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

Melik Zünnun Melik Zünnun (died 1175) was the fifth ruler of Danishmendids. Life First reign Zünnun was declared as successor by his father Melik Mehmed Gazi, however he was derecognized by Yağıbasan. Yağıbasan and his other two brother Ayn el-Devle and ...

Background

After

Alp Arslan Alp Arslan, born Muhammad Alp Arslan bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second List of sultans of the Seljuk Empire, sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk (warlord), Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty and the empire. He g ...

of Seljukids defeated the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

army in the

battle of Manzikert The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, Iberia (theme), Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army ...

in 1071, a series of Turkmen beyliks (principalities) were formed in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

before Anatolia was united by the

Sultanate of Rum The Sultanate of Rum was a culturally Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim state, established over conquered Byzantine territories and peoples (Rum) of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks following their entry into Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. ...

. 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 Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

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 Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...

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

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

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

Malatya Malatya (; ; Syriac language, Syriac ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city has been a human settlement for thousands of y ...

, the Danishment power began to decline. Mesut I 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 known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, he was able to capture Elbistan 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

Tokat Tokat is a city of Turkey in the mid-Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is the seat of Tokat Province and Tokat District.

, there is a

medrese Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

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 is the seat of Niksar District.1164 deaths People from Sivas 12th-century Danishmendid rulers 12th-century Asian people