THE GREAT SELJUKS;(Seljuks of Iraq and Persia)
The end of the eighteenth century witnessed the decline of the Abbasid caliphate due to internal conflicts stemming from religious heresies and factionalism and also political influence of the Shiites Fatimid caliphate in Egypt. The Byzantines saw an opportunity in reconquering the lands in which the Muslims took from them. They recovered their lost provinces of Illyricum, Greece, Bulgaria, Northern Syria etc.
During this strategic period, a group of nomad Asian Turkic clan began penetrating and conquering lands Eastward. They were the Kinik clan of the Oghuz Turks who accepted Islam around the end of the tenth century. Thye took a lot of land from Ray in Persia to Nishapur till they reached the Byzantine borders. They were headed by Chagri Bey and Tughrul Bey who were the grandson of Seljuk Bey from whom they took their dynasty name. This group of Turks were also supporters of the Abbasid caliphs and they believe that only the Abbasid caliphs has the legitimate right to direct the affairs of the Islamic world.
The Abbasid caliph acknowledged the political and military strength of the Seljuks and he acknowledged their the right to Sultanate, Thus, the latter of their two leaders, Tughrul Bey became the first sultan of the Seljuk dynasty of Persia. They made the city of Rey (in modern day Iran) their capital. They launched several attacks against the Byzantines who have been trying to intrude into the Muslim lands.
It is also noteworthy to note that the Seljuks respected and protected the caliphacy of the Abbasid caliphate and are staunch enemy of the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt. They also assisted the caliph in fighting heretic sects and beliefs. The rise of the Seljuks caused disunity amongst the Byzantines. In 1064 CE, the Seljuk’s captured Ani castle. This castle is one of the major castles which serve as a defense line for the Byzantines to prevent an incursion of the Muslims into Anatolia.
Three years after, Emperor Constantine X died in 1067 CE leaving the administration in the hands of his wife Eudocia who married Romanus who then became the Emperor of Byzantine Rome. It was around this period that Alparslan, who was the nephew of Sultan Tughrul became the Sultan.
He had a life-long goal of conquering Anatolia (Asia minor). He was granted this opportunity when the Byzantine emperor mobilized a huge army in order to halt the Seljuks and also gain a great victory against them in the year 1071CE. The army of about 100,000 soldiers of Emperor Romanus was defeated by the 15,000 army of sultan Alparslan at the battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert). This led to a great popularity for the Sultan as he opened the way to Anatolia to the Turks, Also, he was the only sultan to have captured a Byzantine Emperor alive. This victory was predominant to the spread of Islam to Europe at the hands of the Ottomans two centuries later.
The Sultanate of Rum (Anatolia) was formed by another faction of the Seljuks who ruled Anatolia after the victory. The height of the Great Seljuk empire (Seljuks of Persia and Iraq) was witnessed at the hands of the son of Sultan Alparslan, Sultan Melikshah, he also like his father fought and made a lot of conquest and also, the prominent figure, Nizam al-Mulk (Abu Ali Hasan ibn Ali Tusi), who was also a scholar came to be known as one of the greatest viziers who served as the vizier for him and for his father, Alparslan. It was also in the reign of Sultan Melikshah that the heresy of the Batiniyyah sect became very profound. Another great scholar and philosopher, Imam Ghazali was also alive at that time and he was one of the people who fought against the heresies with the support of the Sultan and Nizamul Mulk.
After the death of Sultan Melikshah, war for the throne broke out among his sons which led to civil strife and breakdown of law and order, this subsequently led to the decline of the empire. Nevertheless, only a part of it remained which was the Seljuks of Rum (Anatolia) that was conquered by Sultan Alparslan.
