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Kilij Arslan I

Type Figure Region Anatolia Time 1079–1107 Also known as Sultan Kilij Arslan of Rum、Seljuk Sultan of Rum I

Kilij Arslan I (1079–1107), son of Suleiman I, founder of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum in Asia Minor, succeeded as sultan of Rum in 1092.…

Timeline

  1. 1092–1100Konya · Sultanate of RumAfter his father Suleiman I died in 1092, Kilij Arslan prevailed in the struggle for the throne against his uncles and brothers, establishing his capital at Konya (ancient Iconium) and consolidating Seljuk rule in central Anatolia. After the First Crusade the Byzantines recovered part of the western coast, and the Sultanate of Rum faced pressure from both east and west.
  2. 1101Heraclea · Sultanate of RumIn 1101 the 'Crusade of the Faint-Hearted' entered Anatolia in three columns, and Kilij Arslan marched to meet them. He ambushed and annihilated the main crusader force led by William IX of Aquitaine near Heraclea, winning a major victory for the Muslims of Anatolia against the Western expedition and temporarily securing the Sultanate of Rum's eastern frontier.
  3. 1102–1107Kayseri · Sultanate of RumBetween 1102 and 1107 Kilij Arslan repeatedly clashed with Byzantine, Armenian, and Georgian forces on the eastern frontier; Melitene was recovered by a Byzantine general in 1104. He was killed near Kayseri in 1107, and the Sultanate of Rum passed to his son Malik Shah I. During his reign Rum became the core Muslim polity in Anatolia resisting the Crusaders and the Byzantine counteroffensive.

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