Ala al-Din Tekish

The beginning of Tekish's rise to prominence was a tumultous one; his mother Terken Khatun backed his younger brother, Soltan-Shah as the new Khwarazmshah by the time their father Il-Arslan died in 1172. Tekish, who was serving as governor of Jand appealed to the Qara Khitai for aid, and received reinforcements from Fuma, who's consort was the incumbent Qara Khitai monarch. Tekish marched on Gurganj which prompted Soltan-Shah and Terken Khatun to flee to Khorasan, receiving shelter from Mu'ayyid Ay-Aba, a vassal of Il-Arslan who chose to support them for expedience. Tekish officially became Khwarazmshah on 11 December 1172. == Initial rule ==

The struggle for power remained vigorous. In spite of this, Tekish sent the Qara Khitai home, while Ay-Aba, Terken Khatun and Soltan Shah mustered forces on a campaign to overthrow Tekish and retrieve Gurganj. The ensuing battle occurred at the town of Suburni not far from the Khwarazmian heartland on 11 July 1174, whereupon Tekish routed his opponents and captured Ay-Aba, who was subsequently executed. Tekish pursued Soltan-Shah to Dihistan, where the former killed his own mother and captured the city. In Khorasan, Ay-Aba had been succeeded by his son, Toghan-Shah, who pledged allegiance to Tekish and denied Soltan-Shah refuge when he was at the gates of Nishapur, forcing him to appeal to the Ghurids, who accepted his request for asylum. It seemed like Tekish had won the war, but he soon reneged on his tribute agreement with the Qara Khitai, so the same Fuma that helped him acquire his throne invaded with the help of Soltan-Shah, but Tekish flooded the Oxus river and forced them to retreat. Fuma withdrew and left a few thousand cavalry to accompany Soltan-Shah, who went to Merv, which he captured successfully by 1180. In May 1181, he exacted revenge on Toghan-Shah, defeating his army, looting Nishapur, and conquering Tus. Tekish was concerned with affairs on other fronts at the time, namely Transoxiana. In 1181 he assigned one of his sons, Malik-Shah, to govern Jand while he and the Kipchaks devised a joint campaign to attack the Qara Khitai. Crucially, Tekish cemented ties with the Kipchak khan by marrying his daughter, Terken Khatun, giving him access to Kipchak and Kangly cavalrymen for future campaigns. Tekish marched on Bukhara where he defeated a sally by the garrison, prompting their surrender. What happened next is vaguely described by the source, but Tekish was back in Khorasan by 1183, and Bukhara was probably lost to the Qara Khitai again shortly after. == Conquest of Khorasan ==

In 1185, Toghan-Shah passed away and his son, Sanjar-Shah assumed power in Nishapur. However, his atabeg, Mengi-Tegin controlled most respects of government and quickly began to act despotic, appropriating the land of nobles and acting cynically for his own expedience. It got to a point where courtiers and warriors began defecting to Soltan-Shah in Merv, and Mengi-Tegin soon officially announced his rebellion. Tekish gathered his army with intent on pacifiying him, but Soltan-Shah then struck, reaching Amuya and planning to march on Khwarazm. Tekish responded by approaching Merv, forcing Soltan-Shah to retreat and entrench himself in the city. Tekish made the gambit to immediately march on Merv, which he did in May 1186, forcing Mengi-Tegin to pay tribute to placate him, but shortly after Tekish returned to Gurganj, he rebelled again, killing ambassadors from Tekish's court and an important qadi and shaykh al-islam, Burhan ad-Din 'Abd al-'Aziz Fakhr ad-Din 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Kufi. These developments could not be left as they were, so Tekish endeavored to siege Nishapur again on 27 March, 1187, and it fell two months later. Mengi-Tegin was executed on the orders of Burhan ad-Din's father and Sanjar-Shah was sent to exile in Gurganj, effectively ending the Oghuz emirate of Nishapur, as the city was incorporated into Khwarazm. Bayhaq, Qumis and Jam were also added to his domains, but Jam and Bakharz ceded to Soltan-Shah in spring 1188 to broker a truce between the two brothers after Soltan-Shah failed to capture Nishapur shortly after the defeat of Mengi-Tegin, and a coronation ceremony was held in Radikat to affirm Tekish's independence. In 1191, Tekish forced the Bavandid Ispahbadh, Ardashir I, to cede Bistam and Damghan. == Final years and death ==

Tekish's ambitions continued as he took advantage of the decay of the Seljuks under Toghrul III to invade, defeating and killing his opponent at the Battle of Rayy in 1194. He captured Persian Iraq and his forces reached as far as Hamadan, and as a result, the Seljuks effectively ceased to exist. Tekish died in 1200 due to a peritonsillar abscess and his son, Ala ad-Din Muhammad II, succeeded him. ==References==