Jahan Shah

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Jahan shah
padishah-i Iran (in Persian)[1]
Reign 14381467
Predecessor Ispend bin Yusuf
Successor Hasan Ali ibn Jahan Shah
Born 1397
Died 1467
Muzaffar al-Din Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf (1397 in Khoy 1467 in Tabriz)
(Persian ???? ?????; Azerbaijani Cahan Sah???? ???) was the leader of the Kara
Koyunlu oghuz Turks tribal federation in Azerbaijan and Arran who reigned c. 1438
1467. During his reign he managed to expand the Kara Koyunlus territory to its
largest extent, including Eastern Anatolia, most of present-day Iraq, central Iran,
and even eventually Kerman. He also subjugated neighbouring states. He was one of
the greatest rulers of the Kara Koyunlu. He was also allegedly fond of drinking and
entertainment. During his reign Jahan Shah had the Gkmedrese and Muzafferiye
theological schools constructed in his capital city Tabriz.

Contents [hide]
1 Jahan Shah comes to power
2 Campaigns against Georgia
3 Conquest of Baghdad
4 Independence from the Timurid Empire
5 Conflict with the Ak Koyunlu
6 Poetry
7 See also
8 Notes
9 References
Jahan Shah comes to power[edit]
Around 1420 Jahan Shah married the daughter of Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora
Kantakouzene, part of the agreement being that Alexius would continue paying to the
Kara Koyunlu the tribute that Trebizond had formerly paid to Timur. During the
reign of his brother Qara Iskander (142036), as a potential rival to the throne,
Jahan Shahs life was not safe and he took refuge with his other brother Ispend who
was ruling Baghdad. In 1436 he obtained the help of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh to
defeat Qara Iskander and seize the throne for himself. Having been helped to power
by Shah Rukh he ruled at first as a vassal of the Timurids.

In the year 1462, Abd al-Razzaq described Jahan-shah's rule in the following terms
Owing to the benevolent administration (husn-i 'inayat va lutf-i atifat) of Mirza
Jahan-shah, Azarbayjan was a highly thriving state. That well-meaning sovereign was
anxious to practice justice, to secure prosperity of the country, and to treat his
subjects honourably. The capital, Tabriz, by its numerous population and the
prevalence of tranquility, emulated Egypt (misr-i jami). The rumours of the good
behaviour of that felicitous king spread throughout the world. The inhabitants of
his God-protected kingdom, indifferent to the arrows of events, enjoyed peace.[2]

Campaigns against Georgia[edit]

In 1440, King Alexander I of Georgia refused to pay tribute to Jahan Shah. In March
Jahan Shah responded by invading Georgia with 20,000 troops, destroyed the city of
Samshvilde and sacked Tbilisi before returning to Tabriz. He also mounted a second
military expedition against Georgia in 1444. His forces met those of Alexanders
successor, King Vakhtang IV at Akhaltsikhe, but the fighting was inconclusive and
Jahan Shah returned to Tabriz once more.

Conquest of Baghdad[edit]
Jahan Shahs brother Ispend, who had ruled over Baghdad and its environs for twelve
years, died in 1445 and he bequeathed the government of the state to his nephew
Elvend since his son Fulad was too young at the time. However most of the emirs
preferred Fulad, as did Jahan Shah. He decided to organise a military expedition
against Baghdad with the backing of some of the emirs, who had sought refuge with
him. After a siege of seven months, Baghdad was captured in June 1446.[3]

Independence from the Timurid Empire[edit]

Upon the death of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh in 1447, Jahan Shah became an
independent ruler of the Kara Koyunlu, and started to use the titles of sultan and
khan. At the same time, the Timurid Empire took advantage of the struggles among
the Turkoman princes and captured the cities of Sultaniya and Qazvin.

Conflict with the Ak Koyunlu[edit]

From around 1447 Jahan Shah was involved in a struggle against the Ak Koyunlu who
had always been sworn enemies of the Kara Koyunlu. Jahan Shah wanted to defeat the
Ak Koyunlu ruler Uzun Hasan and make him his vassal. This struggle lasted until
1451, causing both sides terrible casualties and losses.

Jahan Shah Grave at Southern Part of Goy Macid.

Jahan Shah set out from Tabriz with a great army on 16 May 1466, and came to the
basin of Lake Van. While there, he was furious to learn that Uzun Hasan was raiding
his lands with 12,000 cavalry. Meanwhile, Uzun Hasan, suspecting that Jahan Shah
was planning to attack him, had carefully guarded the mountain passes. Envoys went
back and forth between them, but because of Jahan Shahs heavy demands, an
agreement could not be reached. Having advanced as far as Mus, Jahan Shah had to
postpone his attack because of the onset of winter. As his troops began to
complain, he decided to withdraw to a winter residence. Uzun Hasan caught his army
by surprise and totally defeated them in a sudden attack on 11 November 1467 at the
Battle of Chapakchur. Jahan Shah was killed while trying to flee, and with his
death the great era of Kara Koyunlu history came to an end. He was succeeded by his
incompetent son Hasan Ali. Jahan Shah had been buried in southern part of Goy
Macid, Tabriz.

Poetry[edit]
Jahan Shah, along with being a poet, promoted culture, learning and architecture.
[4] Using the pseudonym Haqiqi,[4] Jahan Shah wrote poetry in Azeribajani Turkic[5]
and Persian.[4]

See also[edit]
Kara Koyunlu
Rulers of Kara Koyunlu
Aq Qoyunlu
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Fragner, Bert G. (1998). Shah Isamil's Fermans and Sanads Tradition and
Reform in Persophone Administration and Chancellery Affairs. Khazar Journal of
Humanities and Social Sciences. Khazar University Press. Vol. 1;No 1. ISSN 1027-
3875. Subsequently, lahanshah (sic) Qara-Qoyunlu presented himself as padishah-i
Iran immeuiately after the takeover of Tabriz (...)
Jump up ^ Minorsky 1954, p. 277.
Jump up ^ Minorsky 1954, p. 275.
^ Jump up to a b c Sumer 1997, p. 588.
Jump up ^ Minorsky 1954, p. 283.
References[edit]
Minorsky, V. (1954). Jihan-Shah Qara-Qoyunlu and His Poetry (Turkmenica, 9).
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 16 (2) 27197.
Sumer, F. (1997). Kara Koyunlu. In van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, C.; Bosworth,
C.E. The Encyclopaedia of Islam. IV. Brill. pp. 584588.
Preceded by
Qara Iskander Kara Koyunlu Beys
143667 Succeeded by
Hasan Ali
[show] v t e
Azerbaijani literature
Categories Azerbaijani-language poets1397 births1467 deathsKara Koyunlu rulers