Campaign of Northwest (1064) Malik-Shah joined his father
Alp Arslan's expedition to the northwest in 1064. He took part in the capture of castles in Georgia and Armenia together with his father Alp Arslan. He advanced along the
Aras River with the army under the command of Malik-Shah. He captured many castles and cities in the region, especially Meryemnişin,
Byurakan, Hagios Georgios and Surmari. During this campaign, Malik-Shah also participated in the
Siege of Ani (1064).
Other Campaigns and Battles He Participated in During His Shahzadeh (Prince) Period In addition to the Campaign of Northwest, Sultan Malik-Shah also participated in his father Sultan
Alp Arslan's campaigns in the Campaign of Northern Syria and Anatolia, and the Campaign of Turkestan (1072), and fought in these campaigns during.
Battle of Kerj Abu Dulaf (1073) However, right after Malik-Shah's accession, his uncle
Qavurt claimed the throne for himself and sent Malik-Shah a message which said: "I am the eldest brother, and you are a youthful son; I have the greater right to my brother Alp-Arslan's inheritance." Malik-Shah then replied by sending the following message: "A brother does not inherit when there is a son." This message enraged Qavurt, who thereafter occupied Isfahan. In 1073, the
Battle of Kerj Abu Dulaf took place near Hamadan, lasting three days. Qavurt was accompanied by his seven sons, and his army consisted of
Turkmens, while the army of Malik-Shah consisted of
ghulams ("military slaves") and contingents of
Kurdish and
Arab troops. During the battle, the Turks of Malik-Shah's army mutinied against him, but he nevertheless managed to defeat and capture Qavurt. Qavurt then begged for mercy and in return promised to retire to
Oman. However, Nizam al-Mulk declined the offer, claiming that sparing him was an indication of weakness. After some time, Qavurt was strangled to death with a bowstring, while two of his sons were blinded. After having dealt with that problem, Malik-Shah appointed
Qutlugh-Tegin as the governor of
Fars and
Sav-Tegin as the governor of
Kerman.
Campaign of Transoxiana (1073) {{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=400|caption_align=center Malik-Shah then turned his attention towards the Kara-Khanids, who had after the death of
Alp Arslan invaded
Tukharistan, which was ruled by Malik-Shah's brother Ayaz, who was unable to repel the Kara-Khanids and was killed by them. Malik-Shah went on a campaign to
Transoxiana with his army in 1073. Malik-Shah finally managed to repel the Kara-Khanids and after
Balkh and
Herat, he headed towards Termez and captured
Termez, giving the key of the city to
Sav-Tegin. Malik-Shah then appointed his other brother
Shihab al-Din Tekish as the ruler of
Tukharistan and
Balkh. During the same period, the
Ghaznavid ruler
Ibrahim was seizing Seljuk territory in northern
Khorasan, but was defeated by Malik-Shah, who then made peace with the latter and gave his daughter
Gawhar Khatun in marriage to Ibrahim's son
Mas'ud III.
Campaign of Kerman In 1074, following the events that occurred during the reign of Sultan-Shah (son of
Qavurt), who ascended to the throne of
Kerman as governor of Kerman, Sultan Malik-Shah decided to launch an expedition against
Kerman. Entering Kerman territory with his army, Malik-Shah laid siege to
Bardsir, Kerman's largest city and capital, but refrained from fighting after the Sultan-Shah begged for forgiveness. Malik-Shah only demolished one of the bastions of
Kuhan, one of Bardsir's castles. After leaving Sultan-Shah as governor of Kerman, he returned to Isfahan, the capital of the
Great Seljuk Empire.
Campaign of Georgia (1075-76) During
George II's reign, some disagreements and internal turmoil arose. Consequently, Malik-Shah I launched an expedition against Georgia. Malik-Shah I came to
Kartli with his army and captured some of the fortresses located there. Malik-Shah I later took
Ganja from Fadlun and gave the administration of the region to
Savtegin, then returned to his capital with his army.
Campaign of Qarmatian (1st) At the request of the
Abbasid caliph
Muqtadi, Sultan Malik-Shah I decided to launch an expedition against the
Qarmatians. In 1075, Malik-Shah sent an army under the command of
Hajib Kichkine against the Qarmatians. Before embarking on the campaign, Hajib Kiçkine made several agreements and formed an alliance. The
Seljuk army under the command of Hajib Kiçkine left
Isfahan and arrived in
Basra. Shortly thereafter, they were joined by Gevherayin the Military Governor's of Baghdad and Seljuk army set out for
Qatif. During this journey, the
Qays and Qubas tribes in the region launched plundering attacks against the Seljuk army. In the ensuing battle between the two sides, the Seljuk army was victorious. When the Seljuk army approached Qatif, he sent a message to the city's ruler, Yahya ibn Abbas. However, Yahya ibn Abbas, citing his war with the Qays and Qubas tribes as justifications, refused to honor previous agreements and threatened the Seljuks. Consequently, Yahya ibn Abbas was defeated in the ensuing battle. Later, Yahya ibn Abbas made an agreement with the Qays and Qubas tribes, attacked the Seljuk army, and plundered its supplies and logistics. The hardship left Hajib Kiçkine and the Seljuk army weakened. A sudden raid by Yahya ibn Abbas and his allies later disintegrated the Seljuk army under Hajib Kiçkine. The Seljuk forces retreating towards Basra returned without the opportunity to fight the Qarmatians.
Campaign of Qarmatian (2nd) Following the failure of
Hajib Kiçkine, Sultan Malik-Shah I assigned a 7,000-strong Seljuk army under the command of
Artuk Bey to launch an expedition against the Qarmatians. The Seljuk army under Artuk Bey first marched to
Qatif. Hearing of the Seljuks arrival, Yahya ibn Abbas fled to
Bahrain, and the Seljuks captured Qatif. The Seljuks then attacked the Qarmatians in
Ahsa and besieged them in their castle. After the Qarmatians requested peace and an agreement was reached, Artuk Bey lifted the siege. Following this, he launched a successful attack on the Qarmatians in Bahrain and brought them under his control. Following these campaigns, Artuk Bey went to Baghdad, leaving a 200-man detachment under his brother Alpkuş as his proxy. Supported by the Arab tribes of
Azd and Amir Rebia, the Qarmatians, emboldened by Artuk Bey's departure from Ahsa with a large portion of his army, attacked the Seljuks and their allies. In a battle fought between the two sides near Beyberrahbeteyn, the Qarmatians were defeated. The Seljuk allies captured the fortress of Ahsa, but they refused to allow the Seljuk army to enter. After this defeat, the Qarmatians launched an attack with their allies. In the battle between the two sides near Ahsa, the Qarmatians and their allies were defeated and suffered heavy losses. A dispute later arose between
Abdullah ibn Ali and Alpkuş. Abdullah ibn Ali killed Alpkuş. Artuk Bey, upon hearing of his brother's death, marched with his army and besieged the fortress of Ahsa, where Abdullah ibn Ali was stationed. After a fierce siege, Artuk captured Abdullah ibn Ali's son in exchange for his brother and lifted the siege.
Campaign of Anatolia (1078) Suleyman-Shah took the side of Sultan Malik-Shah against the independence activities of his brother Mansur and asked for help from Sultan Malik-Shah. Upon this, Sultan Malik-Shah dispatched the
Seljuk army under the command of Emir Porsuk to restore order in
Anatolia. Emir Porsuk engaged in a struggle with Mansur, and as a result, Mansur was killed by Porsuk. Suleiman-Shah, as a Seljuk vassal, became the sole sultan of the
Sultanate of Rum.
Campaign of Georgia (1078-79) Savtegin went on a campaign against the
George II. He was defeated in the battle near Partskhisi and retreated. Thereupon, Malik-Shah I organized a second campaign against Georgia in 1078-1079. Malik-Shah, who entered Georgia, invaded the
Somkheth region with his army, captured
Samshvilde and put things in order, and returned, leaving new forces for Savtegin. After Malik-Shah returned, Savtegin moved against the Georgians, but George II defeated him once again in the battle near Partskhisi. After Savtegin was defeated by the Georgians, Malik-Shah sent Emir Ahmed to Georgia. Ahmed defeated the Georgians and captured
Kars,
Erzurum,
Oltu and some cities subject to Byzantium. The following year, the Seljuks captured
Şavşat,
Adjara,
Kartli,
Ardanuç and the areas up to
Trabzon. George II went to Isfahan and accepted to be a vassal of Malik-Shah.
Campaign of Khorasan (1081) In 1081, while inspecting the army in the city of Rey, Sultan Malik-Shah dismissed 7,000 Armenians who had entered the army disguised as Turks. These Armenians went to Malik-Shah's brother Tekish and entered his service. Tekish, strengthened by this situation, rebelled. During this rebellion, Tekish captured
Marw al-Rudh, Shāhijān or
Marw al-Shāhijān, and
Termez. News of Tekish's rebellion reached Malik-Shah, and Malik-Shah led a campaign to the region. Meanwhile, Tekish was preparing to capture
Nishapur, but Malik-Shah arrived in the city before him and took it over. Upon learning of Malik-Shah's arrival, Tekish retreated to Termez. Malik-Shah came to Termez and laid siege to the city. Realizing that he would be defeated, Tekish came to Malik-Shah and begged for forgiveness. Malik-Shah forgave his brother and did not punish him.
Campaign of Herat Toghan-Shah, the governor of
Herat in the
Great Seljuk Empire, rebelled against his brother Malik-Shah. In response to this rebellion, Malik-Shah launched an expedition against his brother. In the ensuing struggle between Malik-Shah and Toghan-Shah, Toghan-Shah was defeated and captured. Malik-Shah later imprisoned his brother in the
Isfahan Castle.
Campaign of Marwanids The mistreatment of Muslims in
Marwanid-held lands and
Fakhr al-Dawla's persuasion of Sultan Malik-Shah to launch an expedition into the region led to the
Seljuk Empire's campaign against the
Marwanids, a vassal of the
Seljuk Empire. The Seljuk army sent by Sultan Malik-Shah to the region first successfully attacked the headquarters of
Sharaf al-Dawla Muslim, the ruler of
Mosul and a vassal of the Seljuk Empire who had come to support the Marwanids. Sharaf al-Dawla Muslim and the Marwanid Mansur escaped this attack and fled to
Diyarbakır. After their escape, their remaining soldiers escaped without much resistance, but some were captured by the Seljuk forces. Taking advantage of the internal turmoil within the Seljuk army, Sharaf al-Dawla Muslim reached an agreement with Artuk Bey and went to
Raqqa. The Seljuk army then laid siege to
Meyyafarikin and Diyarbakır. The Seljuks captured all the lands belonging to the Marwanids, especially
Diyarbakır,
Meyyafarikin,
Ahlat,
Cizre,
Bitlis,
Siirt,
Erzen, and
Hasankeyf.
Campaign of Uqaylid Sultan Malik-Shah was enraged by
Sharaf al-Dawla Muslim's support for the
Marwanids. He granted his lands to
Fakhr al-Dawla's son, Amid al-Dawla. Malik-Shah launched a campaign against the
Uqaylids to seize Sharaf al-Dawla Muslim's lands. The Seljuks captured
Mosul.
Campaign of Khorasan (1086) The governor of
Khorasan, Shihab al-Din Tekish, took advantage of Sultan Malik-Shah’s being in
Mosul due to the campaign against the
Marwanids and rebelled. Tekish occupied the cities of
Merv and
Sarakhs and laid siege to
Nishapur. Later, when he received news that
Nizam al-Mulk was coming with an army, he lifted the siege and retreated. Malik-Shah went on a campaign against
Khorasan in 1086. Malik-Shah laid siege to the castle of
Venec where Tekish was located. Tekish, who was captured alive, had his eyes gouged out and was imprisoned.
Campaign of Caucasus (1086) After
Savtegin's death, Ismail, the governor of
Azerbaijan, succeeded him.
Shaddadi Emir Fadl III, seeking to capitalize on this change of government, rebelled. Consequently, Malik-Shah launched an expedition against the
Caucasus with his army in 1086. This campaign strengthened
Seljuk rule in the region.
Ganja, where Fadl III was based, was besieged and captured. Fadl III was taken prisoner. During this expedition, a
Byzantine ambassador appeared before Malik-Shah with gifts. Malik-Shah then continued campaign to the
Black Sea coast. As a result of this expedition, he strengthened his control over the emirs, kings and princes in the region. After this expedition,
George II went to
Isfahan again in 1088 and appeared before Malik-Shah I. When
George agreed to pay taxes and become a Seljuk vassal, Sultan Malik-Shah gave him back
Kakheti and Hereti.
Campaign of Northern Syria (1086) As a result of the struggle for dominance among the emirs, Malik-Shah decided to organize a campaign to Northern Syria. Malik-Shah moved towards Northern Syria with his army in 1086. Malik-Shah and the army under his command, captured
Aleppo,
Antioch,
Edessa,
Harran and
Qal'at Ja'bar Castle during his Northern Syria campaign. Later, they captured
Manbij,
Shayzar,
Latakia,
Kafertab and
Apamea.
Campaign of Transoxiana (1087) In 1087, due to internal unrest in
Turkestan, Malik-Shah decided to organize another expedition to
Transoxiana. Malik-Shah moved with his army to the
Transoxiana region of
Turkestan. He captured many castles belonging to the Kara-Khanids, especially
Bukhara,
Samarkand,
Balasagun,
Isfijab and
Kashgar. When Malik-Shah arrived at
Uzkand with his army, the Eastern
Kara-Khanid ruler Hasan ibn Suleiman came to Malik-Shah and agreed to be his vassal and pay taxes. In addition, the Western Kara-Khanid ruler Ahmed was captured by the Seljuks after the capture of
Samarkand, and Malik-Shah appointed one of his men as the Seljuk governor of the Western Karakhanid country.
Campaign of Anatolia (1088) Around 1088, Sultan Malik-Shah sent a 50,000 people
Seljuk army under the command of Emir Porsuk to Anatolia to take control. After undertaking construction activities in Anatolia, Emir Porsuk marched on
Nicaea around 1090. Meanwhile, Nicaea was under siege by the
Byzantine Empire. Upon hearing of Porsuk's arrival with his army, the Byzantine commander lifted the siege and retreated to a position 22 kilometers from Nicaea, later returning to
Constantinople. It wasn't just the Byzantine commander who received news of Porsuk's arrival with a large army;
Abu'l-Qasim, the steward of the Sultanate of Rum and resident in Nicaea, also received this news. Byzantine Emperor
Alexios summoned Abu'l-Qasim to Constantinople and formed an alliance against Porsuk. While Abu'l-Qasim was in Constantinople, the Byzantine navy attacked and captured
İzmit. Abu'l-Qasim, who learned of this during his journey to Nicaea, showed no reaction to the issue of İzmit due to Porsuk's siege of Nicaea. Porsuk besieged Nicaea for nearly three months, but was unable to take it. Realizing he could no longer resist Porsuk, Abu'l-Qasim requested assistance from the Byzantine emperor. Emperor Alexios sent a Byzantine army to Nicaea to aid him. When the Byzantine army arrived in Nicaea, Emir Porsuk, seeing the Emperor's banner, assumed that Emperor Alexios had arrived himself, lifted the siege, and retreated.
Campaign of Transoxiana (1089) After Malik-Shah's final campaign in
Transoxiana, some Turkic tribes in the region rebelled against Malik-Shah's failure to comply with certain rules of Turkish customs and summoned Yakub Tegin, a member of the
Kara-Khanid dynasty, to
Samarkand. News of the rebellion compelled Malik-Shah to launch another campaign against Transoxiana. When Malik-Shah marched on Samarkand, Yakub Tegin abandoned his
Fergana base and fled to
At-Bashy. Malik-Shah attacked Samarkand and conquered the city a second time. Malik-Shah then set out to capture Yakub Tegin, advancing as far as the Land of the Nomads (Bilad al-Harqawat). Upon hearing of Malik-Shah's arrival, the ruler of
Talas came to Malik-Shah's bow and offered his obedience. Malik-Shah ordered Hasan Khan, the Eastern Kara-Khanid ruler and Seljuk vassal, to capture and bring his brother Yakub Tegin. When Hasan Khan was reluctant to comply, Malik-Shah marched on
Özkend (Uzkend) and captured the city. Hasan Khan of the Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate, captured Yakub Tegin. However, Yakub Tegin was freed following the rebellion of Tughril ibn Inal of the Kara-Khanid Dynasty. Knowing that dealing with two rebels would be difficult, Malik-Shah made a deal with Yakub Tegin and used him against Tughril. Following these developments, Malik-Shah returned to his capital,
Isfahan. Malik-Shah reinstated some of the Turkestan Khans he had captured during his campaign in 1087. Thanks to this campaign, the entire
Turkistan Region, up to the borders of China (Its borders in 1089), was brought under Seljuk rule in 1089.
Conquest of Yemen (1092) During his time in
Baghdad, Malik-Shah assigned Gevher-Ayin and Emir Çubuk to establish permanent control over the
Hejaz and seize
Yemen. Emir Türkeş and Yarınkuş were appointed commanders of the army prepared by Malik-Shah's order. When news of Malik-Shah's presence in Baghdad reached the Hejaz,
khutbahs were again delivered in the Hejaz in the name of the Seljuk sultan and the
Abbasid caliph. Following this, the
Seljuk army captured Yemen and
Aden.
Campaign of Anatolia In his book "Turkey in the Time of the Seljuks (
Turkish: Selçuklular Zamanında Türkiye)," medieval historian states that some primary sources indicate that Malik-Shah personally campaigned in
Anatolia. After making conquests in Anatolia, especially in
Konya,
Aksaray,
Kayseri, and
Antakya, Malik-Shah laid siege to
Constantinople, imposed a tax of 1,000,000 gold coins on the
Byzantine Empire, ceded the conquered territories to
Suleiman Shah, and ordered the conquest of
Egypt and the
Maghreb before returning. However, Osman Turan views this information, derived from primary sources, with skepticism due to the lack of sufficient data. Some historians who examine these events also agree with Osman Turan's views. Some historians also mention this situation.
Domestic policy and Ismailis In 1092,
Nizam al-Mulk was assassinated near Sihna, on the road to
Baghdad, by a man disguised as a
Sufi. As the assassin was immediately cut down by Nizam's bodyguard, it became impossible to establish with certainty who had sent him. One theory had it that he was an
Assassin, since these assassins regularly made attempts on the lives of Seljuk officials and rulers during the 11th century. Another theory had it that the attack had been instigated by Malik-Shah, who may have grown tired of his overmighty vizier. After Nizam al-Mulk's death, Malik-Shah appointed another Persian named
Taj al-Mulk Abu'l Ghana'im as his vizier. Malik-Shah then went to Baghdad and decided to depose
al-Muqtadi and sent him the following message: "You must relinquish Baghdad to me, and depart to any land you choose." This was because Malik-Shah wanted to appoint his grandson (or nephew) Ja'far as the new caliph. The Sultan had a good relationship with the Shias at large except for the
Ismailis of
Hassan ibn Sabbah. Followers of Sabbah managed to occupy the
Alamut fortress near
Qazvin, and the army under the command of the emir Arslan-Tash, sent by Malik Shah, could not recapture it. The Sultan's
ghilman, Kizil Sarug, besieged the Daru fortress in
Kuhistan, but ceased hostilities in connection with the death of Malik Shah on November 19, 1092, possibly due to poisoning. == Death and aftermath ==