| Sultan Husayn Bayqara | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait of Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara at the age of about 50 years. Copy fromKamāl ud-Dīn Behzād's original about 1490 | |||||
| Amir of theTimurid Empire | |||||
| Reign | 24 March 1469 – 4 May 1506 | ||||
| Predecessor | Abul-Qasim Babur Mirza Abu Sa'id Mirza | ||||
| Successor | Badi' al-Zaman Mirza &Muzaffar Husayn Mirza | ||||
| Born | June 1438 Herat, present-dayAfghanistan | ||||
| Died | 4 May 1506 (age 68) Baba Ilahi,Khurasan | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouses | Bega Sultan Begum Chuli Begum Shahr Banu Begum Payanda Sultan Begum Khadija Begi Agha Zainab Sultan Begum Afak Begum Zobeida Sultan Aghacha Baba Aghacha Latifa Sultan Aghacha Mangeli Bi Aghacha Begi Sultan Aghacha | ||||
| Issue | Badi' al-Zaman Mirza Muzaffar Husayn Mirza Shah Gharīb Mirza Abul Hassan Mirza Muhammad Muhsin Mirza Abu Tarab Mirza Muhammad Husayn Mirza Feridun Husayn Mirza Haider Mirza Muhammad Maasum Mirza Farrukh Husayn Mirza Ibrahim Husayn Mirza Ibn Husayn Mirza Muhammad Qasim Mirza Sultanim Begum Ak Begum Kechek Begum Bega Begum Agha Begum Fatima Sultan Begum Nizhad Sultan Begum Sa'adat Bakht Begum Aisha Sultan Begum Maryam Sultan Begum Munawar Sultan Begum | ||||
| |||||
| House | Timurid | ||||
| Dynasty | Timurid dynasty | ||||
| Father | Mansur Mirza | ||||
| Mother | Firuza Sultan Begum | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
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Sultan Husayn Bayqara Mirza (Persian:سلطان حسین بایقراHusayn Bāyqarā; June/July 1438 – 4 May 1506) was theTimurid ruler ofHerat from 1469 until May 4, 1506, with a brief interruption in 1470.[1]
A skilled statesman, Sultan Husayn Bayqara was best known for his interest in the arts and was renowned as a benefactor and patron of learning in his kingdom,[2] with his reign being heralded as the secondTimurid Renaissance.[3] He has been described as "the quintessential Timurid ruler of the later period inTransoxiana" and his sophisticated court and generous artistic patronage was a source of admiration, particularly from his cousin, theMughal emperorBabur.[4] Sultan Husayn Bayqara was the last Timurid ruler of consequence inKhorasan.[2]
Born inHerat in June or July 1438, Husayn Bayqara's parents were Ghiyas ud-din Mansur Mirza of theTurco-MongolBarlas tribe and his wife, Firuza Sultan Begum. His parents had four other children; a son, Bayqara Mirza II, as well as three daughters, Aka Biki, Badi al-Jamal and Urun Sultan Khanum.[5]
Husayn's father was a great-grandson of theCentral Asian conquerorTimur. His mother was the daughter ofSultan Husayn of the powerfulTayichiud tribe, for whom he was named.[6] Firuza was also herself a great-granddaughter of Timur twice over. Both his parents were also descendants of theMongol Emperor,Genghis Khan.[1] In addition to this, he claimed descent in the ninth generation fromKhwaja Abdullah Ansari of Herat, also known as Pir-e-Herat (Sage of Herat).[7]
Husayn's father Ghiyas ud-din died when he was 7 or 8 years old. Given that the latter was not a noteworthy personality in the Timurid family, Husayn adopted the nameBayqara after his more illustrious grandfather,Bayqara Mirza I.[6] After consulting with his mother, Sultan Husayn (now Sultan Husayn Bayqara) entered the service of his older cousin,Abul-Qasim Babur Mirza, ruler of Herat in 1452.[6] Abul-Qasim Babur Mirza was considered an incompetent ruler.[by whom?] He mismanaged his territory and went into battle againstAbu Sa'id Mirza, the Timurid ruler ofSamarkand.[8] Husayn Bayqara, not happy with his employment, tried to go over to Abu Sa'id Mirza by meeting with him. Although Abu Sa'id was inclined to take him into his service, a rebellion on part of Husayn Bayqara's relative, Sultan Awais Mirza, son of Muhammad Mirza, son of Bayqara Mirza, induced Abu Sa'id to arrest Husayn Bayqara and other relatives as a precaution.[8] Eventually on the plea of his mother, Firuza Begum, he was freed and he rejoined Abul-Qasim Babur Mirza till the latter's death two years later.[8]
Following Babur's death in 1457, a period of anarchy ensued inKhurasan. Economic instability and lack of central authority with frequent regime changes invited the invasion of the region by the ruler ofSamarkand, Abu Sa'id Mirza who occupied Herat on July 19, 1457.[9] But Abu Sa'id Mirza immediately abandoned the city in order to deal with troubles at home. Next came the invasion of theKara Koyunlu leader,Jahan Shah who tookMazandaran.[10] During this chaotic time Khurasan was divided into many territories;[11]
Husayn Bayqara, unable to compete with these rivals, adopted the life of a mercenary and joined Sultan Sanjar Mirza ofMerv who married him to his daughter, Beqa Sultan Begum.[11] To them was bornBadi' al-Zaman Mirza.[12]
Sultan Sanjar Mirza and Husayn Bayqara got along well, but in June/July 1457 when Sanjar appointed Husayn in charge of the city while he was absent, Husayn tried to take power. This was due to him suspecting that the chief dignitary, Hasan Arlat was plotting to kill him. Amirs loyal to Sanjar revolted and the attempt failed. Husayn Bayqara was forced to escape with just five horsemen. But outside the city he was joined by the head of security of trade caravans of Iranji sector, Hasan Charkas and his 200 men. This would become Husayn Bayqara's first mercenary force.[12] To solidify this new relationship, he married Hasan Charkas' daughter, Afāk Begum.[13]
He was chased by Sanjar Mirza toKarakum Desert. He was continuously pursued until he was forced to march towardsKhwarazm, where he remained between the deserts ofMarv andKhiva.[13]
Recognizing the weakness of Timurid authority in Herat,Jahan Shah invaded and took the city on June 28, 1458, which was now occupied byIbrahim Mirza's father,Ala al-Dawla Mirza.[14] But Abu Sa'id Mirza could not tolerate this and after negotiations,Jahan Shah decided to return territorial demarcation toShah Rukh's times. Thus, Khurasan,Mazandaran andJurjan were returned to the Timurids and Abu Sa'id Mirza returned and took Herat a second time on December 22, 1458.[15]
Husayn Bayqara had now mustered a force of 1,000 men and tookJurjan on October 19, 1458 from theKara Koyunlu.[16] Abu Sa'id Mirza invaded Jurjan, which Husayn Bayqara hastily abandoned and fled towardsKhwarazm again. Abu Sa'id Mirza appointed his son,Sultan Mahmud Mirza as Jurjan's governor. When Husayn Bayqara learned that Abu Sa'id Mirza had left Herat to crush the rebellion of his relative Muhammad Juki, he attacked Jurjan again and at the Battle of Jauzi Wali in May 1461, he defeatedSultan Mahmud Mirza and appointed Abdal-Rahman Arghun the territory's governor.
However, he could not follow up this victory when he besieged Herat from August–October 1461. Abu Sa'id Mirza returned and Husayn Bayqara again fled towardsKhwarazm, from where he began making pillaging raids into Khurasan; these raids were conducted in earnest starting in 1464. Seeking to protect himself against Abu Sa'id, he requested the help of theUzbeks. But that help never came sinceAbul-Khayr Khan, the Uzbek leader died in 1468. This period of 8 to 10 years was the worst in Husayn Bayqara's life. He wandered from one place to the next at times in dire straits.
WhenAbu Sa'id Mirza went to war against theAq Qoyunlu, he was defeated at theBattle of Qarabagh and captured. The leader of the Aq Qoyunlu,Uzun Hasan handed him over to the 19-year-old TimuridYadgar Muhammad Mirza, who had him executed. Upon Abu Sa'ids death, theTimurid Empire collapsed. Taking advantage of Abu Sa'id Mirza's absence, Husayn Bayqara had again entered Khurasan and besieged Herat which he finally captured on March 24, 1469. Thus he became the ruler ofKhurasan. The sons of the late Abu Sa'id Mirza attempted to march against him, but turned back when they learned that not only had Husayn Bayqara consolidated his control over the city, but the defeated army of their father had joined him.
Meanwhile, Uzun Hasan sent his protege, Yadgar Muhammad Mirza, to conquer Khurasan. Husayn defeated Yadgar at the Battle of Chenaran on September 15, 1469, but the latter was sent reinforcements. Uzun Hasan demanded that Husayn hand over various Kara Koyunlu officials who had fled to him, a demand which Husayn refused. Yadgar therefore continued his assault, and Husayn was unable to match his forces due to mass desertions. He ended up fleeing Herat, which was occupied on July 7, 1470. Six weeks later, Husayn reoccupied the city after Abu Sa'id fended off the attack of some of his sons and his forces and defeated the Aq Qoyunlu Turkmens, He gathered his forces and defeated the Aq Qoyunlu Turkmens again and killed an Emir of Uzun Hasan, who were trying to advance into the region. so much so that Husayn defeated the Aq Qoyunlu Turkmens with only 850 Soldiers In the Marghab River, Husayn who were attempting to advance into the region. Afterwards Husayn captured Yadgar scolded him for collaborating with the Aq Qoyunlu Turkmens and the leaders Uzun Hasan. and executed him. Aq Qoyunlu Turkmens scared fled the Khorasan when they hear about the execution.[18]
Husayn's empire was now secure. The Aq Qoyunlu made no further attempts against him, and the Timurids in Transoxiana were too weakened by internal conflicts to advance into his territory. His boundary with the Aq Qoyunlu started on the southern edge of theCaspian Sea, running south, then east across the north of theDasht-e Lut, ending atLake Hamun. His border with the Timurids was theOxus River. He more or less respected both borders, refusing to cross north in an attempt to capture Transoxiana from his former enemies. He was probably aware of the Uzbek threat to the region, and was wise enough not to pursue a border with this dangerous tribal people.
Husayn was viewed as "a good king, a lover of peace and justice", and he built numerous structures including a famous school; however, he was sick with a palsy for twenty years of his reign.[19] He was forced to deal with several revolts and incursions. In 1490 the brother of Husayn's son Ibrahim Husain's guardian, Darvish 'Ali, conspired with Sultan Mahmud, who by that time ruled in Hisar. Mahmud moved againstBalkh, which Ibrahim resided in, forcing Husayn to mobilize against him. Some years later, Husayn transferred his eldest son, Badi' al-Zaman, fromAstarabad (renamed Gorgan in 1937) to Balkh, but Badi' revolted when his son Muhammed Mu'min was denied rule in Astarabad. Husayn defeated both Muhammed, whom he executed, and Badi', whom he reconciled with. The truce fell apart afterwards, however, and in 1499 Badi' besieged Herat.
Husayn Bayqara introduced a ban on the drinking of wine[20] and the shaving of beards.[21][22] He said that “Although in the days of some [other rulers],the principles of the Sharia and the community of Islam were at the mercy of heretics ... (in his time)the arms of the Holy Law and the laws of the Prophet are so strong that...." going on to boast about how his police maintained morality.[22]
Husayn Bayqara was notably a patron of arts and literature, particularly of poets, which led to the blossom of literal culture in Herat. The leading poets of the court wereJami (died 1492) andAli-Shir Nava'i (died 1501). The former is acknowledged as the last of the great classicalPersian poets, while the latter is renowned for being the founder ofChagatai Turkic literature. Under Husayn Bayqara, the amalgation of the cultural sphere of the Turks and Persians reached its zenith, as demonstrated by his support and involvement in the literary culture of both languages. Regardless, Persian remained the dominant language of realm.[2]
Husayn Bayqara was highly involved in architectural pursuit. His rule saw an "explosion of architecture": about half of all known Timurid building endeavours (constructions, renovations, expansions...) were accomplished during his reign, through himself directly or through his family members or officials, mostly in the area of Herat.[24] He builta madrasa and a mausoleum in theMusalla complex,Herat, where he was buried.[25][24] Under his sponsorship theGreat Mosque of Herat reached its "period of greatest magnificence", with decorations abounding in Timurid features.[23] In Herat, he built his own palace,Bāḡ-e Jahān-ārā.[24]
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In 1501 the Uzbeks conquered Transoxiana from Abu Sa'id's grandson,Babur. UnderMuhammad Shaybani, the Uzbeks could now threaten Khurasan. Suffering from the effects of advanced age, Husayn made no move against them, even after Babur advised him to act. The Uzbeks began conducting raids into his kingdom. Finally changing his mind, he began to march against them but died in 1506 just after beginning his advance.
The inheritance of his empire was disputed between his sonsBadi' al-Zaman andMuzaffar Husain. Babur, who had begun an expedition in support of Husayn, noted the infighting between the brothers, decided the area was impossible to defend and retreated.[30] The next year, Muhammad Shaybani conquered Herat and caused Husayn's successors to flee, putting an end to Timurid rule in Khurasan.
Husayn had twelve consorts (wives andconcubines):
Husayn had eighteen sons:
Husayn had eighteen daughters:
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p.532 "a shrine dominated by Timurid features", p.568 "The period of greatest magnificence came during the reign of the Timurid Sultan Husain Baiqara in the fifteenth century. Mir Ali Sher Nawai, minister, poet and patron, personally directed its redecoration in 1498. Badly damaged during the sixteenth century, it was later repaired by successive rulers."
May 24th 1506- May 13th 1507 (J. Babur visits the Begims in Herat) All the Begums, i.e., my paternal aunt Payanda-sultan Begum, Khadīja Begum, Apāq Begum, and my other paternal aunt Begums, daughters ofSl. Abū-sa'id Mirzā, were gathered together at the time I went to see them inSl. Husain Mirza's College at his mausoleum. (...) After sitting there for some time during the recitation of the Quran, we went to the South College where Khadīja Begim's tents had been set up and where food was placed before us.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)Sultan Husayn Bayqara | ||
| Preceded by | Timurid Empire (in Herat) 1469–1506 | Succeeded by |
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