Qavurt

Kara Arslan Ahmad Qavurt (died 1073), better simply known as Qavurt (also spelled Kavurt) was a Seljuq Prince and the first shah of the Kerman Seljuk Sultanate. Upon his brother's death, he led an unsuccessful rebellion against his nephew in an attempt to gain the Seljuk throne.

Background

The Seljuq dynasty was a Turkic Sunni Muslim dynasty that established both the Seljuq Empire and Sultanate of Rum, which at their total height stretched from Anatolia through Persia. Qavurt was the son of Çağrı Bey, who was the grandson of Seljuk, the founder of the dynasty. Qavurt's brother Alp Arslan succeeded his uncle Tuğrul as the new sultan and Qavurt then the governor of Kirman (south Persia) waited for his turn.

Establishment of the Sultanate After the death of 'Adud al-Dawla on 26 March 983, the Buyid dynasty rapidly weakened due to succession conflicts and external threats. The Buyid dynasty, which had weakned by the reign of Abu Kalijar, was losing territories and was unable to maintain its suzerainty in occupied regions. Following the conquest of Khorasan and the establishment of the Great Seljuk state, Toghrul Bey, the Sultan of the Great Seljuk state, assigned the division of conquered territories among his brothers and nephews and delegated to them the task of conquering new regions. His primary goals were, first, to consolidate his authority over the territories he had already brought under his control, and second, to rapidly expand Seljuk power by subjugating additional regions. Thus, the empire was divided into provinces, and each trusted relative was not only assigned a province to govern but also tasked with the conquest of neighboring lands. Chaghri Beg, as the eldest brother, made Merv and Khorasan his base; and Musa Yabugu was appointed over Bust, Herat, and Sistan.

Seljuk Sultan Tugrul Bey enthroned. Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi 1653-3 (304 B)

Conquest of Kerman Qavurt, the son of Chaghri Beg, chose Nahavand and Kerman. Qavurt, on the orders of Sultan Tuğrul Bey, moved to this region with the Oghuz Turks under his command. Though, he defeated the Buyid ruler’s army in Kerman and Makran in around 1041 CE and brought Kerman under his control, some of his attacks were repelled by Kalijar around 1042. The army under the command of Ibrahim Yinal and his nephews Mehmed and Ahmed, and the army under the command of Alp Arslan, Qavurt, and Yakuti encountered each other near Rey. Ibrahim Yinal and his nephews, who lost the battle, were taken prisoner.

Battle of Damaghan (1063) With the death of Tughril I on 4 September 1063, chaos enrolled within the Great Seljuk State. Suleiman, Qutalmish and Alp Arslan subsequently engaged in a war of succession. Qavurt allegedly participated with Qutalmish in the Battle of Damghan (1063) in an attempt to seize the throne during Alp Arslan's struggle against Suleiman, the son of Chaghri Bey. The latter was defeated and executed while the former made an agreement with the Sultan, securing his rule in Kerman as his de jure vassal. thumb

Conflict with Fadluya Qavurt, then the governor of Kerman, had invaded Fars in 1053 offering an annual tribute of 27 million dirhams in return for the Seljuks letting him remain ruler of Fars.

The conflict continued/reignited in 1062, when Shiraz and its surroundings were handed over to Qavurt Bey by Turkish soldiers and the Deylemis.

Qavurt's First Rebellion

When Alp Arslan succeeded Tugrul Bey in Rey (1063) as the Great Seljuk Sultan, Qavurt Bey had the khutbah (sermon) read in Alp Arslan's name in Kerman and demanded a share of the treasury and possessions inherited from his uncle. Evoked by these provocations, Qavurt Bey incited a brief rebellion against Alp Arslan in 1067 by removing his brother's name from the khutba and minting coins in his own name. Thereafter, the Great Seljuk Sultan went on an expedition against him. Qavurt, seized with fear, fled to the city of Jiroft but thereafter pardoned him and left him as the governer of Kerman.

Qavurt's Second Rebellion Qavurt later rebelled again allying himself with Fadluya, the Shabankara chief, claiming the throne in around 1068-69. Alp Arslan again marched on Kerman and besieged Qavurt, who was in Bardasir. Although Qavurt managed to win over some of Alp Arslan's forces, he was unsuccessful and gave up the uprising. /1072,

However, upon hearing the news of Malik-Shah's accession, Qavurt hurried back to Kerman from Oman, losing several ships and many men in the crossing. He then proceeded to incite a rebellion against Malik Shah, which proved to be his last campaign. His vizier Nizam al-Mulk was even more worried for he had become the de facto ruler of the empire during young Malik Shah's reign. Although Qavurt had only a small army, Turkmen officiers in Malik Shah's army tended to support Qavurt. So Malik Shah and Nizam al-Mulk added non Turkic regiments to Seljuk army. Artukids also supported Malik Shah. The clash was at a location known as Kerç kapı (or Kerec ) close to Hamedan on 16 May 1073. Malik Shah was able to defeat Qavurt's forces. Although Qavurt escaped, he was soon arrested. Initially Malik Shah was tolerant to his uncle. But Nizam al-Mulk convinced the young sultan to execute Qavurt. Nizam al-Mulk also executed two of Qavurt's four sons. Later he eliminated most of the Turkic commanders of the army whom he suspected to be Qavurt's partisans.

Aftermath

Qavurt's defeat was a blow to Turkic character of the empire. But Qavurt's other sons managed to rule in Kirman as vassals of Malik Shah and their small state lived even longer than that of the Great Seljuk Empire.

Family

Qavurt was the son of Dawud Chaghri Bey, the Seljuk governor of Khorasan and the brother of Toghrul Bey, then the Sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire. His principle brothers include the later Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan, Suleiman ibn Chaghri and Alp Sungur Yaquti. Qavurt also fathered many sons, among which include Kerman-Shah, Sultan-Shah, Amirān-Shah, Turan Shah I, Husayn, and Mardan Shah. According to the chronicler Afdal al-Din Abu Hamid Kirmani, Qavurt’s descendants maintained control over the Kerman Seljuk Sultanate for over a century following his death, despite the conflict with the Great Seljuk central authority.

Qavurt's sister Khadija Arslan Khatun was married to the Abbasid Caliph Al-Qaim in 1056 AD, which strengthened the ties between the Seljuks and the Abbasids.

Qavurt also had a daughter named Mustazhiriyya who was married to Sultan Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud in May–June 1138.

In popular fiction In the series, Alparslan: Büyük Selçuklu, Qavurt Bey has been portrayed as a turbulent element during Alp Arslan's reign by Kaan Yalçin.