Mughith al-Dunya wa'l-Din Mahmud bin Muhammad (b. 1104 – 11 September 1131) known as Mahmud II was the Seljuk sultan of

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

from 1118–1131 following the death of his father

Muhammad I Tapar Muhammad I Tapar (, ; 20 January 1082 – 18 April 1118), was the sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1105 to 1118. He was a son of Malik-Shah I () and Taj al-Din Khatun Safariya. Reign Muhammad was born in 20 January 1082. He succeeded his nephew, ...

. At the time Mahmud was fourteen, and ruled over

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Biography

During Mahmud's early reign, his vassal king Garshasp II, who was a favorite of his father Muhammad I, fell into disgrace. Slander about him spread to the court that made him lose confidence, and made Mahmud send a military force to

Yazd Yazd (; ) is a city in the Central District of Yazd County, Yazd province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. At the 2016 census, its population was 529,673. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is rec ...

where Garshasp was arrested and jailed in

Jibal Jibāl (), also al-Jabal (), 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'' ("mountain, hill"), highlight ...

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

Ahmad Sanjar Sanjar (, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (6 November 1086 – 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118,Saveh Saveh () is a city in the Central District of Saveh County, Markazi province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is about southwest of Tehran. History In the 7th century BC it was a stronghold of the Medes. ...

. The kings who aided Ahmad during the battle were Garshasp II himself, the emirs of

Sistan Sistān (), also known as Sakastān (, , current name: Zabol) and Sijistan (), is a historical region in south-eastern Iran and extending across the borders of present-day south-western Afghanistan, and south-western Pakistan. Mostly correspond ...

and of

Khwarazm Khwarazm (; ; , ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the east by the Kyzylkum Desert, on the south by th ...

, and two other unnamed kings. After being victorious, Ahmad then restored the domains of Garshasp II. Ahmad then proceeded as far as Baghdad, whereupon Mahmud was married to one of Sanjar's daughters, made his uncle's heir, and forced to give up strategic territories in northern Persia. Mahmud's younger brother Mas'ud revolted against him in 1120, but the civil war ended the following year due to the intervention of the atabeg of Mosul,

Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi Qasīm al-Dawla Sayf al-Dīn Abū Saʿīd Āqsunqur al-Bursuqī (), also known as Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, Aqsonqor il-Bursuqi, Aksunkur al-Bursuki, Aksungur or al-Borsoki, was the Seljuk Turkoman atabeg of Mosul from 1113–1114 and again from 112 ...

, and Mas'ud was pardoned. In 1126, al-Bursuqi was murdered by

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. The origin of the term is the medieval Order of Assassins, a sect of Shia Islam 1090–1275 CE. Assassin, or variants, may also refer to: Fictional characters * Assassin, in the Japanese adult ...

, believed have been under orders from Mahmud. In 1127, he appointed Anushirvan ibn Khalid as his

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

, but had him removed from the office the following year. In 1129 Mahmud officially recognized the authority of

Imad al-Din Zengi Imad al-Din Zengi (; – 14 September 1146), also romanized as Zangi, Zengui, Zenki, and Zanki, was a Turkoman atabeg of the Seljuk Empire, who ruled Mosul, Aleppo, Hama, and, later, Edessa. He was the namesake and founder of the Zengid dyn ...

, who had supported him against a revolt led by al-Mustarshid, caliph of Baghdad, in Syria and northern Iraq. Mahmud ruled from

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

, while his ''

Shihna Shiḥna () was a medieval Islamic term meaning, roughly, "military administrator." The term was used particularly for the Seljuk Turks' representative in Iraq, who exerted the Seljuks' power over the Abbasid caliph. The Seljuks themselves ruled ...

'' military governors for Iraq were based in

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 ...

, except for a campaign which he led personally against the Caliph of Baghdad in 1126. Mahmud, then aged 27, died on 11 September 1131. His death was followed by a civil war between his son Dawud, and his brothers Mas'ud, Suleiman-Shah, and Toghrul II. His other son Alp Arslan ibn Mahmud was ruler of Mosul under the protection of ''

atabeg Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic language, Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the ti ...

'' Zengi.

Family

In around 1116, Mahmud was bethrothed to his cousin Mah-i Mulk Khatun, also known as Mahd-i Maymun, the daughter of his uncle Sultan

Ahmad Sanjar Sanjar (, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (6 November 1086 – 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118, The marriage took place in around 1119. Her dowry was portrayed as a precious treasure transported on elephants from Khurasan to Mahmud in Iraq. The two together had a son. In 1121, a fire consumed the palace that Mujahid al-Din Bahruz had built for Mahmud. The blaze resulted in Mah-i Mulk losing precious possessions, including jewels, ornaments, furnishings, and clothing. She died in 1122, after which Sanjar asked for the return of the gold and jewellery his daughter had, but Mahmud refused to give back the jewellery. In 1124, Sanjar sent another daughter, Amir Sitti Khatun, to be Mahmud's wife. They had a daughter, Gawhar Nasab Khatun and a son,

Malik-Shah III Mughith al-Dunya wa'l-Din Malik-Shah bin Mahmud ( 1128 – 25 March 1160) known as Malik-Shah III ruled as Sultan of Great Seljuq from 1152–53. He was the son of Mahmud II of Great Seljuq. In 1153, he was deposed and was succeeded by his b ...

. She exercised great influence at Mahmud's court and supported Mazyadid Dubays bin Sadaqa. In 1129, Vizier Abul-Qasim al-Anasabadhi, who was arrested by Mahmud, but was later freed by Sanjar was appointed as her vizier by Sanjar. She died in 1129. After her death Dubays' position fell apart. Another wife was Ata Khatun, the daughter of Garshasp II, the son of Ali ibn Faramurz and Arslan Khatun, the daughter of

Chaghri Beg Abu Suleiman Dawud Chaghri Beg ibn Mikail, widely known simply as Chaghri Beg (, 989–1060), ''Da'ud b. Mika'il b. Saljuq'', also spelled Chaghri, was the co-ruler of the early Seljuk Empire. The name ''Chaghri'' is Turkic (Çağrı in modern Tu ...

. They had a son Ala al-Daula Ata Khan. Another wife, who was the mother of Mahmud's son, Alp Arslan, died while living at the residence of Aq Sunqur al-Bursuqi. According to

Ann Lambton Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton, (8 February 1912 – 19 July 2008), usually known as A.K.S. Lambton or "Nancy" Lambton, was a British historian, expert on medieval and early modern Persian history, Persian language, Islamic political theory, ...

, Zahida Khatun, the wife of Atabeg Boz-aba was probably the mother of Mahmud's son Muhammad. One of his concubines was the mother of his daughter Turkan Khatun, who married Sulaiman Shah, one of the great-grandsons of Qavurt. Some other daughters were Zinat Khatun and Zumurrud Khatun. His sons were Dawud, Malik-Shah III, Muhammad II, Alp Arslan, Farrukh Shah and Ala al-Daula Ata Khan.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahmud 02 1100s births 1131 deaths Seljuk rulers People of the Nizari–Seljuk wars