Ghiyath al-Dunya wa'l-Din Abu'l-Fath Mas'ud bin Muhammad ( 1107 – 10 October 1152) was the
Seljuq Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') 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
* S ...
Sultan of
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and western
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
in 1133–1152.
Reign
Ghiyath ad-Din Masud was the son of sultan
Muhammad I Tapar and his wife Nistandar Jahan also known as Sarjahan Khatun.
At the age of twelve (1120–1121), he rebelled unsuccessfully against his elder brother,
Mahmud II
Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...
, who however forgave him. At Mahmud's death in 1131, the power was contended between Mahmud's son, Dawud, Masud, whose powerbase was in Iraq , Seljuq-Shah (in Fars and
Khuzistan
Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...
) and
Toghrul II. In 1133 Masud was able to obtain recognition as sultan from the emirs of
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
, and to receive the investiture by caliph
al-Mustarshid. Toghrul, who controlling the eastern provinces of the western Seljuq, launched a military campaign but was defeated by Masud in May 1133. Toghrul died in 1134. Also in 1133 Mas'ud supported
Zengi, besieged by al-Mustarshid's troops in
Mosul
Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
.
In 1135 caliph al-Mustarshid contested his authority but, on 14 June of that year, he was defeated and made prisoner at Daimarg, between
Hamadan
Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...
and Baghdad, and killed two months later by the
Hashshashins. As al-Mustarshid's successor,
al-Rashid, also rebelled with the support of Zengi, Mas'ud
besieged him in Baghdad, forcing him to flee to Mosul, where he was also killed by the Hashshashins. Although able to ensure control over Iraq, Mas'ud's power over the rest of the Suljuq empire was uncertain: apart from
Khorasan and
Transoxiana
Transoxiana or Transoxania (, now called the Amu Darya) is the Latin name for the region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...
, which had been long time under the control of his uncle
Ahmed Sanjar, Dawud kept control over Azerbaijan for several years, while weastern Persia was effectively ruled by emir Bozaba until Mas'ud defeated him, together with other emirs, in 1147. In 1148 Mas'ud faced another coalition against him, this time aiming to place
Malik Shah on the throne in his place.
During his troublesome reign, Masud was forced to accept to delegate his authority to numerous emirs with the ''
iqta'
An iqta () and occasionally iqtaʿa () was an Islamic practice of farming out tax revenues yielded by land granted temporarily to army officials in place of a regular wage; it became common in the Muslim empire of the Caliphate. Iqta has been defi ...
'', a tax institution which reduced the imperial incomes. Other became effectively independent sultans, such as
Zengi. This caused, according to historian
ibn al-Athir, the beginning of the steep decline of the Seljuq Empire.
Death
Mas'ud died at
Hamadan
Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...
in 1152. He was briefly succeeded by
Malik-Shah III
Mughith al-Dunya wa'l-Din Malik-Shah bin Mahmud ( 1128 – 25 March 1160) known as Malik-Shah III ruled as Sultan of Great Seljuq from 1152–53. He was the son of Mahmud II of Great Seljuq. In 1153, he was deposed and was succeeded by his b ...
, who had been forgiven by Masud, and also given one the sultan's daughters as spouse.
Family
One of Mas'ud's wives was Gawhar Khatun, the daughter of Sultan
Ahmad Sanjar
Sanjar (, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (6 November 1086 – 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118,[Mahmud II
Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...]
. They failed to get on together, and Mas'ud gave her to Dawud's brother, Sultan
Muhammad II. Another wife was Zubayda Khatun, the daughter of Sultan
Berkyaruq. Described as lovely and praised for her beauty,
she dominated Mas'ud. She died in 1138. In October 1136, he gave one of his daughters in marriage to Sadaqa ibn Dubays ibn Sadaqa of the
Banu Mazyad, and in January–February 1138,
he himself married Dubays bin Sadaqa's daughter Sufra Khatun,
whose mother Sharaf Khatun, was the daughter of Amid al-Dawla ibn Jahir and his wife, Zubaida Khatun (died 1077), the daughter of
Nizam al-Mulk
Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī Ṭūsī () (1018 – 1092), better known by his honorific title of Niẓām al-Mulk (), was a Persian Sunni scholar, jurist, political philosopher and vizier of the Seljuk Empire. Rising from a low position w ...
. Around the same time, he also married Amid al-Dawla ibn Jahir's daughter Ummuha Khatun.
In May–June 1138,
he married Mustazhiriyya Khatun, the daughter of his uncle Qavurt.
With her, he had a son, born in 1139.
Another wife was Arab Khatun. She was the mother of Mas'ud's son, Malik-Shah. In March–April 1137, he married his sister Fatima Khatun to Abbasid Caliph
Al-Muqtafi
Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mustazhir (; 9 April 1096 – 12 March 1160), better known by his laqab, regnal name al-Muqtafi li-Amr Allah (), was the List of Abbasid caliphs#Abbasid Caliphs (25 January 750 – 20 February 1258), Abbasid ca ...
,
and in 1140,
he himself married the caliph's daughter Zubaydah.
Her dowry was one hundred thousand dinars.
The wedding procession was delayed for five years because of her young age. However, the marriage was never consummated because of Mas'ud's ultimate death.
Another wife was
Abkhaziyya Khatun. She was a daughter of King
Demetrius I of Georgia
Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter".
Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumitru, Demitri, D ...
. They married in 1143.
Another daughter of Mas'ud married his nephew and successor Sultan
Malik-Shah III
Mughith al-Dunya wa'l-Din Malik-Shah bin Mahmud ( 1128 – 25 March 1160) known as Malik-Shah III ruled as Sultan of Great Seljuq from 1152–53. He was the son of Mahmud II of Great Seljuq. In 1153, he was deposed and was succeeded by his b ...
.
References
Sources
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External links
''The Encyclopaedia of Islam'': Fascicules 111–112
{{Seljuk dynasty
1100s births
1152 deaths
Seljuk rulers
People of the Nizari–Seljuk wars