The Death of Great Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan and the Battle of Manzikert/Malazgirt in 1071 CE

In 1063 CE, Alp Arslan became sultan on the death of his uncle Tughril Bey. Soon after, in 1064, he added Armenia and Georgia to his rule. Being a new Sultan, Alp Arslan faced many internal oppositions. Kutulmish, the cousin of his father, carried Khurasan into revolt in 1064, and also his real brother, Kawurd (founder of the Kirman dynasty), rebelled twice in 1064 and 1067.

Sultan Alp Arslan was the second Great Seljuk Sultan, the son of Chagri Bey (the ruler of Khurasan in Iran), and the nephew of Tugril Bey (the first Great Seljuk Sultan). Also Alp Arslan was the great-grandson of Seljuk Bey, from whom the Seljuk Empire is named after. Alp Arslan is famously known for the Battle of Manzikert/Malazgirt in 1071 CE. In which the Great Seljuks defeated the Byzantines forces, which opened the way for Turks and Muslims into Anatolia or present-day Turkey.

When the Great Seljuks defeated the Byzantines in the battle and the Emperor Romanos IV was captured and was brought as prisoner in front of the Sultan:

Alp Arslan: What would you do if I was brought before you as a prisoner?

Romanos IV: Perhaps I’d kill you, or exhibit you in the streets of Constantinople.

Alp Arslan: My punishment is far heavier. I forgive you and set you free.

Sultan Alp Arslan was died on 23rd November 1074 CE, due to a stab wound by the captive commander of the Berzem fortress of the Kharakhanid dynasty (in present-day Turkmenistan) during his last campaign as Great Seljuk sultan. Before his death, he left the administration of his dynasty to his famous vizier, Niẓām al-Mulk. In 1071 his victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Malazgirt opened the door for the eventual Turkish conquest of Anatolia.

The legacy of Nizam al-Mulk

The great Persian statesman Nizam al-Mulk was an able administrator and bureaucrat and stimulated religious education in Seljuk Empire through a series of madrasahs, or Islamic colleges and schools. In addition, Nizam al-Mulk wrote a famous book on kingship and statecraft entitled 'Siyasat-Namah,' which was variously translated as "Rules for Kings or Book of Government." At the age of forty-two, when he became vizier to the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan, Nizam al-Mulk preferred the art of diplomacy and international relations to the rough-and-ready militarism sultan.