Ibrahim Inal (also spelled Ibrahim Yinal, died 1060) was a

Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

warlord, governor and prince (melik). He was the son of Seljuk's Son ''Yûsuf Yinal'', thus being a grandson of the Seljuk Gazi. He was also a half brother of the Sultan

Tughril Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il (), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril / Tughrul), was a Turkoman"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turkomans at the battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) is ...

and Chagri Bey with whom he shared the same mother. He was the Seljuk governor of

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

(Iraq) and Gence (Azerbaijan). Yusuf Yinal's Son, Ibrahim Yinal, went on various expeditions and conquests for the Great Seljuk Empire, and his Sultan, Sultan

. He had various battles with the

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indus Va ...

Empire, Roman (Byzantine) Empire and Buyid Empires. He heavily contributed to the Seljuk conquest of Persia, even capturing the throne city of Rey, which is now a part of modern-day Tehran. In 1047, Ibrahim wrested

Hamadan Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...

and Kangavar from the Kakuyid ruler Garshasp I. Ibrahim Yinal during his service to the

Great Seljuk Empire The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. The empire spanned a total area of from Anatolia and the Levant ...

was appointed the

Governor of Mosul and Gence. His dominion stretched from Iraq to Azerbaijan, effectively ruling all of the western side and western frontiers of the Seljuk Empire. All raids against the Byzantine, Armenian and Georgian lands would use Yinal's lands as a headquarters. Notable raids were the Seljuk conquest of Vaspurakan and conquest of Ani. A highlight of his military career can be that Ibrahim Yinal commanded a successful raid against the eastern provinces of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

which culminated in the Battle of Kapetron in September 1048. This battle was a decisive victory for the Seljuk Empire. The Arab chronicler Ibn al-Athir reports that he brought back 100,000 captives and a vast booty loaded on the backs of ten thousand camels.

Death

In 1058, for various reasons, including believing that he wasn't appropriately acknowledged for his contributions to the empire, and not being named the heir to the throne, he revolted against Sultan Tugrul. He raised a large army based out of Hamedan, Iran, and was allied with the then Fatimid military commander, Arslan al-Basasiri. In 1060 Ibrahim Yinal's rebellion was eventually defeated. According to some sources he decided to have a 1 on 1 battle against the then prince and future sultan,

Alp Arslan Alp Arslan, born Muhammad Alp Arslan bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second List of sultans of the Seljuk Empire, sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk (warlord), Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty and the empire. He g ...

to try prevent the loss of lives for both his soldiers and Sultan Tugrul's, as they were both Turks, Muslims, and belonging to the Great Seljuk Empire. In some sources, it is stated that the battle was fought in the vicinity of Rey and the troops under the command of Alp Arslan, Yakuti and Kavurd defeated and captured Ibrahim Yinal. After Ibrahim Yinal's defeat, he was personally

strangled Strangling or strangulation is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain by restricting the flow of oxygen through the trachea. Fatal strangulation typically occurs ...

with his bowstring at

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, though some sources say this was in the Seljuk throne city of Rey which is part of modern-day

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. Strangling a noble, or someone with ruling blood with a bowstring was a common practice in the medieval world.

Aftermath

The Legacy of Ibrahim Yinal would continue to affect the world even after his death. His victory in the Battle of Kapetron was crucial in opening the gates of Anatolia for the Muslim Turks and was crucial for the Battle of Malazgrit. It is also a famous quote by Sultan AbdulHamid II (the Last Ottoman Sultan before the Young Turk Revolution) that "In order for the Ottomans (Muslims) to be where they went today (conquest of Constantinople, Battle of Vienna etc.) there needed to be Malazgrit (

Battle of Manzikert The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, Iberia (theme), Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army ...

) and in order to be at Malazgrit, there needed to be a Pasinler ( Battle of Kapetron ) The rebellion of Ibrahim Yinal also likely encouraged his cousin Qutalmish's rebellion against Alp Arslan and the Crown Prince Suleyman ibn Chagri after Sultan Tugrul's death. Still despite his short comings and rebellions, Ibrahim Yinal is regarded as a hero in Turkic, Seljuk, and Muslim history. He was considered (along with Alp Arslan) the best fighter in the Great Seljuk Empire of his time. In popular media he is played by Uygar Özçelik in the popular TRT1 drama Alparslan: Buyuk Sulcuklu.

References

Sources

* {{Cambridge History of Iran , volume = 5 , last = Bosworth , first = C. E. , authorlink = C. E. Bosworth , chapter = The Political and Dynastic History of the Iranian World (A.D. 1000–1217) , pages = 1–202 , chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=16yHq5v3QZAC&pg=PA1 1060 deaths Byzantine–Seljuk wars Year of birth unknown Generals of the Seljuk Empire