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Kayqubad I

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Kayqubad I
Coinage of Ala' al-Din Kay Qubad I, Ankuriyya, 1219-1237
Sultan of Rum
Reign1220–1237
PredecessorKaykaus I
SuccessorKaykhusraw II
Born1190
Died1237 (aged 46–47)
Kayseri, Sultanate of Rum
Burial
Alâeddin Mosque, Konya, Turkey
Spouse
  • Mahpari Hunat Khatun
  • Malika Adila Khatun
  • Ismat al-dunya wa'l-din
Issue
Melike Hatun
Names
Alā ad-Dīn Kayqubād bin Kaykhusraw
DynastySeljuq
FatherKaykhusraw I
MotherRaziya Khatun, a daughter of Manuel Maurozomes
ReligionSunni Islam

'Alā' ad-Dīn Kay-qubād ibn-e Kay-xusraw (Turkish: I. Alâeddin Keykûbad; Turkish pronunciation: [kejkuːbad], Persian: علاء الدین کی‌قباد ابن کی‌خسرو 1190–1237), also known as Kayqubad I, was the Seljuq Turkish Sultan of Rûm who reigned from 1220 to 1237.[1] He expanded the borders of the sultanate at the expense of his neighbors, particularly the Mengujek Beylik and the Ayyubids, and established a Seljuq presence on the Mediterranean with his acquisition of the port of Kalon Oros, later renamed Ala'iyya in his honor. The sultan, sometimes styled Kayqubad the Great,[2] is remembered today for his rich architectural legacy and the brilliant court culture that flourished under his reign.

Kayqubad's reign represented the apogee of Seljuq power and influence in Anatolia, and Kayqubad himself was considered the most illustrious prince of the dynasty. In the period following the mid-13th century Mongol invasion, inhabitants of Anatolia frequently looked back on his reign as a golden age, while the new rulers of the Anatolian beyliks sought to justify their own authority through pedigrees traced to him.

Early life

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Kayqubad was the second son of Seljuk Sultan Kaykhusraw, who bestowed upon him at an early age the title malik and the governorship of the important central Anatolian town of Tokat. When the sultan died following the battle of Alaşehir in 1211,[3] both Kayqubad and his elder brother Kaykaus struggled for the throne. Kayqubad initially garnered some allies among the neighbors of the sultanate: Leo I, the king of Cilician Armenia and Tughrilshah, the brothers' uncle and the independent ruler of Erzurum. Most of the emirs, as the powerful landed aristocracy of the sultanate, supported Kaykaus. Kayqubad was forced to flee to the fortress at Ankara, where he sought aid from the Turkman tribes of Kastamonu. He was soon apprehended and imprisoned by his brother in a fortress in western Anatolia.[4]

Reign

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Upon his brother Sultan Kaykaus's unexpected death in 1219/1220 Kayqubad was released from captivity and succeeded to the Seljuk throne as its new Sultan.[citation needed]

The sultanate expanded considerably during the reign of Kayqubad, mostly in the east.

In the Cilicia Campaign of 1225, Kayqubad subjugated the Kingdom of Armenian Cilicia.[citation needed]

In 1221/1222 Kayqubad launched a naval attack on Sudak which defeated the combined forces of Rus and Cumans.[5] He attacked the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in 1221 taking the city of Alanya from its governor, Kir Fard.[6]

Sultan Kayqubad I (r.1220–1237) or a notable of his court, seated in Turkic style and holding a flower, symbol of eternal life. Kubadabad Palace, late 1220s.[7][8]

In 1227/1228, Kayqubad advanced into Anatolia, where the arrival of Jalal al-Din Mangburni, who was fleeing the destruction of his Khwarezmian Empire by the Mongols, had created an unstable political situation. The sultan settled Turcomans along the Taurus Mountains frontier, in a region later called İçel. At the end of the 13th century, these Turcomans established the Karamanids. The Ayyubids, who were disturbed by the rapid expansion of Sultan Kayqubad I, especially in eastern Anatolia, took action against the sultan under the leadership of Al-Kamil in Egypt. In 1234 Kayqubad I completely defeated the allied Ayyubid forces. Afterward, Harput expanded its borders further in the south-east Anatolia region by capturing Siverek, Urfa, Harran and Raqqa.[9][10][11] The sultan defeated the Artuqids and the Ayyubids and absorbed the Mengujek emirate into the sultanate, capturing the fortresses of Hısn Mansur, Kahta, and Çemişgezek along his march. He also put down a revolt by the Empire of Trebizond and, although he fell short of capturing their capital, forced the Komnenos dynasty family to renew their pledges of vassalage.[citation needed]

At first, Kayqubad sought an alliance with his Turkish kinsman Jalal al-Din Mangburni against the Mongol threat. The alliance could not be achieved, and afterward, Jalal al-Din took the important fortress at Ahlat. Kayqubad finally defeated him at the Battle of Yassıçimen between Sivas and Erzincan in 1230. After his victory, he advanced further east, establishing Seljuq rule over Erzurum, Ahlat and the region of Lake Van (formerly part of Ayyubids). The Artuqids of Diyarbakır and the Ayyubids of Syria recognized his sovereignty. He also captured several fortresses in Georgia, whose queen sued for peace and gave her daughter Tamar in marriage to Kayqubad's son, Kaykhusraw II.[12] Mindful of the increasing presence and power of the Mongols on the borders of the Sultanate of Rum, he strengthened the defenses and fortresses in his eastern provinces.

Architecture and culture

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Yivli Minare Mosque, built in Antalya by Kayqubad I
The Kızıl Kule, or Red Tower, built in Alanya by Kayqubad I

Kayqubad sponsored a large-scale building campaign across Anatolia. Apart from reconstructing towns and fortresses, he built many mosques, medreses, caravanserais, bridges and hospitals, many of which are preserved to this day. Besides completing the construction of the Seljuq Palace in Konya, he also built the Kubadabad Palace on the shore of Lake Beyşehir,[13] Alanya Castle and Red Tower in Alanya and Kayqubadiyya Palace near Kayseri.[2]

He also built the Konya citadel (the city walls of Konya). The citadel incorporated many western decorative elements, such as a statue of Hercules, a frieze from a Roman sarcophagus, courtly scenes with seated figures in toga, winged deities around the figure of the sun, mixed with inscriptions in Arabic.[14] It would seem that such symbolism mixing Western and Eastern elements was mostly derived from the influence of the Artuqids, who were adept at combining Classical and Perso-Islamic approaches.[15]

Kayqubad, like the other Seljuq sultans of Rum, was quite well-versed in the fine arts and would recite quatrains in Persian during wine-drinking parties.[16]

Death

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He was given poison during a feast at Kayseri[17] and died at an early age on 31 May 1237, the last of his line to die in independence.[18]

Historian Ibn Bibi mourned his death with these words,"With Kayqubad's death, the back of Islam was broken and the bond of kingdom and religion snapped".[19]

Succession

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Kayqubad had three sons: Kaykhusraw II, eldest son of his Greek wife Mah Pari Khatun,[20] Rukn al-Din and Kilic Arslan, sons of his Ayyubid princess wife Malika Adila Khatun.[21] According to Ibn Bibi, Kayqubad wanted Rukn al-Din as his successor who was the elder one of his two sons from his Ayyubid wife, Malika Adila Khatun, but Kaykhusraw usurped the throne and had Rukn al-Din, Kilic Arslan and their mother strangled.[22][23]

Identity

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Modern statue of Kaykubad I in Alanya

According to Rustam Shukurov, it is very probably that Kayqubad and his brother Kaykaus I, who both spent considerable time in Byzantium with their father, had the same dual religious (Christian and Muslim) and dual ethnic (Turkic/Persian and Greek) identity as Kaykhusraw I, Kaykaus II, and Mesud II.[24]

Relations with scholars

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Kayqubad I had good relations with the Muslim scholars, Sufis and poets. Many Muslim Sufis and poets such as Mūhyūddīn İbnūl-Arābī, Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī, Ahi Evran, Necmeddīn-i Dāyē, Kāniî-i Tūsī, Shihab al-Din 'Umar al-Suhrawardi and Sultanulūlemā Bâhâeddīn Veled came to Anatolia during his reign.

Portrayal in media

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In the Turkish historical television series, Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Kayqubad I is portrayed by Turkish actor Burak Hakkı.

References

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  1. ^ Cahen 1997, p. 817-818.
  2. ^ a b Lambton & Lewis 1977, p. 248.
  3. ^ Redford 1991, p. 70.
  4. ^ Cahen 1968, p. 120-121.
  5. ^ Spinei 2009, p. 148.
  6. ^ Özcan 2010, p. 278.
  7. ^ Özel, Mehmet (1986). Traditional Turkish Arts: Tiles and ceramics. General Directorate of Fine Arts, Ministry of Culture and Tourism,Turkish Republic. p. 15. Kubadabad tiles consist of panels of figural tiles linked by cruciform tiles decorated with arabesques. The figural tiles are decorated with figures of the sultan, harem women, courtiers and servants. However, the most interesting figures are the various animals related to hunting and the imaginary or magical animals. Such creatures as the sphinx, siren, single and double-headed eagles, single and paired peacocks, paired birds flanking the tree of life and dragon create a magical world of the imagination. They are all symbolic representations of the rich figural world of the Seljuks. Animals related to hunting, such as the fox, hare, wolf, mountain goat, wild ass, bear, lion, falcon, hawk and antelope are in widely varying and highly artistic compositions.
  8. ^ The Art and architecture of Turkey. New York : Rizzoli. 1980. pp. 175–176. ISBN 978-0-8478-0273-9. Usually made in the underglaze technique, the star tiles contain an extremely rich figural design, depicting the sultan, the elite of the palace and animals of the hunt as well as imaginary or so-called 'fabulous' animals. (See figural reliefs and sculptures, p. 171.) The sultan and the palace notables, including in some cases the palace women, are shown sitting cross-legged in the Turkish tradition. In most cases, the figures hold in their hands a symbol representing eternal life-a pomegranate or opium branch or an astrological symbol like the fish. It is interesting to note the parallels with the same motifs in Anatolian Seljuk architecture.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  9. ^ Yazıcızâde Ali, Tevârih-i Âl-i Selçuk, s. 489-499
  10. ^ Kemaleddin İbnü’l-Adim, Zübdetü’l-Haleb min Tarih-i Haleb, s. 482-485
  11. ^ Claude Cahen, Anatolia Before the Ottomans, p. 85-86.
  12. ^ Cahen 1968, p. 130.
  13. ^ Redford 1993, p. 220.
  14. ^ Yalman, Suzan (1 January 2012). "'ALA AL-DIN KAYQUBAD ILLUMINATED: A RUM SELJUQ SULTAN AS COSMIC RULER". Muqarnas Online. 29 (1): 151–186. doi:10.1163/22118993-90000186. In some cases—such as the sultan's well-known city walls in Konya—there appears to be, at first sight, an antiquarian penchant for the "classical" or "Roman" past (fig. 1). (...) Nevertheless, the portrait's classicizing aspect is important in that it resonates with the use of spoliated classical sculpture in the walls of Konya (fig. 1). (...) Kayqubad's walls in Konya. (...) above the statue of Hercules was a reused Roman sarcophagus frieze carved in high relief; the latter featured a courtly scene with a seated figure wearing a toga and holding an orb ("a ball, the symbol of the world" according to Kinneir). Above this image was an Arabic inscription and then winged "genies" making offerings to the "sun" (as described by Olivier).
  15. ^ Yalman, Suzan (1 January 2012). "'ALA AL-DIN KAYQUBAD ILLUMINATED: A RUM SELJUQ SULTAN AS COSMIC RULER". Muqarnas Online. 29 (1): 151–186. doi:10.1163/22118993-90000186. As I will argue below, in addition to obvious "Western" links, Kayqubad was also inspired by sources further "East," such as the Artuqids of Hisn Kaifa and Amid (1102-1232), which combining Classical and Perso-Islamic impulses, seemed better suited as models. In fact, upon closer examination, these pagan/secular Roman imperial ("Western") signs seemed to be infused with mystical/Sufi ("Eastern") readings that imbued them with new meaning. Most significant was the emergence of an unexpected undercurrent of light symbolism.
  16. ^ Koprulu 2006, p. 220.
  17. ^ Savvides 1981, p. 190.
  18. ^ Wolff & Hazard 1969, p. 704.
  19. ^ Anooshahr 2008, p. 116.
  20. ^ Peacock & Yildiz 2013, pp. 118–119, 121.
  21. ^ Cahen 1968, p. 133.
  22. ^ Eastmond 2017, p. 197.
  23. ^ Cahen 1997a, p. 811.
  24. ^ Peacock & Yildiz 2013, p. 133.

Sources

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Further reading

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  • Yalman, Suzan (2012). "ʿALA AL-DIN KAYQUBAD ILLUMINATED: A RUM SELJUQ SULTAN AS COSMIC RULER". Muqarnas Online. 29 (1): 151–186. doi:10.1163/22118993-90000186.
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Preceded by Sultan of Rûm
1220–1237 		Succeeded by
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