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RELATIONS OF THE TIMURIDS WITH THE KARAKHUYUN
TURKMEN
Murodjon Koraboev
Oriental University
Senior Lecturer of the Department of History
murodjonqoraboyev715@gmail.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15734989
Abstract
This article explores the western military campaigns of Amir Temur and his
descendants—Shahrukh Mirza and Sultan Abu Said Mirza—towards Azerbaijan,
Iran, and Iraq based on historical sources. It analyzes the main causes of these
campaigns, political developments, territorial shifts, power struggles among
rulers, and their outcomes. The study presents a chronological overview of the
Timurid policy and military strategy in the western regions.
Keywords
: Amir Temur, Shahrukh Mirza, Sultan Abu Said, Azerbaijan, Iran,
western campaigns, Timurids, military expeditions, political conflict, historical
analysis.
After subjugating the territories of Maverannahr, Khorasan, and Khorezm,
Amir Timur directed his main military actions to the southwest of the country.
The goal was to expand the country's borders and strengthen them. The Dashti
Kipchak army, led by Tokhtamysh Khan, captured Tabriz in the winter of 1385
after a week of fighting and plundered it for two days before retreating. This led
to the beginning of Amir Timur's three-year wars in history. In 1386, Amir
Timur turned from Turan towards Iran [1, p. 106]. During this campaign,
Sahibkiran's troops, having plundered caravans, routed several settlements in
the Luristan region, especially robber groups in Khorramabad, and marched
towards Azerbaijan. Unable to defend Tabriz, Sultan Ahmad Jalayir retreated to
Baghdad, and the capital of Azerbaijan was incorporated into the empire of Amir
Timur without a fight. After the capture of Tabriz, Amir Timur's troops entered
the territories of Armenia and Georgia. In fierce battles, the capital of Georgia,
Tbilisi, was captured, and the ruler of this country, Hippocrates, was taken
prisoner. Sahibkiran's troops captured Georgian fortresses in the mountains one
after another, conquering the entire country. After this, Amir Temur, who made
Karabakh his residence, after Bukrat converted to Islam, appointed him again as
the ruler of his country. During these days, Amir Sheikh Ibrahim, the ruler of
Northern Azerbaijan, namely Shirvan, also came with his nobles and submitted.
In 1392, Amir Timur again attacked the southwestern part of the country.
This military operation entered history as the Five-Year War. As a result of the
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Five-Year War, in the summer of 1393, the territories of Ray, Azerbaijan,
Shirvan, Baku, and Derbent, up to the lands of the Turkic Sultanate, were
declared the suyurghal of Miranshah Mirza. In the language of that time,
Miranshah Mirza was installed on the throne of Hulagu Khan. Amir Timur also
captured Baghdad in 1393 [2, p. 184]. Miranshah Mirza ruled these territories
with his sons until 1408. On April 21, 1408, Miranshah was killed in the Battle of
Shanbi-Ghazan with the Turkmen Kara-Yusuf in the Sardrud area of
Azerbaijan[3, 132 b] and buried in the Surkhab district. After some time, a
person named Shams Ghuri, disguised as a dervish, went to Surkhab and secretly
took Miranshah's bones. He was brought to Transoxiana and buried in the
Timurid mausoleum in Shahrisabz.
After the death of Amir Timur, Shahrukh Mirza initially established peace in
Khorasan, which was considered his suyurgal territory. In 1409, he conquered
Transoxiana. Using the struggle between the Timurids in Iran, he united the
main part of the Timurid empire. In 1413, Shahrukh Mirza, having decided to
launch a military campaign against Azerbaijan, reached the Mazandaran region
and waited for Alexander Mirza to join him with his army. However, under
various pretexts, Iskander Mirza did not join the High Horde. In reality, it was
unlikely that Shahrukh would launch a campaign against Azerbaijan at this time,
and Iskandar Mirza considered Shahrukh's actions to be directed against him.
Iskander Mirza not only refused Shahrukh, but also sent messengers to the
provinces under Shahrukh's control, such as Sistan, Kandahar, and Garmser,
urging them to march on Herat and promising them large gifts after a general
victory. As a result, Shahrukh Mirza also stopped his campaign and focused on
ensuring peace in his provinces, sending his son Baysunghur Mirza to Herat to
strengthen the capital.
On April 5, 1414, Shahrukh Mirza launched a campaign against Iskandar
Mirza. As a result, one after another, all the cities and provinces of Central Iran
fell into the hands of Shahrukh Mirza. Shahrukh granted Isfahan to Mirza
Rustam, Hamadan and Luristan to Mirza Bayqara, and Shiraz to Mirza Ibrahim.
However, shortly after, Mirza Rustam and Mirza Bayqara lost their suyrgals for
various reasons, and their lands also passed into the hands of Shahrukh's
descendants. Shahrukh stopped his campaigns against Azerbaijan and returned
to Herat.
After Shahrukh Mirza returned from Azerbaijan in 1421, power here passed
into the hands of Amir Iskandar, the son of Kara Yusuf. Having consolidated his
power, in 1428-29, he also seized the city of Sultaniya, which belonged to the
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Timurid state. As a result, in 1429, Shahrukh Mirza launched his second
campaign against Azerbaijan. On September 18, 1429, in the Battle of Salmos[4,
316b], the Turkmen army was again defeated. The cities of Sultaniya and Tabriz,
the capital of Azerbaijan, were captured. After this, Shahrukh Mirza entrusted
the governance of Azerbaijan to Amir Abu Said, another son of Qara Yusuf, and
returned to Herat in 1431.
However, Emir Abu Said's reign did not last long. When power here again
fell into the hands of Emir Alexander, he began to attack the country of Shirvan,
which was a permanent ally and vassal of the Timurid state.
As a result, Shahrukh Mirza decided to launch a third campaign against
Azerbaijan. This campaign began on November 5, 1434. Having wintered in Ray,
the army continued its advance towards Azerbaijan in the spring of 1435. At this
time, prominent commanders and governors, including Khalilullah, the governor
of Shirvan, and Jahonshoh, a son of Amir Qora Yusuf, joined Shahrukh Mirza and
submitted. At this time, the sudden death of Shahrukh's son, Ibrahim Mirza,
delayed the campaign. This time there were hardly any major battles. After Emir
Iskandar fled, Shahrukh's army conquered all of Azerbaijan. Shahrukh sent an
envoy to the Turkic Sultan Murad, asking him to capture and send Alexander to
him if he fled. The Georgian king Alexander, declaring his submission, paid
tribute and tribute, and sent his son Dimitry to Shahrukh Mirza until the
liberation of the captured Muslims in Georgia. In 1436, before returning to
Herat, the governance of Azerbaijan was entrusted to Amir Jahanshah, son of
Qara Yusuf. Thus, Azerbaijan was subjugated by Shahrukh Mirza for the third
time.
Having consolidated his power in Mawarannahr, Khorasan, Kabul, Ghazni,
Kandahar, and Khwarazm, Sultan Abusaid Mirza dreamed of restoring Timurid
rule in Persia, Iraq, and Azerbaijan.
An envoy arrived from Amir Hasanbek (Uzun Hasan), the leader of the
White Vortex Turkmens, proposing to jointly fight against the descendants of
Kara Yusuf and to completely remove them from power. His ambassador was
returned with a reply of consent and large gifts. Soon, the envoy of Mirza
Jahanshah's son, Husayn Ali, arrived and informed him that he had taken power
in Azerbaijan and was determined to serve him faithfully. Husayn Ali's goal was
to prevent Mirza Sultan Husayn's campaign and preserve his power by
submitting to him when the situation was dire.
In January 1469, Sultan Abusaid Mirza's army was completely destroyed. As
a result, the captured Sultan Abusaid Mirza was executed by Yadgar Mirza on
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February 5, 1469[4, p. 632]. In 1468, the conquered territories of Western and
Central Iran again became part of the Timurid state.
List of used literature:
1. Sharafuddin Ali Yazdi. Zafarnama. Tashkent - Shark, 1997.
2. Nizamuddin Shami. Zafarnama. Tashkent - Uzbekistan, 1996.
3. Abdurazzoq Samarqandiy. Matlai sa'dayn and majmai bahrayn. Tashkent -
Uzbekistan, 2008.
4. Khondamir. Habib us-siyar. Tashkent - Uzbekistan, 2013
