Malik-Shah I

"Malik Shah" redirects here. For other uses, see Malik Shah (disambiguation).

The Great Seljuk Empire upon the death of Malik Shah, 1092

Jalāl al-Dawlah Malik-shāh or simply Malik Shāh (Persian: ملكشاه, Turkish: Melikşah) (died 1092) was the Seljuk sultan from 1072 to 1092.

He drove the Byzantine Empire out of most of Anatolia following their defeat by his father Alp Arslan at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. Likewise, he reformed the calendar with the Jalāli calendar in 1079. Malik Shah expanded Seljuk power into Syria at the expense of the Fatimids of Egypt, setting up client princes in Edessa, Aleppo and Damascus.

Revolt in Anatolia

Suleyman revolted against Malik Shah I and proclaimed himself the Sultan of Rûm, establishing his capital at Nicaea. Suleyman expanded his realm but was killed near Antioch in 1086 by Tutush I, the Seljuk ruler of Syria. Suleyman's son, Kilij Arslan I, was captured and taken as a hostage by Malik Shah I to Isfahan. It is uncertain whether Tutush killed Suleyman out of loyalty to Malik Shah I or simply for personal gain.

State organization

The principal post in the organization was that of the vizier Nizam al-Mulk who served both him and his father and achieved a near mythic stature in contemporary Muslim histories.

He moved the capital from Rayy to Isfahan.

Legacy

After his death in 1092, the Seljuk empire dissolved into smaller, warring states, as Malik Shah's brother and four sons quarreled over the apportioning of the empire between themselves. Kilij Arslan I reestablished the Sultanate of Rûm in Anatolia, and Tutush I established himself in Syria. In Persia, Malik Shah was succeeded by his son Mahmud I whose reign was contested by his other three brothers: Barkiyaruq in Iraq, Muhammad I in Baghdad, and Ahmed Sanjar in Khorasan.

The Jalali calendar, named after this first Shah, which is in continued use, in Iran, Afghanistan and among the Kurds was established during Malik Shah's regime.

The disunity within the Seljuk lands contributed to the success of the First Crusade.