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Atsiz

Type Figure Region Khwarazm Time c. 1090–1156 Also known as Khwarazm Shah Atsiz

Atsiz (c. 1090–1156) was Khwarazm Shah, ruling the Khwarazm region from about 1127, gradually shaking off Seljuk suzerainty and expanding territory;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1090–1127Urgench · UrgenchBorn into a local ruling family of Khwarazm, he was active early on under Seljuk suzerainty. Between 1111 and 1120 he gradually consolidated control over the Khwarazm heartland, formally taking the title of shah around 1127 and beginning to seek greater autonomy.
  2. 1141Katen · UzbekistanIn September 1141, Yelu Dashi of the Western Liao (Qara Khitai) decisively defeated Seljuk Sultan Sanjar on the Katen plain north of Samarkand, Sanjar escaping with only his life. This battle allowed Atsiz to throw off Seljuk control, and Khwarazm became a rising power in Central Asia.
  3. 1141–1156Khorasan and Khwarazm · KhorasanAfter the Battle of Katen he continued expanding eastward, controlling the lower Syr Darya and parts of Khorasan. Late in life he clashed with the Ghurid dynasty, briefly losing some territory in 1153. He died in 1156; his son Il-Arslan succeeded him, and the Khwarazmian Empire grew further.

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