Sultanate of Rum
Turkey, 1077–1307. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Sultanate of Rum was a culturally Turco-Persian, Sunni Muslim state established over conquered Byzantine territories and peoples of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks following their entry into Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire under Suleiman ibn Qutalmish in 1077. It reached the height of its power during the late 12th and early 13th century, when it succeeded in taking key Byzantine ports on the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. The Seljuk sultans bore the brunt of the Crusades and eventually succumbed to the Mongol invasion at the 1243 Battle of Köse Dağ.
Seat of power: Konya
Rulers
Suleiman ibn Qutulmish
Sultan of Rum, 1074–1086
He founded an independent Seljuk Turkish state in Anatolia and ruled as Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1077 until his death in 1086. Suleiman tried unsuccessfully to conquer Aleppo in 1086 and died in the Battle of Ain Salm.
Portrait of Suleiman ibn Qutulmish: CeeGee, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Kilij Arslan I
Sultan of Rum, 1092–1107
He ruled the Sultanate during the time of the First Crusade and thus faced the earliest attacks from Christian forces. He also re-established the Sultanate of Rum after the death of Malik Shah I of the Seljuk Empire and defeated the Crusaders in three battles during the Crusade of 1101.
Portrait of Kilij Arslan I: Kusadasi500, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Malik Shah
Sultan of Rum, 1107–1116
Malik Shah remained a prisoner in Isfahan until 1110 when he returned to Anatolia to assume the throne. He was defeated by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos at the Battle of Philomelion in 1116.
Mesud
Sultan of Rum, 1116–1156
With the help of his father-in-law, the Danishmend ruler Gümüshtigin, Mesud captured Konya in 1116. In 1130, he started construction of the Alâeddin Mosque in Konya, which was later completed in 1221.
Portrait of Mesud: CNG, CC BY-SA 2.5, file
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Kilij Arslan II
Sultan of Rum, 1156–1192
At Kotyaion his forces attacked and inflicted a defeat on the Byzantine emperor, beginning the Byzantine-Seljuk War of 1158-1162. A peace treaty with the Byzantines lasted until 1175, when he refused to hand over to Manuel the territory conquered from the Danishmends.
Portrait of Kilij Arslan II: 1156-92 artist, Public domain, file
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Suleiman II
Sultan of Rum, 1196–1204
Suleiman fought neighbouring rulers and expanded the territories of the Sultanate. In 1201, he conquered Erzurum, giving it as a fief to Mughith al-Din Tugrulshah in 1202.
Portrait of Suleiman II: 1198-9 CE, CC BY-SA 2.5, file
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Tughril ibn Kılıç Arslan II
Sultan of Rum, 1202–1225
He was a Turkoman king of the Seljuqs of Erzurum, one of the Anatolian beyliks, following the fall of the Saltukids in the region. He was another son of Kilij Arslan II, who in 1186 had partitioned his kingdom in Anatolia between several of his numerous sons.
Portrait of Tughril ibn Kılıç Arslan II: American Numismatic Society, CC0, file
Kaykaus I
Sultan of Rum, 1211–1220
His two younger brothers challenged his succession after Kaykhusraw I died at the Battle of Alaşehir in 1211. Most of the emirs, as the powerful landed aristocracy of the sultanate, supported Kaykaus.
Portrait of Kaykaus I: Aramgar, Public domain, file
Kayqubad baraa I
Sultan of Rum, 1220–1237
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, is remembered today for his rich architectural legacy and the brilliant court culture that flourished under his reign.
Portrait of Kayqubad baraa I: American Numismatic Society, CC0, file
Kaykhusraw II
Sultan of Rum, 1237–1246
He led the Seljuq army with its Christian allies at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243. He was the last of the Seljuq sultans to wield any significant power and died as a vassal of the Mongols.
Portrait of Kaykhusraw II: Kafka Liz, Public domain, file
Kaykaus II
Sultan of Rum, 1246–1262
He was a youth at the time of his father's death in 1246 and could do little to prevent the Mongol conquest of Anatolia. For most of his tenure as the Seljuk Sultan of Rûm, he shared the throne with one or both of his brothers, Kilij Arslan IV and Kayqubad II.
Portrait of Kaykaus II: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY 4.0, file
Kilij Arslan IV
Sultan of Rum, 1249–1266
He was twice the Seljuk Sultan of Rûm, from 1249 to 1254 and later from 1257 to 1266. He was the weak representative of the Seljuq line and was controlled by the Pervane, Mu'in al-Din Suleyman. Mu'in al-Din Suleyman, empowered by the Mongol khan Abagha, had him executed in 1266.
Portrait of Kilij Arslan IV: Classical Numismatic Group; [1], CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Kayqubad II
Sultan of Rum, 1249–1257
The vizier to the sultan, Shams al-Din Isfahani, seeking to defend a degree of Seljuk sovereignty in Anatolia from the Mongols, put him on the throne together with his two elder brothers, Kaykaus II and Kilij Arslan IV.
Kaykhusraw III
Sultan of Rum, 1266–1284
The young Kaykhusraw became no more than a figurehead and played no part in the events of his reign, which were dominated first by the Pervane, the Mongol vizier of Rum and Fakhr al-Din Ali.
Portrait of Kaykhusraw III: http://stevealbum.com/, CC BY 4.0, file
Mesud II
Sultan of Rum, 1284–1297
He was a vassal of the Mongols under Mahmud Ghazan and exercised no real authority. Mesud died in 1308, the last of the Seljuks of Rum.
Portrait of Mesud II: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC0, file
Culture
- The name Rum was a synonym for the medieval Roman Empire and its peoples, as it remains in modern Turkish.
- Trade through Anatolia from Iran and Central Asia was developed by a system of caravanserai. Especially strong trade ties with the Genoese formed during this period.
- During the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and Turkish principalities period, a distinct architecture emerged, which incorporated Byzantine and Armenian architectures with architectural styles found in West Asia and Central Asia.
Picture
The Alâeddin Mosque in Konya served as the main prayer hall for the Seljuk Sultans of Rum, and its courtyard contains the burial places of several of the sultans.
Image: Christian Mathis, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.