Garshasp II (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: گرشاسپ), was the last

Kakuyid The Kakuyids (also called Kakwayhids, Kakuwayhids or Kakuyah) ( fa, آل کاکویه) were a Shia Muslim dynasty of Daylamite origin that held power in western Persia, Jibal and Kurdistan (c. 1008–c. 1051). They later became ''atabegs'' (g ...

Emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

Yazd Yazd ( fa, یزد ), formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,138,533. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a Wor ...

and

Abarkuh Abarkuh ( fa, ابركوه, also Romanized as Abarkūh and Abar Kūh; also known as Abarghoo, Abarkū, Abar Qū, and Abarqūh) is a city and capital of Abarkuh County, Yazd Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 27,524, in 5,880 ...

. He was the son of Ali ibn Faramurz.

Biography

After the death of Garshasp's father Ali ibn Faramurz in 1095 in a battle near Ray, he succeeded him as the head of the Kakuyid family, where he became an honored figure at the Saljuq court. At the beginning of the twelfth century, he enjoyed the favor of Sultan

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

. However, in 1118, when Muhammad's son

Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

ascended the throne, Garshasp fell into disgrace; slander about him spread to the court that made him lose confidence, and made Mahmud send a military force to

where Garshasp was arrested and jailed in

Jibal Jibāl ( ar, جبال), also al-Jabal ( ar, الجبل), was the name given by the Arabs to a region and province located in western Iran, under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. Its name means "the Mountains", being the plural of ''jabal'' (" ...

, while Yazd was granted to the royal cupbearer. Garshasp, however, escaped and returned to Yazd, where he requested protection from

Ahmad Sanjar Senjer ( fa, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (''b''. 1085 – ''d''. 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until in 1118,Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

in Central Persia, and gave him information on how to march to Central Persia, and the ways to combat Mahmud II. Ahmad accepted and advanced with an army to the west in 1119, where he together with ''five kings'' defeated Mahmud II at Saveh. The kings who aided Ahmad during the battle was Garshasp himself, the

Sistan Sistān ( fa, سیستان), known in ancient times as Sakastān ( fa, سَكاستان, "the land of the Saka"), is a historical and geographical region in present-day Eastern Iran ( Sistan and Baluchestan Province) and Southern Afghanistan ( ...

and the Khwarazm-Shah, including two other unnamed kings. After being victorious, Ahmad then restored the domains of Garshasp II. After that he returned to Yazd where disappeared from the chronicles, however, there is a mention of him fighting the

Kara-Khitan Khanate The Qara Khitai, or Kara Khitai (), also known as the Western Liao (), officially the Great Liao (), was a Sinicized dynastic regime based in Central Asia ruled by the Khitan Yelü clan. The Qara Khitai is considered by historians to be an ...

, where he was reportedly killed,Bosworth, Clifford Edmund, ''Historic cities of the Islamic world'', (BRILL, 2007), 562. and which marked the end of the

Kakuyid dynasty The Kakuyids (also called Kakwayhids, Kakuwayhids or Kakuyah) ( fa, آل کاکویه) were a Shia Muslim dynasty of Daylamite origin that held power in western Persia, Jibal and Kurdistan (c. 1008–c. 1051). They later became ''atabegs'' (g ...

. However, his descendants continued to rule as Atabegs of Yazd.Clifford Edmund Bosworth, The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual, Columbia University, 1996. Excerpt 1 pp 209: "The Atabegs of Yazd" (1141-1297)" Excerpt 2: "From the names of the earlier members at least, it seems they were ethnically Persian, but, like the Hazaraspids, they adopted the Turkish title of Atabeg"

References

Bibliography

* Janine and Dominique Sourdel, ''Historical Dictionary of Islam'', Éd. PUF, , article ''Kakuyids'', pp. 452–453. * * * {{Kakuyids 1141 deaths 11th-century monarchs in the Middle East Date of birth unknown Kakuyids 11th-century Iranian people 12th-century Iranian people