Mahmud II (Iran)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mughith ad-Dunya wa-d-Din Abu l-Qasim Mahmud (II.) Ibn Muhammad ibn Malik-Shah ( Muġīṯ ad-Dunyā wa-'d-Dīn Abū 'l-Qāsim Maḥmūd b. Muḥammad b. Malik-Shāh ; * 1104/1105; † September 10, 1131 in Hamadan ) was a sultan from the Seljuk dynasty . He came to the throne in 1118 and ruled western Iran and Iraq from 1119 until his death as a vassal of the supreme sultan Sanjar .

Mahmud, as the eldest son of Muhammad I (r. 1105–1118), was appointed heir to the throne in his will and consequently was crowned Sultan of the Greater Seljuk Empire . His uncle Sandjar, who had ruled East Iran ( Churasan ) since 1097 , was not prepared to recognize Mahmud as the new head of the dynasty. He declared himself sultan in 1118 and entered the jibal with an army . A great battle broke out near Saveh in August 1119, which Sandschar won with the help of war elephants. Mahmud first fled to Isfahan .

Negotiations followed, in which Sandschar's mother Safiyya-Chatun, Mahmud's grandmother, asserted that the vanquished was forgiven and that he was allowed to retain control (including the sultan's title) over the western half of the empire. Mahmud, however, had to come to his uncle in Rey , submit and recognize Sandschar - whose daughter he was married to - from then on as his overlord (with the title of "greatest sultan") in the Chutba and on the coins, which he did. Mahmud also lost the province of Rey and other areas on the Caspian Sea .

Mahmud's authority has been repeatedly challenged by his brothers, especially Mas'ud and Toghril . As subordinate rulers, both controlled important provinces and, like some emirs and local princes, rebelled against Mahmud. In addition, there were financial problems that forced the Sultan to give away a lot of land as Iqta (ie personal fief) to his followers. So Zengi became Atabeg of Mosul in 1127 .

During Mahmud's reign, Georgia ceased to pay tribute to the Seljuks under David IV ; an advance of Mahmud to Shirvan (1123) could not change this. In 1126/1127 Mahmud took action against Baghdad , where the Abbasid caliphs were about to regain their independence. In 1128 Sanjar marched again to Rey because of intrigue, but this time the conflict ended in reconciliation.

Sultan Mahmud II, a great lover of hunting birds, hunting dogs, and cheetahs , was considered just, reasonable, and learned. He died on September 10, 1131 at the age of 27. His death sparked again power struggles; Sandjar installed Toghril II as the new vassal sultan of Iraq.

Mahmud left several daughters and sons, including future sultans:

personal data
SURNAME Mahmud II
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mahmud ibn Muhammad ibn Malik-Shah
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Seljuk Sultan in western Persia and Iraq
DATE OF BIRTH 1104 or 1105
DATE OF DEATH September 10, 1131
Place of death Hamadan