Germiyan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300–1429 | |||||||||
 Beylik of Germiyan (light red) in 1300. | |||||||||
| Capital | Kütahya | ||||||||
| Common languages | Old Anatolian Turkish | ||||||||
| Religion | Muslim | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Bey | |||||||||
• 1300–1340 | Yakub I | ||||||||
• 1340–1361 | Mehmed | ||||||||
• 1361–1387 | Suleiman | ||||||||
• 1387–1429 | Yakub II | ||||||||
| Historical era | Late Medieval | ||||||||
• Established | 1300 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1429 | ||||||||
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TheGermiyanids (Old Anatolian Turkish:كرميان;Turkish:Germiyanoğulları Beyliği orGermiyan Beyliği) were a prominentAnatolian beylik established by theOghuz Turkish tribes[1] (probably theAfshar tribe)[2] after the decline of theSultanate of Rûm. While thebeylik was always mentioned as being ethnicallyTurkoman or Oghuz Turkish, the population consisted of Turks andYezidiKurds, brought by theSeljuks from the east ofMalatya to western Anatolia as militia guards against the threatening Turkish tribesmen.[3][4][5][6][7]
According to the historians Agoston and Masters, the Germiyanoğulları wereTurkomans who had immigrated to the west because ofMongol pressure in the second half of the 13th century.[8] The Germiyanids were of anAfshar branch of theOghuz Turks.[9] The Germiyanids likely came fromKerman orFars province, and perhaps headed west with theKhwarazmshahs. After the death ofJalal ad-Din Mingburnu, they remained in theMalatya area for a while, then moved toKütahya, where they established thebeylik.[9]
According to the historian Petry, the Germiyanids were a Turco-Kurdish dynasty.[6] However, cultural historian Cemal Kafadar states the ethnic makeup of the dynasty is too complex for a simple straightforward interpretation.[10]
During the 11th century, much ofWest Asia was subject toSeljuk rule. A branch of theSeljuk dynasty formed theSultanate of Rum, an Islamic state inAnatolia, which saw its height from the late 12th century to 1237.[11] The Germiyan first appeared in 1239 underKaykhusraw II's rule of the Sultanate of Rum. Muzaffar al-Din, Yakub I's paternal grandfather,[12] was tasked with subduingBaba Ishak's rebellion in the area aroundMalatya.[13] Kaykhusraw II faced a major defeat by theMongol Empire at theBattle of Köse Dağ in 1243, which resulted in the vassalization of Rum, which was forced to pay a major annual tax. With thedivision of the Mongol Empire, Anatolia came under the influence of theIlkhanate, which was founded byHulegu Khan (r. 1256–65). During the chaos caused by the Anatolian campaign of theMamluk SultanBaibars ofEgypt in 1277, Ala al-Din Siyavush, commonly known asJimri, who was a pretender to the Seljuk legacy, revolted against the Mongols.[11] Husam al-Din, a member of the Germiyanids,[a] fought against Jimri andMehmed ofKaraman in western Anatolia.[13] Although Jimri and Mehmed were eliminated, the Karamanids' presence in Anatolia persisted, signaling further division in the region, which was symptomatic of the downfall of the Seljuks.[11]
The Germiyan attempted to declare independence from the Sultanate of Rum whenMesud II became thesultan following the execution of his father,Kaykhusraw III, by the Mongols in 1283. The conflict between the Germiyanids and the Seljuks went dormant upon Mesud II's death, and Yakub agreed to become a vassal of the new ruler,Kayqubad III. At that time, Yakub's realm extended as east asAnkara. His domain includedDenizli andKarahisar, according toNicephorus Gregoras, andTripolis on the Meander, according toGeorge Pachymeres.[13]
Contemporary historianal-Umari described Yakub as the most powerful Turkishemir, being the suzerain of many of his neighbors, with theByzantine Empire paying him 100,000 pieces of gold each year.[13] Al-Umari further relayed the observations of travelers Haydar al-Uryan and Balaban, that Yakub's domains included about 700 settlements. He possessed 40,000 cavalry and was able to raise 200,000 troops in times of war, although historian Varlık considers this number exaggerated.[14]
Yakub eventually conquered the regions ofSimav andKula, which were later regained by theCatalan Company. Similarly,Philadelphia (later known as Alaşehir), which he had earlier taken over, was lost to the Catalans in the spring of 1304, but the town started paying himjizya by 1314.[13] Yakub had hostile relations with theOttoman state, and provoked theTatars of theChavdar [tr] tribe nearKaracahisar to attack them in 1313. After having eliminated theHamidid andEshrefid begs in 1325,Timurtash, the Ilkhanid governor of Anatolia, attempted to enact authority over the rulers of western Anatolia and seize the territory of Germiyan, Philadephila, Denizli, and Menteshe. Yakub's son-in-law, who was the lord ofAfyonkarahisar, fled toKütahya fromEretna, who was an officer under Timurtash tasked to capture the city. When Yakub was about to engage in a battle with Eretna, the latter was called back by Timurtash in 1327.[14]
The region under Yakub was economically prosperous[13] and saw an increase in literary and scientific patronage.[15]Rumi's grandson Ulu Arif Chelebi visited the region by 1312 and maintained spiritual authority over Yakub.[14]
Yakub struck a single type of coin late into his reign.[16] An unnamed coin minted in 1307 mentioning the titleKhan-i Germiyan is identified with Yakub I. In the inscriptions of the castle ofSandıklı, which were later moved to a nearby fountain, he was referred to asSultan al-Germiyaniyya Chelebi al-Azam azzamallahu kadrehu. Yakub owned awaqf (charitable endowment) for themevlevihane (congregational place for theMevlevi Order) of Karahisar. According toİsmail Hakkı Uzunçarşılı, he possibly owned anotherwaqf at thezawiya of the village of Hacim nearUşak, which dates to 1321. However, there the owner's father was recorded as Mehmed.[17]
Yakub is known to have exchanged letters with theMamluk Sultanate in 1340; these are the latest known records of his life, and his exact year of death is unknown.[14] According to the 17th-century travelerEvliya Çelebi, who wrote three centuries after Yakub's death, he was buried at the hill of Hıdırlık near Kütahya.[15]
Mehmed, nicknamedChakhshadan, retook Kula and Angir from the Catalan Company.[14] Suleiman was the elder son of Mehmed Chakhshadan, the second Bey of Germiyan. He ascended to the throne upon the death of his father.[14] Suleiman Shah's reign was initially peaceful. However, when Husam al-Din Ilyas ofHamid took refuge at his court fromAla al-Din of Karaman, Suleiman Shah assisted the Hamidids in recovering their lands lost to the Karamanids. This initiated a rivalry between Ala al-Din and Suleiman Shah.[18]
Suleiman Shah sought new alliances as protection from the neighboring Karamanids and the ever-expandingOttomans. He arranged a marriage between his daughterDevletşah Hatun andMurad I's sonBayezid. Murad I accepted the offer, hoping to expand the Ottoman influence over Anatolia. He sent thekadi ofBursa, Mehmed Efendi,emir-i alem Aksungur Agha, as well as their consorts,Chavushbashi Demirhan, and the nanny of Bayezid toKütahya to formally request marriage with Suleiman's daughter. Suleiman Shah dispatched the Islamic scholar Ishak Fakih to the Ottoman capital, who returned with a gift from the Ottomans including the famous Germiyanatlas,Denizli clothes, silver, and gold. Moreover, Suleiman gave Kütahya,Simav,Eğrigöz, andTavşanlı to the Ottomans as part of thedowry.[19][13] Apart from these towns, many smaller settlements were annexed by a force of 2–3,000 Ottoman troops escorting the wedding convoy.[20][b] The exact reason why he left the capital to the Ottomans is a matter of dispute. Ottoman chroniclers explained it through the rivalry between Karaman and Germiyan and the latter's preference for Ottoman protection. The wedding took place in 1381 in Kütahya,[21] after which Bayezid became the governor of Kütahya, and Suleiman Shah had to retreat toKula.[22] Suleiman died in early 1387 before April[23] and was buried in Gürhane Medrese.[24]
Yakub's parents were Suleiman Shah and a daughter ofUmur, the ruler of theAydinids in western Anatolia.[25] Yakub was thewali (governor) ofUşak andŞuhut during his father's reign.[26] He inherited the throne when his father died in 1387 and maintained peace in the realm until 1390. He supported theOttoman Sultanate at theBattle of Kosovo along with the beyliks of Kastamonu,Saruhan, Aydın,Menteshe, andHamid. However, when the Ottoman Sultan Murad I died in battle and was succeeded by his son Bayezid I, Yakub, as well asKadi Burhan al-Din and the heads of Saruhan, Hamid, and Menteshe, sided with theKaramanids in a war against the Ottomans with the hopes that they could reclaim their land. While Karaman seizedBeyşehir, Yakub started capturing some of the former possessions of Germiyan that his father had given to the Ottomans as part of Devletşah Hatun's dowry.
Before returning to Anatolia from theBalkans, Bayezid first ensured stability in the latter region by making peace withSerbia and concluding internal conflicts within theByzantine Empire in his favor. Intimidated by Bayezid's seizure of Saruhan, Aydın, and Menteshe, Yakub attempted to return to good terms with him through various gifts but was nevertheless imprisoned and kept in the castle ofIpsala. In 1390, the entire realm of Germiyan came under Ottoman control, with Yakub no longer as its ruler.[27] Sari Timurtash Pasha was appointed as thebeylerbey (governor) ofAnatolia Eyalet.[28]
Yakub sought the protection ofTimur (r. 1370–1405) in 1399, having escaped from prison and traveled toSyria in disguise through theMediterranean Sea presumably the same year.[13] He allied with Timur against the Ottomans with the guarantee that his rule would be restored, and fought for him at theBattle of Ankara in 1402. The former troops of Germiyan, Aydın, and Menteshe were initially under Bayezid's command, but switched sides when it became clear that their leaders had sided with Timur. Yakub recognized the sultan during the skirmish and had him captured. The Ottomans were ultimately defeated, and Timur restored the former Germiyan possessions to Yakub. Timur stayed in Kütahya for some time, subjecting the inhabitants to a one-time tax and confiscating the treasury of Sari Timurtash Pasha.[29]
During theOttoman Interregnum (1402–1413), Yakub allied himself with the future Ottoman sultanMehmed Chelebi (r. 1413–21), one of the sons of Bayezid, against his brothers. As a result, Germiyan–Karaman relations gradually transitioned into hostility, as the latter's rivalry against the Ottomans ensued. This escalated to a war between the two in September 1410, and Kütahya fell toMehmed II of Karaman (r. 1398–99, 1402–20) the next year, which effectively ended Yakub's second reign.[30] Mehmed II further laid siege toBursa for 31 days in 1413 and set the city on fire, which prompted Mehmed Chelebi to quickly return to Anatolia after having defeated his brother,Musa Chelebi, inRumelia. When Musa's remains were brought to Bursa, signaling the defeat, Mehmed II of Karaman retreated in a hurry and left the territories he had taken from Germiyan. Mehmed Chelebi reinstated Yakub's rule in Germiyan in 1414. Yakub accommodated and supplied the Ottoman army during the following campaigns against Karaman. His rule until 1421 was largely free of threats.[31]
When Mehmed Chelebi's sonMurad II rose to the Ottoman throne, Yakub's relations with the Ottomans took a new turn. Murad's younger brother andgovernor of Hamid,Mustafa Chelebi was sponsored by Yakub, Karaman, and the Turghudlu tribe of Turkmens as a claimant to the Ottoman throne. Mustafa besieged and gained control ofIznik, and declared himself ruler, taking advantage of Murad's investment in theSiege of Constantinople (1422). However, the local Ottoman guardians did not allow Mustafa to depart from the city, on the orders of the sultan.[32] Murad swiftly reclaimed control of the city and executed Mustafa. Yakub then reverted to friendly interactions with Murad, realizing that he had no other choice to survive. Even though Aydın and Menteshe were already under direct Ottoman control, Murad did not attempt to enact his sovereignty in Germiyan. By then, it had become subordinate to the Ottomans with their constant military involvement in the region. Likewise, Yakub bequeathed his domains to Murad, as he had no sons and did not want to hand over the rule to his sister's children, who were Murad II's half-uncles.[33] In 1428, at an old age, he traveled to Bursa and paid respects to the graves ofOsman I andOrhan.[33] He was later welcomed by Murad in a lavish ceremony inEdirne and formally declared his will there. Sometime after returning to Germiyan, he fell sick, dying in January 1429.[34] Murad annexed Germiyan as requested by Yakub, which brought the history of Germiyan to an end.[33]
Yakub's architectural legacy included the Yakub ChelebiKülliye (building complex) in Kütahya. It was built in 1411–12 and is composed of animaret,masjid,türbe (tomb),madrasa (school), and library. After five months of operation, the Karamanid occupation forced the imaret to close for two and a half years. In 1414, when the region was regained by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I on behalf of Yakub, the building returned to use, and inscriptions (vakfiye), 2 by 3.70 meters in size, were added to the building, detailing its history. The inscriptions indicate that the imaret was owned by Mehmed I. It was later destroyed and the building was restored in accordance with its original form by itswaqf (endowment) trustee Ishak Fakih bin Halil in 1440–41. In 1803, the Ottoman governor ofAnatolia, Gurju Osman Pasha, commissioned its reparation and merged the imaret and the masjid. The tomb includes the sarcophagi of Yakub II and his wife Pasha Kerime Hatun, which are ornamented withencaustic tiles. The building was restored again in 1999 and reopened as the Encaustic Tile Museum.[35]
Suleiman Shah was described as a generous ruler, and many literary works were produced under him. Suleiman hadShaykh-oghlu Mustafa, who was thenishanji, defterdar, and treasurer at Suleiman's court, translate severalPersian works toTurkish,Ḳābūs-name (kept by theEgyptian National Library and Archives[36]) andMarzbān-nāme. Shaykh-oghlu has also authored a prose,Kanz al-kubarāʾ, and a verse romance,Khurshīdnāme, dedicated to Suleiman Shah. Manuscripts of these works are kept inIstanbul,London, andParis.[13] The poetAhmedi first devoted hisIskendername to Suleiman Shah but after his death, added a part about the Ottomans and Bayezid I's sonSuleiman Chelebi, finalizing the work in February 1390.[24]
The Germiyanid palace became a center of science and literature during Yakub II's reign. Poet Sheikhi Sinan was known as amusahib (compatriot) of Yakub. ThePersian workTabirname was translated intoTurkish byAhmed-i Dai [tr] on the orders of Yakub II.[37]
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