The Seljuk state
In the 11th century Oghuz tribes from Central Asia, led by the house of Seljuk, began great campaigns westward into Iran and Western Asia. The Seljuk state was founded in 1038 by Seljuk’s grandson Sultan Tughrul Beg; later a Seljuk sultanate also arose in Asia Minor. Weakened by internal strife, Byzantium could not resist the attacks of the nomadic Turkic tribes: in 1071 at Manzikert Sultan Alp Arslan’s army routed the Byzantine mercenary force and Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes was taken prisoner. After this many Turkic tribes passed into Asia Minor, and by the end of the 11th century they held most of it and formed a number of emirates; the emirs formally recognised the rule of the Seljuk dynasty but in practice ruled their lands independently. From this time the nomadic Turks began to settle, taking up farming and crafts. In the Seljuk state, state lands were larger than private ones, and much of the state land was given to soldiers and officials in return for service as an iqta; an iqta was at first not inherited, but could be used only for the term of service. The mixing of Turkic tribes with the local population laid the basis for the formation of the Turkish people. The Mongol invasion of 1243 harmed the state’s development, and by the early 14th century the Seljuk state in Asia Minor had broken up.
“On the map”: children draw an arrow for the Oghuz route from Central Asia to Asia Minor and mark Manzikert.