Ilghazi facts for kids

Najm al-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (died November 8, 1122) was an important ruler from a group called the Artukids. He was a Turkoman leader who ruled the city of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He belonged to the Döğer tribe, which was part of the Oghuz Turks.

Ilghazi's Early Life and Rise to Power

Ilghazi's father, Artuk Bey, started the Artukid family. His father was made the governor of Jerusalem by Tutush, a leader of the Seljuq Turks. When Artuk Bey passed away, Ilghazi and his brother Sökmen took over as governors of Jerusalem.

Around 1096, Ilghazi joined forces with Duqaq from Damascus and Yaghi-Siyan from Antioch. They fought against Radwan of Aleppo. Duqaq and Radwan were battling for control of Syria after Tutush died.

Ilghazi and Duqaq later had a disagreement, and Ilghazi was put in prison. This led to his brother Sökmen taking control of Jerusalem. But Ilghazi got the city back when he was set free. He ruled Jerusalem until 1098, when a powerful official from Egypt, al-Afdal Shahanshah, captured the city.

After losing Jerusalem, Ilghazi wanted to make a name for himself in a region called the Jezirah. His brothers had also settled there. He then worked for the Seljuq sultan Mahmud I. The sultan gave him control of Hulwan and made him the shihna of Baghdad. A shihna was like a supervisor who looked after the affairs of the caliph (a religious and political leader) for the sultan.

Becoming a Leader and Major Battles

In 1104, Ilghazi was removed from his position as shihna. That same year, his brother Sökmen died, and Ilghazi became the new leader of the Artukid family. Sökmen's son, Ibrahim, disagreed with this, but Ilghazi took Mardin from him in 1108.

As the head of the Artukids, Ilghazi often changed sides in conflicts. He would make alliances with both Muslim leaders and Christian crusaders, depending on what was best for him.

In 1110, he took part in a failed attempt to capture Edessa. In 1114, Ilghazi and his nephew Balak defeated Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, the Seljuq governor of Mosul. They even captured Mas'ud, the son of the Seljuq sultan.

Later, in 1115, Ilghazi tried to capture Homs but was briefly taken prisoner by its governor. That same year, several Crusader leaders, including Roger of Antioch and Baldwin I of Jerusalem, defended Antioch against a Seljuq general named Bursuq ibn Bursuq. Ilghazi, along with leaders from Damascus and Aleppo, helped them because they were also enemies of Bursuk. These armies did not fight each other directly, but Bursuk was later defeated by Roger in the Battle of Sarmin.

Control of Aleppo and Key Victories

Ilghazi gained control of Aleppo in 1117 after its previous ruler was killed. A princess named Amina Khatun invited him to take over. In 1118, he took control of Mayyafiriqin and brought peace to the areas around it.

In 1119, Ilghazi achieved a major victory at the Battle of Ager Sanguinis. He defeated and killed Roger of Antioch. A historian named Ibn al-Qalanisi described this victory as one of the greatest for Islam. After this win, Ilghazi's army captured several towns, including Atharib, Zerdana, Sarmin, Ma'arrat al-Numan, and Kafartab.

However, Baldwin II (who was now the King of Jerusalem) soon arrived to push Ilghazi back. In the tough Battle of Hab on August 14, 1119, Baldwin II caused heavy losses for Ilghazi's army.

The next year, Ilghazi captured Nisibin and then raided the County of Edessa before heading north towards Armenia.

Invasion of Georgia and Final Years

In 1121, Ilghazi made peace with the crusaders. He then gathered a very large army, possibly as many as 250,000 to 350,000 soldiers, including men led by his son-in-law Sadaqah. He invaded Georgia. David IV of Georgia, the Georgian king, met him at the Battle of Didgori, and Ilghazi was defeated. According to one account, many Seljuq soldiers were killed. Only Ilghazi and his son-in-law Dubais managed to escape.

In 1122, Ilghazi and Balak defeated Joscelin I of Edessa and took him prisoner. However, Ilghazi died in November of that year in Diyarbekir. He was buried in Mayyafariqin, which is known as Silvan today. After his death, Balak took over in Aleppo, and Ilghazi's sons, Suleiman and Timurtash, became rulers in Mardin.

Family

Ilghazi had several children. His first wife was Farkhunda Khatun, the daughter of Radwan of Aleppo, but he never actually met her. He then married the daughter of Toghtekin of Damascus.

His children included:

• Ayaz
• Guhar Khatun (who married Dubais)
• al-Bazm
• Shams ad-Daula Sulaiman
• Safra Khatun
• Yumna Khatun
• al-Sa'id Husam ad-Din Timurtash

He also had other sons named Umar and Nasr. Another possible son was named Kirzil.

See also

• Artukid dynasty
• Ahlatshahs

Sources

• Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Cambridge University Press, 1951.
• Kenneth Setton, ed. A History of the Crusades, vol. I. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1958 (available online).
• William of Tyre. A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea. Edited and translated by E. A. Babcock and A. C. Krey. Columbia University Press, 1943.
• Armenia and the Crusades, Tenth to Twelfth Centuries: The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa. Translated by Ara Edmond Dostourian. National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, 1993.
• The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades: Extracted and Translated from the Chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi. H.A.R. Gibb, London, 1932.
• Walter the Chancellor's "The Antiochene Wars": A Translation and Commentary, trans. Thomas S. Asbridge and Susan B. Edgington, Ashgate, 1999.
• Carole Hillenbrand, "The career of Najm al-Din Il-Ghazi", Der Islam 58 (1981).
• Carole Hillenbrand, A Muslim Principality in Crusader Times: The Early Artuqid State. Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut, 1990.
• Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives. Routledge, 2000.
• Smail, R. C. Crusading Warfare 1097–1193. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, (1956) 1995. ISBN: 1-56619-769-4