Akhsitan I (also spelled Akhsatan; fa, اخستان یکم, Aḵestān) was the
Shirvanshah after 1160, and thought to have reigned until the years 1197–1203/04. He was the son and successor of
Manuchihr III (). His mother was
Tamar, a Georgian princess from the
Bagrationi dynasty
The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is som ...
.
The details regarding Akhsitan's reign are uncertain and obscure. He may have ruled the kingdom together with members of his family,
Shahanshah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
,
Afridun II and
Fariburz II. He is notable for moving his place of residence to
Baku, which marked its beginning as a major city.
Akhsitan was also notably the patron of both
Khaqani
Afzal al-Dīn Badīl ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿOthmān, commonly known as Khāqānī ( fa, خاقانی, , – 1199), was a major Persian poet and prose-writer. He was born in Transcaucasia in the historical region known as Shirvan, where he served as ...
and
Nizami Ganjavi
Nizami Ganjavi ( fa, نظامی گنجوی, lit=Niẓāmī of Ganja, translit=Niẓāmī Ganjavī; c. 1141–1209), Nizami Ganje'i, Nizami, or Nezāmi, whose formal name was ''Jamal ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakkī'',Mo'in ...
, two leading Persian poets.
Name
"Akhsitan" is a shortened version of the
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 ...
name ''Aghsarthan'', itself of
Ossetian origin (
cf.
The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...
Ossetian ''äxsar'' or ''äxsart'', meaning "might"). ''
The Georgian Chronicles
''The Georgian Chronicles'' is a conventional English name for the principal compendium of medieval Georgian historical texts, natively known as ''Kartlis Tskhovreba'' ( ka, ქართლის ცხოვრება), literally "Life of Ka ...
'' refers Akhsitan as "Aysartan".
Background
"Shirvanshah" was the title of the rulers of the eastern
Caucasian
Caucasian may refer to:
Anthropology
*Anything from the Caucasus region
**
**
** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region
*
*
*
Languages
* Northwest Caucasian l ...
region
Shirvan
Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...
. During this period, the Shirvanshahs belonged to a family referred to as the
Kasranids
The Kasranids (Persian: سلسله کسرانی) were a branch of the Shirvanshahs, who ruled the Shirvan region for 387 years. The word "Kasra" was derived from legendary king Kai Khosrow of Iran, reflecting a shift in naming tradition from Arabic ...
, who now has been demonstrated to have been the same family as the previous ruling dynasty, the
Yazidids
The Yazidids () or Mazyadids (after their ancestor Mazyad al-Shaybani) or Shaybanids (after Banu Shayban), were an Arab family what came to rule over the region of Shirvan (in Azerbaijan) in the mid 9th century. Starting from Haytham ibn Khalid's ...
. Akhsitan was the son of the
Shirvanshah Manuchihr III () and the Georgian princess
Tamar of the
Bagrationi dynasty
The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is som ...
. Akhsitan had three brothers,
Shahanshah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
,
Afridun II, and
Farrukhzad I. During this period, Shirvan was a Georgian
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...
, which it would remain until around 1223. Following the death of Manuchihr III, Tamar went back to Georgia, where she became a nun.
Reign
The events during the start and end of Akhsitan's reign are obscure. He succeeded his father sometime after 1160. One of the coins minted during his rule is estimated to have been produced between 1160 and 1169. It has been proposed that Manuchihr III may have divided his kingdom amongst his sons upon his death, due to coin mints demonstrating the coinciding reign of Akhsitan, Shahanshah, Afridun II and his son
Fariburz II. Afridun II and Fariburz II may have ruled in the western part of the kingdom, while coin mints of Shahanshah demonstrate that he was based in
Shamakhi
Shamakhi ( az, Şamaxı, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving it ...
. However, the latter has also been suggested to have been the successor of Akhsitan.
In late 1173 or early 1174, Shirvan was invaded by a combined force of the Russian "
brodnici
The Brodnici (russian: Бродники, ukr, Бродники) were a tribe of disputed origin.
Etymology
In some opinions, the name, as used by foreign chronicles, means a person in charge of a ford (water crossing) in Slavic language (cf. Sla ...
" and the ruler of
Darband, Bek-Bars ibn Muzaffar. Akhsitan subsequently requested the help of his cousin
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
(), the king of Georgia. The latter repelled the invaders and brought back order to the affected areas. The
Eldiguzid ruler
Qizil Arslan
Muzaffar al-Din Qizil Arslan Uthman ( fa, مظفر الدین قزل ارسلان عثمان), better known as Qizil Arslan (), was the ruler (''atabeg'') of the Eldiguzids from 1186 to 1191. He was the brother and successor of Muhammad Jahan Pah ...
() later seized Shamakhi, which made Akhsitan move his place of residence to
Baku. This marked the beginning of Baku's rise as a major city, though it remains uncertain if Akhsitan later moved back to Shamakhi.
Akhsitan's death is not mentioned in the ''
divan
A divan or diwan ( fa, دیوان, ''dīvān''; from Sumerian ''dub'', clay tablet) was a high government ministry in various Islamic states, or its chief official (see ''dewan'').
Etymology
The word, recorded in English since 1586, meanin ...
'' of the Persian poet
Khaqani
Afzal al-Dīn Badīl ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿOthmān, commonly known as Khāqānī ( fa, خاقانی, , – 1199), was a major Persian poet and prose-writer. He was born in Transcaucasia in the historical region known as Shirvan, where he served as ...
, which has led the modern historian H. Hasan to surmise that Akhsitan must have survived him. An
inscription
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the w ...
from 1203 or 1204 mentions Farrukhzad I as the Shirvanshah. This means that Akhsitan's reign ended between 1197 and 1203 or 1204.
Akhsitan's predecessors had used the title of
al-Malik ("King") on their coins, Akhsitan instead used the title of al-Maliku'l-Mu'azzam ("The Supreme Malik"). He also used the title of Shirvanshah on his coins.
Patronage
During the 12th century, Shirvan served as the focal point for
Persian literature
Persian literature ( fa, ادبیات فارسی, Adabiyâte fârsi, ) comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources h ...
. Two prominent Shirvan-based poets were active during this time—Khaqani and
Nizami Ganjavi
Nizami Ganjavi ( fa, نظامی گنجوی, lit=Niẓāmī of Ganja, translit=Niẓāmī Ganjavī; c. 1141–1209), Nizami Ganje'i, Nizami, or Nezāmi, whose formal name was ''Jamal ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakkī'',Mo'in ...
(died 1209), both of whom at least once had the same patron, Akhsitan. Khaqani, who had previously served under Manuchihr III, continued his service under Akhsitan, who would become his most important patron. Khaqani dedicated twelve ''
qasida
The qaṣīda (also spelled ''qaṣīdah''; is originally an Arabic word , plural ''qaṣā’id'', ; that was passed to some other languages such as fa, قصیده or , ''chakameh'', and tr, kaside) is an ancient Arabic word and form of writin ...
s'' (
ode
An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...
s) and seven ' to Akhsitan, who in return greatly rewarded him. He also dedicated poems to Akhsitan's wife Safwat al-Din. However, just as Manuchihr III had incarcerated Khaqani, he was imprisoned by Akhsitan. In 1188, Nizami Ganjavi dedicated his ''
Layla and Majnun
''Layla & Majnun'' ( ar, مجنون ليلى ; Layla's Mad Lover) is an old story of Arab origin, about the 7th-century Bedouin poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his ladylove Layla bint Mahdi (later known as Layla al-Aamiriya).
"The Layla ...
'' to Akhsitan.
Zahir-al-Din Faryabi (died 1201) dedicated at least one poem to Akhsitan.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
{{Shirvanshahs
12th-century Iranian people
12th-century births
1190s deaths
1200s deaths