| Kilij Arslan II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Coinage of Kilij Arslan II, 1156-1192 | |||||
| Seljuq Sultan of Rum | |||||
| Reign | 1156–1192 | ||||
| Predecessor | Mesud I | ||||
| Successor | Kaykhusraw I | ||||
| Born | 1113 | ||||
| Died | August 1192 (aged 79-78) nearAksaray,Turkey | ||||
| Issue | Kaykhusraw I Suleiman II Qutbuddin Malik Shah Nuruddin Muqsed Muizz Muhyiddin Mesut Naser Nizam Arslanshah Sancarshah Gevher Nesibe Seljuki Fülane | ||||
| |||||
| House | House of Seljuq | ||||
| Father | Masud I | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Kilij Arslan II (Old Anatolian Turkish:قِلِج اَرسلان دوم) orʿIzz ad-Dīn Kilij Arslān ibn Masʿūd (Persian:عز الدین قلج ارسلان بن مسعود) (Modern TurkishKılıç Arslan, meaning "Sword Lion") was aSeljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.
In 1159, Kilij Arslan attackedByzantine emperorManuel I Comnenus as he marched pastIconium (Konya, capital of Rüm), as Manuel returned from negotiating withNur ad-Din Zengi inSyria. In 1161, Manuel's nephewJohn Contostephanus defeated Kilij Arslan, and the sultan travelled toConstantinople in a show of submission.[1]
AsArnold of Lübeck reports in hisChronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting ofHenry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage toJerusalem in 1172. When they met nearTarsus, the sultan embraced and kissed the German duke, reminding him that they were blood cousins ('amplexans et deosculans eum, dicens, eum consanguineum suum esse'). When the duke asked for details of this relationship, Kilij Arslan informed him that 'a noble lady from the land of Germans married a king of Russia who had a daughter by her; this daughter's daughter arrived to our land, and I descend from her.'
In 1173, Kilij Arslan, now at peace with the Byzantines, allied with Nur ad-Din againstMosul. The peace treaty with the Byzantines lasted until 1175, when Kilij Arslan refused to hand over to Manuel the territory conquered from theDanishmends, although both sides had for some time been building up their fortifications and armies in preparation for a renewed war. Kilij Arslan tried to negotiate, but Manuel invaded the sultanate in 1176, intending to capture Iconium itself. Kilij Arslan was able to defeat EmperorManuel I Komnenos's army at theBattle of Myriokephalon,[2] theSultan forced the emperor to negotiate a fragile peace.
In 1179, Kilij Arslan captured and held to ransomHenry I, the renownedcount of Champagne, who was returning overland from a visit toJerusalem.[3] The ransom was paid by the Byzantine Emperor and Henry was released, but died soon afterwards.
In 1179,Pope Alexander III wrote to Kilij Arslan, whom he had heard was interested in converting to Christianity and desired information.[4] According to the German chroniclerOtto of Sankt Blasien, writing about thirty years later, the sultan also reached out at the same time to the EmperorFrederick Barbarossa, seeking a marriage with the emperor's daughter,Beatrice.[4][5] According to Otto, Kilij Arslan offered to convert to Christianity along with his subjects. Frederick agreed to the marriage, but Beatrice died before it could take place. It is probable that Kilij Arslan's overtures to pope and emperor were less about religion than about counterbalancing the Byzantines by pursuing warm relations with the west.[4]
In 1180, the sultan took advantage of the instability in the Byzantine Empire after Manuel's death to secure most of the southern coast ofAnatolia, and sent hisvizierIkhtiyar al-Din to conclude an alliance withSaladin, Nur ad-Din's successor, that same year. Then in 1182, he succeeded in capturing the city ofCotyaeum from the Byzantines. In 1185, he made peace with EmperorIsaac II Angelus, but the next year he transferred power to his eleven sons, who immediately fought each other for control. Despite Kilij Arslan's alliance with Saladin, he promised the armies of theThird Crusade, led by Frederick Barbarossa to freely pass through his territories; however, his sons who were local chieftains disagreed and fought against the Crusaders at theBattle of Philomelion andBattle of Iconium.[6] Following the Crusaders' departure, his eldest son Qutb al-Din who led the Turks in the latter battle then fled afterwards, came back to control Konya; hence, Kilij Arslan II escaped and took refuge inKayseri. Later on, Qutb al-Din declared himself to be the new Sultan, but his father and his brotherKaykhusraw I drove him out of Konya in 1192, then chased him toAksaray, and besieged the city.
Kilij Arslan II died during the siege of Aksaray in August 1192, aged 77, after promising Kaykhusraw I the succession.[7] Then he was buried in theAlâeddin Kosku in Konya.[a] Kaykhusraw I's brothers continued to fight for control of the other parts of the sultanate.[9]
In 1186, Kilij Arslan II decided to divide the Sultanate among his 11 sons and 3 daughters as follows:[10][11]
| Preceded by | Sultan of Rûm 1156–1192 | Succeeded by |
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