Battle of Yassıçemen
Encyclopedia
Battle of Yassi Chemen was a battle fought in Erzincan Province
, Turkey
in 1230.
was the last ruler of the Khwarezm Shahs. Actually the territory of the sultanate had been annexed by Mongol Empire
during the reign of Jalal ad-Din’s father. But Jalal ad-Din continued to fight with a small army. In 1225 he retreated to Azerbaijan
and founded a principality around Maragheh
. Although initially he formed an alliance with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm against Mongols, he later on, for reasons unknown, changed his mind and began hostilities to Seljuks. In 1230 he furthermore conquered Ahlat
, (in what is now Bitlis Province
, Turkey) an important cultural city of the era from Ayyubids which resulted in an alliance between Seljuks and Ayyubids. Jalal ad-Din on the other hand allied himself with Jahan Shah, the rebellious Seljuk governor of Erzurum
.
. Jalal ad-Din tried to attack before the merging of Seljuk and Ayyubid armies. But it was too late. Ayyubids had already sent a reinforcement of 10,000 to Seljuks. The commander of the Seljuk-Ayyubid army was the Seljuk sultan Alaaddin Keykubat I. The battle continued for three days. An able commander, Jalal ad-Din almost defeated Seljuk-Ayyubid alliance in the first day. But at the end of the three days Jalal ad-Din’s foces were defeated.
Erzincan Province
Erzincan Province is a province in the eastern region of Anatolia, Turkey, and home to Erzincan, a city which was destroyed and rebuilt after an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 on December 27, 1939...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1230.
Background
Jalal ad-DinJalal ad-Din Mingburnu
Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, also known as Mengübirti or Manguberdi or Minkburny in the east was the last ruler of the Khwarezmid Empire...
was the last ruler of the Khwarezm Shahs. Actually the territory of the sultanate had been annexed by Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
during the reign of Jalal ad-Din’s father. But Jalal ad-Din continued to fight with a small army. In 1225 he retreated to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and founded a principality around Maragheh
Maragheh
Maragheh also Romanized as Marāgheh and Marāghen) is a city in and the capital of Maragheh County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 146,405, in 38,891 families....
. Although initially he formed an alliance with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm against Mongols, he later on, for reasons unknown, changed his mind and began hostilities to Seljuks. In 1230 he furthermore conquered Ahlat
Ahlat
Ahlat is a historic town and a district in Turkey's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. The center town of Ahlat is situated on the northwestern coast of the Lake Van. She was the district in Van Province between 1929-1936...
, (in what is now Bitlis Province
Bitlis Province
Bitlis Province is a province of eastern Turkey, located to the west of Lake Van.-History:Bitlis was formed as an administrative district in the 17th Century...
, Turkey) an important cultural city of the era from Ayyubids which resulted in an alliance between Seljuks and Ayyubids. Jalal ad-Din on the other hand allied himself with Jahan Shah, the rebellious Seljuk governor of Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
.
The battle
The battle took place in Yassıçemen a location west of ErzincanErzincan
-Trivia:Erzincan has the largest man made of Portrait of Atatürk, located north of the city, 176m×43m. It covers 7,500 square meter. Turkish Army made it 1982, in 29 days by 3,000 soldier, 100 tons of black and white paint was used...
. Jalal ad-Din tried to attack before the merging of Seljuk and Ayyubid armies. But it was too late. Ayyubids had already sent a reinforcement of 10,000 to Seljuks. The commander of the Seljuk-Ayyubid army was the Seljuk sultan Alaaddin Keykubat I. The battle continued for three days. An able commander, Jalal ad-Din almost defeated Seljuk-Ayyubid alliance in the first day. But at the end of the three days Jalal ad-Din’s foces were defeated.