The rise of the Turks: Case study of the Seljuks

The rise of the Turks: Case study of the Seljuks

Origin of the Seljuk Turks

A number of Turkish tribes had been accepting Islam from the borders of China since a long time period. The Arabs, as well as, the Persians had held them at the border and investigated with the tribe who claimed themselves as the Seljuk Turks. This tribe was the first to accept Islam and ultimately gained favour from many of the population in the region. The Turks also helped the religion when it was going through a tough phase under the Shiite dynasty known as the Buwayids, as they were not being treated well. The spiritual leader of the religion was the one who had to make sure that the followers are not facing any difficulty and they are able to follow and practice the religion in the right manner.

History of the Seljuk Turks

The name goes back to the Seljuk, a Turkmen, tribal chief, who had converted with his followers to Islam. In the 11th Century, the Seljuks first moved to the south before they conquered Iran. The Abbasid Caliph was invited to Baghdad in 1055 and they occupied it under Tughrul Beg the city and were the protective ruler of the Caliph. Alp Arslan (1063-72), nephew Tughruls, the Byzantines at Manzikert, and the Turkmens were able to settle in Anatolia. Around the same time, Syria and Palestine also came under the control of the Seljuk Turks. Thus, a major impetus was given to the Crusades, but the Islamic world in the Middle East related to only in passing.

The Rise of the Empire

Sultan Malik Shah (1072-92), son of Tughrul supported Nizam al-Mulk (1018-92), one of the most important in Islamic history viziers delight. He was murdered at the end of a thirty-year term by an assassin. The, an extremist Shiite sect had, under the agitator Hasan as-Sabbah worked as a terrorist group in the mountains south of the Caspian Sea. This was established in 1256 and was destroyed by the Mongols. The son of the first Sultan Osman (1258-1326) established his capital at Brusa (now Bursa), opposite Constantinople. In 1358, Suleiman captured Gallipoli, which allowed the Turks to establish a foothold in Europe. Murad I (1359-1389) established the capital of his Empire in Adrianople, now Edirne (1366) and defeated the Serbs and their allies in June 1389. Bayezid I (1389-1402) submitted Wallachia, Bulgaria, Thessaly, Macedonia and annihilated Hungary and Poland in September 1396, but was defeated in turn by the Mongol Tamerlane (Luttwak, 2009). Mohamed I (1402-21) restored the Empire and under Murad II (1421-1451) became aggressive power again. In 1453 Mohammed II took over Constantinople . The Peloponnese was conquered in 1456, Albania in 1470, Crimea in 1474 and Moldova in 1478. Selim I (1512-1520) dedicated his military power domination of SW Asia and N Africa, but was under the reign of Suleiman II (1520-1566) when the Ottoman Empire reached its limits more extensive and became a ...