Shah Ruch

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Shah Ruch. Forensic facial reconstruction by Mikhail Gerasimow .

Shah Ruch (شاهرخ میرزا Schahroch Mirza , DMG Šāhruḫ Mīrzā , * August 20, 1377 ; † March 13, 1447 in Rey ) was a Timurid ruler based in Herat ( Khorasan , today Afghanistan ).

The fourth son of Timur and his concubine Taghāy Tarkān Āghā was the governor of Khorasan , Sistan and Mazandaran since 1397 . When the conqueror died, an inheritance dispute broke out among his numerous sons and grandchildren . The successor chosen by Timur himself, Pir Muhammad, was ousted in 1405 by Chalil, another of Timur's grandsons. The 21-year-old Khalil then soon fell into debauchery, disregarded the hierarchy at court and was deposed by the emirs, who recognized Shah Ruch as ruler in his place (1407).

Shāh Ruch delayed the argument with the prince over the hostility of his older brother Miran Shah , the father of Khalil (Miran Shah was under the tutelage of his sons but still in office after an accident due to excessive cruelty). Finally he occupied Samarkand in May 1409 and achieved the surrender of his nephew, since he had his favorite wife as bargaining chip.

Shah Ruch broke with his father's policy of conquest and changed several embassies with Ming China . His politics ensured continuity and an early economic and cultural upswing. He moved his capital to Herat and made Persian the new "state language". Together with his wife Gauhar-Schad (executed in 1457) he became a humane patron of Persian literature and art, but also a great builder. Herat (e.g. Musallā complex 1417 ff.) And Samarkand (e.g. Ulugbek Madrasa 1417/21, Shah-i Zinda complex completed in 1435) were among the most beautiful cities in Asia at that time. However, Shah Ruch's assessment has fluctuated somewhat in history, because it is not clear to what extent Gauhar-Schad and three particularly deserving officials helped determine his successful policy.

The Shah was known for his piety, but he was also capable of waging war. In April 1408, the Timurid princes of western Persia were defeated by the Turkmen of the Black Mutton at Tabriz and Shah Ruch's older brother Miran Shah was killed. In addition, there were isolated revolts by his numerous relatives (1409, 1413/14), so that Shah Ruch's supremacy in Kerman , Isfahan and Shiraz was never undisputed. When the Turkmens expanded their sphere of influence, Shāh Ruch had to stand up for his relatives and successfully waged war in Azerbaijan in 1420/21, 1429 and 1434 . After his third campaign, he installed Jahan Shah as the new Turkmen prince in 1435 , thus confirming their legitimacy; however, he retained nominal supremacy.

The Shah died on a campaign against one of his grandchildren in winter camp at Rey. His successor was his only living son Ulug Beg (r. 1447-49), who had previously served as governor in Samarkand and was famous as an astronomer .

See also

literature

  • Beatrice Forbes Manz: Power, Politics and Religion in Timurid Iran (= Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne a. a. 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-86547-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Beatrice Forbes Manz: S̲h̲āh Ruk̲h̲ . In: Encyclopaedia of Islam . Leiden 2003. S. XI: 197a.
  2. ↑ Hans Robert Roemer: Persia on the way to the modern age . Beirut 1989. p. 127.
  3. ↑ Beatrice Forbes Manz: S̲h̲āh Ruk̲h̲ . In: Encyclopaedia of Islam . Leiden 2003. S. XI: 197a.
personal data
SURNAME Shah Ruch
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shah Ruch; Schahruch; Shah Rokh
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Timurid -Fürst
DATE OF BIRTH August 20, 1377
DATE OF DEATH March 13, 1447
Place of death Rey