Atabeg
Encyclopedia
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility
of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch
and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was with early Seljuqs who bestowed it on the Persian vizier Nizam al-Molk It was later used in the Kingdom of Georgia
, first within the Armeno
-Georgian family of Zakarid-Mxargrzeli
as a military title.
words: from ata, "ancestor", and beg or bey, "leader, prince". When a Seljuk
prince died, leaving minor heirs, a guardian would be appointed to protect and guide the young princes. These guardians would often marry their ward's widowed mothers, thus assuming a sort of surrogate fatherhood.
The title of Atabeg was common during the Seljuk
rule of the Near East
starting in the 12th century. It was also common in Mesopotamia
(Iraq
).
Amongst the Turkmen
tribes, as in Persia, the rank was senior to a Khan
.
The title atabeg was also in use for officers in Mameluk Egypt; some of them even were proclaimed Sultan before the incorporation into the Ottoman empire. After the end of Seljuk rule, the title was used only intermittently.
When describing the Atabegs of the Azerbaijan, the Ildeniz
(Ildegoz) dynasty, the title Atabeg-e-Azam (Great Atabeg) was used, to denote their superior standing, power and influence on the Seljuk Sultans.
In Persian
, the style Atabeg-e-Azam ('Great Atabeg) was occasionally used as an alternative title for the Shah
's Vazir-e-Azam
(Grand Vizier), notably in 1834-35 for Mirza Abolghasem Farahani, Gha'em Magham, in 1848-51 for Mirza Mohammed Taghi Khan, Amir-e Kabir, in 1906-07 for Mirza Ali Asghar Khan, Amin-ol Soltan, and finally in 1916 for a Qajar
prince, Major-General Shahzadeh Sultan 'Abdu'l Majid Mirza, Eyn-ol Douleh.
, and displaced the descendants of the Seljukid emir
s in their various principalities. These dynasties were founded by emancipated Mamluk
s, who had held high office at court and in camp under powerful emirs. When the emirs died, they first became stadtholders for the emirs' descendants, and then usurped the throne of their masters. There was an atabeg dynasty in Damascus
founded by Toghtekin
(1103–1128).
Other atabeg "kingdoms" sprang up to the north east, founded by Sokman (Sökmen), who established himself at Kaifa in Diyarbakır
about 1101, and by his brother Ilghazi
. The city of Mosul
was under Mawdud ibn Altuntash, and was later ruled by atabegs such as Aksunkur and Zengi
. Zengi became Atabeg of Mosul
in 1128 and soon established himself as an independent ruler of much of northern Mesopotamia
and Syria
(including Aleppo
).
The northern part of Luristan
, formerly known as Lurikuchik ('Little Luristan'), was governed by independent princes of the Khurshidi dynasty, styled atabegs, from the beginning of the 17th century when the last atabeg, Shah Verdi Khan, was removed by Persian Shah Abbas I
and the government of the province given to Husain Khan, the chief of a rival tribe. Husain, however, was given the gubernatorial title of vali
instead of atabeg. The descendants of Husain Khan retained the title.
Great Luristan, in the southern part of Luristan, was an independent state under the Fazlevieh atabegs from 1160 until 1424 . Its capital was Idaj, now only represented by mounds and ruins at Malamir, 100 km south east of Shushtar
.
, atabeg was one of the highest court titles created by Queen Tamar of Georgia
in 1212 for her powerful subjects of the Mkhargrdzeli (Zachariad) family. The atabeg of Georgia was a vizier
and a Lord High Tutor to Heir Apparent. Not infrequently, the office of atabeg was combined with that of amirspasalar
(commander-in-chief). In 1334, the title became hereditary in the Jaqeli
family who ruled the Principality of Samtskhe. Therefore, this entity came to be denominated as Samtskhe-Saatabago, the latter part of this portmanteau meaning "of the atabags".
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was with early Seljuqs who bestowed it on the Persian vizier Nizam al-Molk It was later used in the Kingdom of Georgia
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia was a medieval monarchy established in AD 978 by Bagrat III.It flourished during the 11th and 12th centuries, the so-called "golden age" of the history of Georgia. It fell to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by 1327...
, first within the Armeno
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
-Georgian family of Zakarid-Mxargrzeli
Zakarid-Mxargrzeli
The Zakarid , also known by their Georgian language moniker as Mkhargrdzeli , were a noble family prominent in medieval Armenia and Georgia. Their name in Georgian, Mkhargrdzeli, or in , meant long-armed. A family legend says that this name was a reference to their Achaemenid ancestor Artaxerxes...
as a military title.
Title origins and meanings
The word atabeg is a compound of two TurkicTurkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
words: from ata, "ancestor", and beg or bey, "leader, prince". When a Seljuk
Seljuq dynasty
The Seljuq ; were a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries...
prince died, leaving minor heirs, a guardian would be appointed to protect and guide the young princes. These guardians would often marry their ward's widowed mothers, thus assuming a sort of surrogate fatherhood.
The title of Atabeg was common during the Seljuk
Seljuq dynasty
The Seljuq ; were a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries...
rule of the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
starting in the 12th century. It was also common in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
(Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
).
Amongst the Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
tribes, as in Persia, the rank was senior to a Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
.
The title atabeg was also in use for officers in Mameluk Egypt; some of them even were proclaimed Sultan before the incorporation into the Ottoman empire. After the end of Seljuk rule, the title was used only intermittently.
When describing the Atabegs of the Azerbaijan, the Ildeniz
Ildeniz
Shams al-Din Ildeniz, Eldigüz or Shamseddin Eldeniz was an atabeg of the Seljuq empire and founder of the dynasty of Eldiguzids , which held sway over Caucasian Albania, Iranian Azerbaijan, and most of northwestern Persia from the second half of the 12th century to the early decades of the 13th.A...
(Ildegoz) dynasty, the title Atabeg-e-Azam (Great Atabeg) was used, to denote their superior standing, power and influence on the Seljuk Sultans.
In Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, the style Atabeg-e-Azam ('Great Atabeg) was occasionally used as an alternative title for the Shah
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
's Vazir-e-Azam
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
(Grand Vizier), notably in 1834-35 for Mirza Abolghasem Farahani, Gha'em Magham, in 1848-51 for Mirza Mohammed Taghi Khan, Amir-e Kabir, in 1906-07 for Mirza Ali Asghar Khan, Amin-ol Soltan, and finally in 1916 for a Qajar
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
prince, Major-General Shahzadeh Sultan 'Abdu'l Majid Mirza, Eyn-ol Douleh.
List of Atabeg dynasties and other dynasties who used the title
- Ahmadilis (Atabegs of Maragha)Ahmadilis (Atabegs of Maragha)The Ahmadilis, also called by the title Atabegs of Maragha , were a family of local rulers who ruled from the early 6th/12th century until 605/1208–09 in Maragha itself and in Rūʾīn Dez for some years after the Mongol conquest. They ruled approximately from 1122 to 1220 AD...
(of Kypchaq Turkish origin) - Eldiguzids (Atabegs of Azerbaijan) (of Kypchaq Turkish origin)
- Salghurids (Atabegs of Fars) (of Oghuz Turkish origin)
- Hazaraspids (Atabegs of Luristan) (of Iranian origin)
- Atabegs of YazdAtabegs of YazdThe Atabegs of Yazd were a local dynasty, which ruled the city of Yazd from about 1141 to 1319. They succeeded the Kakuyids to whom they were linked by marriage. From the names of the earlier members of the dynasty, it seems they were ethnically Persian, but like the Hazaraspids they had adopted...
(of Iranian origin) - Zengids (Atabegs of Mosul) (of Turkish origin)
In the Near East
Beginning in the twelfth century the atabegs formed a number of dynastiesDynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
, and displaced the descendants of the Seljukid emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
s in their various principalities. These dynasties were founded by emancipated Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
s, who had held high office at court and in camp under powerful emirs. When the emirs died, they first became stadtholders for the emirs' descendants, and then usurped the throne of their masters. There was an atabeg dynasty in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
founded by Toghtekin
Toghtekin
Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin was a Turkic military leader, who was atabeg of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder of the Burid dynasty of Damascus.-Biography:...
(1103–1128).
Other atabeg "kingdoms" sprang up to the north east, founded by Sokman (Sökmen), who established himself at Kaifa in Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
about 1101, and by his brother Ilghazi
Ilghazi
Najm ad-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq was the Turkish Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122.- Biography :His father Artuk was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had been appointed governor of Jerusalem by the Seljuq emir Tutush. When Artuk died, Ilghazi and his brother Sökmen succeeded him as...
. The city of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
was under Mawdud ibn Altuntash, and was later ruled by atabegs such as Aksunkur and Zengi
Zengi
Imad ad-Din Zengi was the atabeg of Mosul, Aleppo, Hama and Edessa and founder of the Zengid dynasty, to which he gave his name.-Early life:...
. Zengi became Atabeg of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
in 1128 and soon established himself as an independent ruler of much of northern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
(including Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
).
The northern part of Luristan
Lorestan Province
Lorestan Province is a historic territory and province of western Iran, amidst the Zagros Mountains. The population of Lorestan was estimated at 1,716,527 people in 2006.Lorestan covers an area of 28,392 km²...
, formerly known as Lurikuchik ('Little Luristan'), was governed by independent princes of the Khurshidi dynasty, styled atabegs, from the beginning of the 17th century when the last atabeg, Shah Verdi Khan, was removed by Persian Shah Abbas I
Abbas I of Persia
Shāh ‘Abbās the Great was Shah of Iran, and generally considered the greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son of Shah Mohammad....
and the government of the province given to Husain Khan, the chief of a rival tribe. Husain, however, was given the gubernatorial title of vali
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
instead of atabeg. The descendants of Husain Khan retained the title.
Great Luristan, in the southern part of Luristan, was an independent state under the Fazlevieh atabegs from 1160 until 1424 . Its capital was Idaj, now only represented by mounds and ruins at Malamir, 100 km south east of Shushtar
Shushtar
-External links:** Hamid-Reza Hosseini, Shush at the foot of Louvre , in Persian, Jadid Online, 10 March 2009, .Audio slideshow: .* .* * , PressTV, 13 June 2010....
.
In the Caucasus
In the Kingdom of GeorgiaKingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia was a medieval monarchy established in AD 978 by Bagrat III.It flourished during the 11th and 12th centuries, the so-called "golden age" of the history of Georgia. It fell to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by 1327...
, atabeg was one of the highest court titles created by Queen Tamar of Georgia
Tamar of Georgia
Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
in 1212 for her powerful subjects of the Mkhargrdzeli (Zachariad) family. The atabeg of Georgia was a vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
and a Lord High Tutor to Heir Apparent. Not infrequently, the office of atabeg was combined with that of amirspasalar
Amirspasalar
Amirspasalar was the commander in chief of the medieval Georgian army and one of the highest officials of the Kingdom of Georgia, commonly rendered as Lord High Constable in English...
(commander-in-chief). In 1334, the title became hereditary in the Jaqeli
Jaqeli
Jaqeli was a Georgian noble family, an offshoot of the House of Chorchaneli, that rose to a ruling house of the principality of Samtskhe in the 13th century, and eventually Islamized to become a dynasty of Akhaltsikhe under the Ottoman Empire in the 16th/17th century.-History:"Jaqeli", literally...
family who ruled the Principality of Samtskhe. Therefore, this entity came to be denominated as Samtskhe-Saatabago, the latter part of this portmanteau meaning "of the atabags".