Beylik of Dilmaç (Dimleç or Demleç) was a small principality () in East Anatolia (part of modern
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
) founded in the 11th century .
After the battle of Malazgirt in 1071, the victorious Turkoman tribes led by ghazi warriors began to settle in Anatolia. One of these warriors was Dilmaç oğlu Mehmet (son of Dilmaç). After the
Great Seljuk Empire
The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. The empire spanned a total area of from Anatolia and the Levant ...
conquered the city of
Bitlis
Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.ikta i.e., nonheritable property in 1085. After conquering nearby town of Erzen (now a hamlet), Mehmet died in 1104. During the reign of his son Togan Arslan, the beylik was no more a vassal of Great Seljuk Empire. In the early years of his reign, Togan Arslan accepted the suzerainty of Artukids and together with Artukids, participated in a number of military operations against
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...
, the most important being
Battle of Ager Sanguinis
In the Battle of ''Ager Sanguinis'', also known as the Battle of the Field of Blood, the Battle of Sarmada, or the Battle of Balat, Roger of Salerno's Crusader army of the Principality of Antioch was annihilated by the army of Ilghazi of Mard ...
in 1119 where
Roger of Salerno
Roger of Salerno (or Roger of the Principate) ( 1080 – 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 o ...
lost his life.Prof.Yaşar Yücel-Prof Ali Sevim:''Türkiye tarihi Cilt I'', AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, 1991, pp 160 After securing independence he also had to fight against other Turkic beyliks like Sökmenli and former suzerain Artukids to defend Bitlis from attacks. After Togan's death (1134 ?) his successors fought against
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and
Danishmends
The Danishmendids or Danishmends () were a Turkish dynasty. These terms also refer to the Turkish Anatolian Beyliks, state in Anatolia. It existed from 1071/1075 to 1178 and is also known as the Danishmendid Beylik (). The dynasty was centered or ...
. As the small principalities were replaced by greater powers the beylik had to accept the suzerainty of
Ayyubids
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish ori ...
Ilkhanids
The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...
, and
Timur
Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...
. After the return of Timur, Akkoyunlu Turcomans captured all of their territory probably around the 1410s.