Seljuk Turks (jan 1, 1015 – jan 1, 1300)

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The Seljuks were a ruling military family of the Oguz Turkic tribes who invaded southeast Asia in the 11th century. They founded an empire which consisted of Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and Iran. Sultan Alp-Arslan opened the way for Turkmen Seljuks to settle in Asia Minor through his victory over the Byzantine army in the Battle of Manzikert. Through similar victories, the Seljuks came to be seen as the restorers of Muslim unity under the Sunni caliphate. A network of madrasas were founded, which gave uniform training to the state's administrators and scholars, and Persian cultural autonomy flourished under the Seljuk empire. The empire was undermined by the Seljuks’ practice of dividing provinces among a deceased ruler's son, thus creating numerous unstable provinces. In one of these provinces, the Sultanate of Rum, commerce, agriculture, and art thrived, and a tolerance of races and religion contributed to order and peace. However a war in 1208 between the Khwarezm-Shah dynasty of Iran and the Sultan of Rum ultimately led to the disintegration of Rum and Seljuk power. Specifically, at the Battle of Kose Dagh in 1243, where Seljuk autonomy was lost forever.

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