The third ruler of Karakoyunlu
State (B. 1397 – D. 12 November 1467, Tabriz). His real name is
Mirza Muzafferüddin and he used the pen name “Hakikî”
for his poetry. Cihanşah is the third son of Kara Yusuf who established Karakoyunlu Turcoman
State. Information on his birth date is not accurate.
He was assigned to Prefecture of Sultaniye
by his father in 1415. Upon the death of his father in 1420 he left Sultaniye
and went to his brother Şah Mehmed who was the prefect of Baghdad. Later they came in disagreement and
he united with his other brother İskender. However disagreements among family
members of Karakoyunlu lasted long years and caused the weakening of the state.
After the Sultan of Mamelukes Şahruh left Azerbaijan
İskender returned there; however he was defeated by his brother Cihanşah for
the throne and took shelter in Elince citadel in Nakhcevan.
Cihanşah upon the death of Şahruh in 1447 to whom he
was loyal received the titles of “Sultan” and “Hakan”. He finally headed the state when Şah Mehmed of his brothers and
Şahruh İskender were killed by Şah Mehmed’s son Şah Kubat. First he killed Şah Kubat who had killed his own father and
dominated the state. In 1440 he organized a military expedition to Georgia
and acquired a large booty. The same year he entered Tabriz and destroyed the Hurufis organized
here. Thus he prevented a possible heresy to come into being within the Islamic
world.
Cihanşah captured Isfahan and Persian countries benefiting from
disagreements among Timurids after the death of Şahruh. He completed his
success by capturing Kerman.
He organized a large military attack to Khorasan in 1457. He conquered Herat by ease and made read the khutbah in
his name. However his son Hasan Ali rebelled against him in Tabriz, so he had to leave Khorasan. After a
while he experienced the disobedience of his son Pir Budak who ruled in Persian
and Iraq-ı Arab countries. He tried to discourage his son from
disobedience however he failed and killed him. Nevertheless this made him
devoid of the strongest support behind him.
As it is known, the Oghuzs who had come from
Central Asia starting from XIII. Century were
living in clans in Diyarbakır, Azerbaijan, and various places of Iraq
in a divided state as Akkoyunlu and Karakoyunlu. These clans later brought up
different dynasties. Karakoyunlu State whose center was Tabriz
and who lasted until 1463 had controlled a part of Iran,
an important section of Azerbaijan,
Armenia, Kurdistan and Iraq.
Akkoyunlu State
which has always been hostile to Karakoyunlu
State struggled against
Cihanşah continuously. Cihanşah who ruled Khorasan, the whole Iran, Iraq
and outer regions of Western Anatolia realized his last military attack against
Akkoyunlu State. However this war turned into a
disaster for him and his state. Uzun Hasan who was the commander of Akkoyunlu
army disrupted Cihanşah’s army in 1467 and captured him. Cihanşah around
seventy years old was killed by an Akkoyunlu cavalry named İskender. His
captive son Muhammed and other commanders faced the same destiny. Cihanşah’s
corpse later was taken to Tabriz
and inhumed there into his tomb. Akkoyunlu
State with its center Tabriz gained strength
after Cihanşah.
After
1437 Cihanşah’s rule of Karakoyunlu
State was not very
stable. Struggles of sovereignty among feudal lords and overtaxing people
caused inquietude among nomadic Turcomans, craft and related trades workers.
Nevertheless, Abdürrezzak Semerkandî, one of the historians of the period
describes Cihanşah as just, powerful and skillful.
Cihanşah
during his reign turned Tabriz
into a prosperous town. Although Timur Khan destroyed it, Hurufism once again
had appeared but Cihanşah confronted it again, making a
great service to Islam. He respected science and scientists and protected them.
He built madrasahs and mosques. The madrasahs and mosques in Tabriz are famous among them.
Cihanşah not only was a brilliant statesman
but also a strong poet who left his trace in the literature of East. He wrote
Persian and Turkish poems, used the
pen name “Hakikî” and took his place among artist Turkish
sultans.
REFERENCE:
TDV İslam
Ansiklopedisi (c.7, s. 536, 1993), Prof.
Dr. Doç. Muhsin Macit / Karakoyunlu Hükümdarı Cihanşah ve Türkçe Şiirleri
(2002), İhsan Işık / Ünlü Devlet Adamları (Türkiye
Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 1, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People
(2013).
