Ahmad (Jalayirids)
Encyclopedia
Sultan Ahmad was a Jalayirid
ruler (1382-1410). He was the son of Shaikh Uvais
.
. In 1382 he departed from Ardabil
, which he had been given control of, and took Tabriz
; Husain was captured and executed. Ahmad's other brothers, Shaikh 'Ali and Bayazid
opposed him; Husain's former amir, 'Adil Aqa, had Bayazid proclaimed sultan in Soltaniyeh
, while Shaikh 'Ali prepared to leave Baghdad
and march on Tabriz. To secure his position, Ahmad requested the assistance of the Black Sheep Turkmen. Shaikh 'Ali fell in battle against the Turkmen; within two years Ahmad was also able to neutralize Bayazid (see Bayazid (Jalayirids)
for further details).
amir Timur
attacked the Jalayirids. Although Sultan Ahmad was not captured, his subordinates in Soltaniyeh
failed to defend the town and Timur took it with a minimum of resistance. Timur gave the town to 'Adil Aqa, who had defected to him, before retiring from the campaign. Ahmad then sent an army to retake Soltaniyeh, but 'Adil Aqa successfully defended it.
In the midst of Timur's absence, Sultan Ahmad had to deal with an invasion by Tokhtamysh
, khan of the Golden Horde
. Tokhtamysh's troops swept down into Azerbaijan
, devastating the land, and Tabriz was sacked in around the end of 1385. This raid significantly weakened Ahmad's position; he consequently could not combat Timur when he returned in 1386. Tabriz was taken by the Chagatais in the summer; its citizens had to pay a heavy tribute. 'Adil Aqa collected the tribute but was executed by Timur, who suspected him of corruption. Azerbaijan from this point on remained in the control of the Timurids, as Ahmad could not recover the province.
In 1393 Timur renewed the war with Sultan Ahmad. Near the end of August, he arrived at Baghdad, where Ahmad was residing. Deciding that defending the city was impossible, Ahmad fled and traveled to Mamluk
Syria, and was granted asylum by Sultan Berkuk
. Although Baghdad was forced to pay a ransom and many captives, including Ahmad's son Ala al-Daula, were taken with Timur when he left the city, most of the citizenry were left unharmed. A Sarbadar
, Khwaja Mas'ud Sabzavari, was given control of the city.
In 1394 Sultan Ahmad returned to Baghdad; Khwaja Mas'ud withdrew his forces instead of fighting. As a result, Ahmad was able to regain control of the city for the next six years. He grew increasingly unpopular, however, and in 1397 or 1398 an unsuccessful conspiracy was hatched against him. Feeling unsafe in Baghdad, he left the city and requested the assistance of the Black Sheep under Qara Yusuf
. The Turkmen arrived at the city, but Ahmad had a difficult time in preventing them from plundering Baghdad, and he eventually turned them back. In 1398 Timur's son and governor of Azerbaijan, Miran Shah
, attempted to take Baghdad but Ahmad successfully resisted him. In 1399 a Georgian
raised the siege of the town of Alenjaq, which the Timurids had been attempting to take for more than a decade. The leader of the Georgian army, one of Ahmad's sons, came to Baghdad, but rebelled and was killed.
When Timur returned from campaigns in the east in 1400, Sultan Ahmad feared that he would be attacked and left Baghdad; he returned for a short while but then left again, taking refuge with the Ottomans. In May 1401 a group of Chagatais sent to Baghdad by Timur encountered resistance; although more Timurid troops were sent the city commander, unaware that they were Timur's forces, refused to give in. Timur himself soon arrived and Baghdad was subjected to a forty day siege; when it still refused to surrender he order the city stormed. Once it was taken, nearly all of the men, women and children were massacred and most of the public buildings were destroyed. The destruction was so widespread that Timur did not even bother to install a governor.
Soon afterwards, however, Sultan Ahmad yet again returned to Baghdad and began to rebuild it. Although a contingent of Chagatais nearly captured him, he came back a few months later in 1402 with the Black Sheep Turkmen ruler Qara Yusuf, who had also sought refuge with the Ottomans. Their friendship, however, did not last, and Qara Yusuf expelled Ahmad from the city. Ahmad fled to the Mamelukes a second time, who however imprisoned him out of fear of Timur. In 1403 Qara Yusuf was driven out of Baghdad by the Timurids, and sought asylum with the Mamelukes, who imprisoned him also. Together in prison, the two leaders renewed their friendship and struck an agreement with each other; Ahmad would retain Iraq
, while Qara Yusuf would take over Azerbaijan.
Jalayirds were pushed south into lower Iraq, ruling over the towns of Al-Hillah, Wasit, and Basra until extinguished by the Kara Koyunlu in 1432, bringing an end to the DBA Jalayirid list:
Tajuddin Hasan Buzurg (1336-1356)
Uwais I (1356-1374)
Jalaluddin Hussein I (1374-1382)
Ghiyathuddin (aka Ahmad) Hussein I (1382-1410)
Bayazid (1382-1383)
Shah Walad (1410-1411)
Mahmud (1411-1415)
Uwais II (1415-1421)
Mohammed (1421-1422)
Mahmud (1422-1424)
Hussein II (1424-1432).
Jalayirids
The Jalayirids were a Mongol Jalayir dynasty which ruled over Iraq and western Persia after the breakup of the Mongol Khanate of Persia in the 1330s....
ruler (1382-1410). He was the son of Shaikh Uvais
Shaikh Uvais
Shaikh Uvais, also known as Uways or Oways , was a Jalayirid ruler of Iraq and Azerbaijan . He was the son of Hasan Buzurg and the Chobanid Delsad Katun.-Life:...
.
Struggle With His Brothers
Ahmad came to power as a result of a plot against his brother HusainHusain (Jalayirids)
Husain was a Jalayirid ruler . He was the son of Shaikh Uvais.Following the execution of his brother Hasan, the amirs placed Husain on the throne. Almost immediately he had to deal with an invasion by his brother-in-law Shah Mahmud of the Muzaffarids. Shah Mahmud, who was the son-in-law of Shaikh...
. In 1382 he departed from Ardabil
Ardabil
Ardabil is a historical city in north-western Iran. The name Ardabil probably comes from the Zoroastrian name of "Artavil" which means a holy place. Ardabil is the center of Ardabil Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 412,669, in 102,818 families...
, which he had been given control of, and took Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
; Husain was captured and executed. Ahmad's other brothers, Shaikh 'Ali and Bayazid
Bayazid (Jalayirids)
Bayazid was the Jalayirid ruler of Soltaniyeh in opposition to his brother Sultan Ahmad. He was the son of Shaikh Uvais.In 1382 Bayazid and his brothers Ahmad and Shaikh 'Ali plotted to overthrow their brother Husain. Ahmad acted first, advancing from Ardabil to Tabriz and ordered Husain's...
opposed him; Husain's former amir, 'Adil Aqa, had Bayazid proclaimed sultan in Soltaniyeh
Soltaniyeh
Soltaniyeh is a city in and capital of Soltaniyeh District of Abhar County, Zanjan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 5,684, in 1,649 families. Soltaniyeh, located some to the north-west of Tehran, used to be the capital of Mongol Ilkhanid rulers of Persia in the 14th century....
, while Shaikh 'Ali prepared to leave Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and march on Tabriz. To secure his position, Ahmad requested the assistance of the Black Sheep Turkmen. Shaikh 'Ali fell in battle against the Turkmen; within two years Ahmad was also able to neutralize Bayazid (see Bayazid (Jalayirids)
Bayazid (Jalayirids)
Bayazid was the Jalayirid ruler of Soltaniyeh in opposition to his brother Sultan Ahmad. He was the son of Shaikh Uvais.In 1382 Bayazid and his brothers Ahmad and Shaikh 'Ali plotted to overthrow their brother Husain. Ahmad acted first, advancing from Ardabil to Tabriz and ordered Husain's...
for further details).
Conflict With Timur
In the spring of 1384 the ChagataiChagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate was a Turko-Mongol khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan , second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors...
amir Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
attacked the Jalayirids. Although Sultan Ahmad was not captured, his subordinates in Soltaniyeh
Soltaniyeh
Soltaniyeh is a city in and capital of Soltaniyeh District of Abhar County, Zanjan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 5,684, in 1,649 families. Soltaniyeh, located some to the north-west of Tehran, used to be the capital of Mongol Ilkhanid rulers of Persia in the 14th century....
failed to defend the town and Timur took it with a minimum of resistance. Timur gave the town to 'Adil Aqa, who had defected to him, before retiring from the campaign. Ahmad then sent an army to retake Soltaniyeh, but 'Adil Aqa successfully defended it.
In the midst of Timur's absence, Sultan Ahmad had to deal with an invasion by Tokhtamysh
Tokhtamysh
Tokhtamysh was the prominent khan of the White Horde, who briefly unified the White Horde and Blue Horde subdivisions of the Golden Horde into a single state. He was a descendant of Genghis Khan's eldest grandson, Orda Khan or his brother Tuqa-Timur...
, khan of the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
. Tokhtamysh's troops swept down into Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, devastating the land, and Tabriz was sacked in around the end of 1385. This raid significantly weakened Ahmad's position; he consequently could not combat Timur when he returned in 1386. Tabriz was taken by the Chagatais in the summer; its citizens had to pay a heavy tribute. 'Adil Aqa collected the tribute but was executed by Timur, who suspected him of corruption. Azerbaijan from this point on remained in the control of the Timurids, as Ahmad could not recover the province.
In 1393 Timur renewed the war with Sultan Ahmad. Near the end of August, he arrived at Baghdad, where Ahmad was residing. Deciding that defending the city was impossible, Ahmad fled and traveled to Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
Syria, and was granted asylum by Sultan Berkuk
Berkuk
Al-Malik Az-Zahir Sayf ad-Din Barquq ruled 1382–1389 and 1390 –1399, modern Balkar "Barquq" - Eng. "Go and Destroy" was the first sultan of the Mamluk Burji dynasty.-Early life:...
. Although Baghdad was forced to pay a ransom and many captives, including Ahmad's son Ala al-Daula, were taken with Timur when he left the city, most of the citizenry were left unharmed. A Sarbadar
Sarbadars
The Sarbadars were a mixture of religious dervishes and secular rulers that came to rule over part of western Khurasan in the midst of the disintegration of the Mongol Ilkhanate in the mid-14th century...
, Khwaja Mas'ud Sabzavari, was given control of the city.
In 1394 Sultan Ahmad returned to Baghdad; Khwaja Mas'ud withdrew his forces instead of fighting. As a result, Ahmad was able to regain control of the city for the next six years. He grew increasingly unpopular, however, and in 1397 or 1398 an unsuccessful conspiracy was hatched against him. Feeling unsafe in Baghdad, he left the city and requested the assistance of the Black Sheep under Qara Yusuf
Qara Yusuf
Abu Nasr Qara Yusuf Nuyan ibn Muhammad was the ruler of the Kara Koyunlu or Black Sheep Turkomans from c.1388 to 1420, although his reign was interrupted by the Timurid invasion .-The Jalayirid vassalage broken:...
. The Turkmen arrived at the city, but Ahmad had a difficult time in preventing them from plundering Baghdad, and he eventually turned them back. In 1398 Timur's son and governor of Azerbaijan, Miran Shah
Miran Shah
Miran Shah was a son of Timur, and a Timurid governor during his father's lifetime.Miran Shah's first charge was a vast region centered around Qandahar, which he was granted in 1383. That same year, he destroyed a rebellion against Timurid authority by the Kartids, then vassals of Timur in...
, attempted to take Baghdad but Ahmad successfully resisted him. In 1399 a Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
raised the siege of the town of Alenjaq, which the Timurids had been attempting to take for more than a decade. The leader of the Georgian army, one of Ahmad's sons, came to Baghdad, but rebelled and was killed.
When Timur returned from campaigns in the east in 1400, Sultan Ahmad feared that he would be attacked and left Baghdad; he returned for a short while but then left again, taking refuge with the Ottomans. In May 1401 a group of Chagatais sent to Baghdad by Timur encountered resistance; although more Timurid troops were sent the city commander, unaware that they were Timur's forces, refused to give in. Timur himself soon arrived and Baghdad was subjected to a forty day siege; when it still refused to surrender he order the city stormed. Once it was taken, nearly all of the men, women and children were massacred and most of the public buildings were destroyed. The destruction was so widespread that Timur did not even bother to install a governor.
Soon afterwards, however, Sultan Ahmad yet again returned to Baghdad and began to rebuild it. Although a contingent of Chagatais nearly captured him, he came back a few months later in 1402 with the Black Sheep Turkmen ruler Qara Yusuf, who had also sought refuge with the Ottomans. Their friendship, however, did not last, and Qara Yusuf expelled Ahmad from the city. Ahmad fled to the Mamelukes a second time, who however imprisoned him out of fear of Timur. In 1403 Qara Yusuf was driven out of Baghdad by the Timurids, and sought asylum with the Mamelukes, who imprisoned him also. Together in prison, the two leaders renewed their friendship and struck an agreement with each other; Ahmad would retain Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, while Qara Yusuf would take over Azerbaijan.
Overthrow by the Black Sheep Turkmen
When Timur died in 1405, the Mamelukes released Sultan Ahmad, who returned to Baghdad, and Qara Yusuf, who took up residence in Tabriz. In spite of their agreement, however, it did not last. Ahmad wanted to regain Azerbaijan; as a result he attacked the Black Sheep. He managed to occupy Tabriz for a brief time, but was defeated in August of 1410. He was then captured by Qara Yusuf and executed; Ahmad's son Ala al-Daula, who had been released by the Timurids, was also killed. Ahmad's nephew Sultan Valad briefly succeeded him in Baghdad but the Black Sheep took the city a year later.Jalayirds were pushed south into lower Iraq, ruling over the towns of Al-Hillah, Wasit, and Basra until extinguished by the Kara Koyunlu in 1432, bringing an end to the DBA Jalayirid list:
Tajuddin Hasan Buzurg (1336-1356)
Uwais I (1356-1374)
Jalaluddin Hussein I (1374-1382)
Ghiyathuddin (aka Ahmad) Hussein I (1382-1410)
Bayazid (1382-1383)
Shah Walad (1410-1411)
Mahmud (1411-1415)
Uwais II (1415-1421)
Mohammed (1421-1422)
Mahmud (1422-1424)
Hussein II (1424-1432).