Qara Iskandar ( az, قارا اسکندر, italic=no; ) ruled the
Qara Qoyunlu
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu ( az, Qaraqoyunlular , fa, قره قویونلو), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, Eng ...
or Black Sheep
Turcoman tribe from 1420 to 1436. His struggles with the
Timurid Timurid refers to those descended from Timur (Tamerlane), a 14th-century conqueror:
* Timurid dynasty, a dynasty of Turco-Mongol lineage descended from Timur who established empires in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent
** Timurid Empire of C ...
ruler
Shah Rukh
Shah Rukh or Shahrukh ( fa, شاهرخ, ''Šāhrokh'') (20 August 1377 – 13 March 1447) was the ruler of the Timurid Empire between 1405 and 1447.
He was the son of the Central Asian conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), who founded the Timurid dynas ...
show that he was a brave leader, but he was not able to continue developing what he inherited from his father
Qara Yusuf
''Abu Nasr'' Qara Yusuf ibn Mohammad Barani ( az, Qara Yusif ; c. 1356 – 1420) was the ruler of the Qara Qoyunlu dynasty (or "Black Sheep Turkomans") from c.1388 to 1420, although his reign was interrupted by Tamerlane's invasion (1400–1405 ...
and his reign saw the decline and attenuation of the Qara Qoyunlu.
During Qara Yusuf's reign
Details about his early years is not known, including where and when he was born. He was third son of
Qara Yusuf
''Abu Nasr'' Qara Yusuf ibn Mohammad Barani ( az, Qara Yusif ; c. 1356 – 1420) was the ruler of the Qara Qoyunlu dynasty (or "Black Sheep Turkomans") from c.1388 to 1420, although his reign was interrupted by Tamerlane's invasion (1400–1405 ...
and a full brother of
Ispend. He was appointed to be a wali of
Kirkuk
Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
and his first appearance was in 1416, where he defeated
Qara Osman
Uthman Beg or Osman Beg ( az, Qara Yuluq Osman Bəy; tr, Kara Yülük Osman Bey; 1356 – 1435) was a late 14th and early 15th-century leader of the Turkoman tribal federation of Aq Qoyunlu in what is now eastern Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and Ira ...
when he was besieging
Erzincan
Erzincan (; ku, Erzîngan), historically Yerznka ( hy, Երզնկա), is the capital of Erzincan Province in Eastern Turkey. Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elazığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. The ...
.
Succession
Qara Yusuf's death in 1420 left his sons
Ispend bin Yusuf Ispend, Aspand or Isfahan was the son of Qara Yusuf and ruled over Baghdad and its environs for twelve years.
During reign of Qara Yusuf
His first mention was in 1410, when he commanded left flank of Kara Koyunlu army against Ahmad Jalayir. He w ...
, Iskander,
Jahan Shah
''Muzaffar al-Din'' Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf (1397 in Khoy or 1405 in Mardin – 30 October or 11 November 1467 in Bingöl) ( fa, جهان شاه; az, Cahanşah ) was the leader of the Qara Qoyunlu Oghuz Turkic tribal confederacy in Azerbaijan and Ar ...
and Abu Abu Said fighting over the succession. The Sa’dlu tribe, one of the main sub-tribes of the Qara Qoyunlu, declared Ispend who was in Chokhur-e Sa'd province at that time as their new chief. Abu Sa’id had to flee and
Jahan Shah
''Muzaffar al-Din'' Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf (1397 in Khoy or 1405 in Mardin – 30 October or 11 November 1467 in Bingöl) ( fa, جهان شاه; az, Cahanşah ) was the leader of the Qara Qoyunlu Oghuz Turkic tribal confederacy in Azerbaijan and Ar ...
went to Baghdad. Iskander on the other hand was supported by his brother Shah Muhammad (Qara Qoyunlu), Shah Muhammad who was governing Baghdad at that time.
Soon Iskandar was crowned on 2 July 1421 with Qara Qoyunlu amirs Amir Qara and Qadam Pasha in
Alinja Tower
The Alinja Tower, also known as Alinjagala or Alinja-gala ( az, Əlincə qalası)—earlier, up to the 14th century, known as the Armenian fortress Yernjak«Крепость Ернджак (Алинджа-кала)» /Бюллетень Кавка ...
.
Soon Ispend also swore fealty to him and they joined together to fight the
Aq Qoyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu ( az, Ağqoyunlular , ) was a culturally Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''Military Transition in Early Modern Asia, 1400–1750'', (Bloomsbury, 2014), 38; "Post-Mongol Persia and Iraq were ruled by two tribal confederations: Akkoyunlu (Wh ...
who were invading from the west, and defeated them.
Timurid invasions
The Timurid
Shah Rukh
Shah Rukh or Shahrukh ( fa, شاهرخ, ''Šāhrokh'') (20 August 1377 – 13 March 1447) was the ruler of the Timurid Empire between 1405 and 1447.
He was the son of the Central Asian conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), who founded the Timurid dynas ...
took advantage of the weakened state of the Qara Qoyunlu to invade their land, crossing the Aras River and battling the forces of Iskander and Ispend at Yakhsi (28 July 1421 - 1 August 1421). Timurid forces were almost defeated when Amir Shahmalik cut heads of two slain soldiers and tricked both into thinking his brother was killed.
Iskander's forces retreated to Kirkuk.
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh briefly occupied
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
and
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
but then withdrew once more to
Khorasan
Khorasan may refer to:
* Greater Khorasan, a historical region which lies mostly in modern-day northern/northwestern Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
* Khorasan Province, a pre-2004 province of Ira ...
, appointing
Qara Osman
Uthman Beg or Osman Beg ( az, Qara Yuluq Osman Bəy; tr, Kara Yülük Osman Bey; 1356 – 1435) was a late 14th and early 15th-century leader of the Turkoman tribal federation of Aq Qoyunlu in what is now eastern Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and Ira ...
's son
Jalaladdin Ali beg as his viceroy. At this point, Ispend quickly re-occupied
Nakhchivan and
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
. However Iskander followed him and fought with him, taking the city and establishing himself as sole ruler of the Qara Qoyunlu.
End of first reign
Having secured his rule in Azerbaijan, he quickly made punitive expeditions against local rulers. Firstly defeating and killing Kurdish emir Malik Muhammad and his 20.000 strong army in
Hakkari Hakkari or Hakkâri may refer to:
*Hakkari (historical region), a historical region in modern-day Turkey and Iraq
*Hakkâri (city), a city and the capital of Hakkâri Province, Turkey
*Hakkâri Province
Hakkâri Province (, tr, Hakkâri ili, ...
. Hearing this regional rulers - namely Malik Sharaf-al Din of
Akhlat
Ahlat ( ku, Xelat, ) is a town and district in Turkey's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. From 1929 to 1936, it was a district of Van Province. The town of Ahlat is situated on the northwestern shore of Lake Van. The mayor is Abdulalim M ...
,
Qara Osman
Uthman Beg or Osman Beg ( az, Qara Yuluq Osman Bəy; tr, Kara Yülük Osman Bey; 1356 – 1435) was a late 14th and early 15th-century leader of the Turkoman tribal federation of Aq Qoyunlu in what is now eastern Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and Ira ...
and some Kurdhish chiefs made an alliance and marched on
Ardabil
Ardabil (, fa, اردبیل, Ardabīl or ''Ardebīl'') is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of Ardabil Province. As of the 2022 census, Ardabil's population was 588,000. The dominant majority in the city are ethnic Iranian Azerbaija ...
unsuccessfully. Sharaf-al Din was executed on spot. In 1425 brothers of
Khalilullah I
Khalilullah I ( fa, خلیل الله یکم), also known as Sultan-Khalil (), was the Shirvanshah (king of Shirvan) from 1418 to 1465. He was the son and successor of Ibrahim I (). He was succeeded by his son Farrukh Yasar.
Reign
After the dea ...
- Keygobad, Ishaq and Hashim - revolted in Shirvan, shah requested help from Qara Iskander. He used this opportunity to lay waste and raid Shirvan, also in response of Khalilullah's support to Shah Rukh back in 1421. Later he made another punitive expedition on Khwaja Yusuf, a governor of
Soltaniyeh
Soltaniyeh ( fa, سلطانيه, also Romanized as Solţānīyeh, Solţāneyyeh, Sultaniye, and Sultānīyeh; also known as Sa‘īdīyeh; ) is the capital city of Soltaniyeh District of Soltaniyeh County, Zanjan Province, northwestern Iran.
...
appointed by Shah Rukh in 1428.
When news reached Shah Rukh, he sent Emir Aliya Kukaltash in 1428 to the region. He himself commanded a 100,000 strong army in 1429 and arrived in
Salmas
Salmas ( fa, سلماس; ; ; ; syr, ܣܵܠܵܡܵܣ, Salamas) is the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. It is located northwest of Lake Urmia, near Turkey. According to the 2019 census, the city's population is 127,864. ...
. Qara Iskander's half brother Abu Said withdrew in the midst of the battle and submitted to Shah Rukh on 18 September 1429. This serious blow to Iskander forced the Qara Qoyunlu to retreat back to the
Diyar Bakr
Diyar Bakr ( ar, دِيَارُ بَكرٍ, Diyār Bakr, abode of Bakr) is the medieval Arabic name of the northernmost of the three provinces of the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia), the other two being Diyar Mudar and Diyar Rabi'a. According to the m ...
.
Shah Rukh occupied Tabriz and installed Abu Said as ruling prince of the Qara Qoyunlu.
Second reign
Qara Iskander hastily marched on Abu Said in 1431 and killed him, installing himself again as a sole ruler. He appointed his son Yar Ali to govern
Van.
Who was a cruel ruler, heavily taxing
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
. After numerous complaints and his recall to palace, afraid Yar Ali fled to Shirvan, where he was captured and was turned over to Timurids. His first destination was
Herat
Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...
and then
Samarqand
fa, سمرقند
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from the top: Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zin ...
. Furious Iskander made another punitive expedition on
Khalilullah I
Khalilullah I ( fa, خلیل الله یکم), also known as Sultan-Khalil (), was the Shirvanshah (king of Shirvan) from 1418 to 1465. He was the son and successor of Ibrahim I (). He was succeeded by his son Farrukh Yasar.
Reign
After the dea ...
and subsequently devastated Shirvan. Khalilullah appealed to Shah Rukh in turn and asked for assistance, himself travelling to
Rey with his daughter.
Answering the pleads, Shah Rukh once more invaded Qara Qoyunlu and forced Qara Iskander to flee. He was ambushed by
Qara Osman
Uthman Beg or Osman Beg ( az, Qara Yuluq Osman Bəy; tr, Kara Yülük Osman Bey; 1356 – 1435) was a late 14th and early 15th-century leader of the Turkoman tribal federation of Aq Qoyunlu in what is now eastern Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and Ira ...
en route, who was aided by
Muhammad Juki
Muhammad Juki Mirza (1402 – 1445) was a Timurid prince and a son of the Central Asian ruler Shah Rukh. He served as one of his father's military commanders and may have been favoured as his preferred successor. However, he died of illness ...
(son of Shah Rukh) in
Adilcevaz.
Battle was a disaster for
Aq Qoyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu ( az, Ağqoyunlular , ) was a culturally Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''Military Transition in Early Modern Asia, 1400–1750'', (Bloomsbury, 2014), 38; "Post-Mongol Persia and Iraq were ruled by two tribal confederations: Akkoyunlu (Wh ...
, in which Osman was killed. He further fled to
Murad II
Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451.
Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...
, who appointed him as a governor of
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 155,00 ...
, however he declined an gathered his forces to go back to Tabriz.
In 1436 Shah Rukh once more installed a Timurid governor in Tabriz, this time Qara Iskander's brother
Jahan Shah
''Muzaffar al-Din'' Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf (1397 in Khoy or 1405 in Mardin – 30 October or 11 November 1467 in Bingöl) ( fa, جهان شاه; az, Cahanşah ) was the leader of the Qara Qoyunlu Oghuz Turkic tribal confederacy in Azerbaijan and Ar ...
. Iskander marched on Tabriz but was defeated by Jahan Shah at Sufiyan to the north of the city, having been betrayed by some of his emirs - one of them being his nephew Shah Ali (son of Shah Muhammad). He then fled and took refuge in the castle of
Alinja
Alinja (also known as "Alıncak"; az, Əlincə; hy, Երնջակ, Yernjak) is a village and municipality in the Julfa District of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 634. The mausoleum and shrine of the Hurufi Fazlallah are located ...
. Jahan Shah besieged the castle and during the siege Iskander used a last chance to ally with
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 ...
. However he was murdered by his own son Shah Kubad before they reached for help.
Family
Sons:
*
Alvand Mirza[ Sümer 1984, pp.143] - ancestor of
Qutbshahis
* Yar Ali
* Malik Qasim
* Hasan beg
* Shah Qubad - executed on 23 April 1438 by
Jahan Shah
''Muzaffar al-Din'' Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf (1397 in Khoy or 1405 in Mardin – 30 October or 11 November 1467 in Bingöl) ( fa, جهان شاه; az, Cahanşah ) was the leader of the Qara Qoyunlu Oghuz Turkic tribal confederacy in Azerbaijan and Ar ...
.
* Husayn Ali
* Asad
* Rustam
* Tarkhan
* Malik Muhammad
Daughters:
* Arayish begum
* Shahsaray begum
References
Sources
*
*
* Sümer, Faruk (1984). Kara Koyunlular (in Turkish). Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iskandar
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
Qara Qoyunlu rulers