The Seljuks of Anatolia

Court and Society in the Medieval Middle East

A.C.S. Peacock, Sara Nur Yildiz, A.C.S. Peacock, Sara Nur Yildiz

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781848858879
• eBook ISBN: 9780857733467
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: European Medieval History
• Index: History

One of the most powerful dynasties to rule in the medieval Middle East, the Seljuks played a critical role in the development of Anatolia's multi-ethnic, multi-confessional identity. Under Seljuk rule (c. 1081-1308) the formerly Christian Byzantine territories of Anatolia were transformed by the development of Muslim culture, society and politics, and it was then – well before the arrival of the Ottomans – that a Turkish population became firmly established in these lands. But these developments are little understood, and the Seljuk dynasty remains little studied. Yet the Seljuks of Anatolia were one of the most influential dynasties of the thirteenth-century Middle East, controlling some of the major trade routes of the period, playing a crucial role in linking East and West of the medieval world. Here, Andrew Peacock and Sara Nur Yildiz explore the history of Anatolia under Seljuk rule in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, examining developments in culture, politics, religion and society and shedding new light on the influence of the dynasty within Anatolia and throughout Western Asia. The Seljuks of Anatolia examines the crucial aspect of the Seljuk dynastic identity, and how this related to their royal households, and to the material and literary arts they sought to influence and promote through patronage. It also demonstrates how the Seljuks played a critical role in the development of Islamic culture in Anatolia, with strong influences from Iran, Syria and further afield. By taking this critical role into account, this book offers an analysis of the religious transformations that occurred during this period, from the Byzantine and Christian identities that prevailed amongst the Seljuks to the Sufis that held key positions in the Seljuk court. With its lively discussion of Seljuk identity, politics and culture, The Seljuks of Anatolia will be of great interest to researchers with interests in Byzantium as well as the material culture and society of the medieval Islamic world.

Table of contents

• Cover
• About the Author
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• A Note on Usage and Transliteration
• List of Contributors
• Chapter One Introduction
• Part One Dynastic Identity and the Great Seljuk Inheritance
• Chapter Two The House of Mengüjek in Divriği: Constructions of Dynastic Identity in the Late Twelfth Century
• Chapter Three ‘The King of the East and the West’: The Seljuk Dynastic Concept and Titles in the Muslim and Christian Sources
• Chapter Four A Nadīm for the Sultan: Rāwandī and the Anatolian Seljuks
• Part Two The Royal Household
• Chapter Five Harem Christianity: The Byzantine Identity of Seljuk Princes
• Chapter Six Paper, Stone, Scissors: ‘Alā’ al-Dīn Kayqubād, ‘Ismat al-Dunyā wa ’l-Dīn, and the Writing of Seljuk History
• Part Three Sufis at Court and in Society
• Chapter Seven In the Proximity of Sultans: Majd al-Dīn Ishāq, Ibn ‘Arabī and the Seljuk Court
• Chapter Eight Sufis and the Seljuk Court in Mongol Anatolia: Politics and Patronage in the Works of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī and Sultān Walad
• Chapter Nine Futuwwa in Thirteenth-Century Rūm and Armenia: Reform Movements and the Managing of Multiple Allegiances on the Seljuk Periphery
• Chapter Ten Conclusion: Research on the Seljuks of Anatolia. Some Comments on the State of the Art
• Genealogical Table of Seljuk Sultans of Anatolia
• Glossary of Terms
• Select Bibliography