On the study of Manzikert battle in Turkish historiography

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On the study of Manzikert battle in Turkish historiography

Bayramov M.C.

Lankaran State University

Summary

The article investigates the history the battle of Manzikert in Turkish historiography, which plays a key role in the transformation of Anatolia into Turkish lands. Historical works on these or other problems of the battle of Manzikert of the Turkish historians - Ali Sevim, Suleyman Tuluju, Faruk Sumer, Mustafa Alijan and others have been reviewed in terms of historiography in the article.

Keywords: Battle of Manzikert, Seljuk State, Historiography, Anatolia, Alp Arslan

Резюме

ОБ ИЗУЧЕНИИ ВОЙНЫ МАНЦИКЕРТА В ТУРЕЦКОЙ ИСТОРИОГРАФИИ

М.Дж. Байрамов

В статье исследуется история войны Манзикерта в турецкой историографии, которая играет ключевую роль в превращении Анатолии в турецкие земли. Исторические труды по тем или иным проблемам битвы при Манзикерте турецких историков - Али Севима, Сулеймана Тулуджу, Фарука Сумера, Мустафы Алиджана и других были рассмотрены с точки зрения историографии в статье.

Ключевые слова: Манзикертская битва, сельджукское государство, историография, Анатолия, Алп Арслан

One of the most important events in the history of the Turkish and Islamic world is the battle of Manzikert.

With the victory in the battle of Manzikert, the gates of Anatolia were opened to the Turks. The positions of the Byzantine and the Armenian-Georgian feudal lords were shaken. Anatolia has always turned into Turkish land.

On the other hand, the victory of the Alp Aslan protected the Islamic religion from Christian aggression. Thus, the Byzantine Emperor Romanes Diogenes intention was not only to prevent the Turks from invading Anatolia but to invade Islamic countries.

According to the written sources, the Abbasian caliph al-Qaim biamrillah prepared a prayer text by the son of Muslaya Abu Said and ordered reading it in the minbars of all Islamic countries in order to the Seljuks win the battle.

Khalifa was very pleased with the Seljuks victory in the battle. Sending a letter to Sultan Alp Arslan on the occasion of this victory over the Christian world called him the "Great Sultan", "the ruler of the Arab and the Ajam", "the Legend of the world rulers", "the savior of Muslims", "the crown of religion", "the sultan of Islamic countries" (1, p.71).

This event, which has causing a major change in the political history of the world, has always been in the spotlight of historians.

In medieval Arabic sources, the battle of Manzikert was widely covered. Espicially the works of the authors of medieval Arabic history, Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-Bundari, Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi, Ibn al-Adil, Ibn al- Davadari and others contain extensive information about the battle of Manzikert. However, medieval Byzantine and Greek sources have almost no information on this.

in Western European historiography works in this theme has been written in the eighteenth century, and in Russian and Byzantine historiography from the beginning of the XIX century.

Researchs in this subject in theTurkish historiography began after the 1920. For the first time Fuad Koprulu has given information about the battle of Manzikert in his work entitled "The History of Turkey” in the year 1923.

But this theme for the first time in turkish history worked by Ferudun Dirimtekin and he wrote a separate book called "Manzikert square Battle" in 1943.

In 1956, Professor Ibrahim Kafesoglu also wrote a book entitled Manzikert square battle. His work repeats the work of Ferudun Dirimtekin (2, s. 41-42).

One of the works on this subject in Turkish historiography in the same name written by Prof. Ali Sevim in 1971. The work was written on the occasion of the 900 th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert (1, p.6).

Although a small work, the author reviewed almost all of the historical sources about the battle of Manzikert, which is a turning point in the transformation of Anatolia into Turkish lands, which played an important role in Turkish history.

In the first chapter the author gives information about the wars of the Seljuk princes Ibrahim Yinal and Kutlamsh for the conquest of Anatolia after the creation of the Saljuk state, about Togrul bey seizing a number of territories in Anatolia, twice besieging Manzikert, but failed to capture, the ascension of the sultan Alp Arslan to the Seldjuks throne and about his Anatolian visit.

The second chapter of the book is devoted to the Alp-Arslan visit to Syria and to the Anatolia and the battle of Manzikert. The author, commented the battle of Manzikert, describes the historical results of the war, the reasons of the defeat of the Greeks in the war, and regarded Manzikert as a triumph of the entire Turkish and Islamic world, not just the Seldjuk Turks.

One of the most valuable works in the history of Turkey dedicated to the battle of Manzikert written by Professor Mustafa Alician named “The first Day of Judgment: Manzikert 1071”

The work is based on a thorough investigation of both local and foreign sources. After having reviewed throughly works mainly in Arabic, Persian, Armenian, Syrian sources and Byzantine chronicles about medieval Turkish-Islamic states the author has written this book. The work consists of 15 main sections (4.)

Several articles have been also devoted to this theme in Turkish historiography. One of them is “Battle Manzikert in Islamic Resources " writen by Prof. Faruk Schumer with Ali Sevim. Informations given in the works of medieval Arabic and Persian authors - Ibn al- Kalanisi, Ibn al-Ezrak, Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-Bundari, Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi, Ibn al-Adil, Ibn al-Davadari, Fazlullah Rashidaddin, Kerimuddin Mahmud about the battle of Manzikert are being investigated in this article. manzikert battle turkish historiography

The authors who analyze Ibn al-Kalanisi's work "Zeyle Tarihe Damashk" say that there is very little information about the battle of Manzikert war here, and this information is not very important.

Thus Ibn al-Kalanisi shows the number of the army of the Emperor Diogenes and Seljuks in an incredible number that has never been found in any historian's work so far and wrote: “Alp Arslan, who met the Byzantine ruler, attacked and defeated him. it is said that in the Byzantine army were about 600 thousand men, consisting of Roman and other peoples. Islamic army also as it mentioned, was of abaout 400 thousand men, consisting of Turks and other nations (3, p.24).

In general, both medieval sources and contemporary historians do not have accurate information about the army of Emperor Diogenes and the Alp Arslan. However, according to most sources, the Byzantine army was about 200,000, while the Seljuk army is about 50,000.

The author also notes that much of the information provided by Ibn al-Ezrak is written on the basis of myths, and notes that these are not so important: Ibn ol- Ezrak does not know which month the war has taken place and the imperator was taken prisoner. Besides it he tought that after this Battle Ahlat and also Manzikert has qone out from the hand of Mervanogullari.

informations given in the works of Arabic authors -Sit Ibn Jawzi, Ibn al-Asir, al-Bundari, Ibn al-Jawzi about the battle Manzikert are being highly appreciated in the article.

One of these articles was written by Turkish historian Ibrahim Kafesoglu and published in 1971 in the Journal of Turkish History Institute titled "Turkish conquest philosophy and the battle of Manzikert."

The author here reviews Western and Byzantine sources and tried to clarify the true philosophical essence of the battle of Manzikert.

Thus, in the works of Byzantine and Western European historians, it was stated that the war of Manzikert occurred as a result of accident, and that Anatolia was not of great importance to the Turks. The Byzantine historian Anna Comnena, in her work named Alexiad, had writne to her grandfather Emperor

Alexios I Komnenos, also suggested that Anatolia was not of any importance to the Turks (5, p.2).

The author rightly notes that Western European historians share this view and gives examples in their works.

Later he trying to explain the true philosophical meaning of the of the battle of Manzikert and notes that the Manzikert battle did not occur by accident. This was the basis of the Seljuk Turks foreign policy. Thus, the rulers of Seljuk wanted to be rulers of the West and the East. An example of this is the recognition of the Seljuk rulers Togrul bey and Malik Shah as rulers of the East and West by the Abbasid caliphs of Egypt.

Based on the fact that Sultan Sanchar wrote in his well-known letter to the caliph in 1133 that he has risen to the kingdom of the world due to the grace of the Great God, and he again cites a number of other arguments to suggest that the Manzikert war did not occur by chance, it was included in the turkish general conquest plan (5, p.14).

In the end, the author rightly concludes that the battle of Manzikert, which based on the Turkish conquest philosophy, which made possible Anatolia to be conquered, was one of the gold rings of the victory chain created the world power.

One of the article in this theme written by Suleyman Tuluju devoted to the Turkis beys who participated and whose participation is supposed in the battle Manzikert

in the article the author explores medieval written sources, as well as the works of modern Turkish historians - Khalil Yinanch, Altai Koymen, Osman Turan, Ibrahim Kafesoglu, Faruk Shumer and Ali Sevim, and gave information about the life and work of Turkish Beys before, during and after the war, who participated and whose participation is supposed in the battle Manzikert.

The first section of the article is entitled " According to Old Historians The Turkish beys who participated in the battle of Manzikert". In this section, the author examines Medieval Byzantine, Arab and Persian sources, and writes that Danishmand, Artuk, Saltuk, Mengujik, Cavali, Chavuldur, Taranges, Sandak, Afshin, Aytegin, Savtegin Gevherayin participated in the battle of Manzikert.

The second section is entitled "According to modern historians the Turkish beys who participated and whom participation being supposed in the battle of Manzikert". In this section mainly works written in Turkish historiography related to the battle of Manzikert have been investigated and the names of the following turks beys, which are not mentioned in medieval sources are also mentioned: “Yakuti, Porsuk, Mansur, Bozan, Tutak, Tutuklu, Bekcioglu, Ahmed^ah, Atsiz, Uvakoglu Arslanta§, Dilmajoglu Mehmed, Aksungur, Duduoglu, Birikoglu (6, p.293-296)..

The author summarizes the histories of orthodox and modern historians about the Turkish bey, who participated and participation is being supposed in the battle Manzikert, and group them as follows.

1. Turks beys who definitely participated in the battle: Gevherayin, Aytegin, Savtegin, Amir Sunduk,?

Bekcioglu Afshin, Demlecoglu Mohammed , Aslan- Tash, Duduoglu, Artuk

2. The Turkish beys whom participation is being assumed: Danishmand Kazi, Mengucik Kazi, Amir Saltuk, Amir chavli, Amir chavuldur, Amir Kapar

3. Whose participation in the battle were suspicious: Ahmedshah, Altuntak, Amir Porsuk, Ak- sungur, Yakuti, Bozan, Amir Atsiz, Suleymanshah, Mansur

The next article in this theme written by Dr. Sulayman Tuluju named"Amir Sunduk, one of the Turkish beys participated in the battle Manzikert". In the article, the author talks about Sunduk bey, a prominent Saldjuk.

Here the author wrote about how the Sunduk bey invade territories of Anatolia after the establisment of saldjuk state with the outstandung Saldjuk Amir- Bekgioglu Af§in, Ahmed Shah, Damlecoglu Muhammed and so on, his coming to Syria and robbed a number territories under the rule of the sons of Mirdas and his return again to Anatolia in the year 1070.

Written that Sunduk bey was the leader of the fighters of Arslan Shah which was moving forward to Ahlat before the Manzikert battle, the author informs Sunduk beys attack to the Byzantine troops and defeat them, seized as military loot the "Great Golden Cross" which was Byzantine victory symbol and sent it to Alp Arslan (7, p.271-274).

One of the articles dedicated to the Battle of Manzikert in Turkish historiography written by dr. Abdulkadir Yuvali titled “Malazgirt Square Battle and investigations about it in local historiography and in the world”.

In the article investigated works written by both local and foreign historians about the Manzikert battle.

Within some advantage the article has some disadvantages.

The advantages of the article are:

1. For the first time in Turkish historiography, attempts have been made to study the history of the Manzikert battle from the point of view historiography.

2. Not only Turkish but also the foreign historians works investigated in the article.

These are the drawbacks of the article.

1. Even if the author mention the names of medieval Arabic historians - Ibn al-Kalanisi, Ibn al- Jawzi, Al-Bundari, Ibn Davadari, Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, Ibn al-Erzak, and others and says that they give a lot of information about the battle of Manzikert but did not mention the names of their works and did not give any information about them.

2. If the author gave the name of the works written in this subject in modern Turkish histography by Ferudun Dirimtekin, Ibrahim Kafesoglu, Halil Yinanc and so, on he but did not gave an analysis of those works.

One of the articles on this subject in Turkish historiography is an article written by historian Mazlum §ahin Demir named "Turks in the changing Anatolia in the 11 century: The battle of Manzikert (26 August 1071)". In the article given information about The Seljuk's access to the history scene and first activities, Seljuk State during the reign of Sultan Alp Arslan, the Seljuk patronage to religion Islam, The political situation of the Empire before the battle of Manzikert, Byzantine empire during the reign Emperor Romanes Diogenes, the battle of Manzikert and its consequences.

Thus, in Turkish historiography there have written numerous works since the early twentieth century covered the first decades of the 21st century relating to the battle of Manzikert, which has played a very important role in the history of Islam and the Turkish world.

Used literature

1. A. Sevim. Manzikert square battle. Ankara, 1971

2. Yuvali A. “Manzikert square battle and investigations about it in local and in the world historiography”. Journal of Institute of Social Science of Erciyes University, Kayseri, 1994

3. Sumer F, Sevim A. Battle of Manzikert in Islamic Resources. Issue House of Turkish History Institute, Ankara, 1971

4. Alijan M. “The First Day of Clothes: Manzikert 1071” Istanbul, 2013

5. Kafesoglu i. Turkish conquest philosophy and the battle of Manzikert. Faculty of Literature, Institute of History of Istanbul University, Istanbul, 1971

6. Tuluju S. “The Turkish beys participated in the battle Manzikert and case translators”. Ataturk University Faculty of Theology, Erzurum, 1986

7. Tuluju S. "Amir Sunduk, one of the Turkish beys participated in the battle Manzikert" Turkish Studies Institute of Ataturk University, Erzurum, 1999

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