Mesud II
Encyclopedia
Masud II or Mas'ud II bore the title of Sultanate of Rum
at various times between 1284 and 1308. He was a vassal of the Mongols
and exercised no real authority. History does not record his ultimate fate.
Masud II was the eldest son of Kaykaus II
. He spent part of his youth as an exile in the Crimea
and lived for a time in Constantinople
, then the capital of the Byzantine Empire
. He appears first in Anatolia
in 1280 as a pretender to the throne. In 1284 the new Ilkhan
Sultan Ahmad
deposed and executed the Seljuq sultan Kaykhusraw III
and installed Masud in his place. Ahmad’s successor, Arghun
, divided the Seljuq lands and granted Konya
and the western half of the kingdom to the deposed sultan’s two young sons. Masud invaded with a small force, had the two boys killed, and established himself in the city in 1286.
He led several campaigns against the emerging Turkmen principalities, the Beyliks
, always on behalf of the Mongols and usually with Mongol troops. Notable among these is the expedition beginning late in 1286 against the Germiyanids. The Germiyanids were a warlike band, possibly of mixed Kurdish and Turkmen ancestry, settled by the Seljuqs a generation before in southwestern Anatolia to keep the more unruly Turkmen nomads in check. Masud conducted the campaign under the tutelage of the vizier
and elder statesman, Fakhr al-Din Ali
. Though there were a few successes on the battlefield, the highly mobile Germiyanids remained a significant force in the region. Masud and his Mongol allies conducted similarly futile expeditions against the Karamanids
and Eshrefids.
In 1297 in an atmosphere characterized by intrigue and near constant revolt against the distant Ilkhan authority, both on the part of Mongol officers and local Turkmen potentates, the hapless Masud was implicated in a plot against the Ilkhanate. He was pardoned but deprived of his throne and confined in Tabriz
. He was replaced with Kayqubad III who soon became involved in a similar plot and was executed by Sultan Mahmud Ghazan
. The impoverished Masud returned to the throne in 1303.
From about 1306 Masud, and the Seljuq Sultanate with him, disappears from the historical record.
Sultanate of Rûm
The Sultanate of Rum , also known as the Anatolian Seljuk State , was a Turkic state centered in in Anatolia, with capitals first at İznik and then at Konya. Since the court of the sultanate was highly mobile, cities like Kayseri and Sivas also functioned at times as capitals...
at various times between 1284 and 1308. He was a vassal of the Mongols
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
and exercised no real authority. History does not record his ultimate fate.
Kaykaus II
Kaykaus II or Kayka'us II was the eldest of three sons of Kaykhusraw II. He was a youth at the time of his father’s death in 1246 and could do little to prevent the Mongol subjugation of Anatolia. For most of his tenure as the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm, he shared the throne with one or both of his...
. He spent part of his youth as an exile in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and lived for a time in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, then the capital of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. He appears first in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
in 1280 as a pretender to the throne. In 1284 the new Ilkhan
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
Sultan Ahmad
Tekuder
Ahmed Tekuder , also known as Sultan Ahmad , was the sultan of the Persia-based Ilkhanate, son of Hulegu and brother of Abaqa. He was eventually succeeded by Arghun Khan...
deposed and executed the Seljuq sultan Kaykhusraw III
Kaykhusraw III
Kaykhusraw III was between two and six years old when in 1265 he was named Seljuq Sultan of Rûm...
and installed Masud in his place. Ahmad’s successor, Arghun
Arghun
Arghun Khan aka Argon was the fourth ruler of the Mongol empire's Ilkhanate, from 1284 to 1291. He was the son of Abaqa Khan, and like his father, was a devout Buddhist...
, divided the Seljuq lands and granted Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
and the western half of the kingdom to the deposed sultan’s two young sons. Masud invaded with a small force, had the two boys killed, and established himself in the city in 1286.
He led several campaigns against the emerging Turkmen principalities, the Beyliks
Anatolian Turkish Beyliks
thumb|350px|Anatolian Turkish Beyliks map.Anatolian beyliks, Turkish beyliks or Turkmen beyliks were small Turkish Muslim emirates or principalities governed by Beys, which were founded across Anatolia at the end of the 11th century in a first period, and more extensively during the decline of the...
, always on behalf of the Mongols and usually with Mongol troops. Notable among these is the expedition beginning late in 1286 against the Germiyanids. The Germiyanids were a warlike band, possibly of mixed Kurdish and Turkmen ancestry, settled by the Seljuqs a generation before in southwestern Anatolia to keep the more unruly Turkmen nomads in check. Masud conducted the campaign under the tutelage of the 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 elder statesman, Fakhr al-Din Ali
Sâhib Ata
Fakhr al-Din Ali, better known as Sâhib Ata or Sâhip Ata, held a number of high offices at the court of the Sultanate of Rum from the 1250s until his death in 1288. He was the dominant personality in Anatolia after the death of the Pervane Mu’in al-Din Suleyman in 1277...
. Though there were a few successes on the battlefield, the highly mobile Germiyanids remained a significant force in the region. Masud and his Mongol allies conducted similarly futile expeditions against the Karamanids
Karamanoglu
The Karamanids or Karamanid dynasty , also known as the Principality of Karaman and Beylik of Karaman , was one of the Anatolian beyliks, centered in south-central Anatolia, around the present-day Karaman Province...
and Eshrefids.
In 1297 in an atmosphere characterized by intrigue and near constant revolt against the distant Ilkhan authority, both on the part of Mongol officers and local Turkmen potentates, the hapless Masud was implicated in a plot against the Ilkhanate. He was pardoned but deprived of his throne and confined in Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
. He was replaced with Kayqubad III who soon became involved in a similar plot and was executed by Sultan Mahmud Ghazan
Mahmud Ghazan
Mahmud Ghazan was the seventh ruler of the Mongol Empire's Ilkhanate division in modern-day Iran from 1295 to 1304. He was the son of Arghun and Quthluq Khatun, continuing a line of rulers who were direct descendants of Genghis Khan...
. The impoverished Masud returned to the throne in 1303.
From about 1306 Masud, and the Seljuq Sultanate with him, disappears from the historical record.
Sources
- Claude Cahen, Pre-Ottoman Turkey: a general survey of the material and spiritual culture and history, trans. J. Jones-Williams, (New York: Taplinger, 1968) 294-301.