The Danishmendids or Danishmends ( Turkish : Dânişmendliler ) was a Turkoman Chepni founded beylik that ruled in north-central and eastern Anatolia from 1071/1075 to 1178. The dynasty 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 south as Malatya , which they captured in 1103. In early 12th century, Danishmends were rivals of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum , which controlled much of the territory surrounding the Danishmend lands, and they fought extensively against the Crusaders .
21-520: The dynasty was established by Danishmend Gazi for whom historical information is rather scarce and was generally written long after his death. His title or name, Dānishmand ( دانشمند ) means "wise man" or "one who searches for knowledge" in Persian . The Turkoman Chepni Danishmendid dynasty was founded by Danishmend Gazi . Sources about Danishmend Gazi's origins however, are steeped in "legendary flavor". According to Robert Irwin, Danishmend Gazi
42-580: A 14th century (i.e. posthumous) epic romance based on oral traditions dealing with Danishmend Gazi, is likewise filled with "legendary material". According to the Danishmendnâme , Danishmend Gazi was a native of Malatya . 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
63-598: A nephew of Malik-Shah I ( r. 1072–1092), Sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire . According to this narrative, Danishmend Gazi was sent by Malik-Shah to conquer Cappadocia . Others viewed Danishmend Gazi as a maternal uncle of Suleiman ibn Qutulmish ( r. 1077–1086), the first ruler of the Sultanate of Rum . In addition, some historians believed he was one of the Seljuq commanders who fought at
84-478: Is misidentified 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 are 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
105-595: Is often referred to shortly as Danishmend Gazi, while his son is called Gazi Gümüştekin. Furthermore, the Danishmend dynasty is also cited as having a family tie to the Seljuk dynasty . He was the maternal uncle to the Seljuk ruler Suleiman ibn Qutulmish . Ya%C4%9F%C4%B1basan Nizamettin Yağıbasan , or simply Yağıbasan (meaning "enemy raider" or "smashing the enemy") was the sixth ruler of Danishmendids and
126-557: The Battle of Manzikert in 1071. According to Yazici: "Osman Turan's suggestion that he was a Seljuq envoy to the Ghaznavid court was based on a misunderstanding of a passage in Abu'l Fazl Bayhaqi 's Tarikh-i Bayhaqi and is thus totally erroneous". According to Robert Gregory Bedrosian (citing Suren Yeremian and Halil Yinanc), Danishmend Gazi was an Armenian Muslim. The Danishmendnâme ,
147-640: 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 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
168-654: 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. The official title of the Danishmendids was Malik of All Romania and the East/Anatolia , was always inscribed in
189-610: The beylik of Danishmends . After the Turkic advance into Anatolia that followed the Battle of Manzikert , his dynasty controlled the north-central regions in Anatolia. The defeat of the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert and the subsequent civil war allowed the Turks, including forces loyal to Danishmend Gazi, to occupy nearly all of Anatolia . Danishmend Gazi and his forces took as their lands central Anatolia, conquering
210-586: 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. Following
231-595: The Seljuk sultan. In 1130, Bohemond II of Antioch was killed in a battle with Emir Gazi , after coming to the aid of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , which Gümüshtigin had invaded. Gümüshtigin died in 1134 and his son and successor Melik Mehmed Gazi did not 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,
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#1732765241052252-710: 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 , 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
273-675: The cities of Neocaesarea , Tokat , Sivas , and Euchaita from the Byzantine Empire . According to Michael the Syrian , he ruled Cappadocia in 1085, and most likely died the same year. However, Amin Maalouf claims in The Crusades Through Arab Eyes that Danishmend Gazi answered the call of Kilij Arslan to defend Asia Minor from incursions by Christian forces during the First Crusade in 1097. He
294-498: The death of Fahreddin in a riding accident in 1172, he was succeeded by his brother Afridun. By 1175, Nasreddin Muhammed had returned to power, and ruled as a Seljuk vassal. In 1178, Malatya was occupied. This event marked the end of the Danishmend rule, while the remaining Danishmends joined Seljuk service. Danishmend Gazi, the founder of the dynasty, is the central figure of a posthumous romance epic, Danishmendnâme , in which he
315-515: The first time by order of the Seljuk Sultan Kayqubad I , a century after Danishmend's death. The final form that has reached our day is a compendium that was put together under the instructions of the early 15th century Ottoman sultan Murad II . There is also some confusion concerning his name and a measure of divergence among scholars regarding the names used for him. He had the same name as his son, Gümüştekin . The father
336-507: The local currency in Greek , indication of Byzantine influence. The Danishmend's coins, along with being bilingual, included an image of a figure slaying a dragon, thought to represent St. George. Danishmend Gazi Danishmend Gazi ( Persian : دانشمند غازی ), Danishmend Taylu , or Dānishmend Aḥmed Gāzī (died 1085), was the Turkoman general of the Seljuks and later founder of
357-576: The other Danishmend rulers and attacked Kılıç Arslan to gain the former status of the beylik. But in the battle of Aksaray he was defeated. Nevertheless, soon with the help of the Byzantine Empire , he was able to capture Elbistan from the Seljuks. He continued his campaigns and plundered several forts of the Artukids . By this policy he was caught in between the Seljuks and the Artukids. But, Seljuks of Syria reconciled them. Yağıbasan died in 1164. He
378-717: The uncle of Melik Zünnun . After Alp Arslan of Seljukids defeated the Byzantine army in the battle of Manzikert in 1071, a series of Turkmen beyliks (principalities) were formed in Anatolia before Anatolia was united by the Sultanate of Rum . Danishmends was one of the most important ones. Following the First Crusade they dominated even on the Seljukids. Yağıbasan was the grandson of Gazi Gümüshtigin and son of Emir Gazi . Emir Gazi died in 1146 in Kayseri . His elder son Zinnun in Kayseri succeeded him. However, he
399-576: Was a "Turkoman emir of impenetrably obscure origins". For instance, according to Niketas Choniates , a Byzantine government official and historian and a near-contemporary of Danishmend Gazi, he was of Arsacid descent. According to the medieval Armenian historians Matthew of Edessa and Vardan Areveltsi , Danishmend Gazi was of Armenian origin, which, as Tahsin Yazici explains, "is not incompatible with Niketas' report". Yazici adds that other historians explained his origins differently. Some identified him as
420-580: Was derecognized by Yağıbasan who was residing in Sivas . After a further partition by a third brother in Malatya , the Danishment power began to decline. Mesut I of the Seljuks saw his chance to end the Danishmend dominance in Anatolia . He captured Sivas and in 1150 Yağıbasan agreed to be a vassal of the Seljuks. In 1155, Mesut died and was succeeded by Kılıç Arslan II . Yağıbasan allied himself with
441-552: Was succeeded by his son Gazi Gümüshtigin . Danishmend Gazi is the central figure in the Danishmendnâme ("Tale of Danishmend"), a 13th-century Turkish-language epic romance . In this allegory, events from the life of Danishmend Gazi are blended with the legendary exploits of the 8th-century Arab warrior Sayyid Battal Gazi and of the Persian hero Abu Muslim of the early Abbasid period. The legends that comprise Danishmendnâme were compiled from Turkish oral tradition for
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