Nizamettin Yağıbasan, or simply Yağıbasan (meaning "enemy raider" or "smashing the enemy") was the sixth ruler of

Danishmendids The Danishmendids or Danishmends ( fa, دودمان دانشمند; tr, Dânişmendliler) was a Turkish beylik that ruled in north-central and eastern Anatolia from 1071/1075 to 1178. The dynasty centered originally around Sivas, Tokat, and N ...

and the uncle of Melik Zünnun.

Background

After Alp Arslan of

Seljukids The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...

defeated 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 ...

army in the battle of Manzikert in 1071, a series of Turkmen beyliks (principalities) were formed 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 ...

before Anatolia was united by the Sultanate of Rum. Danishmends was one of the most important ones. Following the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic r ...

they dominated even on the Seljukids.

Civil war

Yağıbasan was the grandson of Gazi Gümüshtigin and son of

Emir Gazi Emir Gazi or known as Emir Melikgazi was the third ruler of Danishmendids and the elder son of Gazi Gümüshtigin. Life After Gazi Gümüshtigin's death, the country was divided into two. Emir Gazi ruled Sivas and surrounding, while his brothe ...

. Emir Gazi died in 1146 in Kayseri. His elder son Zinnun in Kayseri succeeded him. However, he was derecognized by Yağıbasan who was residing in

Sivas Sivas (Latin and Greek: ''Sebastia'', ''Sebastea'', Σεβάστεια, Σεβαστή, ) is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province. The city, which lies at an elevation of in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river, is ...

.History page
/ref> After a further partition by a third brother in

Malatya Malatya ( hy, Մալաթիա, translit=Malat'ya; Syro-Aramaic ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ku, Meletî; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a large city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city h ...

, the Danishment power began to decline.

Mesut I Rukn al-Dīn Mesud ibn Kilij Arslan or Mesud I (Modern tr, I. Rükneddin Mesud or ''Masud'' () was the sultan of the Sultanate of Rûm from 1116 until his death in 1156. Reign Following the defeat and death of his father Kilij Arslan fighting a ...

of the Seljuks saw his chance to end the Danishmend dominance in

. He captured Sivas and in 1150 Yağıbasan agreed to be a vassal of the Seljuks.Prof.Yaşar Yücel-Prof Ali Sevim:''Türkiye tarihi Cilt I'', AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, 1991, pp 172

Wars against the Seljuks and the Artukids

In 1155, Mesut died and was succeeded by Kılıç Arslan II. Yağıbasan allied himself with the other Danishmend rulers and attacked Kılıç Arslan to gain the former status of the beylik. But in the battle of Aksaray he was defeated. Nevertheless, soon with the help of the

Byzantine Empire 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 ...

, he was able to capture

Elbistan Elbistan ( 1ca, Ablasta, Ablastayn, Ablastin, Ablistan;Aksüt, Ali"''On the Alevism of Elbistan, Nurhak, Ekinozu and Afsin - Elbistan Nurhak Ekinözü Afşin Aleviliği Üzerine - Zum Alevitentum in Elbistan, Nurhak, Ekinözü und Afşin''"- Alevi ...

from the Seljuks. He continued his campaigns and plundered several forts of the Artukids. By this policy he was caught in between the Seljuks and the Artukids. But, Seljuks of Syria reconciled them.

Death

Yağıbasan died in 1164. He was succeeded by Melik Mucahid Gazi.

Medreses of Yağıbasan

In Tokat, there is a

medrese Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

commissioned by Yağıbasan. The square plan medrese had been constructed in 1151.Official Vaqf page
/ref> There is one other medrese also commissioned by Yağıbasan in

Niksar Niksar, historically known as Neocaesarea (Νεοκαισάρεια), is a city in Tokat Province, Turkey. It was settled by many empires, being once the capital city of the province. Niksar is known as "Çukurova of the North-Anatolia" due to i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yagibasan 1164 deaths Turkic rulers People from Sivas Danishmend dynasty 12th-century Turkic people