Ibrahim Inal
Ibrahim Inal (also spelled Ibrahim Yinal,[1] died 1060) was a Seljuk warlord and prince (melik). He was the son of Seljuk's Son Yûsuf Yinal, thus being a grandson of the Seljuk Gazi. [1] He was also a half brother of the Sultan Tughril and Chagri Bey with whom he shared the same mother.
Melik Ibrahim Inal Yinal Bey | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ibrahim Yinal |
| Nickname(s) | Yinal Bey |
| Born | 1000s |
| Died | c. 1060 Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate (now Iraq) |
| Buried | Hamedan |
| Allegiance | Seljuqs |
| Years of service | 1040s – 1060 |
| Commands held | Great Seljuk Army |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Kapetron Siege of Hamadan (1047) |
| Spouse(s) | Oke Hatun |
| Relations | Yûsuf Yınal (father)
Tughril (brother) Chagri Bey (brother) Erbaskan Bey (brother) Oke Hatun (wife) |
Yusuf Yinal's Son, Ibrahim Yinal, went on various expeditions and conquests for the Great Seljuk Empire, and his Sultan, Sultan Tughril. He had various battles with the Ghaznavid Empire, Roman (Byzantine) Empire and Buyid Empires. He heavily contributed to the Seljuk conquest of Persia, even capturing the throne city of Rey, which is now a part of modern day Tehran.
In 1047, Ibrahim wrested Hamadan and Kangavar from the Kakuyid ruler Garshasp I.
A highlight of his military career can be that[2] Ibrahim Yinal commanded a successful raid against the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire which culminated in the Battle of Kapetrou in September 1048. This battle was a decisive victory for the Seljuk Empire. The Arab chronicler Ibn al-Athir reports that he brought back 100,000 captives and a vast booty loaded on the backs of ten thousand camels.[3] In 1058, for various reasons, including believing that he wasn't appropriately acknowledged for his contributions to the empire, and not being named the heir to the throne, he revolted against Sultan Tugrul. He raised a large army based out of Hamedan, Iran, and was allied with the then Fatimid military commander, Arslan al-Basasiri. Ibrahim Yinal's rebellion was eventually defeated. According to some sources he decided to have a 1 on 1 battle against the then price and future sultan, Alp Arslan to try prevent the loss of lives for both his soldiers and Sultan Tugrul's, as they were both Turks, Muslims, and belonging to the Great Seljuk Empire. After Ibrahim Yinal's defeat, he was personally strangled by Tughril with his bowstring at Baghdad. [4] Strangling a noble, or someone with ruling blood with a bowstring was a common practice in the medieval world.
The Legacy of Ibrahim Yinal would continue to affect the world even after his death. His victory in the Battle of Kapetrou was crucial in opening the gates of Anatolia for the Muslim Turks and was crucial for the Battle of Malazgrit. It also probably encouraged his cousin Qutalmish's rebellion against Alp Arslan and the Crown Prince Suleyman ibn Chagri after Sultan Tugrul's death. Ibrahim Yinal is regarded as a hero in Turkic, Seljuk, and Muslim history.
In popular media he is played by Uygar Özçelik in the popular TRT1 drama Alparslan: Buyuk Sulcuklu.
References
- Sümer, Faruk (2002). "KUTALMIŞ" (PDF). TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 26 (Ki̇li̇ – Kütahya) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies. pp. 480–481. ISBN 978-975-389-406-7.
- Bosworth 1968, p. 19.
- Paul A. Blaum (2005). Diplomacy gone to seed: a history of Byzantine foreign relations, A.D. 1047-57. International Journal of Kurdish Studies. (Online version)
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 608.
Sources
- Bosworth, C. E. (1968). "The Political and Dynastic History of the Iranian World (A.D. 1000–1217)". In Boyle, John Andrew (ed.). The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 5: The Saljuq and Mongol Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–202. ISBN 0-521-06936-X.