| Shams al-Din Eldigüz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1stAtabeg of Azerbaijan | |
| Reign | 1136 – 1175 |
| Successor | Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan |
| Died | November 1175 Nakhchivan |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Momine Khatun |
| House | Eldiguzids |
Shams al-Din Ildeniz,Eldigüz orShamseddin Eldeniz (Persian:اتابک شمسالدین ایلدگز, diedc. 1175–1176) was anatabeg of the Seljuq empire and founder of the dynasty ofEldiguzids, atabegs of Azerbaijan, which held sway overArmenia,Iranian Azerbaijan, and most of northwesternPersia from the second half of the 12th century to the early decades of the 13th.
AKipchak by origin, he was formerly a freedman ofKamal al-Din al-Simirumi, the vizier ofSeljuq sultanMahmud II (1118-1131). After Simirumi's murder at the hands ofAssassins in 1122, he passed to the hands of sultan, who entrusted his education to certain emir Nasr. According toMinorsky, after Mahmud's death, he attained to the post of governor of Arran and Azerbaijan under sultanGhiyath ad-Din Mas'ud (1134–1152) in 1137, who also gave late sultanToghrul II's widowMomine Khatun and appointed Eldigüz to beatabeg ofArslanshah (son of Toghrul) in 1161. He obtainedIranian Azerbaijan, Arran,Shirvan,Jibal,Hamadan,Gilan,Mazandaran,Isfahan and Rey. The feudal lords ofMosul,Kerman and Persia,Shirvan,Khuzistan,Ahlat, Arzan-ar-Rum andMaragha became his vassals.[1][2][3] His rise as the most powerful peripheral emirs of the Seljuq empire was aided by the necessity of having a large army against the frequent incursions from the neighboringKingdom of Georgia.[4]
Eldegiz choseBarda as his residence, and attracted the local emirs to his camp.[5] His dynasty's powerbase was centered aroundNakhchivan,[6] from where he would direct attention toGeorgia. Expanding to Arran, he gained control fromBaylaqan toShamkhor. He made himself virtually independent ruler of Azerbaijan by 1146. His marriage withMu'mine Khatun afforded him to intervene in the dynastic strife which erupted upon Mas'ud's death in 1152. His power in Azerbaijan grew stronger whenKhass Beg ibn Palang-Eri was killed on the orders of sultanMuhammad II in 1153. Eldiguz, in alliance withAhmadili atabeg Arslan Aba waged a war against sultan and kept this alliance till 1156.[7] Eldiguz also obtained execution of Chaghrishah, son ofMahmud II in 1155,Ganja.[6] Alliance soon came to a conclusion whenMuhammad II defeated Eldiguz in 1156 and granted Azerbaijan to Arslan Aba. Tides turned when sultan himself died in 1159 and was replaced bySuleiman Shah byÏnanch Sonqur. He succeeded, in 1160, in deposing and possibly murdering Sulayman Shah and installing his stepson Arslanshah b. Toghrul (1160–1175) as sultan. Conferred with the rank of atabeg, Ildeniz now became a chief protector of the sultan's authority.[8] Ildeniz then arranged a marriage between his son Pahlawan and the daughter ofInanch, amir ofRey, in order to secure the allegiance of this powerful dynasty.
Arslanshah's reign was not accepted inMaragha andRay, whose rulers Inanch andAhmadilis became rivals of Eldeguzids. Inanch marched against Hamadan, in order to place his brother Muhammad on the throne in 3 August 1161 but Arslan and Eldigüz defeated him in battle, forcing Ïnanch to flee. Inanch again marched on Eldugizids in 1165, this time by aid ofBavandid rulerHasan I (who also became Inanch's son-in-law) andKhwarazmshahIl-Arslan. Eldiguz managed Inanch's assassination in 1169 and capture of Rey, which was granted toMuhammad Jahan Pahlavan as aniqta. Although never subjugated, Ahmadilis continued rivalry with Eldiguzids untilQizil Arslan's reign.
Ildeniz then marched toIsfahan and forced theSalghurid atabeg of Fars, Zangi b. Mawdud, into submission.[9] He also annexedArdabil, which was ruled by atabeg Nasir al-Din Aq Qush until his own death on 30 September 1165. His son Jamal ad-Din Muhammad was grantedBorujerd in return.[10]Tabriz was also gained from Ahmadilis in 1174.[8] He restoredArslan Shah II to hisrule in Kerman in 1174 who took it from his brotherBahram Shah. Eldiguz consolidated his power to entire Iran with the exception ofMazandaran and Ahmadili controlledMaragheh.
Soon he proceeded northward to recover the city ofDvin from the Georgian attack in 1162. A coalition ofMuslim rulers -Shah-Armen Seyfettin Beytemür,Ahmadili Arslan-Aba,Arzen emir Fakhr ul-Din andSaltuk II, led by Ildeniz took thefortress of Gagi, laid waste as far as the region of Gagi andGegharkunik, seized prisoners and booty, and then moved toAni capturing and granting it toShaddadid emirShahanshah ibn Mahmud. The Muslim rulers were jubilant, and they prepared for a new campaign. However, this time they were forestalled byGeorge III, who marched intoArran at the beginning of 1166, occupied a region extending toGanja, devastated the land and turn back with prisoners and booty. The Shaddadids ruled Ani for about 10 years as vassals of Eldgiz, but in 1174 George III took the Shahanshah as a prisoner and occupied Ani once again, appointingIvane Orbeli as governor.[5]
Back atHamadan, he had to deal with another invasion – this time by theKhwarezmians who planned to annexKhorasan. Its governor Muayyad Ay-Aba submitted to Eldugiz since 1157, even capturedBistam andDamghan from Khwarazmshah and defeatedShah Ghazi Rustam. However, Muayyad soon switched sides and submitted to Khwarazmshah in 1167. It was not, however, until the death of theKhwarazmshah Il-Arslan in 1172, when the threats on this sector were finally eliminated.
By the time of his death around October–November 1175, Ildeniz was arguably the undisputed de facto master of many parts of the already fragmentized Great Seljuq Empire, centered onIraq. He was buried at Hamadan, at amadrasa which he had founded. He was succeeded by his sonsMuhammad Jahan Pahlavan andQizil Arslan. TheArmenian authorVardan Areveltsi considered him to be benevolent towardsChristians.[11]
He was married toMomine Khatun, widow ofToghrul II in 1135. He had two sons and a daughter with her:
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