Shaykh Uways Jalayir
Muhammad b. Muhammad al-'Arif presents his work,Farhäd u Gulistan, to Shaikh Uvays Bahadur Khan, fromFarhädnäma, Karabagh and Ardabil (1369-72). Istanbul Topkapi Palace Museum Ms. H. 678 (detail)
Sultan of theJalayirids
Reign	1356 – 1374
Predecessor	Hasan Buzurg
Successor	Shaikh Hasan Jalayir
Died	(1374-10-10)10 October 1374 Tabriz,Iran
Burial	Shadbad-e Mashayekh,Tabriz
Spouse	Haji Mama Khatun
Regnal name Sultan Shaykh Uways Bahadur Khan
Dynasty	Jalayirids
Father	Hasan Buzurg
Mother	Dilshad Khatun
Religion	Islam

Shaykh Uways Jalayir (Persian:شیخ اویس جلایر) was theJalayirid ruler ofIraq (1356–1374) andAzerbaijan (1360–1374). He was the son ofHasan Buzurg and theChobanid princessDilshad Khatun.

Shortly after Shaykh Uways Jalayir succeeded his father, the old enemy of the Jalayirids, the Chobanids, were overrun by the forces of theGolden Horde underJani Beg in 1357.^[1]Malek Asraf was executed, andAzerbaijan was conquered. Following Jani Beg's withdrawal from Azerbaijan, as well as his sonBerdi Beg's similar abandonment of the region in 1358, the area became a prime target for its neighbors. Shaykh Uways Jalayir, who at first had recognized the sovereignty of the Blue Horde, decided to take the former Chobanid lands for himself, even as a former amir of Malek Asraf's named Akhi Juq attempted to keep the region inMongol hands.^[1]

Uvais conquered the area in August 1358, following a swift victory over remnants of Chobanids in a battle near Sitay mountain.^[2] In addition toBaghdad, he could now boastTabriz as a large city under his control.^[1] He had certain problems withGenoese who tried to build a stronghold city's vicinity, which causedGenoa to boycott the region.

Unlike his predecessors who only claimed to be emirs ( umara ) of figureheadilkhans, Shaykh Uways claimed regal titles likesultan,khan^[3] and evenilkhan.^[4]

Moving on, he sent hisemir Ali Piltan towardsNakhchivan, where Akhi Juq was hiding. However, he was disastrously defeated on 28 January 1359, Uways had to retreat to Baghdad and lost Tabriz to Akhi Juq temporarily. Same yearMuzaffarids conquered Tabriz andMubariz al-Din Muhammad became the new ruler of the region, as well as a new rival. However this rivalry was cut short when the latter was blinded and imprisoned by his own sonShah Shuja. Uways was now master of Azerbaijan once again. AlthoughTemürtas once campaigned to regain Chupanid territories, he was turned over to Uways by Khizrshah ofAhlat (d. 1384) to be executed in 1360.

During his reign, Shaykh Uways Jalayir sought to increase his holdings inIran. He became involved in the power struggles of the Muzaffarids, supportingShah Mahmud in his efforts against his brotherShah Shuja. Shah Mahmud received support around 1363 in his conquest ofShiraz and later his son married one of Shaykh Uways Jalayir's daughters in 1369/70.

In 1364, Shaykh Uways Jalayir campaigned against theShirvanshah Kavus, but a revolt begun by the governor of Baghdad,Khwaja Murjan, forced him to return to reassert his authority.^[5] The revolt was supported byAl-Ashraf Sha'ban of theMamluk Sultanate. Although Uways managed to defeat Murjan, he was pardoned in the end, and was reinstated as governor eventually in 1367 until his death in 1374.

In 1366, Shaykh Uways Jalayir marched against theBlack Sheep Turkmen, defeating their leader Birdi Khwaja inMosul and his brotherBayram Khwaja, at the battle of Mush.^[6] Later, he turned his attention towardShirvanshahKavus again who had attacked Tabriz twice in the meantime. His emir Bayram Beg besiegedShamakhi for 3 months after which Kavus was jailed for another 3 months. He was pardoned and accepted to become Jalayirid vassal with his sonHushang being Uways' hostage until 1372.^[7]

In 1367, his brother Amir Qasim died of consumption, while his favorite general Bayram Beg who subdued Shirvan also died of excessive drinking. Following year Uways also lost his wife Haji Mama Khatun.

He tried to establish relations withRepublic of Venice in 1369 unsuccessfully. In an effort to extend further east, he fought againstAmir Vali, who ruled inAstarabad, and defeated him inRay in 1371. When his brother Amir Zahid died in Ujan after falling off the palace roof, however, he was forced to turn back. The governorship of Ray was trusted in the hands of a Qutlugh Shah, who was followed two years later by ‘Adil Aqa.^[6]

Due to his campaigns, Shaykh Uways Jalayir spent much time in Iran, and he died in Tabriz on 10 October 1374;^[8] Baghdad, however, remained his capital.^[6] During his lifetime, the Jalayirid state reached its peak in power. In addition to his military adventures, which were considerable, he was known for his attempts to revive commercial enterprise, which had suffered heavily in the past years, in the region, as well as his patronage to the arts. His chronicler, Abu Bakr al-Qutbi al Ahri, wrote of Shaykh Uways Jalayir’s deeds in theTarikh-i Shaikh Uvais.^[6]

Shaykh Uways Jalayir was succeeded by his sonShaikh Hasan Jalayir,^[9] however he was immediately assassinated on same day.

He was married to Haji Mama Khatun (d. 1368) with whom he had several children:

• Shaikh Hasan Jalayir (k. October 9, 1374) — married to a daughter of Qadi Shaykh Ali, leadingulama of Tabriz.^[10]
• Shaikh Ali Jalayir — Governor of Baghdad
  • Shah Walad Jalayir
    • Sultan Mahmud Jalayir
    • Sultan Awais Jalayir
    • Sultan Muhammad Jalayir
• Shaikh Hussain Jalayir (k. 1382 ) — succeeded as sultan in 1374
• Shaikh Bayazid Jalayir — ruler inSultaniyeh
• Sultan Ahmed Jalayir (d. 1410) — Governor of Ardabil, succeeded Hussain
  • Ala-du-Daulah Jalayir
    • Hussain bin Ala-ud-Daulah Jalayir
• Tandu Khatun (Disputed)

• Jackson, Peter (1986). "Jalayirids, Muzaffarids and Sarbadars". In Lockhart, Laurence;Jackson, Peter (eds.).The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 6: The Timurid and Safavid Periods. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–42.ISBN 0-521-20094-6.

• Jackson, Peter (2008). "Jalayerids".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. XIV, Fasc. 4. pp. 415–419.
• Wing, Patrick (2016).The Jalayirids: Dynastic State Formation in the Mongol Middle East. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 1–256.ISBN 9781474402262.

• 1374 deaths
• Jalayirids
• 14th-century monarchs in Asia
• Calligraphers from Tabriz

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Pages where birth or death is being automatically determined
• Articles containing Persian-language text
• CS1: long volume value
• Year of birth unknown