Sarim al-Din Ibrahim I (died 1384) was Beg of Ramadan in south-central Anatolia by June 1354 to 1383. Following his father Ramadan's death, Ibrahim arrived in Damascus and honored the Mamluk Sultan, securing the regional authority the Mamluks had granted Ramadan. Soon after, Ibrahim allied himself with Ghars al-Din Khalil (r. 1353–86), the ruler of the Dulkadirids, in an attempt to seize Sis. The Mamluk governor of Aleppo was assigned to deal with Ibrahim but was defeated by other local lords. The Mamluks recognized Ibrahim's authority in 1381 and granted him the title na'ib (viceroy) of Adana two years later. Ibrahim made a new attempt to realize his ambition to capture Sis. This restored the state of war between the Ramadanids and the Mamluk Sultanate. After fleeing from the Mamluks for some time, Ibrahim was caught by the Mamluk na'ib of Sis. Ibrahim was executed in the town of Sis. He was succeeded by his brother Ahmed.
| Ibrahim Beg | |
|---|---|
| Beg of Ramadan | |
| Predecessor | Ramadan |
| Successor | Ahmed |
| Died | 1384 Sis, Mamluk Sultanate |
| House | Ramadan |
| Father | Ramadan |
| Religion | Islam |
Early life and background
editMuch of southern Anatolia was originally controlled by the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, which gradually began losing its domains to the Mamluk Sultanate, allied with local Turkmens, at the turn of the 14th century. During this time, two major Turkmen confederations emerged in the region, one near Lower Cilicia, named Uchok, led by the Ramadanid dynasty, and the neighboring confederation of Bozok near Marash and Elbistan, led by the Dulkadirid dynasty. The Mamluks appointed the Dulkadirid ruler Zayn al-Din Qaraja (r. 1337–53) as the Emir of Turkmens in 1337.[1]
Ibrahim's father was Ramadan Beg, a chieftain of the Yüregir tribe and the leader of Uchok.[2][a] Ramadan was granted the position Emir of Turkmens by the Mamluk Sultan when Qaraja was dismissed for joining a rebellion in 1352.[4] Ramadan's son Ibrahim was the first well-documented Ramadanid ruler.[5] In June 1354, Ibrahim arrived at the Mamluk sultan's court in Damascus with a gift of a thousand horses, securing the position his father had received. Ramadan likely died before Ibrahim visited Damascus.[6]
Reign
editAlthough the Mamluk sultan appointed Ibrahim as the leader of all Turkmens in Mamluk-controlled southern Anatolia, Ibrahim failed to maintain his authority over the neighboring Bozok tribal confederation led by the Dulkadirids. The Mamluk sultan was thus forced to recognize the Dulkadirid ruler Ghars al-Din Khalil (r. 1353–86) as a legitimate ruler, who was frequently at war with the Mamluks.[7]
In 1365, Khalil captured Harpoot from the Mamluks and refused to hand back the city. Emboldened by Khalil's triumph and the Mamluks' investment in internal struggles,[7] Ibrahim joined an alliance with Khalil in his rebellion aiming to capture the city of Sis from the Mamluks.[6] The Mamluk wali (governor) of Aleppo, Timurbay, received a large army under his command from Cairo in 1378–79. Although a cortege of forty men, including Turkmen dignitaries, traveled to Ayas to plead allegiance to him with many gifts, Timurbay arrested and raided them. However, Turkmens later defeated and captured him in the passage of Bab al-Malik, near Belen.[8]
Suspicious of the local Turkmens' loyalty, the distinguished Mamluk emir Barquq sent Emir Yunus al-Nawruzi to Aleppo on 13 June 1381 to gather intel. When the plans of Ibrahim and other chieftains to attack Aleppo and Malatya surfaced, Yunus was trusted with the command of the Mamluk army, including Syrian Mamluk na'ibs (viceroys), and allied Turkmen and Arab tribesmen among its ranks. The Mamluk army vanquished the Dulkadirid, Ramadanid, and various other local forces on 6 July 1381 near Marash. Following the defeat, Ibrahim sought to reconcile with the Mamluks and relayed his apology to the governor of Sis, Toruntay, and the Mamluk sultan forgave Ibrahim.[9] In 1381, Ibrahim's authority in the region was acknowledged by the Mamluks, and in 1383, he was appointed as the na'ib of Adana.[6]
Ibrahim was later alleged to be involved in waylaying and robbing merchants and pilgrims in the region as well as having formed an alliance with the Karamanids in order to annex Sis.[6] The Mamluk army led by emir Yalbugha started marching north on 27 December 1383 to subdue Ibrahim and other rebels in Cilicia. Having forced several local Turkmen groups into submission on the way,[10] the main branch of the Mamluk forces arrived in Missis on 11 January. Ibrahim evacuated Adana upon the arrival of the Mamluks.[11] He retreated to the Taurus Mountains and later approached Sis. Tashbogha, the na'ib of Sis, made an unexpected attack and captured Ibrahim's children and consort. This forced Ibrahim to take refuge among the Bayat tribe. However, Ibrahim was unable to escape from the Mamluks for long as he lacked any significant military force.[6] Ibrahim, his brother Kara Mehmed, their mother, sons, and followers were caught in late January by the Mamluk forces of Tashbogha. Yalbugha set off for Sis on 12 February. The Mamluks executed the prisoners in Sis by cutting them in half.[11] The Mamluk army struggled with poor weather and was ambushed by the Turkmens on its way back to Aleppo. Although the ruler of the Ramadanids were killed, the Mamluks failed to fully maintain their authority over the Uchok tribe.[12] Ibrahim was survived by his other brother Ahmed, who succeeded him.[6]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Yiğit 2018, p. 331.
- ^ Har-El 1995, p. 136; Sümer 2007.
- ^ Uzunçarşılı 1969, p. 176.
- ^ Har-El 1995, p. 136.
- ^ Bosworth 1996, p. 237.
- ^ a b c d e f Sümer 2007.
- ^ a b Yiğit 2018, p. 333.
- ^ Yiğit 2018, pp. 333–334.
- ^ Yiğit 2018, pp. 334–335.
- ^ Yiğit 2018, p. 336.
- ^ a b Yiğit 2018, p. 337.
- ^ Yiğit 2018, pp. 337–338.
Bibliography
edit- Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (1996). New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780231107143. OCLC 35029627.
- Har-El, Shai (1995). Struggle for Domination in the Middle East: The Ottoman-Mamluk War, 1485-91. E.J. Brill. ISBN 9004101802. OCLC 624096003. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- Sümer, Faruk (2007). "Ramazanoğulları". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 34 (Osmanpazari – Resuldar) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies. pp. 442–445. ISBN 978-975-389-456-2.
- Uzunçarşılı, İsmail Hakkı (1969). Anadolu Beylikleri Ve Akkoyunlu, Karakoyunlu Devletleri [Anatolian Beyliks and Aq Qoyunlu, Qara Qoyunlu States] (in Turkish). Turkish Historical Society Press. ISBN 9751624576. OCLC 563553149. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- Yiğit, Fatma Akkuş (October 2018). "Ramazanoğulları Beyliği (1352-1608)". İslâm Tarihi ve Medeniyeti (in Turkish). Vol. 11. Siyer Yayınları. ISBN 9786052375495.