Mehmet I of Karaman

Shams al-Dīn Meḥmed I Beg (; died 20 June 1277 or 30 May 1279) was bey of the Karamanids from 1263 until his death. Karāmān was a Turkish principality in Anatolia in the 13th century. His father was Karim al-Din Karaman.

Early life Meḥmed was the eldest son of Karim al-Dīn Ḳarāmān, the soubashi of the region around Ermenek, Mut, Silifke, Gülnar, and Anamur. Upon Ḳarāmān's death in 1263, Sultan of Rum Kilij Arslan IV arrested his children and brother, emir-i jandar Bunsuz. When Kilij Arslan died in 1266 and Muʿīn al-Dīn Parwāna assumed full power, the latter released Ḳarāmān's children, except for ʿAlī, who was kept in Kayseri.

Reign Meḥmed and his brothers joined Hatīroghlu Sharaf al-Dīn's revolt against the Mongols. Sharaf al-Dīn granted Mehmed the lands his father formerly ruled over and dismissed Badr al-Dīn Ibrāhīm from that position. Meḥmed further expanded his territory towards the Mediterranean coast and eliminated the Mongol force of 200 men in Ulukışla. When Sharaf al-Dīn was killed by the Mongols in 1276, Badr al-Dīn attempted to take revenge on Meḥmed but was defeated by him at the Göksu.

The next year, he allied himself with Baybars of the Mamluk Sultanate. In May, he captured Konya, the Seljuk capital. But instead of declaring himself as the sultan, he supported his puppet Jimri as sultan, and in turn Jimri appointed him as vizier of the Seljuks on 12 May 1277. As vizier, Mehmet issued his famous firman ordering the Turkish language to be used instead of New Persian or Arabic in government offices. However, his service in Konya lasted only about a month. Hearing news of the approaching Mongol Empire, both Mehmet and Jimri fled from Konya. But the Mongols chased him, and during a clash in Mut, Mehmet and his two sons were executed in August 1277. He was succeeded by his brother Güneri.

Firman

Mehmet is known as a devotee of the Turkish language. During his brief term as a vizier, he issued a firman dated 13 May 1277: Şimden girü hiç kimesne kapuda ve divanda ve mecalis ve seyranda Türki dilinden gayri dil söylemeye. From now on nobody in the palace, in the divan, council and on walks speak no language other than Turkish.

Legacy Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University in Karaman is named after him.