Part 39

The death of Kilij Arslan extended the life of the Great Seljuk state by nearly one hundred years: sharp divisions in the state between the sultans and emirs fighting to gain the throne and the numerous civil wars among them, in addition to the external dangers surrounding them such as the dangers posed by the Assassins and Crusaders, encouraged Kilij Arslan to interfere in eastern affairs so as to gain authority and leadership, and to unite again all Seljuk power in the east. He would have been able to achieve this dream of his, because both internal and external political circumstances were favourable, but his death spared the Greater Seljuks and lengthened their lifespan. The death of Kilij Arslan is regarded as a very important stage in the separation of the Seljuks of Rum from the Seljuks of the East, because the internal and external dangers surrounding the Greater Seljuk state prevented them from interfering in the affairs of the other Seljuk branches, especially in Syria and Asia Minor. It is worth mentioning that the state of the Seljuks of Rum still, up to this time, belonged nominally to the Greater Seljuks, and did not become completely independent until 552 AH/1157 CE.218 The death of Kilij Arslan deprived the Seljuks of Syria of a force which could have guaranteed unity among them, as Seljuk power in Syria began to shrink rapidly because the two sons of Tutush, Radwan and Daqaq, did not have the political acumen to enable them to confront the worrisome circumstances that Syria was going through at the end of the fifth century AH (eleventh century CE) and the beginning of the following century. Perhaps the greatest sign of diminishing Seljuk authority in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere was the emergence of a large number of dynasties which all had something in common — a connection to the Seljuk family name. From those families emerged political units headed by regents known as atabegs.219 The death of Kilij Arslan removed a serious danger from the Byzantine Emperor at a critical time, because Bohemond was preparing to attack the Balkans in 501 AH/1107 CE, starting out from the well-fortified fortress of Durazzo (Dyrrhachium, Durres), and Alexios Komnenos had sacrificed his southeastern border to save Durazzo. He had made a treaty with Kilij Arslan, according to which he got military aid from him, but his sudden death and the absence of any strong leader to take his place gave Alexios the opportunity to focus on confronting the danger of Bohemond, whom he defeated in 502 AH/1108 CE.220 The death of Kilij Arslan made the situation in Asia Minor volatile, because the oldest of his four sons, Malikshah, became a prisoner in the hands of Sultan Muhammad after the battle of al-Khaboor, whilst his widow gained control of Malatya and the eastern regions, with the help of the emir Aydbar, who acknowledged the authority of Tughrul Arslan, the youngest son of Kilij Arslan, over Byzantine territory. As for the other two brothers, Mas'ood and 'Arab, the former lived in the Danishmend region and the latter settled in Konya.221 The collapse of the central authority among the Seljuks of Rum was not to the advantage of the Byzantines, because the Seljuks continued to raid the Empire's lands. Despite that, the Byzantine Emperor was able to capture some fortresses in the border regions,222 but he did not want to venture into Cilicia or Syria. This attitude of his worked in the favour of the Seljuks who were devoting their efforts to dealing with their internal problems.223 Jawali Saqawah: after the death of Kilij Arslan, who drowned in the Khabur River in 500 AH/1107 CE, it became possible for Jawali to enter Mosul, but because of the savagery that accompanied his rule, he soon became hated by its people. He did not do anything more than Jekermish had done with regard to outwardly accepting the authority of Muhammad, despite the fact that he delivered sermons in that ruler's name in Mosul,224 as he declared his independence and cut off all ties with him. This prompted Sultan Muhammad in Dhul-Qa'dah 501 AH/June 1108 CE to give one of his men, Mawdood ibn al-Tuntash, the task of expelling Jawali from Mosul and taking his place as governor.225 Thus Jawali was forced to flee from Mosul a second time; he went to Mesopotamia where all the enemies of the Seljuk state rallied around him, chief among whom was the Arab Banu Mazeed tribe. He did not hesitate either in forming an alliance with neighbouring Crusader forces; he release Baldwin de Bourcq, the ruler of Edessa, and formed an alliance with him against the Seljuks.226 Mawdood entered Mosul, where he was welcomed by the inhabitants, in Safar 502 AH/September 1108 CE.227 Mawdood ibn at-Tuntash (501-507 CE/1108-1113 CE) Sharaf ad-Dawlah Mawdood occupies a special place in the history of the Jihad against the Crusaders. A number of factors contributed to making his position prominent, the most important of which — undoubtedly — is the early stage at which he appeared.