Taj Al-Mulk
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Taj al-Mulk Abu'l Ghana'em Marzban ibn Khosrow Firuz Shirazi (), better simply known as Taj al-Mulk () 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 ...
courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...
during the reigns of
Malik-Shah I Malik-Shah I (, ) was the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092, under whom the sultanate reached the zenith of its power and influence. During his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan, ...
and his son
Berkyaruq Rukn al-Din Abu'l-Muzaffar Berkyaruq ibn Malikshah (; 1079/80 – 1105), better known as Berkyaruq (), was the fifth sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1094 to 1105. The son and successor of Malik-Shah I (), he reigned during the opening stages of ...
. Of
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 ...
descent, he was unofficially the
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 ...
of Seljuk Empire for not more than 7 months.


Life

He unofficially became the vizier of Seljuk Empire after the death of Malik-Shah. Taj al-Mulk was from an old noble family of Fars region. Not much is known about his life before his post in Seljuq government, but his biographers praised him for his competence, knowledge and fluency, which shows he had enough education. He was at first, in service of Imad al-Dowla Sawtekin, a local Seljuq amir. Impressed by Taj al-Mulk's competency, the amir introduced him to the Seljuq Sultan and he entered the court.


Vizier

Judging by the primary sources, it seems that he intended to become the vizier from the beginning. After gaining the support of Terkan Khatun, he built a tomb for Shaykh Abu Ishaq-i Shirazi, and a school in Baghdad (known as Madrasa-i Tajiya) in order to gain some support from the masses. He slowly and carefully started his opposition to
Nizam al-Mulk Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī Ṭūsī () (1018 – 1092), better known by his honorific title of Niẓām al-Mulk (), was a Persian Sunni scholar, jurist, political philosopher and vizier of the Seljuk Empire. Rising from a low position w ...
. Helped by some other courtiers, his goal was to depose Nizam al-Mulk, though Nizam al-Mulk didn't take them seriously, and the Sultan himself wasn't able to depose Nizam al-Mulk. He finally gained a chance to increase the disagreements between Nizam al-Mulk and the Sultan. Although both Nizam al-Mulk and the Sultan were in agreement about the future Sultan, Berkyaruq, Taj al-Mulk supported Mahmoud, the child of Terkan Khatun.


Isma'ili

Some primary sources such as Abd al-Jalil Qazvini Razi claimed that he was an
Isma'ili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (Imamate in Nizari doctrine, imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the ...
and mentioned a story about his pact with
Hassan-i Sabbah Hasan al-Sabbah also known as Hasan I of Alamut, was an Iranian religious and military leader, founder of the Nizari Ismai'li sect widely known as the '' Hashshashin'' or the Order of Assassins, as well as the Nizari Ismaili state, ruling fro ...
, which explain his enmity toward Nizam al-Mulk. Beside that, Nizam al-Mulk warned Sultan about "those who hide their true goals and intend to depose the vizier and the Abbasid Caliph" in his work,
Siyasatnama ''Siyāsatnāmeh'' (, ), also known as ''Siyar al-mulûk'' (, ), is the most famous work by Nizam al-Mulk, the founder of Nizamiyyah schools in medieval Persia and vazier to the Seljuq sultans Alp Arslan and Malik Shah. Nizam al-Mulk possessed ...
. He was responsible to deliver Sultan Malik-Shah's harsh letter to Nizam al-Mulk, which Nizam al-Mulk answered with harsh words as well. Malik-Shah, angry of Nizam al-Mulk's harsh words, and was preparing himself for a travel to Baghdad. When they reached
Nahavand Nahavand () is a city in the Central District of Nahavand County, Hamadan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is south of the city of Hamadan, west of Malayer and northwest of Borujerd. Inhabited ...
, Nizam al-Mulk was assassinated by an Isma'ili agent. Primary sources explicitly mentioned that the assassination of Nizam al-Mulk was orchestrated by Taj al-Mulk, making it likely that Malik-Shah was aware of it. The deposition of Nizam al-Mulk was a win for both Tarkan Khatun and her supporters, as well as the Isma'ilis who enjoyed the support of Taj al-Mulk. When the Sultan reached Baghdad, Taj al-Mulk prohibited the soldiers from entering the houses of Baghdad's population and looting the city. He also bought ten days for
al-Muqtadi Abū'l-Qasim ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qa'im (Arabic: أبو القاسم عبد الله بن محمد بن القائم) better known by his regnal name al-Muqtadi (Arabic: المقتدي 'the follower'; 1056 – February 1094) was the ...
, who had to leave the city at the order of Malik-Shah. But the subsequent events weren't in favor of Taj al-Mulk. Malik-Shah suddenly died only a month and a few days after the death of Nizam al-Mulk. In the following civil war between Berkyaruq (the official heir) and Malik-Ismail (supported by Tarkan Khatun), the latter was defeated in a battle near Boroujerd. Taj al-Mulk was arrested, and Berkyaruq (who was aware of his competency) at first decided to grant him the post of viziership, but he was assassinated by the supporters of Nizam al-Mulk who considered him responsible for the death of Nizam al-Mulk.


References


Sources

* {{cite encyclopedia , title = Ebn Dārost, Tāj al-Molk Abu'l-Ḡanā'em Marzbān , last = Edmund Bosworth , first = C. , url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ebn-darost-taj-al-molk , encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VIII, Fasc. 1 , pages = 12–13 , year = 1997 1093 deaths 11th-century births 11th-century Iranian people People from Fars province People from the Seljuk Empire Viziers of the Seljuk Empire