Afshin Bey | |
|---|---|
| Died | c. 1077 (aged 60–61) |
| Allegiance | Seljuk Empire |
| Rank | Military Commander |
Afshin ibn Bakji Bey (Turkish:Afşin Bey;fl.1016–1077) was aTurkoman general of theSeljuk Empire in the 11th century. He served three Sultans:Chaghri Beg,Alp Arslan andMalik-Shah I. He is believed to have disappeared after 1077.
The young Afshin joined the service ofChaghri bin Mika'il bin Saljûk in 1016 and assisted him in his campaigns.[1][2] Afshin seems to have had a volatile temper which often resulted in excessive cruelty to his enemies and his own occasional disgrace.[3]
In 1066, sultan Alp Arslan appointed Gümüsh-Tekin and Afşin to lead raids intoByzantineAnatolia.[4] They set out fromAhlat and conquered many small fortresses between theMurat andTigris river.[5] When they returned to Ahlat, Afşin seems to have killed Gümüsh-Tekin for killing his brother.[6] He therefore fled from Alp Arslan's anger and established some kind of relationship with theMirdasid emirs ofAleppo andIbn Khan as he sold his loot and captives on the markets of Aleppo.[7] He returned in August 1067 to Anatolia, sackingCaeserea (modernKayseri) and plunderingCilicia.[8] He wintered in 1067 at the foot of theBlack Mountain where he burned and plundered many monasteries and villages.[7][9] He was besieging Attalia (modernAntalya) in April 1068 when he received news of having been pardoned by Alp Arslan after which he raised the siege in exchange for ransom and war supplies.[6] It seems that the successes of his raids enabled his return to regain the favour of Alp Arslan as it had strengthened his position both practically and ideologically.[7][2] Afşin then served as one ofAlp Arslan's major commanders in the events leading up to theBattle of Manzikert in 1071 in which he participated.[2]
In 1077 or 1078, Malik Shah I shifted several commanders including Afşin Bey to be under the command of his brotherTutush to aid him in the conquest of Syria.[10] Afşin earned a terrifying reputation because of the devastation his men wrought betweenAleppo andMa'arrat al Nu'man.[3] However, after Tutush killed another Türkmen leader, Afşin fled again and disappeared.[3]
He was paid homage byDiriliş: Ertuğrul, a historical docudrama. His character was played byTurgut Tunçalp [tr].[1]