Malik Shah

Malik Shah (,, ), also known as Şâhinşah , was the Seljuk Sultan of Rum from 1110 to 1116.

Reign In 1107, Malik Shah came with his father, Kilij Arsalan I, during his campaign on Mosul. After Kilij Arslan I entered the city, Malik Shah was appointed as its Emir, and Emir Idbar was appointed as his regent, and after leaving some forces to protect Mosul, Kilij Arslan left to face Jawali Saqawa, the Emir of Mosul appointed by Muhammed I Tapar. But Kilij Arslan was defeated and died in Battle of Khabur River. Jawali captured Mosul, restoring it under Muhammed I's domains, and sent him Malik Shah to Isfahan where he was prisoned for three years, while the throne in Rum remained vacant.

Malik Shah remained a prisoner in Isfahan until 1110 when he returned to Anatolia to assume the throne. He then imprisoned his two younger brothers, Mesud and Arab. However, his position remained insecure, as he was attacked by the Danishmendid beylik.

Shortly before his death, he was defeated by the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos at the Battle of Philomelion (1116). Malik Shah then signed a treaty with the emperor, allegedly agreeing to let the Byzantines take back all their land in Anatolia. Using the peace treaty as a pretext, the Danishmendid ruler Gümüshtigin deposed Malik Shah and replaced him with Mesud, who was married to his daughter. The treaty was thus nullified. Malik Shah was then executed by being strangled with a bowstring.

Malik Shah was described by Anna Komnena as a fool who often ignored the strategies of his more experienced generals, to the point where he mocked and criticized his generals.