Mutahharten (), also known as Taharten (; died late 1403), was

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

Erzincan Erzincan (; ), historically Yerznka (), is the capital of Erzincan Province in eastern Turkey. Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elazığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. The city is majority Turkish Sunni w ...

from 1379 until his death. Erzincan was previously ruled by emirs who exercised autonomy as vassals of the

Eretnids The Eretnids () were a dynasty that ruled a state spanning central and eastern Anatolia from 1335 to 1381. The dynasty's founder, Eretna, was an Ilkhanid officer of Uyghur origin, under Timurtash, who was appointed as the governor of Anatolia. ...

. Mutahharten claimed sovereignty from the Eretnids when he assumed power, which prompted the Eretnid

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Ala al-Din Ali () to go on an expedition to reinstate his authority over Erzincan. While Mutahharten ultimately repelled Ali, the latter was replaced by his vizier

Kadi Burhan al-Din Kadi Ahmad Burhan al-Din (8 January 1345, Kayseri – 1398, Sivas) poet, scholar, and statesman. He was vizier to the Eretnid rulers of Anatolia. In 1381, he took over Eretnid lands and claimed the title of sultan for himself. He is most often ...

(), who was determined to restore the sultanate's former boundaries. Burhan al-Din and Mutahharten were involved in a long-lasting conflict. Upon the advent of

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

, Mutahharten contently swore allegiance and halted his campaigns in Anatolia, but Timur's departure reignited the conflict between Mutahharten and Burhan al-Din. Often overpowered by his enemies, Mutahharten forged alliances with various groups but did not hesitate to turn against his former allies, such as the

Aq Qoyunlu The Aq Qoyunlu or the White Sheep Turkomans (, ; ) was a culturally Persianate society, Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''Military Transition in Early Modern Asia, 1400–1750'', (Bloomsbury, 2014), 38; "Post-Mongol Persia and Iraq were ruled by two trib ...

, when he saw fit. On the other hand, Mutahharten's relations with the

Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond or the Trapezuntine Empire was one of the three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire that existed during the 13th through to the 15th century. The empire consisted of the Pontus, or far northeastern corner of A ...

and his

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

subjects were consistent, as he favored them for their economic contribution to his realm through trade. After Kadi Burhan al-Din's death, Mutahharten faced a new threat from the Ottoman state, when

Bayezid I Bayezid I (; ), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt (; ; – 8 March 1403), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of ''Sultan-i Rûm'', ''Rûm'' being the Arabic name for the Eastern Roman Empire. In 139 ...

demanded he surrender Erzincan. Mutahharten instead relied on Timur's strength and found himself in the midst of the Ottoman–Timurid conflict. Bayezid took Erzincan in 1401, imprisoning Mutahharten for a short period. Mutahharten continued supporting Timur until he died in late 1403. His death signaled the nearing end for the Emirate of Erzincan, which would frequently change hands between the Aq Qoyunlu and their rival

Qara Qoyunlu The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation tha ...

Background of the Emirate of Erzincan and Mutahharten

and the region around was located south of the

, a

state in coastal northeastern

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

(modern-day

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

). Although not part of it, Erzincan had significant commercial links to Trebizond, being mostly inhabited by Christian

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

but administered by a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

ruler. Ahi Ayna () was a local (guild member) who purchased control of Erzincan from his predecessor sometime before 1348. He first appears in 1348 as a vassal of

Eretna Ala al-Din Eretna (Old Anatolian Turkish: ; died February–August 1352) was the first sultan of the Eretnids, reigning from 1343 to 1352 in central and eastern Anatolia. Initially an officer in the service of the Ilkhanate officer Chupan and h ...

, a former

Ilkhanid The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

officer who after the dissolution of the Ilkhanate, established a sovereign sultanate (). Following Eretna's death in 1352, Ahi Ayna exercised autonomy and attempted to increase his sphere of influence. In June 1362, Ghiyath al-Din Ahi Ayna Beg went on an expedition in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He captured

Akhaltsikhe Akhaltsikhe ( ka, ახალციხე ), formerly known as Lomsia ( ka, ლომსია ), is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region () of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is the administrative center of the Akhaltsikhe Municipality and ...

, Samstskhe, Atsquri, and had

Manglisi Manglisi ( ka, მანგლისი, ) is a ''Daba (settlement), daba'' (townlet) in the Tetritsqaro Municipality, Kvemo Kartli mkhare, region of Georgia (country), Georgia. As of the 2014 census, it had a population of 1,441. With a recorded h ...

pay (special tax on non-Muslims). On 6 August 1361, he continued his expedition in the region of

Lazica The Kingdom of Lazica (; ; ), sometimes called Lazian Empire, was a state in the territory of west Georgia in the Roman era, Georgia in the Roman period, from about the 1st century BC. Created as a result of the collapse of the kingdom of Colc ...

, i.e., the eastern territories of the Empire of Trebizond. Ahi Ayna was the suzerain of three other emirates, namely those in

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

Bayburt Bayburt () is a city in northeast Turkey lying on the Çoruh River. It is the seat of Bayburt Province and Bayburt District.Karahisar. His core territory stretched from the Erzincan Plain southwards to the Upper Euphrates Valley near Çaltı. He died on 2–3 July 1362 reportedly as a (martyr). Pir Husayn (), who was originally the ruler of Karahisar, arrived in Erzincan on 8 June 1362 and succeeded Ahi Ayna Beg. In ''Ta'rīkh-i taqwīm'' authored by the 14th-century historian Abu Bakr Qutbi, Pir Husayn is mentioned as an () following the statement about Ahi Ayna's demise, hinting at the possibility he was Ahi Ayna's son. Pir Husayn's ascendance to the throne was not straightforward, as Erzincan was in the midst of a civil war. He "gained independence" on 10 July, having clashed with emirs opposing his rule, who eventually fled to Bayburt and Tercan. On 11 September, he gained direct control of Bayburt after a 32-day siege. Although there is a coin specimen minted in Erzincan for the Eretnid sultan Ala al-Din Ali () dating back to 1366 signifying Erzincan's continued allegiance, Pir Husayn most likely exercised further autonomy, especially following the temporary political vacuum caused by the demise of Ali's predecessor, Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad I (), in 1365. However, there aren't any sufficient accounts for the rest of his rule until 1379, when he died. While early Ottoman sources mention that Mutahharten was of

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

origin, in '' Bazm u Razm'', Astarabadi referred to him as the nephew of

, who was of

Uyghur Uyghur may refer to: * Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China) ** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs *** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...

descent. Historian Göde identifies Mutahharten's father and Eretna's brother as Burak Beg. According to him, Burak Beg married the daughter of Zahir al-Din Taharten, the Emir of Erzincan at the time, with the approval of Eretna, who later appointed Burak as the Emir of Erzincan at an unclear date.

Rise to power and war with the Eretnids

Mutahharten took power upon Pir Husayn's death in 1379. He issued his own coins and had the (sermon) read in his name as a declaration of his sovereignty. In the summer of 1379, magnates in the Eretnid Sultanate pressured Ala al-Din Ali to declare war on Mutahharten emphasizing the historical ties of Erzincan with the Eretnid dynasty. Although the Eretnid

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 ...

opposed an immediate campaign, Ali began marching towards Erzincan. Mutahharten sent an embassy to

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

, where the Eretnid military headquarters were located, to signal he would be willing to bestow control of Erzincan, fearing the economic impact of the war. When the diplomatic mission was inconclusive, a bloody battle took place. Mutahharten faced defeat and retreated, but still resisted coming under Eretnid rule. He sought the help of external powers, such as the

Dulkadirids The Beylik of Dulkadir () was one of the Turkish Anatolian beyliks (principality) established by the Oghuz Turk clans Bayat, Afshar, and Begdili after the decline of Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. Etymology The meaning of Dulkadir is unclear. ...

and

, who sent a large army to Erzincan. The Aq Qoyunlu forces defeated and captured Junayd, an Eretnid emir entrusted with intercepting the reinforcements to Mutahharten, fueling the morale of Mutahharten's forces. The Eretnids faced a major loss, and Ali retreated to Sivas. On the orders of Mutahharten, his vassal, Emir Ordu Shah of

, arrested the grandmother of Ali, Isfahan Shah Khatun, who was on the way to Sivas from

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 ...

. Although she was eventually released, this deepened the animosity between Mutahharten and the Eretnids.

First war with Kadi Burhan al-Din

Kadi Burhan al-Din's () rise to power as the regent of Ali's successor Muhammad II Chelebi (), and his aim at re-imposing authority over the region, prompted Mutahharten to form alliances with Burhan al-Din's rivals and other claimants to the Eretnid throne, such as Shadgeldi, Emir of

Amasya Amasya () is a city in northern Turkey, in the Black Sea Region. It was called Amaseia or Amasia in antiquity."Amasya" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol ...

(). He built amicable relations with several vassals of Burhan al-Din, such as Malik Ahmad of Karahisar and Zannun of Koyulhisar. Relations with Zannun were strengthened via a marriage alliance with Mutahharten's sister. While Shadgeldi was besieging

Tokat Tokat is a city of Turkey in the mid-Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is the seat of Tokat Province and Tokat District.

, Mutahharten and Zannun pushed into Burhan al-Din's domains. However, Zannun and his 2,000-strong force were eventually defeated by Burhan al-Din. Mutahharten sent an embassy to Burhan al-Din and demanded that he return the throne to Ali's son, Muhammad II Chelebi, who was too young to rule. This was an implicit declaration of Mutahharten's claim on the Eretnid throne. Burhan al-Din later imprisoned Mutahharten's embassy, which caused Mutahharten to change his stance, sending apologies and offering an alliance instead. Although Kadi Burhan al-Din released his embassy, he sent Shadgeldi's head to Erzincan in 1381 as a warning after having defeated him on the battlefield. The same year, Kadi Burhan al-Din formally declared his sultanate. Allied with several

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

and Turkmen chieftains, Mutahharten went on another campaign on Sivas. Suspicious of his brother-in-law and former ally, Zannun, Mutahharten executed him and massacred the population of Koyulhisar. With the assistance of the Mongol tribe of Barambay, he started raiding Sivas in the summer–spring of 1382. Burhan al-Din dealt with his rivals in the northern region around Amasya, Tokat, and

Osmancık Osmancık is a town in Çorum Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, located 59 km north of the city of Çorum. It is the seat of Osmancık District.Ahmad Aq Qoyunlu (), leading an initially successful joint offensive. Conversely, Burhan al-Din reached Erzincan and razed parts of the city to the ground but was unable to capture the city with winter creeping in (1384–5). Burhan al-Din's return to Sivas marked the end of the long war between him and Mutahharten. They agreed to recognize each other's sovereignty and to refrain from getting involved in each other's internal relations. Mutahharten was further obliged to send military aid to Kadi Burhan al-Din in times of war.

Advent of Timur

In late 1386,

(), a

Turco-Mongol The Turco-Mongol or Turko-Mongol tradition was an ethnocultural synthesis that arose in Asia during the 14th century among the ruling elites of the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate. The ruling Mongol elites of these khanates eventually ass ...

warlord who attempted to invoke the legacy of

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

, invaded west

Iran 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 ...

and was planning his invasion of the

Armenian highlands The Armenian highlands (; also known as the Armenian upland, Armenian plateau, or Armenian tableland)Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: ...

from his military camp in

Karabakh Karabakh ( ; ) is a geographic region in southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It is divided into three regions: Highland Kara ...

. Mutahharten sent his family to Karahisar under the protection of Malik Ahmad, and the people of Erzincan evacuated their homes. When Timur's embassy arrived in Erzincan, Mutahharten swiftly agreed to refrain from joining opposition forces and to abide by Timur's rule, which reduced his fears of a direct Timurid attack. Timur recognized Mutahharten's domains through an exchange of gifts. Although Mutahharten halted his campaigns in Anatolia during this time, Timur's presence was favored by him and other enemies of Burhan al-Din. When Timur's focus shifted away from the region, Mutahharten used the

Turkomans who took refuge in his territory in an expedition in Burhan al-Din's lands, taking advantage of Burhan al-Din's absence as he was dealing with the local Turkoman principalities to the north. Burhan al-Din returned to Sivas when he learned that Mutahharten was marching there, which caused Mutahharten to stop the campaign in the winter of 1387–8 as he did not want to face Burhan al-Din directly. However, Burhan al-Din initiated preparations to subdue Mutahharten. In 1387, Mutahharten reported Burhan al-Din to the Mamluk Sultan

Barquq Al-Malik Az-Zahir Sayf ad-Din Barquq (; born ) was the first Sultan of the Circassians, Circassian Mamluk Burji dynasty of Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Egypt ruling from 1382 to 1389 and 1390 to 1399. Born to a Christianity, Christian father in Cir ...

() as an ally of Timur, which initiated a joint campaign with the Mamluks on Sivas that lasted until the Mamluks retreated from the region in 1389. Mutahharten broke the alliance with the Aq Qoyunlu upon the death of Qutlugh () and the succession of his son

Ahmed Ahmad () is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English spellings of the name include Ahmed. It is also used as a surname. Etymology The word derives from the root ( ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from ...

(). Mutahharten was ultimately overpowered on the battlefield. This prompted him to seek the assistance of Qara Mahammad () of the Qara Qoyunlu. They flanked the Aq Qoyunlu forces, who took refuge under Burhan al-Din. Shortly after, Mutahharten and Qara Yusuf (), Qara Mahammad's son and successor, planned a major war on the Aq Qoyunlu, but were defeated near Endris. Qara Yusuf was captured, and Mutahharten fled to Erzincan. The latter prepared for a counter-attack in Shamsat (located between

Harpoot Harpoot () or Kharberd () is an ancient town located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. It now forms a small district of the city of Elazığ. p. 1. In the late Ottoman period, it fell under the Mamuret-ul-Aziz Vilayet (also known as the Harpu ...

and Bayburt) and reentered Aq Qoyunlu territory. He stationed his army on the right bank of

Murat River The Murat River, also called Eastern Euphrates (, , ), is a major source of the Euphrates River. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used to call the river ''Arsanias'' (). It originates near Mount Ararat north of Lake Van, in Eastern Turkey, and flows ...

near the town of Gulushkerd, confronting the Aq Qoyunlu forces on the opposite side. Although Ahmad Aq Qoyunlu wanted to make peace with Mutahharten, to whom his daughter was married, Mutahharten was defeated a second time at the hands of Ahmad's brother, Qara Yuluk (). Upon the news of another Timurid expedition in 1393–4, Mutahharten reaffirmed his allegiance to Timur. He acted as an ambassador during Timur's siege of Avnik. The author of ''Bazm-u Razm'', Astarabadi, who was hostile to Mutahharten, described his actions during this period as cowardly. Astarabadi claimed that Mutahharten stopped administering his region altogether. After allegedly kissing Timur's

stirrup A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a ''stirrup leather''. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal ...

, Mutahharten changed the name on his coins and the to Timur's and tried to provoke him to invade all of Anatolia and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. However, Timur left Mutahharten without a liege when he departed for Georgia to subdue

Tokhtamysh Tokhtamysh ( Turki/ Kypchak and Persian: توقتمش; ; ; – 1406) was Khan of the Golden Horde from 1380 to 1395. He briefly succeeded in consolidating the Blue and White Hordes into a single polity. Tokhtamysh belonged to the House of Bo ...

of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

(). In retribution for Mutahharten's allegiance to Timur, Burhan al-Din took the fortresses of Ezdebir, Sis, and Burtulush. Though, when he departed for Sivas, the guards of these fortresses betrayed him and surrendered control to Mutahharten. With the support of Ahmad Aq Qoyunlu, Burhan al-Din decimated the region of Erzincan for a whole month and granted the Aq Qoyunlu the territory around Bayburt. On 27 October 1395, Mutahharten clashed with Burhan al-Din at Pulur. Although Mutahharten came out victorious there, Burhan al-Din continued to pursue Mutahharten until Burhan al-Din was killed by Qara Yuluk on 14 July 1398.

Relations with Trebizond and Christians

Starting from 1379 at the latest, the Emirate of Erzincan was the sole neighbor of the Empire of Trebizond, except for the Emirate of Hajji Amir and the

Chepni Chepni (; ; ) is one of the 24 Oghuz Turkic tribes. History In the legend of Oghuz Qaghan, the Chepni was stated as one of the clans of the tribe of ''Gök Han'' that consists of Pecheneg (''Beçenek''), Bayandur (''Bayındır''), Chowdur ('' ...

nomads near the Philabonites valley to the northwest. To the southwest of

Chaldia Chaldia (, ''Khaldia'') was a historical region located in the mountainous interior of the eastern Black Sea, northeast Anatolia (modern Turkey). Its name was derived from a people called the ''Chaldoi'' (or '' Chalybes'') that inhabited the reg ...

was Mutahharten's vassal, the Emirate of Karahisar, while Trebizond directly bordered Mutahharten up to

. According to ''

Kitab-i Diyarbakriyya ''Ketāb-e Dīārbakrīya'' () is a book on the history of the Aq Qoyunlu The Aq Qoyunlu or the White Sheep Turkomans (, ; ) was a culturally Persianate society, Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''Military Transition in Early Modern Asia, 1400–1750'', ...

'', Mutahharten imposed (Islamic agricultural tax) on Trebizond. The empire likely was dependent upon Erzincan for matters of security and commerce. The chronicles of the Trapezuntine historian

Michael Panaretos Michael Panaretos (; ) was an official of the Trapezuntine empire and a Greek historian. His sole surviving work is a chronicle of the Trapezuntine empire of Alexios I Komnenos and his successors. This chronicle not only provides a chronological f ...

of 1380–90s lack any mention of clashes with Turks, other than the campaign of Emperor Alexios III () on the Chepni, most probably because there were no direct border conflicts, and the trade through Trebizond continued. Therefore, Mutahharten's marriage to a daughter of the emperor was virtually a repayment for the protection he provided them. Around 1400, Muslims from the largely Christian city of Erzincan reported to Timur that Mutahharten cherished the Christian residents more than the Christians favored him. In response to Timur's inquiry about these complaints, Mutahharten openly agreed that he especially favored the Christians for the benefit of trade. Timur commanded that an influential

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

priest from Erzincan convert to Islam. When the priest resisted, Timur ordered the total massacre of the Christians of Erzincan. Mutahharten had the order reversed by paying him 9,000 aspers.

Ottoman–Timurid conflict and death

The

Ottoman sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

() annexed Sivas in 1398 and demanded that Mutahharten accept his suzerainty. Instead, Mutahharten relied on Timur, who was unable to diplomatically resolve the dispute over Erzincan but conquered Sivas in August 1400. Bayezid did not shy away from striking back and advanced as far as Erzincan in 1401, where he took Mutahharten and his Trapezuntine wife captive. Mutahharten was ultimately released and restored as the ruler when Qara Yusuf, who had been given control of the place, did not fare well with the locals. Mutahharten momentarily acted as an intermediary between the Ottomans and the Timurids, but soon participated in the latter's Anatolian campaign that would become a major blow to the Ottomans at the

Battle of Ankara The Battle of Ankara or Angora () was fought on 28 July 1402, at the Çubuk plain near Ankara, between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the emir of the Timurid Empire, Timur. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to ...

. Mutahharten died in late 1403. He had no surviving legitimate male issue. His death signified the final years of the independent Emirate of Erzincan. His grandson Yar Ali ruled between 1403–10 and 1420–5, but the emirate then ceased to exist, and continuous conflict between the stronger powers of Aq Qoyunlu and Qara Qoyunlu over control of Erzincan soon prevailed.

References

Bibliography

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