Alp Arslan

Muhammed ben Da'ud (1029 – December 15, 1072), the second sultan of the dynasty of Seljuk Turks, in Persia, and great-grandson of Seljuk, the founder of the dynasty. He assumed the name of Muhammed when he embraced Islam, and on account of his military prowess and personal valor and fighting skills he obtained the surname Alp Arslan, which signifies "a valiant lion." He is known to history as a valiant, generous, and heroic warrior and leader.

Related Topics:
1029 - December 15 - 1072 - Seljuk Turks - Persia - Seljuk - Islam

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He succeeded his father Da'ud as ruler of Khorasan in 1059, and his uncle To?rül as sultan of Iran and Baghdad in 1063, and thus became sole monarch of Persia from the river Oxus to the Tigris. In consolidating his empire and subduing contending factions he was ably assisted by Nizam ul-Mulk, his vizier, one of the most eminent statesmen in early Muslim history. Peace and security being established in his dominions, he convoked an assembly of the states and declared his son Malik Shah I his heir and successor. With the hope of acquiring immense booty in the rich church of St. Basil in Caesarea, the capital of Cappadocia, he placed himself at the head of the Turkish cavalry, crossed the Euphrates and entered and plundered that city. He then marched into Armenia and Georgia, which (in 1064) he finally subdued.

Related Topics:
Da'ud - Khorasan - 1059 - To?rül - Iran - Baghdad - Oxus - Tigris - Nizam ul-Mulk - Vizier - Muslim - Malik Shah I - Caesarea - Cappadocia - Euphrates - Armenia - Georgia - 1064

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In 1068 Alp Arslan invaded the Byzantine Empire. The emperor Romanus IV Diogenes, assuming the command in person, met the invaders in Cilicia. In three arduous campaigns, the two first of which were conducted by the emperor himself while the third was directed by Manuel Comnenus (great-uncle of Emperor Manuel Comnenus), the Turks were defeated in detail and finally (1070) driven across the Euphrates. In 1071 Romanus again took the field and advanced with 100,000 men, including a contingent of the Turkish tribe of the Uzes and of the French and Normans, under Ursel of Bahol, into Armenia. At Manzikert, on the Murad Tchai, north of Lake Van, he was met by Alp Arslan; and the sultan having proposed terms of peace, which were scornfully rejected by the emperor, a battle took place – the Battle of Manzikert – in which the Greeks, after a terrible slaughter, were totally routed, a result due mainly to the rapid tactics of the Turkish cavalry. The largest army ever fielded by the Roman Empire was destroyed.

Related Topics:
Byzantine Empire - Emperor - Romanus IV - Cilicia - Manuel Comnenus - 1071 - Ursel of Bahol - Manzikert - Lake Van - Battle of Manzikert

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Emperor Romanus IV was himself taken prisoner and conducted into the presence of Alp Arslan, who treated him with generosity, and terms of peace having been agreed to, dismissed him, loaded with presents and respectfully attended by a military guard. This famous conversation is recorded to have taken place after Romanus IV was brought as a prisoner before the Sultan:

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Alp Arslan: "What would you do if I was brought before you as a prisoner?"

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Romanus: "Perhaps kill you, or exhibit you in the streets of Constantinople."

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Alp Arslan: "My punishment is far heavier. I forgive you, and set you free."

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The Sultan was as good as his word, and freed the Emperor, loading him with presents. Unfortunately, his subjects were far less kind than his enemy.

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The terrible fate of the defeated emperor from his countrymen made the mercy of Alp Arlsan a curse. Romanus was blinded and finally killed after great torment.

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After Alp Arslan's victories the balance in the near Asia changed completely in favour of Seljuk Turks and Sunni Muslims. While the Byzantine Empire was to continue for nearly another four centuries, and the Crusades would contest the issue for some time, their victory at Manzikert signalled the beginning of Turkish ascendancy in the Middle East. Most historians, including Edward Gibbons, date the terrible defeat at Manzikert as the beginning of the end of the Eastern Roman Empire. Certainly the entry of Turkic farmers following their horsemen, ended the themes in Anatolia which had furnished the Empire with men and treasure. The importance of this battle, and the brilliance of Alp Arslan in fighting it, cannot be overstated. His greatness as a human being was reflected after the battle, in his treatment of prisoners.

Related Topics:
Seljuk Turks - Sunni

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Alp Arslan was obviously a courageous man, generous in his treatment of opponents, and one who inspired great loyalty from his warriors. His strength lay in the military realm, domestic affairs being handled by his Persian vizier, Nizam al-Mulk, founder of the administrative organization which characterized and strengthened the sultanate during the reigns of Alp Arslan and his son, Malik Shah. Military fiefs, governed by Seljuk princes, were established to provide support for the soldiery and to accommodate the nomadic Turks to the established Persian agricultural scene. This type of military fiefdom enabled the nomadic Turks to draw on the resources of the sedantary Persians, and other established cultures within the Seljuk realm, and allowed Alp Arslan to field a huge standing army, without depending on tribute from conquest to pay his soldiery. He not only had enough food from his subjects to maintain his military, but the taxes collected from traders and merchants added to his coffers sufficiently to fund his continuous wars. Many historians speculate that had he lived, his conquests could have matched Ghenghis Khan's. Certainly while Malik Shah was competant, he was not a match for his father as conquerer, nor was he able to meld his realm into a single entity able to survive generations after his passing -- something his father intended on doing, and might well have been successful at.

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The dominion of Alp Arslan after Manzikert extended over much of western Asia. He soon prepared to march to the conquest of Turkestan, the original seat of his ancestors. With a powerful army he advanced to the banks of the Oxus. Before he could pass the river with safety, however, it was necessary to subdue certain fortresses, one of which was for several days vigorously defended by the governor, Yussuf el-Harezmi, a Khwarezmian. He was, however, obliged to surrender and was carried a prisoner before the sultan, who condemned him to a cruel death. Yussuf, in desperation, drew his dagger and rushed upon the sultan. Alp Arslan, the most skilful archer of his day, motioned to his guards not to interfere and drew his bow, but his foot slipped, the arrow glanced aside and he received the assassin's dagger in his breast. The wound proved mortal, and Alp Arslan expired a few hours after he received it. As he lay dying, Alp Arsland whispered that his vanity had killed him. "Alas," he is recorded to have said, "surrounded by great warriors devoted to my cause, guarded night and day by them, I should have allowed them to do their job. I had been warned against trying to protect myself, and against letting my courage get in the way of my good sense. I forgot those warnings, and here I lay, dying in agony. Remember well the lessons learned, and do not allow your vanity to overreach your good sense..."

Related Topics:
Asia - Turkestan - Yussuf el-Harezmi - Khwarezmian

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The message in this cannot be overstated either. All the courage and brilliance in the world does not avail a person if fate is against him, or they allow their courage to overshadow their good sense. Alp Arslan, a conquerer unequaled by anyone save Alexander or Ghenghis Khan, (and one it has been speculated might have matched them had he lived!) died because he slipped after declining to allow his bodyguards to do their jobs.

Related Topics:
Alexander - Ghenghis Khan

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Alp Arslan died four days later from this wound on November 25, 1072 in his 42nd year, and was taken to Merv to be buried next to his father Ça?r? Bey. Upon his tomb lies the following inscription:

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?O those who saw the sky-high grandeur of Alp Arslan, behold!

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He is under the black soil now...?

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