| Muhammad bin Mahmud | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold dinar minted in Ghazna dated 419AH (1028/9 CE). | |||||
| Sultan ofGhaznavid Empire | |||||
| 1st Reign | 30 April 1030 – 1030 | ||||
| Predecessor | Mahmud | ||||
| Successor | Mas'ud I | ||||
| 2nd Reign | 1040 – 19 March 1041[1] | ||||
| Predecessor | Mas'ud I | ||||
| Successor | Mawdud | ||||
| Born | c. 971 Ghazni,Ghaznavid Empire | ||||
| Died | 19 March 1041 (aged 42–43) Ghazni Ghaznavid Empire | ||||
| Burial | c. 1041 Ghazni | ||||
| Consort | Daughter ofAbu'l-Nasr Muhammad | ||||
| Issue | 'Abd al-Rahman Ahmad | ||||
| |||||
| House | Ghaznavid Dynasty | ||||
| Father | Mahmud of Ghazni | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Muhammad of Ghazni (Persian:محمد غزنوی; b. 998 – d. 1041) wasSultan of theGhaznavid Empire briefly in 1030, and then later from 1040 to 1041. He ascended the throne upon the death of his fatherMahmud in 1030. He was the younger of a set of twins; this circumstance resulted in civil strife.[2] His reign lasted five months before he was overthrown by his twinMa'sud I, after which he was blinded and imprisoned on the order of Ma'sud I. According toFerishta, his reign lasted only 50 days. Nine years later he was reinstated for a year before being slain by his nephewMaw'dud after losing a battle in Nangrahar.
Muhammad was born, along with his elder twin brother Mas'ud, in 998 in the Ghaznavid capital ofGhazni. In ca. 1008, Mohammad married the daughter of theFarighunid rulerAbu'l-Nasr Muhammad. Two years later after the death of Abu'l-Nasr Muhammad, Muhammad was appointed by his father as the governor ofGuzgan, thus putting an end to the native Farighunid dynasty of Guzgan.
In 1030, Mahmud, because of his bad relations with his heir Mas'ud, changed his opinion and appointed Mohammad as his heir,[3] who was much less experienced in government and military affairs than Mas'ud. Mahmud shortly died, and was succeeded by Mohammad, who then appointedAbu Sahl Hamduwi as hisvizier. At his accession, much power of the state was under the former vizierHasanak Mikali and military officerAli ibn Il-Arslan, who greatly administered the state. Muhammad shortly appointed his uncle Yusuf ibn Sabuktigin as the commander-in-chief of the army. Although Muhammad did not possess any real power, his empire flourished.[4] Soon, however, Muhammad's slave troops (ghulam) railed under Abu'l-Najm Ayaz, who had openly changed his allegiance to Muhammad's brother Mas'ud, whose military campaigns in western Iran had earned him a great reputation.[3] Ayaz was shortly joined by other military officers such asAli Daya. Muhammad then sent an army under his general Suvendharay to quell the rebellion, but the rebels eventually emerged victorious and killed Suvendharay. The victorious rebels then went to Mas'ud, who was atNishapur.[4]
Eventually, Yusuf ibn Sabuktigin and Ali ibn Il-Arslan along with the rest of the Ghaznavid army also joined Mas'ud.[3] Mas'ud then marched towards Ghazni, where he defeated Muhammad and had him imprisoned while crowning himself as the new Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire.
According toFerishta, the differences between Muhammad and his twin brother Mas'ud became worse by this time. Eventually, Muhammad prepared an army to attack Mas'ud. He encamped with his army at the place of "Nakiya-abaad/Nakbat-abaad" for a month, where most of his leaders and army revolted against him. They arrested and imprisoned Muhammad, and welcomed Mas'ud as their new leader.
Later, when theSeljuks were overrunning the western parts of the Ghaznavid Empire, a mutiny among the Ghaznavid troops placed Muhammad back upon the throne, and he had his brother Mas'ud imprisoned in turn. He promoted his son Ahmad, and allied with Suleiman ibn Yusuf, giving him the actual day-to-day running of affairs. They are reported to have been behind the assassination of Mas'ud I while he was imprisoned.
Muhammad sent a missive to Mas'ud's son, Mawdud, in Tukharistan explaining his father's murder was an act of revenge perpetrated by the sons of Mas'ud's former general in India.[5] Upon learning of his father's murder, Maw'dud marched his army toward Ghazni.[6]
Muhammad fled with his army in the face of Maw'dud's invasion, losing Ghazni in the process.[6] Maw'dud wintered in Ghazni,[6] then met Muhammad's army on 19 March 1041 in the province of Nangarhar.[7] Maw'dud personally led the attack, defeating Muhammad's army; thereafter, Maw'dud had Muhammad and his family executed.[8]
| Preceded by | GhaznavidSultan 1030–1031 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GhaznavidSultan 1040–1041 | Succeeded by |