Jahan Shah

Muzaffar al-Din Dschahan Shah ibn Yusuf for short Dschahan Shah ( Persian جهان شاه; † November 11, 1467 in Eastern Anatolia ) was the leader of the Turkmen tribal federation of Qara Qoyunlu in Āzarbāydschān and Arrān from 1438 to 1467. During his reign, the territory of the Qara Qoyunlu reached its greatest extent and included western Anatolia , most of Iraq , central Iran and probably also Kerman . He also subjugated the neighboring states and was one of the greatest rulers of the Qara Qoyunlu. Jahan Shah was allegedly fond of drinking and entertainment. During his reign, Jahan Shah built the Kabud mosque and theological schools in his capital, Tabriz .

Jahan Shah comes to power

Jahan Shah was the fourth of a total of six sons of Qara Yusuf . Where and when Jahan Shah was born is not entirely clear. Some sources mention Choy in Iran and others in Mardin in Anatolian 1397 . Around 1420 Jahan Shah married the daughter Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene. Part of the agreement was that Alexios IV would from now on pay the tribute he had previously paid to Timur to the Qara Qoyunlu. During the reign of his brother Qara Iskander (1420-36), Jahan Shah did not have a secure life as a potential rival for the throne and sought refuge with his brother Ispend, who ruled Baghdad. In 1436 he received help from the Timurid ruler Shāh Ruch to defeat Qara Iskander and to gain the throne for himself. Since he got help from Shah Ruch, he initially ruled as a vassal of the Timurids.

In 1462, Abd al-Razzaq described Jahan Shah's rule as follows:

“Thanks to the benevolent government ( husn-i 'inayat va lutf-i atifat ) Mirza Dschahan Shahs, Azerbaijan was a very prosperous state. The well-meaning prince endeavored to exercise justice, to secure the prosperity of the country, and to treat his subjects with honor. The capital of Tabriz competed with Egypt (misr-i jami) with its numerous population and excess of tranquility. The rumors of the good conduct of this excellent king spread across the world. The inhabitants of this kingdom protected by God, indifferent to the arrows of events, enjoyed peace. "

Campaigns

In 1440, King Alexandre I of Georgia refused to pay tribute. In March, Jahan Shah responded by invading Georgia with 20,000 men and destroying the city of Samschvilde and sacking Tbilisi before returning to Tabriz. He also led a second military expedition against Georgia in 1444. His troops met the troops of Alexander's successor, King Vakhtang IV, at Akhaltsikhe , but the battle was fruitless and Jahan Shah returned to Tabriz.

Jahan Shah's brother Ispend, who ruled Baghdad and the surrounding area for twelve years, died in 1445 and had handed over the government of the country to his nephew Alwand, since his son Fulad was still too young. Nevertheless, most of the emirs supported Fulad, including Jahan Shah. He decided to go on a military expedition against Baghdad and had cover with a couple of emirs who had sought refuge with him. After a seven month siege, Baghdad was captured in June 1446.

After the death of the Timurid ruler Shāh Ruch in 1447, Jahan Shah became the independent ruler Qara Qoyunlu and began to use the title Sultan and Khan. At the same time, the Timurid Empire benefited from the fighting among the Turkmen princes and took the cities of Soltaniye and Qazvin .

Conflict with the Aq Qoyunlu

In 1447 Jahan Shah became involved in a conflict with the Aq Qoyunlu , who had always been the deadly enemies of the Qara Qoyunlu. Jahan Shah wanted the Ag Qoyunlu ruler Uzun Hasan defeat and make his vassals. This conflict dragged on until 1451 and caused terrible losses on both sides.

Jahan Shah's tomb in the southern part of the Kabud Mosque.

Jahan Shah set out with a large army on May 16, 1466 and came to the valley of Lake Van . While he was there, he got angry when he learned that Uzun Hasan and 12,000 horsemen were devastating his land. In the meantime, Uzun Hasan, who was expecting an attack by Jahan Shah, had secured the mountain passes. Messengers went back and forth between the two rulers, but no agreement could be reached because of Jahan Shah's high demands. As Jahan Shah already up Muş headway, he had to postpone his attack because of the winter begins. When his troops complained, he decided to move back to his winter residence. Uzun Hasan surprised his army and totally defeated them on November 11, 1467. Jahan Shah was killed while trying to escape, and with his death the great Qara Qoyunlu story came to an end. He was followed by his incompetent son Hasan Ali. Jahan Shah was buried in the southern part of the Kabud Mosque in Tabriz.

source

• Enver Konukçu: Article Cihan Şah in Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi (Turkish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ V. Minorsky : Jihan-Shāh Qara-Qoyunlu and His Poetry (Turkmenica, 9). In: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Vol. 16, No. 2, 1954, pp. 271-297, here p. 277, doi : 10.1017 / S0041977X00105981 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Qara Iskander	Ruler of the Qara Qoyunlu 1436–1467	Hasan Ali