Sultan Shah ibn Radwan (1108 – after 1124/25) was the last

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 ...

sultan of Aleppo The rulers of Aleppo ruled as kings, emirs and sultans of the city and its surrounding region since the later half of the 3rd millennium BC, starting with the kings of Armi, followed by the Amorite dynasty of Yamhad. Muslim rule of the city end ...

from 1114 to 1118, son of Ridwan, Emir of Aleppo.

Biography

Sultan Shah was born in 1108, to Ridwan, Emir of Aleppo from 1095 to 1113, and one of his wives. His older brother

Alp Arslan Alp Arslan was the second Sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty. He greatly expanded the Seljuk territory and consolidated his power, defeating rivals to the south and northwest, and his v ...

succeeded their father in 1113, killing two of his brothers. It is unclear why six-year-old Sultan Shah escaped the massacre. Alp Arslan quickly presented the characteristics of a bloodthirsty, mad and debauched tyrant, only his eunuch

Lu'lu' al-Yaya Luʾluʾ al-Yaya, also called al-Bābā or al-Khādim ("the Eunuch"), was the regent of the Seljuk sultanate of Aleppo from AD 1113 ( AH 507) until his assassination in 1117 (510). He was the ''atabeg'' (father-lord) of the underage sultans. Previ ...

still dared to approach him, but fearing for his life, he murdered Alp Arslan in his sleep in September 1114. In order to retain power, Lu'lu' placed Alp Arslan's younger brother, Sultan Shah, on the throne. However, the situation with the crusaders was dire, as

Roger of Salerno Roger of Salerno (or Roger of the Principate) (died June 28, 1119) was regent of the Principality of Antioch from 1112 to 1119. He was the son of Richard of the Principate and the 2nd cousin of Tancred, Prince of Galilee, both participants on the ...

, regent of Antioch, demanded a tax from Aleppo on each Muslim pilgrim going to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

, which pushed the Alepine population to the limit, in addition Lu'lu' was assassinated by the soldiers of his escort in April 1117. The qadi of the city,

Ibn al-Khashshab Abu'l-Faḍl (Abu'l-Hasan) ibn al-Khashshab ( ar, أبوالفضل (أبوالحسن) بن الخشاب; died 1125) was the Shi'i ''qadi'' and ''rais'' of Aleppo during the rule of the Seljuk emir Radwan. His family, the Banu'l-Khashshab, were w ...

, aware that Aleppo was under constant threat from the Franks, explained to the notables that the security of Aleppo was permanently compromised, hence he proposed that they entrust the city to a capable Turcoman leader,

Ilghazi Najm ad-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (died November 8, 1122) was the Turkmen Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He was born into the Oghuz tribe of Döğer. Biography His father Artuk Bey was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had be ...

. The latter advanced to take possession of the city during the summer of 1118 and married a daughter of Ridwan, meanwhile Sultan Shah went into exile. Sultan Shah was mentioned for the last time in 1124. Ilghazi was succeeded by his nephew

Belek Ghazi Belek Ghazi (''Nuruddevle Belek'' or ''Balak'') was a Turkish bey in the early 12th century. Early life His father was Behram and his grandfather was Artuk Bey, an important figure of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century. He was a short-term ...

, who wanted to spearhead the Muslim reconquest, but whose ambitions worried the other Syrian emirs, then

Timurtash Ala ud-Din Timurtash (died 1328; also Temürtaš or Timür-Tash, tr, Demirtaş Noyan) was a member of the Chupanid family who dominated politics in the final years of the Ilkhanate. Early life He was born to Chupan as his second son . Timurtas ...

, son of Ilghazi. The Syrian emirs wanted to permanently eliminate the danger posed by Aleppo and formed a coalition with King

Baldwin II of Jerusalem Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to the ...

, in which they besieged Aleppo. Sultan Shah participated in this siege, hoping to recover his throne. However, the natives rejected Timurtash, who lost interest in the fight against the Franks and settled in

Mardin Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...

, abandoning Aleppo, as he found that there were too many wars against the Franks, according to

Ibn al-Athir Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ash-Shaybānī, better known as ʿAlī ʿIzz ad-Dīn Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī ( ar, علي عز الدین بن الاثیر الجزري) lived 1160–1233) was an Arab or Kurdish historian a ...

, and offered the city to the atabeg 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 ...

Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi Qasīm al-Dawla Sayf al-Dīn Abū Saʿīd Āqsunqur al-Bursuqī (), also known as Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, Aqsonqor il-Bursuqi, Aksunkur al-Bursuki, Aksungur or al-Borsoki, was the atabeg of Mosul from 1113–1114 and again from 1124–1126. Accessi ...

. Upon hearing of al-Bursuqi's arrival, the attackers lifted the siege on 25 January 1125. Therefore, the Seljuks' rule over Aleppo came to an end.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Seljuk dynasty 1108 births 12th-century deaths Seljuk dynasty Sultans of Aleppo