Karamanids

For other uses, seeKaraman (disambiguation).

Beylik of Karaman
1250–1487
Flag
The Karamanidbeylikand other eastern Mediterranean states in 1450
Status	Beylik
Capital	Larende Ermenek Konya(1307–1468) Mut Ereğli
Common languages	Persian, Old Anatolian Turkish
Religion	Sunni Islam
Government	Monarchy
Bey
• 1256?	Karaman Bey
• 1483–1487	Mahmud Bey
Historical era	Late Medieval
• Established	1250
• Disestablished	1487
Preceded by Succeeded by Sultanate of Rum Ottoman Empire

The Beylik of Karaman (orange) in 1300

TheKaramanids(Turkish:KaramanoğullarıorKaramanoğulları Beyliği), also known as theEmirate of KaramanandBeylik of Karaman(Turkish:Karamanoğulları Beyliği), was anAnatolian beylikofSalur tribeorigin, centered in South-CentralAnatoliaaround the present-dayKaraman Province.From the mid 14th century until its fall in 1487, the Karamanid dynasty was one of the most powerfulbeyliksin Anatolia.

History

Page from theQuranmanuscript made forHalil of Karaman.Konya,1314.Mevlâna Museum

The Karamanids traced their ancestry from Hodja Sad al-Din and his sonNure Sufi Bey,who emigrated fromArran(roughly encompassing modern-dayAzerbaijan) toSivasbecause ofthe Mongol invasionin 1230.

The Karamanids were members of theSalur tribeofOghuz Turks.According to others, they were members of theAfshar tribe,which participated in therevoltled byBaba Ishakand afterwards moved to the westernTaurus Mountains,near the town ofLarende,where they came to serve theSeljuks.Nure Sofiworked there as a woodcutter. His son,Kerîmeddin Karaman Bey,gained tenuous control over the mountainous parts ofCiliciain the middle of the 13th century. A persistent but spurious legend, however, claims that theSeljuq Sultan of Rum,Kayqubad I,instead established a Karamanid dynasty in these lands.

Karaman Beyexpanded his territories by capturing castles inErmenek,Mut,Ereğli,Gülnar,andSilifke.The year of the conquests is reported as 1225,during the reign ofAla al-Din Kaykubadh I(1220–1237), which seems excessively early. Karaman Bey's conquests were mainly at the expense of theKingdom of Lesser Armenia(and perhaps at the expense ofRukn al-Din Kilij Arslan IV,1248–1265); in any case it is certain that he fought against the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia (and probably even died in this fight) to such extent that KingHethum I(1226–1269) had to place himself voluntarily under the sovereignty of the greatKhan,in order to protect his kingdom fromMamluksandSeljuks(1244).

The rivalry betweenKilij Arslan IVandIzz al-Din Kaykaus IIallowed the tribes in the border areas to live virtually independently. Karaman Bey helped Kaykaus, but Arslan had the support of both the Mongols andPervâneSulayman Muin al-Din (who had the real power in the sultanate).

TheMongoliangovernor and generalBaijuwas dismissed from office in 1256 because he had failed to conquer new territories. Still, he continued to serve as a general and appeared, the same year, fightingthe Sultan of Rum,who had not paid the tax, and he managed to defeat the sultan a second time. Rukn al-Din Kilidj Arslan IV got rid of almost all hostilebegsandamirsexcept Karaman Bey, to whom he gave the town ofLarende(nowKaraman,in honour of the dynasty) and Ermenek (c. 1260) in order to win him to his side. In the meantime, Bunsuz, brother of Karaman Bey, was chosen as aCandar,or bodyguard, forKilij Arslan IV.Their power rose as a result of the unification of Turkish clans that lived in the mountainous regions of Cilicia with the new Turkish population transferred there by Kayqubad.

Good relations between theSeljuqsand the Karamanids did not last. In 1261, on the pretext of supportingKaykaus II,who had fled to Constantinople as a result of the intrigues of the chancellorMu'in al-Din Suleyman, the Pervane,Karaman Bey and his two brothers, Zeynül-Hac and Bunsuz, marched towardKonya,the Seljuq capital, with 20,000 men. A combinedSeljuqandMongolarmy, led by the Pervane, defeated the Karamanid army and captured Karaman Bey's two brothers.

After Karaman Bey died in 1262, his older son,Mehmet I of Karaman,became the head of the house. He immediately negotiated alliances with otherTurkmenclans to raise an army against theSeljuqsandIlkhanids.During the 1276 revolt of Hatıroğlu Şemseddin Bey against Mongol domination in Anatolia, Karamanids also defeated several Mongol-Seljuq armies. In theBattle of Göksuin 1277 in particular, the central power of the Seljuq was dealt a severe blow. Taking advantage of the general confusion,Mehmed BeycapturedKonyaon 12 May and placed on the throne a pretender calledJimri,who claimed to be the son ofKaykaus.In the end, however, Mehmed was defeated by Seljuq and Mongol forces and executed with some of his brothers in 1278.

Despite these blows, the Karamanids continued to increase their power and influence, largely aided by theMamluksofEgypt,especially during the reign ofBaybars.Karamanids captured Konya on two more occasions at the beginning of the 14th century but were driven out the first time by emirChupan,theIlkhanidgovernor of Anatolia, and the second time by Chupan's son and successorTimurtash.An expansion of Karamanoğlu power occurred after the fall of the Ilkhanids in the 1330s. A second expansion coincided withKaramanoğlu Alâeddin Ali Bey'smarriage toNefise Hatun,the daughter of the Ottoman sultanMurat I,the first important contact between the two dynasties.

As Ottoman power expanded into theBalkans,Aleaddin Ali Bey captured the city ofBeyşehir,which had been an Ottoman city. However, it did not take much time for theOttomansto react and march on Konya, the Karamanoğlu capital city. A treaty between the two kingdoms was formed, and peace existed until the reign ofBayezid I.

Timurgave control of the Karamanid lands to Mehmet Bey, the oldest son of Aleaddin Ali Bey. AfterBayezid Idied in 1403, the Ottoman Empire went into a political crisis as theOttoman familyfell prey to internecine strife. It was an opportunity not only for Karamanids but also for all of the Anatolianbeyliks.Mehmet Bey assembled an army to march onBursa.He captured the city and damaged it; this would not be the last Karamanid invasion ofOttomanlands. However, Mehmet Bey was captured by Bayezid Pasha and sent to prison. He apologized for what he had done and was forgiven by the Ottoman ruler.

Ramazanoğlu Ali Bey capturedTarsuswhile Mehmet Bey was in prison. Mustafa Bey, son of Mehmet Bey, retook the city during a conflict between the Emirs ofShamandEgypt.After that, the Egyptian sultanSayf ad-Din Inalsent an army to retake Tarsus from the Karamanids. TheEgyptian MamluksdamagedKonyaafter defeating the Karamanids, and Mehmet Bey retreated fromKonya.Ramazanoğlu Ali Bey pursued and captured him; according to an agreement between the two leaders, Mehmet Bey was exiled to Egypt for the rest of his life.

During theCrusade of Varnaagainst the Ottomans in 1443–44, Karamanidİbrahim Beymarched onAnkaraandKütahya,destroying both cities. In the meantime, the Ottoman sultanMurad IIwas returning fromRumeliawith a victory against theHungarianCrusaders. Like all other Islamic emirates in Anatolia, the Karamanids were accused of treason. Hence, İbrahim Bey accepted all Ottoman terms. The Karamanid state was eventually terminated by the Ottomans in 1487, as the power of their Mameluke allies was declining. Some were resettled in various parts of Anatolia. Large groups were accommodated in northern Iran on the territory of present-dayAzerbaijan.The main part was brought to the newly conquered territories in north-eastern Bulgaria – theLudogorieregion, another group – to what is now northern Greece and southern Bulgaria— present-dayKardzhaliregion andMacedonia.Ottomans foundedKaraman Eyaletfrom former territories of Karamanids.

Power of the Karamanid state in Anatolia

According to Mesâlik-ül-Ebsâr, written by Şehâbeddin Ömer, the Karamanid army had 25,000 riders and 25,000saracens.They could also rely on some Turkmen tribes and their warriors.

Their economic activities depended mostly on control of strategic commercial areas such asKonya,Karamanand the ports of Lamos,Silifke,Anamur,andManavgat.

Karamanid architecture

Tiledmihrabniche from the Karamanoglu Ibrahim Bey Imaret, Karaman, now displayed in theTiled KioskofIstanbul

66mosques,8hammams,2caravanseraisand 3medresesbuilt by the Karamanids survived to the present day. Notable examples of Karamanid architecture include:

• Hasbey Medrese (1241)
• Şerafettin Mosque (13th century)
• İnce Minare (Dar-ül Hadis) Medrese (1258–1279)
• Hatuniye Medrese (Karaman)
• Mevlana Mosque and Tomb in Konya
• Mader-i Mevlana (Aktekke) mosque in Karaman
• Ibrahim Bey Mosque (Imaret) in Karaman

List of rulers

1. Nûreddin Sûfi Bey(Capital City:Ereğli) (1250–1256)
2. Kerîmeddin Karaman Bey(Capital City:Ermenek) (1256?–1261)
3. Şemseddin I. Mehmed Bey(1261–1277)
4. Güneri Bey(1277–1300)
5. Bedreddin Mahmut Bey(1300–1308)
6. Yahşı Han Bey(1308–1312) (Capital City:Konya)
7. Bedreddin I. İbrahim Bey(1312–1333, 1348–1349)
8. Alâeddin Halil Mirza Bey(1333–1348)
9. Fahreddin Ahmed Bey(1349–1350)
10. Şemseddin Bey(1350–1351)
11. Hacı Sûfi Burhâneddin Musa Bey(Capital City:Mut) (1351–1356)
12. Seyfeddin Süleyman Bey(1357–1361)
13. Damad I. Alâeddin Ali Bey(1361–1398)
14. Sultanzâde II. Mehmed Bey(1398–1399, 1402–1420, 1421–1423)
15. Damad Bengi Ali Bey(1423–1424)
16. Damad II. İbrahim Bey(1424–1464)
17. Sultanzâde İshak Bey(1464)
18. Sultanzâde Pîr Ahmed Bey(1464–1469)
19. Kasım Bey(1469–1483)
20. Turgutoğlu Mahmud Bey(1483–1487)

Family tree

Karamanid dynasty

Sufi Bey r. 1250–1256 Karaman Bey r. 1256–1261 Guneri Bey r. 1277–1300 Mehmet I Bey r. 1261–1277 Mahmut Bey r. 1300–1308 Yahshi Han Bey r. 1308–1312 Musa Bey r. 1312–1333, 1351–1356 Ibrahim I Bey r. 1312–1333, 1348–1349 Halil Mirza Bey r. 1333–1348 Ahmet Bey r. 1349–1350 Shemseddin Bey r. 1350–1351 Suleyman Bey r. 1356–1361 Alaeddin Ali Bey r. 1361–1398 Nefise Hatun Bengi Ali Bey r. 1423–1424 Mehmet II Bey r. 1398–1399, 1402–1420, 1421–1423 Ibrahim II Bey r. 1424–1464 Ishak Bey r. 1464–1465 Pir Ahmad Bey r. 1465–1474 Kasim Bey r. 1474–1483 Turgut Bey Turgutoglu Mahmut Bey r. 1483–1487

See also

• Karamanlides
• Karaman
• Karaman Province
• Anatolian Turkish Beyliks
• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
• Caramania

Sources

• Leiser, Gary (2010). "The Turks in Anatolia before the Ottomans". InFierro, Maribel(ed.).The New Cambridge History of Islam, Volume 2: The Western Islamic World, Eleventh to Eighteenth Centuries.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 310.ISBN978-0-521-83957-0.His ally the Qaramanid Muhammad (r. 660–77/1261–78) did capture Konya in 675/1276 and attempted to replace Persian with Turkish as the official government language.
• Green, Nile (2019). "Introduction". In Green, Nile (ed.).The Persianate World: The Frontiers of a Eurasian Lingua Franca.University of California Press.
• Mehmet Fuat Köprülü(1992).The Origins of the Ottoman Empire.Translated by Gary Leiser.State University of New YorkPress.ISBN0-7914-0819-1.

Further reading

• Jackson, Cailah (2020). "Reframing the Qarāmānids: Exploring Cultural Life through the Arts of the Book".Al-Masāq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean.33(3): 257–281.doi:10.1080/09503110.2020.1813484.S2CID229485605.