Suleiman Shah I ibn Qutalmish (; 1ca, سُلَیمانشاہ بن قُتَلمِش; fa, سلیمان بن قتلمش) founded an independent Seljuk Turkish state in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

and ruled as Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1077 until his death in 1086.

Life

Suleiman was the son of

Qutalmish Qutalmish ibn Arslan ( 1ca, قُتَلمِش, fa, قتلمش) (alternative spellings: Qutalmis, Kutalmish, ) was a Turkic prince who was a member of Seljukid house in the 11th century. His son Kutalmışoğlu Suleiman, founded the Sultanate of R ...

, who had struggled unsuccessfully against his cousin

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 ...

for the throne of the Great Seljuk Empire. When Qutalmish died in 1064, Suleiman fled with his three brothers into the

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğird ...

and there sought refuge with Turkmen tribes living beyond the borders of the empire. Alp Arslan responded by launching a series of punitive expeditions against them. Of the four brothers, Suleiman alone with his brother Mansur survived the raids and was able to consolidate his leadership of the Turkmen.

Founding his realm

According to the chronicler Al-Azimi, Suleiman captured

Nicaea Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and s ...

in 1075. Based on this date, some historians accepted that the Anatolian Seljuk State was founded on this date, and others between 1078-1081. Thereupon, sultan

Malik-Shah I Jalāl al-Dawla Mu'izz al-Dunyā Wa'l-Din Abu'l-Fatḥ ibn Alp Arslān (8 August 1055 – 19 November 1092, full name: fa, ), better known by his regnal name of Malik-Shah I ( fa, ), was the third sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire from 1072 t ...

recognized him as a ruler of Rum, while the

Abbasid caliph The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The family came ...

Al-Qa'im sent him a

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 co ...

(edict) and a khalat for his success. There is no single record of him minting coins and delivering a khutbah (sermon) in his own name. For this reason, it can be said that he was still subject to the Great Seljuk Empire. As a matter of fact, there are clear statements in various sources about his subjection to Malik-Shah I. In 1078, the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

emperor

Michael VII Michael VII Doukas or Ducas ( gr, Μιχαήλ Δούκας), nicknamed Parapinakes ( gr, Παραπινάκης, lit. "minus a quarter", with reference to the devaluation of the Byzantine currency under his rule), was the senior Byzantine e ...

sought the help of Suleiman against Nicephorus Botaneiates, the commander of the Anatolic Theme, who had challenged the emperor for the throne. Suleiman intercepted Botaneiates' small force between Cotyaeum and

, whereupon the usurper persuaded Suleiman and Mansur to join his rebellion by offering him incentives superior to those of the emperor. Nicephorus' bid for power was successful, and in return for their support Suleiman's Turkmen were allowed to settle on the Asiatic side of the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

, near

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

itself. Two years later, Suleiman lent his support to another pretender, Nicephorus Melissenus. It was the latter Nicephorus who opened the gates of

to the Turkmen, allowing Suleiman to establish a permanent base. All

Bithynia Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwe ...

was soon under Suleiman's control, a circumstance which allowed him to restrict communication between Constantinople and the former Byzantine subjects in

. In 1084, Suleiman left Nicaea, leaving his kinsman Abu'l Qasim in charge. That same year, he captured

Antakya Antakya (), historically known as Antioch ( el, Ἀντιόχεια; hy, Անտիոք, Andiok), is the capital of Hatay Province, the southernmost province of Turkey. The city is located in a well-watered and fertile valley on the Orontes River, ...

, massacred its inhabitants, stole the treasures of the church of St. Cassianus, and converted the church into a mosque. Following Suleiman's capture of Antakya, the

Uqaylid The Uqaylid dynasty () was a Shia Arab dynasty with several lines that ruled in various parts of Al-Jazira, northern Syria and Iraq in the late tenth and eleventh centuries. The main line, centered in Mosul, ruled from 990 to 1096. History Rise ...

Muslim ibn Quraysh demanded tribute. Suleiman refused, which was followed by border raids by both sides. In 1085,

Muslim ibn Quraysh Abu'l-Makarim Muslim ibn Qirwash ( ar, أبو المكارم مسلم بن قرواش) also known by the honorific title Sharaf al-Dawla (), was the Uqaylid emir of Mosul and Aleppo. He died in June 1085. History Muslim's father Qirwash ...

marched an army to besiege Antakya, Suleiman intercepted him and defeated Muslim after the latter's army suffered the defection of Turkmen under the command of Cubuk bey.

His death

In 1086, Suleiman, seeking to expand his dominion, placed

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

under siege and demanded its surrender. The emir of Aleppo sent a message to Tutush I, the Seljuk ruler of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, stating he would hand the city over to him. Suleiman, hearing of the approach of Tutush's forces, raised the siege and marched to meet him. In the battle of Ain Salm near

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

, Suleiman attacked Tutush but his forces fled before Tutush's army under

Artuk Bey Zaheer-ul-Daulah Artuk Beg, known as Artuk Bey, was a Turkmen commander of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century, chief of the Oghuz tribe of Döğer, and eponymous founder of the Artuqid dynasty. His father's name was Eksük. He was the Se ...

and Suleiman was killed. Malik-Shah marched to Antakya, where Suleiman's vizier surrendered both the city and Suleiman's son, Kilij Arslan I. Malik Shah transferred Kilij to

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Region, Isfahan Province, Iran. It is lo ...

as a hostage. Upon the death of Malik-Shah I, Kilij Arslan I re-established the

Sultanate of Rûm fa, سلجوقیان روم () , status = , government_type = Hereditary monarchyTriarchy (1249–1254)Diarchy (1257–1262) , year_start = 1077 , year_end = 1308 , p1 = B ...

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Suleiman 01 Of Rum 11th-century births 1086 deaths Sultans of Rum Byzantine–Seljuk wars 11th-century Turkic people Founding monarchs