Danishmend | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1071/1075–1178 | |||||||||
 Anatolia in 1097, before theSiege of Nicaea | |||||||||
| Capital | Sivas Niksar | ||||||||
| Common languages | Old Anatolian TurkishMedieval Greek | ||||||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Bey,Ghazi,Melik | |||||||||
• 1071/1075–1084 | Danishmend Gazi | ||||||||
• 1175–1178 | Nasreddin Muhammed | ||||||||
| Historical era | High Medieval | ||||||||
• Established | 1071/1075 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1178 | ||||||||
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TheDanishmendids orDanishmends (Turkish:Dânişmendliler) was aTurkomanChepni foundedbeylik that ruled in north-central and easternAnatolia from 1071/1075 to 1178.[1][need quotation to verify] The dynasty centered originally aroundSivas,Tokat, andNiksar in central-northeasternAnatolia, they extended as far west asAnkara andKastamonu for a time, and as far south asMalatya, which they captured in 1103. In early 12th century, Danishmends were rivals of theSeljuk Sultanate of Rum, which controlled much of the territory surrounding the Danishmend lands, and they fought extensively against theCrusaders.
The dynasty was established byDanishmend Gazi for whom historical information is rather scarce and was generally written long after his death. His title or name,Dānishmand (دانشمند) means "wise man" or "one who searches for knowledge" inPersian.
TheTurkomanChepni Danishmendid dynasty was founded byDanishmend Gazi.[2][3][4][5] Sources about Danishmend Gazi's origins however, are steeped in "legendary flavor".[2] According to Robert Irwin, Danishmend Gazi was a "Turkoman emir of impenetrably obscure origins".[3] For instance, according toNiketas Choniates, a Byzantine government official and historian and a near-contemporary of Danishmend Gazi, he was ofArsacid descent.[2] According to the medievalArmenian historiansMatthew of Edessa andVardan Areveltsi, Danishmend Gazi was of Armenian origin, which, as Tahsin Yazici explains, "is not incompatible with Niketas' report".[2] Yazici adds that other historians explained his origins differently.[2] Some identified him as a nephew ofMalik-Shah I (r. 1072–1092), Sultan of theGreat Seljuk Empire.[2] According to this narrative, Danishmend Gazi was sent by Malik-Shah to conquerCappadocia.[2] Others viewed Danishmend Gazi as a maternal uncle ofSuleiman ibn Qutulmish (r. 1077–1086), the first ruler of theSultanate of Rum.[2] In addition, some historians believed he was one of the Seljuq commanders who fought at theBattle of Manzikert in 1071.[2] According to Yazici: "Osman Turan's suggestion that he was a Seljuq envoy to theGhaznavid court was based on a misunderstanding of a passage inAbu'l Fazl Bayhaqi'sTarikh-i Bayhaqi and is thus totally erroneous".[2] According to Robert Gregory Bedrosian (citingSuren Yeremian and Halil Yinanc), Danishmend Gazi was an Armenian Muslim.[6][a] TheDanishmendnâme, a 14th century (i.e. posthumous) epic romance based on oral traditions dealing with Danishmend Gazi, is likewise filled with "legendary material".[2][8] According to theDanishmendnâme, Danishmend Gazi was a native ofMalatya.[2]
As of 1134, Danishmend dynasty leaders also held the titleMelik (the King) bestowed in recognition of their military successes by theAbbasidcaliphAl-Mustarshid, although theBeys (Emirs) of Danishmend prior to 1134 may also be retrospectively referred to asMelik. Danishmend Gazi himself was alternatively called "Danishmend Taylu".[9]
The Danishmends established themselves in Anatolia in the aftermath of theBattle of Manzikert in 1071, in which theSeljuks defeated theByzantine Empire and captured most of Anatolia. Gazi took advantage of the dynastic struggles of the Seljuks upon the death of the SultanSuleyman I of Rûm in 1086 to establish his own dynasty in central Anatolia. The capital was likely first established inAmasia.[10]
In 1100, Gazi's son,Emir Gazi, capturedBohemond I of Antioch, who remained in their captivity until 1103. A Seljuk-Danishmend alliance was also responsible for defeating theCrusade of 1101.
In 1116, the Danishmends helpedMesud I become the Seljuk sultan.[11]
In 1130,Bohemond II of Antioch was killed in a battle withEmir Gazi, after coming to the aid of theArmenian Kingdom of Cilicia, which Gümüshtigin had invaded. Gümüshtigin died in 1134 and his son and successorMelik Mehmed Gazi did not have the martial spirit of his father and grandfather. He is nevertheless considered the first builder ofKayseri as a Turkish city, despite his relatively short period of reign.
When Mehmed died in 1142, the Danishmend lands were divided between his two brothers, MelikYaghibasan, who maintained the title of "Melik" and ruled fromSivas, andAyn el-Devle, who ruled fromMalatya.
In 1155, Seljuk SultanKilij Arslan II attacked Melik Yaghibasan, who sought help fromNur ad-Din, theZengid emir ofMosul. However, when Nur ad-Din died in 1174, the Sivas lands were incorporated into the Sultanate.
Following the death of Fahreddin in a riding accident in 1172, he was succeeded by his brother Afridun.[13] By 1175, Nasreddin Muhammed had returned to power, and ruled as a Seljuk vassal.[13] In 1178,Malatya was occupied. This event marked the end of the Danishmend rule, while the remaining Danishmends joined Seljuk service.[13]
Danishmend Gazi, the founder of the dynasty, is the central figure of a posthumous romance epic,Danishmendnâme, in which he is misidentified with an 8th-century Arab warrior, Sidi Battal Gazi, and their exploits intertwined.
Virtually all Danishmend rulers entered the traditions of theTurkish folk literature, where they are all referred to as "Melik Gazi".[14] Hence, there are "tombs of Melik Gazi", many of which are much visited shrines and belong in fact to different Danishmend rulers, in the cities ofNiksar,Bünyan,Kırşehir, along theRiver Zamantı near the castle of the same name (Zamantı) and elsewhere inAnatolia, andMelikgazi is also the name of one of the central districts of the city ofKayseri. The same uniformity in appellations in popular parlance may also apply to other edifices built by Danishmends.
The official title of the Danishmendids wasMalik of AllRomania and the East/Anatolia, was always inscribed in the local currency inGreek,[15] indication of Byzantine influence.[16] The Danishmend's coins, along with being bilingual, included an image of a figure slaying a dragon, thought to represent St. George.[17]
| Danishmends | Reign | Notes |
| Danishmend Gazi | 1075 -d. 1084 | Also called Danishmend Taylu |
| Gazi Gümüshtigin | 1084-d. 1104 | Son ofDanishmend Gazi |
| Emir Gazi | 1104-d. 1134 | |
| Melik Mehmed Gazi | 1134-d. 1142 | |
| Sivas branch (Meliks - The Kings) | 1142–1175 | Incorporated to Anatolian Seljuks |
| Melik Zünnun (first rule) | 1142–1143 | Son ofMelik Mehmed Gazi |
| Yağıbasan | 1143–1164 | Son ofEmir Gazi |
| Melik Mücahid Gazi | 1164–1166 | |
| Melik İbrahim | 1166-1166 | |
| Melik İsmail | 1166-1172 | Killed in palace revolt.[13] |
| Melik Zünnun (second rule) | 1172–1174 | Son ofMelik Mehmed Gazi |
| Malatya branch (Emirs) | 1142–1178 | Incorporated to Anatolian Seljuks |
| Ayn el-Devle | 1142–1152 | |
| Zülkarneyn | 1152–1162 | |
| Nasreddin Muhammed | 1162–1170 | |
| Fahreddin | 1170–1172 | |
| Efridun | 1172–1175 | |
| Nasreddin Muhammed | 1175–1178 | Second reign |
All Danishmend rulers are referred to as "Melik Gazi" by the general public
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