Malik Shah (,, ), also known as Şâhinşah () was the

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm between the years 1110 and 1116.

Reign

Prior to Malik Shah's accession, the throne had remained vacant for three years following the death of Kilij Arslan I in 1107. Malik Shah was held prisoner in

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

until 1110 when he returned to

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

to assume the throne. Shortly before his death he was defeated by the

Byzantine emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

Alexios Komnenos at the Battle of Philomelion. Malik Shah then signed a treaty with the emperor, allegedly agreeing to let the Byzantines take back all their land in Anatolia, but the treaty was nullified after Malik Shah was deposed, blinded and eventually murdered by his brother Mesud, who succeeded him as sultan. The loss of prestige suffered by Malik Shah due to his defeat by the Byzantines probably precipitated his fall.Birkenmeier, p.79 footnote Malik Shah was described by Anna Komnena as a fool who often ignored the strategies of his more experienced generals, to the point where he mocked and criticized his generals.

References

Bibliography

* * 12th-century sultans of Rum 1116 deaths Byzantine–Seljuk wars Year of birth unknown {{Turkey-bio-stub