Inalchuq
Encyclopedia
Inalchuq (died 1219) was governor of Otrar
in the Khwarezmian Empire
in the early 13th century, known mainly for helping to provoke the successful invasion of Khwarezmia
by Genghis Khan
.
Inalchuq was an uncle of Sultan Muhammad II
of Khwarezmia. His name meant "little Inal", and he held the title Ghayir-Khan.
In 1218, a Mongolian trade caravan of around 450 men arrived in Otrar, including an ambassador of Genghis Khan. Inalchuq accused them of being Mongolian spies and arrested them. There may in fact have been spies in the caravan; however Inalchuq may have also been provoked by having been called Inalchuq rather than the less familiar Ghayir-Khan by one of the members of the caravan, or perhaps was motivated by simply wanting to seize the caravan's riches. With the assent of Sultan Muhammed, he executed the entire caravan, and its goods were sold in Bukhara
. A camel driver escaped this massacre to report back to Genghis Khan, who responded by sending a delegation to Sultan Muhammad demanding Inalchuq be punished. Muhammad responded by beheading the ambassador and shaving off the beards of his two companions, provoking Genghis Khan's invasion.
Genghis Khan sieged Otrar for five months in 1219, eventually breaching its walls. Inalchuq barricaded himself in its inner citadel, and as the Mongols wished to capture him alive in order to publicly execute him, he managed to hold out another month. Eventually he was trapped with his last remaining bodyguards on the upper floors of the citadel, resorting to throwing bricks down on the Mongols, and was captured. He was then executed, according to one source by having molten silver
poured into his eyes and ears, although modern historians consider that story apocryphal.
Otrar
Otrar or Utrar is a Central Asian ghost town that was a city located along the Silk Road near the current town of Karatau in Kazakhstan. Otrar was an important town in the history of Central Asia, situated on the borders of settled and agricultural civilizations...
in the Khwarezmian Empire
Khwarezmian Empire
The Khwarazmian dynasty or Khwarezmian dynasty, also known as Khwarezmids, dynasty of Khwarazm Shahs or Khwarezm-Shah dynasty was a Persianate Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic mamluk origin.They ruled Greater Iran in the High Middle Ages, in the period of about 1077 to 1231, first as vassals of...
in the early 13th century, known mainly for helping to provoke the successful invasion of Khwarezmia
Mongol invasion of Central Asia
The Mongol invasion of Central Asia occurred after the unification of the Mongol and Turkic tribes on Mongolian plateau in 1206. It finally completed when Genghis Khan conquered the Khwarizmian Empire in 1221....
by Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
.
Inalchuq was an uncle of Sultan Muhammad II
Muhammad II of Khwarezm
Ala ad-Din Muhammad II was the ruler of the Khwarezmid Empire from 1200 to 1220. His ancestor was a Turkic slave who eventually became a viceroy of a small province named Khwarizm. After his father died, Muhammad inherited his father's lands, and it was from there he began expanding outwards...
of Khwarezmia. His name meant "little Inal", and he held the title Ghayir-Khan.
In 1218, a Mongolian trade caravan of around 450 men arrived in Otrar, including an ambassador of Genghis Khan. Inalchuq accused them of being Mongolian spies and arrested them. There may in fact have been spies in the caravan; however Inalchuq may have also been provoked by having been called Inalchuq rather than the less familiar Ghayir-Khan by one of the members of the caravan, or perhaps was motivated by simply wanting to seize the caravan's riches. With the assent of Sultan Muhammed, he executed the entire caravan, and its goods were sold in Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
. A camel driver escaped this massacre to report back to Genghis Khan, who responded by sending a delegation to Sultan Muhammad demanding Inalchuq be punished. Muhammad responded by beheading the ambassador and shaving off the beards of his two companions, provoking Genghis Khan's invasion.
Genghis Khan sieged Otrar for five months in 1219, eventually breaching its walls. Inalchuq barricaded himself in its inner citadel, and as the Mongols wished to capture him alive in order to publicly execute him, he managed to hold out another month. Eventually he was trapped with his last remaining bodyguards on the upper floors of the citadel, resorting to throwing bricks down on the Mongols, and was captured. He was then executed, according to one source by having molten silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
poured into his eyes and ears, although modern historians consider that story apocryphal.