The Danishmendids or Danishmends ( fa, دودمان دانشمند; tr, Dânişmendliler) was a
Turkish beylik that ruled in north-central and eastern
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
from 1071/1075 to 1178. The dynasty centered originally around
Sivas
Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province.
The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...
,
Tokat
Tokat is the capital city of Tokat Province of Turkey in the mid- Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is located at the confluence of the Tokat River (Tokat Suyu) with the Yeşilırmak. In the 2018 census, the city of Tokat had a population of 155, ...
, and
Niksar
Niksar, historically known as Neocaesarea (Νεοκαισάρεια), is a city in Tokat Province, Turkey. It was settled by many empires, being once the capital city of the province. Niksar is known as "Çukurova of the North-Anatolia" due to i ...
in central-northeastern
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, they extended as far west as
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
and
Kastamonu
Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. (Population of the urban center in 2010 is 91,012.) The ...
for a time, and as far south as
Malatya
Malatya ( hy, Մալաթիա, translit=Malat'ya; Syro-Aramaic ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ku, Meletî; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a large city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city h ...
, which they captured in 1103. In early 12th century, Danishmends were rivals of the
Seljuk Sultanate of Rum
fa, سلجوقیان روم ()
, status =
, government_type = Hereditary monarchyTriarchy (1249–1254) Diarchy (1257–1262)
, year_start = 1077
, year_end = 1308
, p1 = B ...
, which controlled much of the territory surrounding the Danishmend lands, and they fought extensively against the
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
.
The dynasty was established by
Danishmend Gazi
Danishmend Gazi ( fa, دانشمند غازی), Danishmend Taylu, or Dānishmand Aḥmad Ghāzī (died 1085), was the Turkmen general of the Seljuks and later founder of the beylik of Danishmends. After the Turkic advance into Anatolia that ...
for whom historical information is rather scarce and was generally written long after his death. His title or name, ''Dānishmand'' () means "wise man" or "one who searches for knowledge" in
Persian.
Origins
The
Turkoman Danishmendid dynasty was founded by
Danishmend Gazi
Danishmend Gazi ( fa, دانشمند غازی), Danishmend Taylu, or Dānishmand Aḥmad Ghāzī (died 1085), was the Turkmen general of the Seljuks and later founder of the beylik of Danishmends. After the Turkic advance into Anatolia that ...
. Sources about Danishmend Gazi's origins however, are steeped in "legendary flavor". According to Robert Irwin, Danishmend Gazi was a "Turkoman emir of impenetrably obscure origins". For instance, according to
Niketas Choniates
Niketas or Nicetas Choniates ( el, Νικήτας Χωνιάτης; c. 1155 – 1217), whose actual surname was Akominatos (Ἀκομινάτος), was a Byzantine Greek government official and historian – like his brother Michael Akominatos, w ...
, a Byzantine government official and historian and a near-contemporary of Danishmend Gazi, he was of
Arsacid
The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conquer ...
descent. According to
Matthew of Edessa
Matthew of Edessa (, Matevos Uṛhayetsi; late 11th century – 1144) was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa (, ''Uṛha''). Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank' (Red Convent), near the town of Kaysun ...
and Kirakos Vartan, Danishmend Gazi was of
Armenian origin, which, as Tahsin Yazici explains, "is not incompatible with Niketas' report". Yazici adds that other historians explained his origins differently. Some identified him as a nephew of
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 t ...
(1072–1092), Sultan of the
Great Seljuk Empire
The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turko-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total area of from Anatolia and the Levant in the west to t ...
. According to this narrative, Danishmend Gazi was sent by Malik-Shah to conquer
Cappadocia
Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde.
According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...
. Others viewed Danishmend Gazi as a maternal uncle of
Suleiman ibn Qutulmish
Suleiman Shah I ibn Qutalmish (; 1ca, سُلَیمانشاہ بن قُتَلمِش; fa, سلیمان بن قتلمش) founded an independent Seljuk Turkish state in Anatolia and ruled as Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1077 until his death in 10 ...
(1077–1086), the first ruler of the
Sultanate of Rum
fa, سلجوقیان روم ()
, status =
, government_type = Hereditary monarchyTriarchy (1249–1254) Diarchy (1257–1262)
, year_start = 1077
, year_end = 1308
, p1 = B ...
. In addition, some historians believed he was one of the Seljuq commanders who fought at the
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 ...
in 1071. According to Yazici: "Osman Turan's suggestion that he was a Seljuq envoy to the
Ghaznavid
The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...
court was based on a misunderstanding of a passage in
Abu'l Fazl Bayhaqi's ''
Tarikh-i Bayhaqi
''Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī'' ( fa, تاریخ بیهقی, italics=yes; ) is a history book written by Abul-Fazl Bayhaqi, in Persian, in the 11th century CE. Much of this voluminous work is lost, but its remains is the most important source on the his ...
'' and is thus totally erroneous". According to Robert Gregory Bedrosian (citing
Suren Yeremian
Suren Tigrani Yeremian ( hy, Սուրեն Տիգրանի Երեմյան; russian: Сурен Тигранович Еремян; – 17 December 1992) was a Soviet and Armenian historian and cartographer who specialized in the study of the ea ...
and Halil Yinanc), Danishmend Gazi was an Armenian Muslim. The ''Danishmendnâme'', a 14th century (i.e. posthumous) epic romance based on oral traditions dealing with Danishmend Gazi, is likewise filled with "legendary material". According to the ''Danishmendnâme'', Danishmend Gazi was a native of
Malatya
Malatya ( hy, Մալաթիա, translit=Malat'ya; Syro-Aramaic ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ku, Meletî; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a large city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city h ...
.
The dynasty
As of 1134, Danishmend dynasty leaders also held the title ''
Melik
Мelik (also transliterated as ''Meliq'') ( ''melikʿ''; from ar, ملك '' malik'' (king)) was a hereditary Armenian noble title, in various Eastern Armenian principalities known as ''melikdom''s encompassing modern Yerevan, Kars, Nakhi ...
'' (''the King'') bestowed in recognition of their military successes by the
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Mutta ...
caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
Al-Mustarshid
Abu Mansur al-Faḍl ibn Ahmad al-Mustazhir ( ar, أبو منصور الفضل بن أحمد المستظهر; 1092 – 29 August 1135) better known by his regnal name Al-Mustarshid Billah ( ar, المسترشد بالله) was the Abbasid caliph ...
, although the
Beys (''
Emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
s'') of Danishmend prior to 1134 may also be retrospectively referred to as ''Melik''. Danishmend Gazi himself was alternatively called "Danishmend Taylu".
The Danishmends established themselves in Anatolia in the aftermath of the
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 ...
in 1071, in which the Seljuks defeated the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and captured most of Anatolia. Gazi took advantage of the dynastic struggles of the Seljuks upon the death of the Sultan
Suleyman I of Rûm
Suleiman Shah I ibn Qutalmish (; 1ca, سُلَیمانشاہ بن قُتَلمِش; fa, سلیمان بن قتلمش) founded an independent Seljuk Turkish state in Anatolia and ruled as Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1077 until his death in 10 ...
in 1086 to establish his own dynasty in central Anatolia. The capital was likely first established in
Amasia Amasia may refer to the following places:
* Amasya, a city in Northern Turkey
** Amasya Province, which contains the city
** Amasea (titular see), the former Metropolitan Archbishopric with see there, now a Latin Catholic titular see
* Amasia, Sh ...
.
In 1100, Gazi's son,
Emir Gazi
Emir Gazi or known as Emir Melikgazi was the third ruler of Danishmendids and the elder son of Gazi Gümüshtigin.
Life
After Gazi Gümüshtigin's death, the country was divided into two. Emir Gazi ruled Sivas and surrounding, while his brothe ...
captured
Bohemond I of Antioch
Bohemond I of Antioch (5 or 7 March 1111), also known as Bohemond of Taranto, was the prince of Taranto from 1089 to 1111 and the prince of Antioch from 1098 to 1111. He was a leader of the First Crusade, leading a contingent of Normans on the ...
, who remained in their captivity until 1103. A Seljuk-Danishmend alliance was also responsible for defeating the
Crusade of 1101.
In 1116, the Danishmends helped
Mesud I become the Seljuk sultan.
In 1130
Bohemond II of Antioch
Bohemond II (1107/1108 – February 1130) was Prince of Taranto from 1111 to 1128 and Prince of Antioch from 1111/1119 to 1130. He was the son of Bohemond I, who in 1108 was forced to submit to the authority of the Byzantine Empire in the Trea ...
was killed in a battle with
Emir Gazi
Emir Gazi or known as Emir Melikgazi was the third ruler of Danishmendids and the elder son of Gazi Gümüshtigin.
Life
After Gazi Gümüshtigin's death, the country was divided into two. Emir Gazi ruled Sivas and surrounding, while his brothe ...
, after coming to the aid of the
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...
, which Gümüshtigin had invaded. Gümüshtigin died in 1134 and his son and successor
Melik Mehmed Gazi
Melik Mehmed or Muhammad Ghazi, (died 1142) was the fourth ruler of Danishmendids.
Life
Not much is known about his life.
Melik Mehmet Gazi was mummified. His Kümbet is in Melikgazi, Kayseri
Kayseri (; el, Καισάρεια) is a large ...
did not have the martial spirit of his father and grandfather. He is nevertheless considered the first builder of Kayseri as a Turkish city, despite his relatively short period of reign.
When Mehmed died in 1142, the Danishmend lands were divided between his two brothers, Melik Yaghibasan, who maintained the title of "Melik" and ruled from
Sivas
Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province.
The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...
, and
Ayn el-Devle, who ruled from
Malatya
Malatya ( hy, Մալաթիա, translit=Malat'ya; Syro-Aramaic ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ku, Meletî; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a large city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city h ...
.
In 1155, Seljuk Sultan
Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II ( 1ca, قِلِج اَرسلان دوم) or ʿIzz ad-Dīn Kilij Arslān ibn Masʿūd ( fa, عز الدین قلج ارسلان بن مسعود) ( Modern Turkish ''Kılıç Arslan'', meaning "Sword Lion") was a Seljuk Sultan of Rû ...
attacked Melik Yaghibasan, who sought help from
Nur ad-Din, the
Zengid
The Zengid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Oghuz Turkic origin, which ruled parts of the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia on behalf of the Seljuk Empire and eventually seized control of Egypt in 1169. In 1174 the Zengid state extended from Tripoli ...
emir of
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
. However, when Nur ad-Din died in 1174, the Sivas lands were incorporated into the Sultanate.
Following the death of Fahreddin in a riding accident in 1172, he was succeeded by his brother Afridun.
[''Danishmendids'', I. Melikoff, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, ed. B. Lewis, C. Pellat and J. Schacht, (Brill, 1986), 111.] By 1175, Nasreddin Muhammed was back in power, and ruled as a Seljuk vassal.
In 1178,
Malatya
Malatya ( hy, Մալաթիա, translit=Malat'ya; Syro-Aramaic ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ku, Meletî; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a large city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city h ...
was occupied which marked the end of the Danishmend rule, while the remaining Danishmends joined Seljuk service.
Culture and legend
Danishmend Gazi, the founder of the dynasty, is the central figure of a posthumous romance epic, ''Danishmendnâme'', in which he is misidentified with an 8th-century Arab warrior, Sidi Battal Gazi, and their exploits intertwined.
Virtually all Danishmend rulers entered the traditions of the
Turkish folk literature
Turkish folk literature is an oral tradition deeply rooted, in its form, in Central Asian nomadic traditions. However, in its themes, Turkish folk literature reflects the problems peculiar to a settling (or settled) people who have abandoned the ...
, where they are all referred to as "Melik Gazi". Hence, there are "tombs of Melik Gazi", many of which are much visited shrines and belong in fact to different Danishmend rulers, in the cities of
Niksar
Niksar, historically known as Neocaesarea (Νεοκαισάρεια), is a city in Tokat Province, Turkey. It was settled by many empires, being once the capital city of the province. Niksar is known as "Çukurova of the North-Anatolia" due to i ...
,
Bünyan
Bünyan is a town and a district of Kayseri Province in Central Anatolia, Turkey.
History
Evidence that the history of Bunyan is very old can be understood from the existing caves and ruins in the villages near the district. It is understood t ...
,
Kırşehir, along the
River Zamantı near the castle of the same name (
Zamantı) and elsewhere in
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, and
Melikgazi
Melikgazi, in Byzantine Empire, Byzantine times known as Tzamandos, is a metropolitan district of Kayseri in the Central Anatolia Region, Turkey, Central Anatolia region of Turkey.
History
In 1065, the town was given among other lands in the re ...
is also the name of one of the central districts of the city of
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 ...
. The same uniformity in appellations in popular parlance may also apply to other edifices built by Danishmends.
The official title of the Danishmendids was ''Grand Melik of All
Rum
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...
and the East'', was always inscribed in the local currency in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, indication of Byzantine influence. The Danishmend's coins, along with being bilingual, included an image of a figure slaying a dragon, thought to represent St. George.
[''Christian Elements in the Identity of the Anatolian Turkmens (12th-13th Centuries)'', Rustam Shukurov, Cristianità d'occidente e cristianità d'oriente (secoli VI-XI), CISAM. Spoleto, 2004), 707-64; ''Khidr and the Changing Frontiers of the Medieval World'', Ethel Sara Wolper, Confronting the Borders of Medieval Art, ed. Jill Caskey, Adam S. Cohen, Linda Safran, (Brill, 2011), 136.]
Rulers
See also
*
Sultanate of Rûm
*
Anatolian beyliks
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
"Turkmen Ruling Dynasties in Asia Minor"*
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danishmends
Anatolian beyliks
1178 disestablishments
States and territories established in 1071
Crusades
History of Sivas
History of Kayseri Province
History of Malatya Province
History of Sivas Province
History of Tokat Province
Danishmend dynasty