The founder of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire and the first emperor (B. 1045, Khorasan - D. 1086, Aleppo). He was born in Khorasan
that was directed by the Great Seljuk Empire. He was the grandson of Selçuk Bey
and the son of Kutalmış. He was the father of Ertuğrul Gazi and the grandfather
of Osman Gazi. Kutalmışoğlu
Süleyman Şah was educated to serve as a commandant and he was going to every
expedition with the intention of sacred war. He came to Anatolia
in the period of Malik-Shah who ascended the throne after the death of Alpaslan (1072), who was the sultan of the Great
Seljuk, and he started his conquests together with the Turkmen tribes coming with
him. Süleyman Şah, one of the famous important people of the Turkish-Islamic
history, had a very big role in the establishment of our domination in these
homelands. His short life of 41 years passed with battles for the religion,
with conquests and victories in geographic regions from Khorasan to Izmir and
from Caucasia to Syria. The Expedition of Halep in 1085 was his last
expedition.
Some sources wrote that he besieged Aleppo and then Antakya upon
the death of Mahmut, who was the emir of Mirdasid, and that he settled with the
governor of Byzantine and removed the siege with the condition of protecting
the region from invasions in return to a tax of 20.000 dinar. After conquering Konya and the fortress of
Gevale before 1075, he achieved to enlarge his lands in a short time by taking
advantage of the weak situation of Byzantine. Besides, he united with
Botaneiates, who revolted against the emperor, and he enabled his accession to
the throne of Byzantine (1078). This development provided an opportunity for
the crowd Turkmen groups in Turkistan and Iran
to come and to settle in Anatolia. Malik-Shah,
who was afraid that the Kutalmışoğulları would gain strength with the participation of
the tribes coming from Azerbaijan and who was afraid from their efforts to
found a new state, sent the emir Porsuk against Süleyman Şah and his brother
Mansur. Even though Porsuk killed Mansur, he returned without obtaining another
result.
After the
victory of Manzikert opening persistently the doors of Anatolia to Turks, the sultan of the Great Seljuk Alparslan charged Süleyman Şah with the continuation of the
conquests and victories in Anatolia. With the
consciousness and the sense of responsibility of a man of action, he took the
sovereignty of the lands from the straits until Syria within ten years.
Kutalmışoğlu passed to Anatolia after the victory of Manzikert.
Great commandants such as Artuk, Tutuk, Danişmend and Saltuk Bey were with him.
He took Konya and its vicinities from Greeks
without confronting any resistance until Kızılırmak and he made Konya his capital city.
The Byzantine Emperor Michael Dukas, who was uncomfortable from these
developments, sent the Prince İssakios Kommenos and his brother Prince Alexius
Kommenos against Süleyman Şah. The Byzantine army was defeated heavily in the
war made near Kayseri.
This war, in which Prince Alexius Kommenos was defeated, became a second victory
of Manzikert for Turks. The entire Anatolia
would be conquered in the dates following this victory.
The conquest of
Anatolia that was sacredly idealized since
centuries by Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs was realized step by step during this
time. In 1075, Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Şah conquered İznik that was a city very
close to Byzantine. Upon that, the Sultan Malik-Shah sent him an imperial order
and gave him the Sultanate of Anatolia having İznik as the center. Süleyman
Şah, who would be named as the sultan of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire after this date, became one of the big and
strong commandants connected to the Sultan Malik-Shah.
Gümüştekin Bey,
who was one of the commandants next to Süleyman Şah has took the vicinity of
Urfa and Antep (1077) and Danişmend Bey took that of Malatya (1084). He himself
annexed Konya and Southwest
Anatolia to the lands of Seljuk. During this time, his brother
Melik Mansur Bey, who was provoked by the Byzantines, revolted against Süleyman
Şah. Malik-Shah, the strong emperor of the Great Seljuk Empire, sent an army directed by
Porsuk Bey to the help of Süleyman Şah against Melik Mansur Bey, who also got a
help from the Byzantine. At the end of the campaign, Mansur Bey died and his
soldiers joined Süleyman Şah. By this way, an obstacle, which might delay the
conquest of Anatolia and which might even
prevent it, was overcome.
Süleyman Şah
compromised with Melissenos, who wanted to take the place of Botaneiates, and captured
the Byzantine cities one by one. He broke down the army of Botaneiates and he advanced till
Kadıköy. Aleksios Komnenos, who acted faster than Melissenos
in this while, ascended to the Byzantine throne (1081). During the time
Melissenos remained uncovered, Süleyman Şah kept hold of İznik and the castles
of which the defenses were left to him. By this way, İznik became the center of
the Anatolian Seljuk Empire. As a result of the agreement between the two
emperors, the emperor recognized officially the sovereignty of Süleyman Şah in Anatolia. The Byzantine historians wrote that the
possession of the entire Anatolia was taken by
Turks in 1083.
Süleyman Şah
decided to go to the south after making expeditions to west and east because it
was also needed to secure the frontiers of Anatolia
from the south. Süleyman Şah, who indurated his condition and who laid the
foundations of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire, advanced towards Armenians in
Cilicia and took Tarsus,
Adana, Misis ve Anazarba (1082-1084). After that, he captured Antakya
without a war (1085). The same tactic would be implemented by the emperors
after Süleyman Şah in the crusades. Worthily to a Muslim Turkish emperor, he
reassured the community and he released the prisoners taken. He issued a decree
for his soldiers indicating that they should act well to the Christian
community, they should not take anything from them and that they should treat
fairly to the community.
One of his
commandants Buldacı Bey continued his conquests that he started in 1085 and
achieved to capture Maraş, Elbistan and its environment. The Anatolian unity
was founded in these dates and the name of Anatolia started to be referred as
Turquie (Turkey) in Europe. Süleyman Şah, who continued his wars in the years
after that, continued his conquests. However, this conquest life became a
struggle of sovereignty between him and another Turkish Emperor Tutuş Bey.
Süleyman Şah, who besieged Aleppo, also captured the castles of Seyzer, Kefertab, Maarretünnuman,
Kınnesrin next to it. Upon that, the king of Syria Tutuş and Artuk Bey
associated and advanced towards Süleyman Şah. Süleyman Şah lost the war made
near Aleppo in
June 1086 upon the fact that some of his troops passed to the adverse party and
he died when he was fighting not to surrender. His corpse was buried in the
castle of Ja'bar in Syria.
Malik-Shah, the
emperor of the Great
Seljuk Empire, felt deep sadness upon the martyring of this precious statesman
and commandant. Hasan b. Tahir, the vizier of Kutalmışoğlu, his wife Mania
Hatun and his children were firstly put under surveillance in a castle in
Antakya and then were brought to Isfahan. After that, even though it stood
without a sultan, the Anatolian Seljuk Empire succeeded to survive during the six
years until Kılıç Arslan, who was taken prisoner in Isfahan came to İznik and ascended the throne
of his father (1092).
