Behcetü't-Tevârîh ve Gülşen-i Tevârîh'de mestûr olduğu üzere esbak Amasya hükümdârı Sultân Nâsıreddîn Şâhenşâh'ın birinci şehzâdesi³⁶⁷ olup amcası Sultân Kılıç Arslan emriyle 580'de Amasya hükümdârı ve küçük birâderi Celâleddîn Sencer Şâh dahi Ankara [345] hükümdârı olarak Amasya hükûmeti iki kısma ayrılmışdır. Bunun zamânında Amasya kâdı'l-kudâtı Tâceddîn Muhammed bin Abdurrahmân el-Keşânî ve müderris-i Mes'ûdiyye Sadreddîn İsmâ'il bin Ahmed bin Abdülmecîd el-Malatî olduğu taharriyât-ı kaydiyyeden anlaşılmakdadır.
Sultân Kılıç Arslan Hân, memâlik-i Selçûkiyye'yi vefâtından mukaddem evlâdı arasında taksîm ederek Konya tahtını en küçük şehzâdesi Gıyâseddîn Keyhusrev'e teslîm etmiş idi. Bu teslîme i'tirâz eden büyük şehzâdesi Rükneddîn Süleyman Hân 588 senesi şa'bânının evâsıtında pederinin irtihâlinden sonra gelip Konya tahtgâhını zabt ederek kendine muhâlif olan ihvânını azl ve muvâfık olanlarını nasb eylediği esnâda Amasya hükûmetinden Argun Hân'ı ref' edib bunun birâderi olan Ereğli emîri Sencer Hân'ı Amasya hükûmetine nasb etmişdir.
In Modern English
As written in Behcetü't-Tevârîh and Gülşen-i Tevârîh, he is the first son of Sultan Nâsıreddin Şâhenşâh, who was earlier ruler of Amasya. By order of his uncle Sultan Kılıç Arslan he became ruler of Amasya in 580; when his younger brother Celâleddin Sencer Shah became ruler of Ankara, the government of Amasya was divided into two parts. It is understood from an examination of the records that in his time the chief judge (kâdılkudât) of Amasya was Tâceddin Muhammed ibn Abdurrahman el-Keşânî, and the professor of the Mesûdiyye Madrasa was Sadreddin Ismail ibn Ahmed ibn Abdülmecid el-Malatî.
Before his death, Sultan Kılıç Arslan Han had divided the Seljuk lands among his children and had left the throne of Konya to his youngest son Gıyâseddin Keyhusrev. His eldest son Rükneddin Süleyman Han, who opposed this bequest, came after his father's death in the middle of Şaban of the year 588 and seized the throne of Konya; while dismissing the brothers who opposed him and appointing those who complied, he removed Argun Han from the government of Amasya and appointed to the government of Amasya Argun's brother Sencer Han, the emir of Ereğli.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- esbak: former
- şehzâde: son of a ruler, prince
- kâdı'l-kudât: chief judge
- müderris: madrasa professor
- taharriyât-ı kaydiyye: research in written records
- mukaddem: previously
- tahtgâh: capital, seat of the throne
- ihvân: brothers
- azl, ref', nasb: dismissal, removal, appointment
Who Argun Shah Was
Hüsameddin counts Argun as a son of Şâhenşâh; in a footnote, however, he also notes that Ibn Bibi presents him as a son of Kılıç Arslan. In today's sources the account is closer to Ibn Bibi. It is written that Kılıç Arslan II, probably around 1184-85, divided the land among his sons and gave Amasya to "Nizâmeddin Argun Shah," Ereğli to "Sencer Shah," Niksar and Koyulhisar to "Berkyaruk Shah," and left to Rükneddin Süleyman Shah Tokat and the lands extending to the Black Sea. The source gives the number of Kılıç Arslan's sons as eleven or twelve. This division departs from the line along which Hüsameddin describes the rulers of Amasya as sons of Şâhenşâh.
Süleyman Shah and Amasya
Hüsameddin writes that Rükneddin Süleyman removed Argun when he seized the throne of Konya, and places this event in Şaban 588, right after his father's death. In today's sources the sequence is different. Kılıç Arslan II died in 588 (1192), and his younger son Keyhusrev first took the throne. Süleyman Shah became sultan in Zilkade 592 (October 1196), after besieging Konya and persuading Keyhusrev to leave the throne. It is reported that, in order to restore Seljuk unity in Anatolia, Süleyman Shah marched first on Niksar and then on Amasya, taking Niksar from Melik Berkyaruk and Amasya from Melik Arslanshah (late 1197). That is, in the source the brother from whom Amasya was taken is named Arslanshah; the name Argun is absent from this record. This difference may indicate that the rulers of Amasya changed at short intervals, or that the sources confused the names; this is an inference, not verified.
The Death of Kılıç Arslan
Kılıç Arslan fell ill during the siege of Aksaray, after taking Konya from his son Melikshah, and died on 15 Şaban 588 (26 August 1192). It is also recorded that he named his younger son Gıyâseddin Keyhusrev as heir. The event Hüsameddin describes as "the eldest son's objection to the throne of Konya" appears in the sources as the struggle between Melikshah and Süleyman Shah, spread over a longer period.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 2, p. 338. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies