Muzaffar al-Din Qizil Arslan Uthman ( fa, مظفر الدین قزل ارسلان عثمان), better known as Qizil Arslan (), was the ruler (''
atabeg'') of the
Eldiguzids
The Ildegizids, EldiguzidsC.E. Bosworth, "Ildenizids or Eldiguzids", Encyclopaedia of Islam, Edited by P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs et al., Encyclopædia of Islam, 2nd Edition., 12 vols. with index ...
from 1186 to 1191. He was the brother and successor of
Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan
Nusrat al-Din Muhammad ibn Ildeniz ( fa, نصرت الدین محمد بن ایل دنیز), better known as Muhammad Jahan-Pahlavan (, "Muhammad, the champion of the world"), was the ruler (''atabeg'') of the Eldiguzids from 1175 to 1186. He was ...
, and was later succeeded by his nephew
Nusrat al-Din Abu Bakr
Nusrat al-Din Abu Bakr ( fa, نصرت الدین ابوبکر), was the ruler (''atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarc ...
.
Background
Qizil Arslan was the son of
Eldiguz
Shams al-Din Ildeniz, Eldigüz or Shamseddin Eldeniz ( fa, اتابک شمسالدین ایلدگز, died c. 1175–1176) was an atabeg of the Seljuq empire and founder of the dynasty of Eldiguzids, atabegs of Azerbaijan, which held sway over ...
, a former
Kipchak military slave of the
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 ...
, who rose to prominence and established the Eldiguzid dynasty, and from 1160 had managed to make the Seljuk Sultan of western Iran his puppet, thus taking control over most of western Iran. However, during the reign of his son and successor,
Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan
Nusrat al-Din Muhammad ibn Ildeniz ( fa, نصرت الدین محمد بن ایل دنیز), better known as Muhammad Jahan-Pahlavan (, "Muhammad, the champion of the world"), was the ruler (''atabeg'') of the Eldiguzids from 1175 to 1186. He was ...
(r. 1175–1186), the dynasty was weakened and lost many of its territories, retaining only control of
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 t ...
and
Arran. During this period, Qizil Arslan was in charge of
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 ...
and its surroundings.
Reign
Qizil Arslan ascended the throne in 1186 after Jahan Pahlavan's death, and assumed the title of ''
al-Malik al-Mu'azzam'' ("the respected king"). However, Qizil Arslan immediately came in a conflict with a faction under the leadership of Jahan Pahlavan's widow Inanj Khatun who supported their two sons. Meanwhile, the Seljuk sultan
Toghrul III
Toghrul III ( fa, طغرل سوم) (died 1194) was the last sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire and the last Seljuk Sultan of Iraq. His great uncle Sultan Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud (1134–1152) had appointed Shams ad-Din Eldiguz (1135/36–1175) as a ...
(r. 1176-1194), who had been a mere figurehead under Jahan Pahlavan, freed himself from the grip of the Eldiguzids and withstood them until he was seized by Qizil Arslan's men in 1190, and shortly afterwards imprisoned.
At the same time, the central power began to get weaker as mamluks, who had strengthened their dominance in their areas, did not want to obey the Sultan. Even
Shirvanshah Akhsitan I
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 Georg ...
who used to be Atabegs’ liegeman attempted to intervene the interior affairs of the Eldiguzids and opposed Qizil Arslan's aspiration to the throne. In the response to this, Qizil Arslan invaded
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 ...
in 1191, reached to
Derbent
Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It i ...
and subordinated the whole
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 ...
to his authority. In 1191
Toghrul III
Toghrul III ( fa, طغرل سوم) (died 1194) was the last sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire and the last Seljuk Sultan of Iraq. His great uncle Sultan Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud (1134–1152) had appointed Shams ad-Din Eldiguz (1135/36–1175) as a ...
, the last
Seljuq ruler was overthrown by Qizil Arslan.
Qizil Arslan initially declared the newborn Seljuk prince Sanjar ibn Suleiman-Shah as sultan, but then chose to declare himself as sultan. The following year, however, he was found murdered on his bed, most likely at the instigation of Inanj Khatun. Qizil Arslan's nephew,
Nusrat al-Din Abu Bakr
Nusrat al-Din Abu Bakr ( fa, نصرت الدین ابوبکر), was the ruler (''atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarc ...
, instantly took action after his uncle's death, and ascended the Eldiguzid throne, whilst Inanj Khatun and her two sons were fighting over the control of
Persian Iraq
Persian Iraq, also uncommonly spelled Persian Irak ( fa, عراقِ عجم ''Erāq-e Ajam(i)''; ar, عراق العجم Irāq al-'Ajam'' or Irāq 'Ajami''), is a historical region of the western parts of Iran.
The region, originally known ...
with Tughril III, who had managed to escape from imprisonment with the help of
Kamal al-Din Abhari.
Court life
Like the rest of the Eldiguzids, Qizil Arslan was an advocate of
Persian culture
The culture of Iran () or culture of PersiaYarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) is among the most influential in the world. Iran, also known as Persia, is widely considered to be one of the cradles of civilization. Due t ...
and
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
. The poet
Athir al-Din Akhsikati, who played a prominent role in the history of Persian poetry, replaced
Mujir al-Din Baylaqani as Qizil Arslan's court poet. The prominent 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 ...
, who had moved from
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 ...
to Tabriz, also became acquainted with Qizil Arslan, and composed poems appreciating the latter. Another poet,
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 ...
, who is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, dedicated his
Khosrow and Shirin
Khosrow and Shirin ( fa, خسرو و شیرین) is the title of a famous tragic romance by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209), who also wrote Layla and Majnun. It tells a highly elaborated fictional version of the story of the love ...
first to Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan, and then later to Qizil Arslan.
Notes
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Qizil Arslan
12th-century monarchs in the Middle East
1191 deaths
12th-century births
12th-century Turkic people
Eldiguzids