Shams al-Din Mehmed
| Shams al-Dīn Meḥmed Beg | |
|---|---|
| شمس الدین | |
| Beg of Karāmān | |
| Reign | 1261–1277 |
| Predecessor | Karim al-Din Karaman |
| Successor | Güneri |
| Born | 1239 |
| Died | 20 June 1277 or 30 May 1279 (aged 38/40) |
| House | Ḳarāmān |
| Father | Karim al-Din Karaman |
| Religion | Islam |
Shams al-Dīn Meḥmed I Beg (Turkish: Şemseddin Mehmed Bey; 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.[1]
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.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] But the Mongols chased him, and during a clash in Mut, Mehmet and his two sons were executed in August 1277.[4] 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:
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Legacy
Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University in Karaman is named after him.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b Sümer 2003, p. 445.
- ^ a b "Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University page" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ^ Prof. Yaşar Yüce-Prof. Ali Sevim: Türkiye tarihi Cilt I, AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, İstanbul, 1991 p 242-243
- ^ Clause Cahen:Pre Ottoman Turkey (trans by J.Jones-Williams), Taplinger Publishing Co., Library of Congress:6824744 and, New York, p.292
- ^ Culture and Tourism Ministry Karaman page (in Turkish) Archived August 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
Bibliography
- Sümer, Faruk (1978). "Ḳarāmān-Og̲h̲ullari̊". In van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch. & Bosworth, C. E. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume IV: Iran–Kha. Leiden: E. J. Brill. OCLC 758278456.
- Sümer, Faruk (2003). "Mehmed Bey, Karamanoğlu". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 28 (Mani̇sa Mevlevîhânesi̇ – Meks) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Presidency of Religious Affairs, Centre for Islamic Studies. pp. 445–446. ISBN 978-975-389-414-2.