Everything about Danishmends totally explained
The
Danishmend dynasty was a
Turcoman dynasty that ruled in north-central and eastern
Anatolia in the
11th and
12th centuries. The centered originally around
Sivas,
Tokat, and
Niksar in central-northeastern
Anatolia, they extended as far west as
Ankara and
Kastamonu for a time, and as far southw as
Malatya, which they captured in
1103. In early
12th century, Danishmends were rivals of the
Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm, which controlled much of the territory surrounding the Danishmend lands, and they fought extensively with the
Crusaders.
The founder
The dynasty was established by
Danishmend Gazi for whom historical information is rather scarce and was generally written long after this death.
His title or name,
Dānishmand or more accurately
Dāneshmand, means "learned man" in
Persian. As of 1134, Danishmend dynasty leaders also held the title
Melik (
the King) bestowed in recognition of their military successes by the
Abbasid caliph Al-Mustarshid, although the
Beys (
Emirs) of Danishmend prior to 1134 may also be retrospectively referred to as
Melik. Danishmend Gazi himself was alternatively called "Danishmend Taylu" .
The dynasty
Danishmends established themselves in Anatolia in the aftermath of the
Battle of Manzikert in
1071, in which the Seljuks defeated the
Byzantine Empire and captured most of Anatolia. Gazi took advantage of the dynastic struggles of the Seljuks upon the death of the Sultan
Suleyman I of Rûm in
1086 to establish his own dynasty in central Anatolia. The capital was likely first established in
Amasia.
In
1100, Gazi's son, Emir
Gazi Gümüshtigin. captured
Bohemond I of Antioch, who remained in their captivity until
1103. A Seljuk-Danishmend alliance was also responsible for defeating the
Crusade of 1101.
In 1116, the Danishmends helped
Mesud I become the Seljuk sultan.
In
1130 Bohemond II of Antioch was killed in a battle with
Gazi Gümüshtigin, after coming to the aid of the
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, which Gümüshtigin had invaded. Gümüshtigin died in
1134 and his son and successor Mehmed didn't have the martial spirit of his father and grandfather. He is nevertheless considered the first builder of Kayseri as a Turkish city, despite his relatively short period of reign.
When Mehmed died in 1142, the Danishmend lands were divided between his two brothers, Melik Yaghibasan, who maintained the title of "Melik" and ruled from
Sivas, and
Ayn el-Devle, who ruled from
Malatya.
In
1155, Seljuk Sultan
Kilij Arslan II attacked Melik Yaghibasan, who sought help from
Nur ad-Din, the
Zengid emir of
Mosul. However, when Nur ad-Din died in 1174, the Sivas lands were incorporated into the Sultanate. Four years later, the Malatya Danishmends were defeated and also incorporated, marking the end of Danishmend rule.
Danishmends in folklore
Danishmend Gazi, the founder of the dynasty, is the central figure of a posthumous romance epic,
Danishmendnâme, in which he's mis-identified with an 8th century Arab warrior, Sidi Battal Gazi, and their exploits intertwined.
Virtually all Danishmend rulers entered the traditions of the
Turkish folk literature, where they're all referred to as "Melik Gazi" . Hence, there are "tombs of Melik Gazi", many of which are much visited shrines and belong in fact to different Danishmend rulers, in the cities of
Niksar,
Bünyan,
Kırşehir, along the
River Zamantı near the castle of the same name (
Zamantı) and elsewhere in
Anatolia, and
Melikgazi is also the name of one of the central districts of the city of
Kayseri. The same uniformity in appellations in popular parlance may also apply to other edifices built by Danishmends.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Danishmends'.
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