Mehmet I of Karaman ( tr, Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey), also known as Şemseddin Mehmet, was the second bey of

Karaman Beylik The Karamanids ( tr, Karamanoğulları or ), also known as the Emirate of Karaman and Beylik of Karaman ( tr, Karamanoğulları Beyliği), was one of the Anatolian beyliks, centered in South-Central Anatolia around the present-day Karaman Pro ...

, a Turkish principality in Anatolia in the 13th century. His father was

Karaman Bey Karaman, historically known as Laranda (Greek: Λάρανδα), is a city in south central Turkey, located in Central Anatolia, north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the capital district of the Karaman Province. According to ...

Life

After the death of his father around 1261, Mehmet collaborated with the governor of

Niğde Niğde (; grc, Νίγδη; Hittite: Nahita, Naxita) is a city and the capital of Niğde province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey at an elevation of 1,299 m. In 2017 the city population was 141,010 people. The city is small with plenty ...

to start a rebellion against the Mongols who were the

suzerain Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is calle ...

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 ...

lands. However, after the governor of Niğde was killed by the Mongols, Mehmet lost his capital Ermenek. Nevertheless, Mehmet continued fighting, and in 1276 he defeated the combined forces of Mongols and Seljuks in a surprise attack in the

Göksu River The Göksu ( Turkish for "sky water" also called ''Geuk Su'', ''Goksu Nehri''; la, Saleph, grc, Καλύκαδνος, translit=Calycadnus) is a river on the Taşeli plateau (Turkey). Both its sources arise in the Taurus Mountains—the northern ...

valley. Next year he allied himself with

Baybars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( ar, الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Dīn Baybars al-Bunduqdārī'') (1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), of Turkic Kipchak ...

Mamluks 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 ...

. In May he captured Konya, the Seljuk capital. But instead of declaring himself as the sultan he supported his puppet Jimri as sultan, and in turn Jimri appointed him as vizier of the Seljuks on 12 May 1277.Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University page
/ref> As vizier Mehmet issued his famous

firman A firman ( fa, , translit=farmân; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods they were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The word firman com ...

(decree) ordering the Turkish language to be used instead of Persian and Arabic in government offices. But his service term in Konya lasted only about a month. Hearing news of the approaching Mongol army, both Mehmet and Jimri fled from Konya. But the Mongols chased him, and during a clash in Mut Mehmet and his two sons were executed in August 1277. He was succeeded by his brother Güneri.

Firman

Mehmet is known as a devotee of the Turkish language. During his brief term as a vizier, he issued a

dated 13 May 1277: , :''Şimden girü hiç kimesne kapuda ve divanda ve mecalis ve seyranda Türki dilinden gayri dil söylemeye.''Culture and Tourism Ministry Karaman page
, :''From now on nobody in the palace, in the divan, council and on walks speak no language other than Turkish.''

Legacy

The university of Karaman city is named after him.(see Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University)

References

{{Authority control Karamanids 1277 deaths Year of birth unknown Turkic rulers 13th-century monarchs in the Middle East Ethnic Afshar people

Life

Firman

Legacy

See also

References