Battle of Qatwan

Timeline

1. 1141Qatwan steppe north of Samarkand · SamarkandAfter founding the Western Liao, Yelü Dashi expanded into Transoxiana; internal conflict between the Qarakhanids and the Karluks gave him an opening. Seljuk Sultan Sanjar assembled a large army and marched east, attempting to drive out the Khitans and restore suzerainty over Samarkand.
2. 1141Qatwan steppe north of Samarkand · SamarkandOn September 9, 1141 (5 Safar 536 AH, sources differ by a day), the two armies clashed on the Qatwan steppe north of Samarkand. The Karluk cavalry defected, the Seljuk army routed, and Sanjar barely escaped with his life, while his family and many commanders were captured.
3. 1141–1142Transoxiana · TransoxianaAfter the battle, the Western Liao became suzerain of Transoxiana, with Qarakhanid princes continuing as vassals. Sanjar's authority east of Khurasan collapsed, and the triangular relationship among the Western Liao, the Seljuks, and Khwarazm became the main axis of Central Asian politics thereafter.