Seljuks

Despite the intrigues of Turkan Khatun, Malik Shah was suc ceeded by his elder son Barkiyaroq (1092-1104), whose short reign was a series of rebellions and strange adventures such as one may imagine in the story of a youth who is by turns a power ful prince and a miserable fugitive. His brother Mohammed ( I104-18) successfully rebelled against him, and his most danger ous enemies were the IsmaIlites, who had succeeded in taking the fortress of Alamut (north of Kazvin) and become a formidable political power by the organization of bands of fedais, who were always ready, even at the sacrifice of their own lives, to murder any one whom they were commanded to slay.

Mohammed had been successful by the aid of his brother Sinjar, who from the year 1o97 held the province of Khorasan with the capital Merv. After the death of Mohammed, Sinjar became the real head of the family, though 'Iraq acknowledged Mahmild, the son of Mohammed. Thus there originated a separate dynasty of Irak with its capital at Hamadan (Ecbatana) ; but Sinjar during his long reign often interfered in the affairs of the new dynasty, and every occupant of the throne had to acknow ledge his supremacy. In 11'7 he led an expedition against Ghazni and bestowed the throne upon Bahram Shah, who was also obliged to mention Sinjar's name first in the official prayer at the Ghazna vid capital—a prerogative that neither Alp Arslan nor Malik Shah had attained. In '134 Bahram Shah failed in this obligation and brought on himself a fresh invasion by Sinjar in the midst of winter; a third one took place in 1152, caused by the doings of the Ghorids (Hosain Jihansuz or "world-burner"). Other ex peditions were undertaken by him against Khwarizm and Turke stan ; the government of the former had been given by Bar kiyaroq to Mohammed b. Anushtagin, who was succeeded in 1128 by his son Atsiz, and against him Sinjar marched in i138. Though victorious in this war, Sinjar could not hinder Atsiz from after wards joining the gurkhan (great khan) of the then rapidly rising empire of the Karakitai, at whose hands the Seljuk suffered a terrible defeat at Samarkand in 1141. By the invasion of these hordes several Turkish tribes, the Ghuzz and others, were driven beyond the Oxus, where they killed the Seljuk governor of Balkh, though they professed to be loyal to Sinjar. Sinjar resolved to punish this crime; but his troops deserted and he himself was taken prisoner by the Ghuzz, who kept him in strict confinement for two years (1153-55), though treating him with all outward marks of respect. In the meantime they plundered and destroyed the flourishing cities of Mery and Nishapur ; and when Sinjar, after his escape from captivity, revisited the site of his capital he fell sick of sorrow and grief and died soon afterwards (1157). His empire fell to the Karakitai and afterwards to the shah Khwarizm.

The province of Kerman was one of the first conquests of the Seljuks, and became the hereditary fief of Kavurd, the son of Chakir Beg. His descendants remained in possession of their an

cestor's dominions; and till II70 Kerman, to which belonged also the opposite coast of Oman, enjoyed a well-ordered government, except for a short interruption caused by the deposition of Iran Shah, who had embraced the tenets of the Isma`ilites, and was put to death (I i 00. But after the death of Toghrul Shah (ii7o) his three sons disputed with each other for the possession of the throne, and implored foreign assistance, till the country became utterly devastated and fell an easy prey to some bands of Ghuzz, who, under the leadership of Malik Dinar (1185), marched into Kerman after harassing Sinjar's dominions. Afterwards the shahs of Khwarizm took this province. The Seljukian dynasty of Syria came to an end after three generations, and its later history is interwoven with that of the crusaders (see CRUSADES).

Invasion of Asia Minor.

After the great victory of Alp Arslan in which the Greek emperor was taken prisoner (1071), Asia Minor lay open to the inroads of the Turks. Hence it was easy for Suleiman, the son of Kutulmish, the son of Arslan Pigu (Israil), to penetrate as far as the Hellespont. But the possession of Asia Minor was insecure to the Seljuks as long as the important city of Antioch belonged to the Greeks, so that we may date the real foundation of this Seljuk empire from the taking of that city by the treason of its commander Philaretus in 1084, who after wards became a vassal of the Seljuks. The conquest involved Suleiman in war with the neighbouring Mohammedan princes, and he met his death soon afterwards (1086), near Shaizar, in a battle against Tutush. Owing to these family discords the de cision of Malik Shah was necessary to settle the affairs of Asia Minor and Syria; he kept the sons of Suleiman in captivity, and committed the war against the unbelieving Greeks to his generals Burst* (Ilpocrovx) and Buzan (llovavos). Barkiyaroq, however, on his accession (1092), allowed Kilij Arslan, the son of Sulei man, to return to the dominions of his father. Acknowledged by the Turkish amirs of Asia Minor, he took up his residence in Nicaea, and defeated the first bands of crusaders under Walter the Penniless and others (1096) ; but, on the arrival of Godfrey of Bouillon and his companions, he was prudent enough to leave his capital in order to attack them as they were beseiging Nicaea. He suffered, however, two defeats in the vicinity, and Nicaea surrendered on June 23, 1097. As the crusaders marched by way of Dorylaeum and Iconium towards Antioch, the Greeks subdued the Turkish amirs residing at Smyrna, Ephesus, Sardis, Phila delphia, Laodicea, Lampes and Polybotus; and Kilij Arslan, with his Turks, retired to the north-eastern parts of Asia Minor, to act with the Turkish amirs of Sivas (Sebaste), known under the name of the Danishmand.