Emirate of Erzincan

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Emirate of Erzincan
  Erzincan, c. 1400
StatusEmirate
CapitalErzincan
Religion
Islam
GovernmentMonarchy
Emir 
• 1348–1362
Ahi Ayna
• 1362–1379
Pir Husayn
• 1379–1403
Mutahharten

The Emirate of Erzincan was an emirate that controlled much of Eastern Anatolia in the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries.

History

Ahi Ayna (1348–1362)

Main article: Ahi Ayna

A local ahī, Ahi Ayna purchased control of Erzincan from his predecessor sometime before 1348.[1] Ahi Ayna first appears in records as a vassal of Eretna circa 1348.[2] Michael Panaretos wrote that in June 1348, Ahi Ayna led a joint attack against the Empire of Trebizond together with Tur Ali Beg of Aq Qoyunlu Turkmens and Muhammad Rikabdar, Emir of Bayburt. He returned to Erzincan after 3 days of campaign was inconclusive.[3]

Following Eretna's death, Ahi Ayna exercised autonomy and attempted to increase his sphere of influence.[4] An Armenian colophon of 1355 mentions that Ahi Ayna was attacked by "Khochay Yali," likely Khoja Latif of Bayburt.[5] In June 1362, Ghiyath al-Din Ahi Ayna Beg went on an expedition in Georgia. He captured Akhaltsikhe, Samstskhe, and Atsquri, took 12,000 people captive, and had Manglisi pay jizya.[6] On 6 August 1361, Ahi Ayna continued his expedition in the region of Lazica, i.e. eastern territories of the Empire of Trebizond. In October of that year, he besieged but wasn't able to capture the fortresses of Golacha and Koukos.[7]

Ahi Ayna was the suzerain of three other emirates, namely those in Erzurum, Bayburt, and Karahisar. His core territory stretched from the Erzincan Plain southwards to Upper Euphrates Valley near Çaltı. Kemah was under the administration of a governor instead of a vassal emir like Ahi Ayna.[8] Although Ahi Ayna acted semi-independently during the reign of Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad I of the Eretnid Sultanate, an Eretnid coin minted in Erzincan from the year 1359 indicates that Ahi Ayna's subordinate position continued and he never declared independence.[9] Ahi Ayna died on 2–3 July 1362 reportedly as a shahīd (martyr), suggesting a violent death.[10]

Pir Husayn (1362–1379)

Main article: Pir Husayn

Pir Husayn, who was originally the ruler of Karahisar, arrived in Erzincan on 8 June 1362 and succeeded Ahi Ayna Beg. In Abu Bakr Qutbi's Ta'rīkh-i taqwīm, he is mentioned as an emīr-zāda (lit. 'son of an emir') following the statement about Ahi Ayna's demise, hinting at the possibility he was Ahi Ayna's son.[11]

Pir Husayn's ascendance to the throne was not straightforward as Erzincan was in the midst of a civil war. He "gained independence" on 10 July,[11] having clashed with emirs opposing his rule, who eventually fled to Bayburt and Tercan.[12] On 11 September, he gained control of Bayburt after a 32-day siege.[11]

Although there is a coin specimen minted in Erzincan for Ala al-Din Ali dating back to 1366, Pir Hsayn most likely exercised further autonomy, especially following the temporary political vacuum caused by Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad I's death in 1365. However, there aren't any sufficient accounts of the period until Pir Husayn's death in 1379.[13]

List of rulers


References

  1. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 32.
  2. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 666.
  3. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 667.
  4. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 668; Sinclair 1989, p. 439.
  5. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 32–33.
  6. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 669.
  7. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 33.
  8. ^ Sinclair 1989, p. 439.
  9. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 668–669; Sinclair 1989, p. 439.
  10. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 35–36.
  11. ^ a b c Shukurov 1994, p. 36.
  12. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 36; Yücel 1971, p. 670.
  13. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 670.
  14. ^ Sinclair 1989, pp. 439–440.

Bibliography

  • Bryer, Anthony (1975). "Greeks and Türkmens: The Pontic Exception". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 29: 113–148. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  • Shukurov, Rustam (June 1994). "Between Peace and Hostility: Trebizond and the Pontic Turkish Periphery in the Fourteenth Century". Mediterranean Historical Review. 9 (1). Routledge: 20–72. doi:10.1080/09518969408569663.
  • Sinclair, T. A. (31 December 1989). Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey. Vol. II. Pindar Press. ISBN 978-0-907132-33-2.
  • Yücel, Yaşar (October 1971). "Mutahharten ve Erzincan Emirliği" [Mutahharten and the Emirate of Erzincan]. Belleten (in Turkish). 35 (140): 665–719. Retrieved 19 December 2023.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://mdwiki.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Erzincan"