battles. But in later years he competed unsuccessfully for the throne. It was Arslan's grandson Suleyman who founded the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm
fa, سلجوقیان روم ()
, status =
, government_type = Hereditary monarchyTriarchy (1249–1254)Diarchy (1257–1262)
, year_start = 1077
, year_end = 1308
, p1 = By ...
.
References
Sources
*
*
*
{{Seljuk dynasty
People from the Seljuk Empire
1032 deaths
Turkic rulers
Oghuz Turks
Deaths in India
Year of birth unknown
11th-century Turkic people