Ghurid Expansion into Ghazna in the 1100s

Timeline

1. 1105Ghur highlands · AfghanistanAfter inheriting the Ghurid chieftaincy from his father, Izz al-Din Husayn (r. 1100–1146) unified the Shansabani branches, extended his power from Mandesh across the whole of Ghur, and pushed into the Herat Valley, Zamindawar, and other traditional Ghaznavid spheres of influence, challenging Ghaznavid suzerainty in eastern Afghanistan.
2. 1105–1110Zamindawar · AfghanistanGhurid forces gradually seized the mountain passes leading to Ghazna and places like Zamindawar, weakening the Ghaznavid sultan's loose control over the Ghurid tribes. The rivalry between the Ghaznavids and the Seljuks created a power vacuum in eastern Iran, which the Ghurids exploited to expand their territory, creating the conditions for a direct assault on the Ghaznavid capital.
3. 1107–1108Khurasan–Ghur frontier · KhurasanSeljuk Sultan Sanjar campaigned against Ghur from Khurasan, forcing Izz al-Din Husayn to submit and pay tribute in the form of chain mail and hunting dogs. Though briefly suppressed, the Ghurids retained autonomy in their mountain strongholds and, once Seljuk–Ghaznavid tensions intensified, resumed their expansion toward Ghazna, ultimately capturing it under Ala al-Din Husayn in the 1150s.